(Many thanks to Judy Blume)
Are you there, Obama? It's me, Aerogirl....
The spill happened on a Thursday in April, Earth day, actually.
I watched you speak tonight from the oval office and at the end felt such disappointment. I'm scared, Obama. And after watching your speech, I don't feel like any of questions were answered. Questions that I have been alternately worrying about and trying to forget. Such as:
What if the Gulf fish are inedible for decades? What will that do to our country's food supply?
What if BP declares bankruptcy? You said:
"We will make BP pay for the damage their company has caused"
How? Why haven't you issued an executive order to suspend big oil tax breaks until this mess is resolved, after Senator Sanders repeal amendment failed in the senate? I think just about every American would applaud.
http://www.reuters.com/...
Why haven't you issued a presidential order that clean up workers MUST wear respirators and other protective gear? Or, at minimum, they may bring their own gear without fear of being fired? How about stating outright that anyone working for BP, or on there behalf, who threatens a worker with job termination for attempting to wear protective gear will face a $50,000 fine (or any other large, random number?)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
http://www.southernstudies.org/...
Where are you, Obama? Regular folks are getting sick! Journalists are being kept from reporting! Are you there? Are you on our side? Fighting for us? And justice for all? Or are you making all sorts of compromises with BP to try to get a crumb of what we need?
The last question I will list (although I have many more),and the worst omission from your speech (imo): What can I do? How can the average person, help?
I have read that thousands of people are being denied volunteer positions in the Gulf by BP
http://www.examiner.com/...
So, if we can't volunteer, and we don't have alot of money to donate, are we to just sit by helplessly watching a large section of America be destroyed? Aren't you going to at least tell us to go shopping, or something equally Bushily inane? WHY did you not ask every American who watched your speech to call their senators and demand they pass the energy bill that has been stalled? You could have even flashed a link to the site that has their phone numbers, or had a running scroll along the bottom of the screen with their office numbers as you concluded your remarks. The people of this country are good and decent. But we don't know what to do immediately to feel like we are contributing. And we still don't know what you need from us in more than vague general terms. And I am disappointed that you didn't tell me what I needed and wanted to know.