The government is hiding something about this oil spill and it is not bad press for BP....

[TwixVoy]

I was talking to a friend of mine today who went down to the coast to attempt to get a job as a contractor cleaning up the oil spill. He told me there is shit going on there that is NOT being reported in the media. Lots of people are seriously sick - some of them with respiratory problems. What the hell kind of oil spill causes respiratory problems? They turned him away. Halliburton is one of the companies involved in this "clean up". Yes, I actually did my homework to see if I could find any links confirming this. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/03/gulf-oil-spill-sickness-c_n_598816.html According to what he saw there is much more illness going around than is being reported even in these stories.

So we have the coast guard involved spending most of their time making sure cameras are kept away.

Now we have state and local governments being kept out. WTF is going on? http://abcnews.go.com/WN/bp-oil-spill-gov-bobby-jindals-wishes-crude/story?id=10946379

They are HIDING something. Something big. Until I talked to my friend today I assumed it was just protection for BP so they don't look so bad.... but this is more than that. There is more to this story than meets the eye.

Whatever they were doing out on that rig.... it was more than just drilling for oil.

[Mimosa]

1. What could they be hiding?

I would think the sheer immensity of the spill is what they don't want reporters or workers to see and report to us.

[TwixVoy]

3. It's more than that

Why are they keeping out state and local governments? Why are so many people getting sick?

State and local governments don't broadcast to the public. Keeping them out suggests whatever they are hiding they can't even trust other levels of government with.

We already know how big the spill is. That cat is out of the bag.... yet they continue to go out of their way to make sure no one gets any real information about this.

Who knows what else could have been going on at that rig that had nothing to do with drilling for oil. Actually such a location would be an ideal location to conduct activities that need to be kept secret.... No one gets in or out with out you knowing about it. It's in the middle of the ocean. Either they were conducting some kind of experiment/activity that went horribly wrong, or they suddenly needed to eliminate any trace of it and torching the place was the best way to do it quickly.

[mmonk]

33. Dispersants are toxic.

[Laelth]

49. Nothing else could have been going on. Nothing else makes sense.

The dispersants, most likely, are causing the widespread illness, and the dispersants serve only one function--to hide the enormity of the gusher.

What else could possibly have been going on at Deepwater Horizon? They were drilling for oil. They struck oil. No mystery here. The greater problem is the dispersants. The dispersants give both BP and the government cover, but they also make people sick and kill a lot of animals. In PR terms, though, someone made the decision to use them to prevent big slicks on the surface and on the beaches, despite how much more damage the dispersants may do.

I can't imagine what other great secret the government and BP are trying to hide here.

:dem:

-Laelth

[northernlights]

56. the oil fumes and the dispersants are both toxic

They have low volatility, so they tend to hover around sea level (the molecules that evaporate,that is), so you breathe in more.

The Exxon Valdez spill lead to what was termed "Valdez crud" -- same symptoms as reported with this. I read last week that the average lifespan for people who worked cleanup was *51 years.* There was an interview posted a week or two ago with one of the longer-term survivors -- she's had serious, ongoing health problems ever since.

One reason the final bill paid by Exxon was so much lower than the original court judgements was because by the time they were done stalling, most of the sick people had died. (Same reason insurance companies delay, delay, delay...hoping you'll die and go away.)

What I want to know is why does President Obama not *require* that all cleanup workers be outfitted with *respirators.* They need to be wearing biohazard suits.

BP doesn't want people around for a multitude of reasons. PR is one of them. Increased liability surely is another. If the admit this is sickening people, they'll be liable for their ongoing healthcare.

[Mimosa]

59. Thanks. I get it. It's poisonous out there. n/t

[tekisui]

13. It could be the dispersant spraying.

[City Lights]

24. That was my first thought. nt

[WeekendWarrior]

37. Hat, meet tin and foil. nt.

[anarch]

2. I'm no expert, but

I'd think there's all manner of nasty poisons coming out of that busted well. I'm pretty sure they were drilling for oil, but I think they got more than they bargained for in the subterranean pressure department, hence the blowout. And now poisons of all kinds are being released into the gulf, and into the atmosphere. I wouldn't doubt that "they" are hiding the immensity of this disaster, b/c if the majority of people knew, there would be widespread panic and secondary damage to our economy, etc.

