Oil Spill

Let me just start out by saying I suck as a blogger - I could take some lessons from my dear talented friend at www.theoneinheels.com but I long ago decided she can pick up my slack on getting a strong passionate voice out on the things that matter. And of course, she has not let me down. However I felt I needed to join in on the matter of the oil spill.

The Gulf Coast has long been my refuge, my mother still lives on the back bay and many of my friends call it home. My child's godmother lives on an inlet where she and her family have experienced the wonders of dolphins coming up to her dock to give birth. Now I wonder will my little girl only hear of this type of miracle because of the devastation caused by the oil spill in the Gulf?

Most of America doesn't really understand the hard working survivor mentality of the Gulf residents. My mother's family who settled on the Gulf Coast in the 1800s were a scrappy bunch of hard headed salt air lovers. They fished and farmed respecting the land and the Gulf as providers of both food and livelihoods. And they stayed and fought mother nature. A water spout comes ashore and wipes out your home - rebuild it, a hurricane blows in and wipes out your home - rebuild it.

But this is a different type of menace creeping ashore. How does one rebuild from a deadly spill? If the life in the Gulf is killed off then how does the hundred of years of balance between man and sea continue? Look, I know we tipped the scales too far this time with the Drill Baby Drill mentality and our endless dependence on oil. I have felt the greasy weight of guilt pushing down on me every time I fire up the ignition on my oil powered car. We can continue to be cogs in this carbon fossil fuel driven machine or we can unite together as a strong voice and demand that gulf drilling be put to a stop and alternative forms of energy be made more affordable and readily available. I realize that it is baby steps but at least I can start by putting down the keys and putting on my walking shoes.