People who are helping to clean up the continuing disaster that is resulting from the Deepwater Horizon explosion are becoming ill. BP says that it might be food poisoning.
The illnesses are accompanied by silence. Gulf Coast families are afraid to speak in fear of retribution from BP. The people who agreed to help BP clean up the oil spill were forced to sign gag orders. Were they going to disclose proprietary company information?
Since then, the gag agreements have been removed. However, people remain concerned that there will be retribution from BP. The oil company signs the checks to pay for these workers.
Now, one of the wives of the sick fishermen is speaking out. Kindra Arnesen has the courage to bring direct attention to the danger:
"... Arnesen believes it was vapors from the oil and the dispersants from the BP Gulf oil disaster that made her husband and the other shrimpers sick. She says they were downwind of it, and the smell was "so strong they could almost taste it."
For several weeks, she hesitated to talk publicly about it. Like many fishermen who can no longer fish in the Gulf, her husband has signed a contract to work with BP to clean up the oil, and she doesn't want to bite the hand that puts food on her family's table."
link to transcript: Kindra Arnesen interview with Elizabeth Cohen
It seems that the lessons of the past are quickly forgotten. There is documented medical evidence that some people had physical health consequences from helping with the Exxon Valdez disaster. The rescue/recovery workers at the World Trade Center suffered medical consequences. This has been documented thoroughly.
Often, to speak is an act of valour. Let there be no question - Kindra Arnesen is courageous. She characterizes herself as an "uneducated housewife" but who would not want to go to battle with people like her. She will not be intimidated. And it will be a battle.
BP will learn the wrath of American families when their land (and coastal waters), their livelihoods and their loved ones are threatened.
Kudos to Kindra Arnesen. Perhaps President Obama will hear her.
Catherine Forsythe
Grand Isle, Louisiana - June 6, 2010
[Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images]
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Comments
I've been stunned by the silence of all the other oil behemoths. Seriously, no one has a plan to deal with this? Yet, I bet all your applications say you do.
The government allowed these idiots to go forth and drillify without proper oversight?
I wish I were surprised, but in this day of "we didn't do anything illegal" (too big to fail banks, Wall Street, et al) I am no longer surprised.
I will be pleasantly surprised when someone admits what they did was wrong.
Don, I have heard that proposal from numerous sources. The counter-argument is that then there might be a huge crater at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, spewing oil from numerous fissures. Nevertheless, I share your frustration in that there was such poor planning in this whole mess.