Letter to the President #509: 'What if it were your town?'
Tom Foreman | BIO
AC360° Correspondent
[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/TRAVEL/06/11/oil.spill.beaches/t1larg.gulf.shores.gi.jpg caption="A single season of no shrimp, no fish, no oysters, no tourists, and yes…no oil jobs…and some of these towns will fall apart like a lean-to in a gale." width=300 height=169]
Reporter's Note: BP’s spill is undeniably a terrible thing; but beyond fish and birds, what may be in grave peril is a way of life…poised to truly be wiped away forever. The question in my daily letter to the White House, is that something we can accept?
Dear Mr. President,
Did you ever have an insurance company total a car on you? If you really like the vehicle, it’s not a nice experience. You’ve put your sweat, money and care into it for years, keeping it clean, parking as far as you can from potentially nicking doors, and insisting the kids can’t so much as munch a cookie in the back seat. Then a hailstorm comes along, some adjuster looks at the mileage, and suddenly your treasured ride becomes just a check in the mail.
Having spent the week on the Gulf, that’s what I fear is going to happen to some of the little communities down there. They’re going to be totaled. Oh sure, BP says it will pay for reparations and you say you’ll hold them to it, but too many little towns are barely hanging on in this economy as it is. Telling them, “When it’s all over, the oil guys will pick up the tab,” misses the point.
A single season of no shrimp, no fish, no oysters, no tourists, and yes…no oil jobs…and some of these towns will fall apart like a lean-to in a gale. They exist now only because some people call them home and are willing to fight for them, against mosquitoes, hurricanes, heat, and floods. That is why so many on the Gulf are screaming that the current methods of reparation are just not working. Simply put, what they want is to be paid by BP precisely what they would have made on their own muscle and determination if the oil had not spilled; and they want to be paid that amount until the day comes that the coast is whole again.
Sound Off: Your comments 6/11/10
Editor's Note: After Friday's show feedback was overwhelmingly about the oil disaster. Many wrote in with their suggestions on how to stop the flow of oil into the gulf. Thanks were heard for the very touching interviews with the survivors of the Deepwater Horizon.
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If BP knew how many barrels per day were being pumped from this well, why are they now not admitting how many barrels per day are leaking from the well? It seems to me that the American public is being "sandbagged", and the administration is somewhat going along with BP. This is bs and is unacceptable.
Thank you for continuing to report on the BP oil spill. Spill just doesn't seem like the right word. It makes it sound trivial, like glass of milk being spilled. I especially admired your interview with the survivors. When the one man was fighting back tears, your reaction and treatment of him was perfect – kind, patient, understanding, and empathetic. It's heartbreaking to hear what they went through. The interviews with the families of those who died was also well done. It was generous of you to listen to them speak about their feelings and their loss. It means so much when someone listens to your pain when you're grieving..
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