I will be extremely (pleasantly) surprised if this monster is stopped by this autumn. I think the gulf region is more or less done for as it stands, but I don't think even the people who are hiding how bad this is understand the potential damage here.

[TwixVoy]

6. I suspect they were conducting some kind of experiment

I suspect they were conducting some kind of experiment or activity which may not have even been related to drilling for oil. Something unethical enough to cover up, and something that blew up in their face.

[polichick]

4. Could be the leaks on the sea floor. nt

[ProSense]

5. This may explain it

here

[girl gone mad]

7. Can you at least post an excerpt?

blind linking is so lazy.

[ProSense]

8. No, but here's

the link: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=347588&mesg_id=347588

You can click on it or not.

[girl gone mad]

17. Why would I?

Here's a random link, you can click on it or not. Maybe it explains things, maybe it doesn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xyyJIFrr2w&feature=related

ETA:

here, I'll even make it bold for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xyyJIFrr2w&feature=related

[tekisui]

21. THey can't break up a talking point presentation

into an excerpt. You have to sit through the whole presentation.

[ShamelessHussy]

27. lame

net etiquette

[ProSense]

29. Oh please.

There are links in the OP without excerpts.

Taking issue with how a link is presented or what it's accompanied by is just a tired excuse to justify complaining.

[riderinthestorm]

38. Or rural farmer DUers won't click on a link without incentive

Some links actually freeze up our computers oh elitest sir.

Some of us can't GET wi-fi, DSL, cable or any other kind of high speed internet service. If there isn't some kind of compelling reason for us to risk a major freeze out, re-boot, you are going to have to put out some kind of excerpts so we risk it.

Do you support sustainable ag? Organics? People off the "grid"? Then you are going to have to deal with people who aren't able to link without substantiation. Taking issue with a how a link is presented or what is accompanied is how you deal with your most progressive neighbors, subscribers, farmers and more.

So complain and out yourself as a shit who doesn't give a shit about those of us who are really living our progressive ideals.

[ShamelessHussy]

40. it's all about being polite, and helpful

especially when you are trying to make a point, it is up to you, to make the effort, not your audience, or you won't have much of one.

fyi

[G_j]

45. if my memory serves me well

I've complained about the exact same thing.

[RKP5637]

9. As with many things, we will not get the whole story for awhile IMO. I think they

are trying to shield the horror of this spill, out of sight, out of mind... but many of the images/video so far are pretty horrible. Now, I think it was on DU, someone posted earlier today a link to a story that the seabed was fractured in that area making it nearly impossible to seal off the well. I'm not an expert, I'm just passing that bit along.

The dispersant is apparently pretty toxic in itself, it might be they are trying to shield the implications of using this dispersant. One can be sure there is money exchanging hands in this cleanup. Some corps. are going to make some money and it's not the poor residents suffering. Breathing fumes from the dispersant and the crude oil is IMO like breathing solvents endlessly and that is exceptionally bad for ones health.

There is so much BS anymore, it's hard to separate fact from fiction, and often what is considered fiction one day becomes fact another day way down the road and vice versa.

[lamp_shade]

10. ooooooooooo

[flyarm]

12. not so funny..there is already a plan to evac all of Tampa and surrounding areas! If the disaster

should get to a certain level of toxins in the air!

[lamp_shade]

18. I live in Tampa and have heard no such thing.

[flvegan]

34. I live in Tampa and heard about it over a week ago.

It would be in result of any sort of large controlled burn of the oil, or if the fumes were to start causing issue with people with respiratory problems.

Google it. I'm sure you'll find it.

[Name removed]

43. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[flvegan]

44. LOL!!!!!!!

:rofl: Sigline...can't breathe... :rofl:

[Tsiyu]

46. ...

:rofl:

[amborin]

52. i read that also

[flyarm]

11. That is what many of those of us who live on the Gulf have been trying to tell people here..

you are being lied to..and our government is complicit in the damn lies!!!!!

