British Petroleum Declaration

Brad Warner posted the link to this photo on Facebook. It was spotted at a BP station in Ohio. I chuckled a moment, and then that sick feeling I've felt for the last month returned.

Here is a collection of photos covering the oil spill from the New York Times, for anyone interested.

And here is another volunteer opportunity for anyone who has time and a car. I find it terribly ironic that cars are needed to transport sick, oil covered animals, but that's how it goes. Maybe people with buses or other large vehicles could go and lessen gas usage. Sure shows how trapped our society has become when we have to use more of the very thing already causing such great misery.

May this be the wake up call we need to change course on energy use, and recognize that interdependence means with everything, and not just other people.

(Updated) Gulf of Mexico Clean Up Efforts and Human Failures to Change Consumption Patterns

The whole situation in the Gulf of Mexico has been sickening to me. Endless finger pointing. Generations worth of environmental damage. Right wing blathering in support of BP, and against the Obama Administration. The Obama Administration's tepid response. And you know what, I still don't hear many people saying "Damn, maybe I need to figure out a way to drive less and use less oil."

I have a soft spot for pelicans, and it seems that every disaster like this ends up having images of pelicans coated and choking in oil. And to be honest, I think almost no one who hops into their car to drive six blocks to get a loaf of bread or a soda thinks for a second about their connection to these pelicans. And the same is true for all of us who are purchasing endless amounts of plastic crap because we "have to have it!", whatever "it" is.

I'm not feeling terribly charitable or kind about all this today. I've tried not to write about it much because it just makes me so angry, and sad, and not very balanced. Mostly, I look at that pelican in the photo above, and think "I'm letting you down. We are letting you down."

Maia over at Jizo Chronicles has a post today about some clean up efforts being organized. If you have an interest in going down there to help, or offering financial support to those who want to go, check out her post. I can imagine there will be a lot of opportunities to do so for a good long while. May we all wake up to suffering we are causing in the world.

Update: Barry over at Ox Herding has some additional resources to consider in his current post.