Troubled waters

This observer has learned more than he ever needed to know during the past nine weeks about oil and the troubled waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

(Several weeks ago in a piece about disasters due to natural causes and effects on this pate, I had remarked that, thus far, no one had ever brought forth catastrophe from an oil rig. With superabundant news coverage and daily portions of doom-cake from the media, I can now add that to my list of events gone woefully astray.)

The fire and explosion aboard the BP oil rig offshore was the triggering event of a series of related catastrophic sequelae. Not the least of these have been the shattering of coastal marshes and beaches' ecology, with widespread death of the fauna and flora of the region, including fish, shrimp, oysters and the breeding areas of birds and other sea creatures.

These have been poisoned by millions of gallons of oil and its related substances like natural gas and intrinsic toxins to all forms of life (including humans). The best minds have been thus far unequal to the task of repairing a massive oil rupture from a mile beneath the surface of Gulf waters.

But we keep trying with hourly-to-daily reports of progress or the lack of it. Almost as frightening as the disaster is, at best, the explosion of popular anger and hate for the company that must stand as the causative organization, seemingly bereft of anything like public-relations or a reasonable attempt to pay for even a minimal amount of the damages. Such expressions as "kicking ass" illuminate the less savory event between politicians who must come together in this common hell of high water. The planet has suffered enough and one must grieve over the loss of jobs and the great harm done to all the rest of us who must somehow pick up and put together again the shattered pieces of the puzzling tragedy.