Monday, June 7, 2010

The Gulf Oil Spill, How we can help.

When I was 13 I realized my calling in life. I wanted to help people. I wanted to help children/kids who had lost their parents at a young age, cope. It was something near and dear to my heart and wanted to offer any advice I had, even if it was just a spark of hope that it got easier with time. My life progressed much differently than I expected and college was not an option I could have kept up with, still I knew I was put on this planet to help people in some way.

Before 2008, I was never into politics. It always seemed like a broken record of two parties fighting over issues with one another and endless cycle that I had no interest in. I felt none of it really affected me, so why bother? It wasn’t until Prop 8 that I truly immersed myself and got involved, something that had a deep impact on my life as a newly engaged woman and a part of the LGBT community. Since 2008, I have focused on many things, my relationship with Steph, my businesses, my friends and research, lots and lots of research, one of the things I do best. I did my research on the environment, our government, political parties, the FDA, nutrition, health, toxins and learned how they all tie in together.

I am not a religious person, never have been. I do not believe in a traditional “God,” but I get why other people feel connected to religion and belief in a higher power. My “God/Religion” is nature, mother earth. I feel a sense of inner peace when I am in nature, much like some people feel when they pray or go to church. The ocean has a calming effect on me, almost as if I am meditating, without trying, same with being in a forest, a river, lake, desert, or my backyard. Sometimes I sit in my backyard and just watch the wind blow through the trees, the squirrels chase each other and listen to the birds chirp. It gives me a feeling that nothing else in this world can. It’s amazing. I also feel extremely protective of Nature/ Mother Earth, the same way religious people feel over their God, churches, etc.

When I heard about the Gulf spill, I was horrified. I know that as humans, we make mistakes and that sometimes that involves the destruction of nature. I wasn’t too quick to place blame until I knew the whole story. So, I did my research. My research doesn’t usually involve the mainstream media, because they don’t always give us the whole truth, in fact most of the time they don’t. Most of it is sugarcoated and they are involved or have ties with these huge corporations. Now, I am not suggesting that this spill was done on purpose but here are the FACTS that we know (or maybe you don’t know…yet) so far.

-Transocean and BP were in a “power” struggle with each other during meetings. BP wanted faster production, not keeping the safety of the rig in mind.

-Transocean and BP were aware that the rubber annular, part of the blowout preventer had broken to pieces about a month prior to the explosion and had not repaired or replaced.

-Tony Hayward, BP’s CEO sold 1/3 of his stocks in the company about a month before the explosion.

-Halliburton purchased boots & coots, an oil spill cleanup company 11 days before the explosion of the Deep Water Horizon.

-Tony Hayward is an active member of the Bilderberg group.

-There was an insurance policy taken out for double what the rig was worth, which is in the hundreds of millions.

Was this done on purpose? Many Americans are asking this question. It does seem a bit fishy doesn’t it? Our Ocean is suffering, birds, dolphins, and other animals are dying, and the wetlands of Louisiana which help protect the state from hurricanes are being destroyed. Fishermen along the gulf have lost their jobs and livelihood. I am not trying to be dramatic; this is the truth, truly devastating. It’s like 9/11 for the Environment. It’s no wonder people are angry. We have every right to be. Our government is letting BP take total control of a situation that is totally OUT of control.

The point of every blog I write is to state the facts and come up with a positive solution. So what can WE do to help out? How can we channel our frustrations and make a positive difference?

1.Get informed, do your own research. Youtube is a great place to do that. Check out online resources as well. I belong to a group on facebook called Oil Volcano News which has daily updates on the FACTS (cold hard) about what is going on in the gulf, with BP, our government’s response, etc.

2.If you would like to boycott BP’s products, you can go onto their website, www.BP.com and do a zip code search of local gas stations in your area that are affiliated with BP.

3.Stay positive but know the facts, even if it’s hard to swallow. Ignorance is not always bliss.

4.Get the word out to friends and family. Facebook, twitter and myspace are great ways to get people’s attention.

5.Contact your senators; tell them that now more than ever we need to pass comprehensive legislation that provides America with cleaner, safer energy choices. www.senate.gov or www.house.gov

Donations are a great way for us to be a part of the solution, even though we can’t physically be in the Gulf.

-The National Wildlife Federation is taking donations to help with the animals that have washed ashore that are in dire need of help. www.nwf.org or https://online.nwf.org/site/Donation2?df_id=16683&16683.donation=form1

-The Greater New Orleans Foundation is taking donations to help the local fishing community and their families as well as those who depend the fishing and tourism industries for their livelihood. www.gnof.org

Our dependence on foreign oil is a problem but overall our dependence on oil in general is a greater problem.

Change is only going to happen through US, we the people. This is reality. Once Americans wake up to this fact, we can actually DO something about taking our Country back. How nice would that be? It doesn’t matter what political party you are part of, it’s about uniting to make the United States and our environment a better place for all of us.

I’m trying to do my part and I hope that with my blogs and natural, non toxic bath & body products, I can do what I set out to do as a 13 year old. Help people, even if it makes a small impact, I am a happy, fulfilled woman. I put my heart and soul into these blogs so if you have read this far, thank you! It gives me great joy and pleasure to share this information.

Until next time,
Galynne



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