[anarch]

14. dear friend, "our government" is sponsored by various corporate interests

To quote Bill Hicks, "All governments are lying s" and I'm sorry to those hardcore party affiliates here, but that is true of our current government as much as for any other.

And I couldn't be more sorry for your situation, living near the Gulf. I am so sorry.

This is the worst thing we have ever done to ourselves, in my opinion. We must change our lives.

[flyarm]

16. I have never had any illusions about our government..it is why they work so hard

to have professional propagandists.

And thank you for your concern..you know you work hard your entire life and retire..and then your Stocks go in the shitter..and then your dream retirement home becomes worth nothing..wtf..most people in this country care..but there are some who don't give a rats fucking ass, as long as it is not them..but this is one time..that no one will be spared..if not on the Gulf..they just may along with their familys and everyone else.. be the recipients of toxic soup..in their rain or snow..

This is a catastrophe of epic proportions..and will be far reaching in its scope.

:( :puke: :hi: :hi: :hi:

[earth mom]

25. Evacuation?! This is going from bad to worse!

I'm so sorry for what you are all going through! :grouphug:

[tekisui]

15. Spraying dispersant at levels never before seen.

Who knows what we are doing? There will be illness following this for years.

[RKP5637]

19. IMO the $20B is just a drop in the bucket. That's what I think too, there will

be implications for years, in fact, I am willing to bet the implications are not even really understood at this point.

[intheflow]

20. It's well documented that exposure to oil causes respiratory problems.

Oil is a toxic chemical. People got really sick from the Exxon Valdez spill, too. Oil spills do in fact cause respiratory problems.

http://www.valdezlink.com/inipol/pages/worker.htm


I'm not saying they're not hiding information, but my guess is it's much more about the breadth and depth of the environmental disaster than that there were some secret operations on the rig. That's horrific enough for me without being paranoid they're manufacturing chemtrail toxin, or whatever it is you're suggesting.

[nadinbrzezinski]

22. Reaching for the Hazmat hat

what could be causing respiratory problems?

Well the AROMATICS in oil... do that... you know things whose names end with the letters ...NE, such as Benzene...

And the media, at least the ones I have been watching, have talked to rubes with Toxicology degrees that have mentioned this... in detail.

Oh never mind, we need to reach for the tinfoil hat, instead of a basic organic chemistry textbook or... if you must, wiki... just read their entry on Benzene... and there are at least another 20 compounds that are part of the aromatics that come with oil that will do that shit, and worst.

<----------- there is a reason I was not foolish enough to volunteer for the HAZMAT team and only did the ahem "Tertiary ZONE" which involved some advanced training. Oh and did some other training that would shock you. Lets just say, that damn yellow suit IS HOT AS HADES.

But yes, the media is not hiding a thing... they have interviewed the Toxicologists who are NOT working for the state, and they have said pretty much what I am telling you now. And that is before I even go into Corexit... but hey, the hat fits you, and it is rather shiny.

As to Halliburton, well that is the problem when we have pretty much privatized everything. And I am not shocked, after all the company absorbed one of the top companies in the biz last year. (If you must there is a major movie about that company, the Red Addair outfit)

[RKP5637]

23. +1, n/t

[Maru Kitteh]

41. +1

[Control-Z]

28. Thank you for the

common sense response, nadinbrzezinski.

I just don't understand the need to make more out of the gulf tragedy than the epic disaster is already factually is.

There's enough greedy, negligent and criminal behavior to go around without adding crazy made up crap to the mix.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Having worked disaster services

I also know this is TEXTBOOK behavior. It comes down to people cannot accept things are just that bad... so of course somebody is hiding something. While BPs behavior don't help, and I am sure they are hiding some, out of self preservation... some of the questions on the OP, actually most, can be explained by the nature of the disaster. Oil is THAT toxic, even before the Dispersant come into play.

[earth mom]

26. The gulf oil is full of methane. It could be making people really sick.

Have you all read this from LBN?

Gulf oil full of methane, adding new concerns

It is an overlooked danger in oil spill crisis: The crude gushing from the well contains vast amounts of natural gas that could pose a serious threat to the Gulf of Mexico's fragile ecosystem.

