I'm sure Will would love this passed around!
Enough of This Crap, Part II: This Note's For You
Thursday 17 June 2010
by: William Rivers Pitt, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed
The other day, in Part I of "Enough of This Crap," I wrote the following:
Reports have been coming out of the Gulf for days about British Petroleum blocking access to beaches and animal-cleaning stations, in some instances using private Blackwater-style mercenaries to do so. Journalists as well as citizens have been thwarted in their attempts to see for themselves the extent of the damage being done by the runaway Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Know what I'd like to see happen? I would like to see a thousand people, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, just show the hell up down there and demand access. Citizens and reporters alike, just get down there, link arms, and walk to the beaches and the marshlands with digital cameras and cell phones for instantaneous blogging of what they see, hear and smell. Pile into as many rented, borrowed and begged boats as can be mustered and plow out there to the scene of the crime. Dare the gendarmes to stop us.
As it turns out, I was not the first person to have this idea.
If you are tired of watching in paralyzed fury as the underwater oil spigot from the Deepwater Horizon vomits doom into the sea, if you have the time and ability to do more, then my friends, this note's for you.The Bucket BrigadeAn organization called Louisiana Bucket Brigade has undertaken an active citizen-driven campaign to chart where oil is affecting the Gulf coastline. The Bucket Brigade sends volunteers out to all points along the coast to locate where oil damage is occurring, and through the use of email and social networking sites like Twitter, pinpoints exactly where the damage is taking place. This information is used to create an Oil Spill Crisis Map, which is then utilized as an advocacy tool to show people the truth of what is actually happening, as well as a way to create linkage between need and resources.
If this is something you can participate in, all the information you need is right here. Also, on the main Bucket Brigade page, you will find a "Get Involved" button in the upper right corner of their website. One caveat: according to a member of this organization I spoke to, they are looking for people who can give more than a day or two of their time. If you are a resident of the Gulf coast area, a college student on summer break, or someone who has more than a few days time on their hands and a desire to help, you are who they're looking for.
LOTS MORE...
http://www.truth-out.org/enough-this-crap-part-ii-this-notes-for-you60525
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