Last week we took the kids to the beach down in Gulf Shores, Alabama. My bride's sister and brother in law own a condo that we get a chance to use periodically. We had a BLAST.
The water was beautiful, the sand was sugar and the weather was great. Just the kind of break we needed after a long winter and busy spring. We were fortunate because we don't pay anything to use this family owned condo overlooking the beach. Gulf Shores was also fortunate, because if we had been paying a typical rental of as much as $1500.00 a week, there is a very high likelihood that we wouldn't have made the trip. Too much money for the risk of an oily mess on the beaches. Lucky for us, it was free and the beach was great. So we went and spent our money in restaurants, shops, movies and the outlet mall.
Interestingly, if you listen to the locals, its not the oil that's killing the Gulf tourism business. it's the national news. We heard multiple stories of news folks getting out of their satellite equipped vans in their pressed suits and making a news video with the ocean in the background. The only thing is, they didn't get within 100 yards of the actual water. They had no clue as to the actual water conditions that day. This goes out over national airwaves (and probably gets picked up internationally too.) and everybody thinks the Exxon Valdez ran up on the beach. The truth is, there is more oil afloat in the Gulf of Mexico than the Exxon Valdez ever held. But its not ashore everywhere. Beaches are dynamic ecosystems. Its different every day. One day may be great, and 4 days later, there may be tar balls.
There is a guy doing one HELL of a job in keeping would be vacation travelers honestly informed. Bruce Alexander is a local Realtor in Gulf Shores, who runs a web site called Bruceatthebeach.net. Bruce goes down to the ocean daily and makes a youtube.com video reporting daily on water conditions, oil clean up etc. For folks like our family, considering and anguishing over whether to go to the beach, this guy is doing yeoman's work. I will say this, not only is he helping his community and would be tourists, I'd buy a property from him. Anybody who cares this much, must be a good guy to trade with.
This isn't a post about Bruce or the beach really. This mess is going to take my 2 year old grandsons life time to clean up. And with millions of gallons of oil now in the global ocean currents, its a global problem. Two years from now, I will not be surprised for some of this oil to be found fouling landmasses in Ireland. The clean up effort is an environmental and economic nightmare writ large. Who knows how many whales and other lifeforms have died and nobody knows?
The video below shows what this oil really looks like at sea. Its a mess, and its everywhere. From thousands of feet below the surface of the sea to tar balls on the beach. In thicknesses ranging from heavy brown tar to a viscous shine, this junk permeates the ocean at all levels. A hurricane would just stir it up like salad dressing in a shaken bottle.
There is a large flotilla of ships and activity throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico right now. It's costing the American people billions of dollars. (Like we need that with the War in the Middle East, the recession and Obama trying to nationalize healthcare) People are losing their livelihoods, but at the same time, somebody is making money. I'd like to own a company that made oil booms or did heavy marine engineering. Own a septic tank pumping business with pump tanker trucks? Send em to the Gulf. The government is paying $50.00 an hour 24 hours a day to move oil from recovery ships to holding tanks and tankers. Now there is a Logistics Business.
I believe we borrow the environment from our children. My children and grandchildren will be paying for this one for their generations lifetime. That is the real tragedy. Hopefully, the oil companies, the governments and the people will be able to clean this mess up. To the extent the logistics business plays a role, I hope as an industry we step up and play our part. God knows, if any shipping company has assets useful in the clean up of oil, they are needed.
To this end an open appeal to Mr. Obama: Please issue an executive order temporarily suspending the Jones Act restricting foreign vessels in US trade. There are Dutch and Scandinavian ships specifically designed to collect oil etc. These ships are needed in US waters doing what they are designed for. If you are leading on this issue, lets suspend the bullshit and get with the program for the good of our people and the environment.
Eric
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