Tag Archives: president obama

Can't we stand united for at least one day?

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Last Fourth of July, Mike and I went to a huge party his sister threw at her house. She handed me a cup of Pink Sangria seconds after I walked in the door, and halfway through it I was already buzzed. We played beer pong, watched fireworks the guys set off in the backyard, and he gave me hundreds of kisses. I remember thinking it was really cool that Britt had filled a couple of blowup kiddie pools with ice and beer.

This year, I’m legally old enough to drink, but I didn’t buy my own beer. I don’t even really care about drinking. I’ve actually started to wonder whether people are actually celebrating our country’s independence, or if they’re just celebrating fireworks and booze. I’ve never really thought about just how much we’ve been taking this day for granted.

I saw someone joke on Twitter that we’re celebrating a country with a massive oil spill today. It was one of those Top Tweets and I don’t remember who it was that said it, but really?! I am in no way downsizing the spill, but that’s not all our country is. Yes, we shouldn’t have been allowing underwater drilling in the first place, but the mistakes that a company made should not reflect our country as a whole. Yes, we are industrial and material, and we don’t always make the best decisions, but I think America is still a pretty damn good place to live, considering I can have a blog, say whatever I want, and not worry about waking up with federal agents standing over me. I can start my own business, be in control of my own money, and live my life the way I want. No one tells me how I should dress, speak, or act. I can make my own decisions, travel without (much) hassle, and I can say the President sucks (although right now I don’t know how I feel about Obama; I think he’s doing the best he can and I’m honestly not sure if he could do better or worse).

Our economy isn’t great, but it’s a cyclical thing and will improve. We just have to stand united, and we have to be proud of our country and our forefathers. Otherwise, what’s the point?

What about the animals, Mr. President?

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I got an email from President Obama last night regarding the BP oil spill.

Deerfield Beach, Florida, 08/05/2006, by Elizabeth K. Barone

Deerfield Beach, Florida, 08/05/2006, by Elizabeth K. Barone

Yesterday, I visited Caminada Bay in Grand Isle, Louisiana — one of the first places to feel the devastation wrought by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. While I was here, at Camerdelle’s Live Bait shop, I met with a group of local residents and small business owners.

Folks like Floyd Lasseigne, a fourth-generation oyster fisherman. This is the time of year when he ordinarily earns a lot of his income. But his oyster bed has likely been destroyed by the spill.

Terry Vegas had a similar story. He quit the 8th grade to become a shrimper with his grandfather. Ever since, he’s earned his living during shrimping season — working long, grueling days so that he could earn enough money to support himself year-round. But today, the waters where he has worked are closed. And every day, as the spill worsens, he loses hope that he will be able to return to the life he built.

Here, this spill has not just damaged livelihoods. It has upended whole communities. And the fury people feel is not just about the money they have lost. It is about the wrenching recognition that this time their lives may never be the same.

These people work hard. They meet their responsibilities. But now because of a manmade catastrophe — one that is not their fault and beyond their control — their lives have been thrown into turmoil. It is brutally unfair. And what I told these men and women is that I will stand with the people of the Gulf Coast until they are again made whole.

That is why, from the beginning, we have worked to deploy every tool at our disposal to respond to this crisis. Today, there are more than 20,000 people working around the clock to contain and clean up this spill. I have authorized 17,500 National Guard troops to participate in the response. More than 1,900 vessels are aiding in the containment and cleanup effort. We have convened hundreds of top scientists and engineers from around the world. This is the largest response to an environmental disaster of this kind in the history of our country.

We have also ordered BP to pay economic injury claims, and this week, the federal government sent BP a preliminary bill for $69 million to pay back American taxpayers for some of the costs of the response so far. In addition, after an emergency safety review, we are putting in place aggressive new operating standards for offshore drilling. And I have appointed a bipartisan commission to look into the causes of this spill. If laws are inadequate, they will be changed. If oversight was lacking, it will be strengthened. And if laws were broken, those responsible will be brought to justice.

These are hard times in Louisiana and across the Gulf Coast, an area that has already seen more than its fair share of troubles. The people of this region have met this terrible catastrophe with seemingly boundless strength and character in defense of their way of life. What we owe them is a commitment by our nation to match the resilience they have shown. That is our mission. And it is one we will fulfill.

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

This letter feels like it comes from the heart, and although reports have said President Obama is pissed, it’s well-written and his anger is well-contained. However, he mentions nothing of the Gulf’s wildlife. The tone of this letter is basically, “BP’s mistake took away people’s jobs, and they’re going to pay for this!” I think it sucks that people can’t do the work they once did. But you know what sucks even more? The animals and plants who are DYING because of the oil in the water.

What is our country going to do about that?