The oil emanating from the seafloor contains about 40 percent methane, compared with about 5 percent found in typical oil deposits, said John Kessler, a Texas A&M University oceanographer who is studying the impact of methane from the spill.

That means huge quantities of methane have entered the Gulf, scientists say, potentially suffocating marine life and creating "dead zones" where oxygen is so depleted that nothing lives.

"This is the most vigorous methane eruption in modern human history," Kessler said.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4432392

[Brickbat]

31. Sometimes an oil spill is just an oil spill.

A really big-ass shitty oil spill, but still, just an oil spill.

[flyarm]

39. This is no spill..it is a " continuing volcanic explosion" under water!

this is no damn spill!

[dana_b]

32. have you read Riki Ott's blog?

She is a marine biologist who is down there and who also worked on the Exxon Valdez disaster. She has been on KO's show. She is really concerned about the human health hazards and the cover up that BP is doing.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/riki-ott/from-the-ground-bp-censor_b_608724.html

"With oil undisputedly hitting the beaches and the number of dead wildlife mounting, BP is switching tactics. In Orange Beach, people told me BP wouldn't let them collect carcasses. Instead, the company was raking up carcasses of oiled seabirds. "The heads separate from the bodies," one upset resident told me. "There's no way those birds are going to be autopsied. BP is destroying evidence!"

The body count of affected wildlife is crucial to prove the harm caused by the spill, and also serves as an invaluable tool to evaluate damages to public property - the dolphins, sea turtles, whales, sea birds, fish, and more, that are owned by the American public. Disappeared body counts means disappeared damages - and disappeared liability for BP. BP should not be collecting carcasses. The job should be given to NOAA, a federal agency, and volunteers, as was done during the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska."

www.rikiott.com

[hedgehog]

35. Wouldn't the carcasses be considered toxic waste? Tell me BP is

just dumping them in a ditch somewhere and I'll get upset.

[leftstreet]

47. ...

Thanks for that link!

[hedgehog]

36. Seriously Dude - the oil and dispersant are pretty toxic in and of themselves.

IMO, BP was/is incompetent and the dispersant does more harm than good. There's plenty of blame there without dragging out the plot of a Sci-Fy Original Movie!

[NNN0LHI]

42. Little Bobby Jindal is the one who is having his goons block media access

Little Bobby Jindal would love to blame his own tricks on President Obama if he can get enough gullible people to believe him.

Don

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/6/11/875156/-Officials-under-Jindals-authority-help-BP-block-media-access

Officials under Jindal's authority help BP block media access

by Jed Lewison

Share this on Twitter - Officials under Jindal's authority help BP block media access

Fri Jun 11, 2010 at 02:40:04 PM PDT

Here's a question for Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal: Why are government officials under his authority joining forces with BP to block media coverage of the oil spill?

Here's the background: Yesterday, CNN’s Jim Acosta reported that he and his camera operator were denied access to a facility treating oil-soaked wildlife despite authorization from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Acosta said he was blocked by a BP contractor calling itself the Louisiana State Animal Response Team as well as an official from the Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Service Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and a member of the Louisiana National Guard, both of which are under Gov. Jindal's control.

When the CNN crew attempted to videotape the facility, a guardsman told them to stop, saying "I’m going to have to ask you to stop taking pictures here." When CNN appealed, Chris Buco, an official from the BP contractor, also denied access, saying he had the "final" authority on who would get access to the facility. And an official from the Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Service Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (which operates under Jindal's command) defended the BP contractor's decision, saying "it’s more important for the animals to have a quiet, calm, controlled area at this point."

Watch the video (transcript here):

[Laelth]

48. The dispersants serve only one function--to hide the damage.

And the dispersants are more toxic than the oil. The dispersants are the more likely cause of illness. The government, it appears, is complicit in this cover-up.

:dem:

-Laelth

[southernyankeebelle]

50. After Watergate and the VN conflict and the Kennedy assination I stopped truthing my government. I

don't care who is the president. Citizens across the country have been lied to for years. This is nothing new. I don't believe have what you hear on the news or see in print. We have no control what is going on. I try to live my life and do the best I can for my family and friends around us.

[MrMickeysMom]

51. Does anyone have chemical component info on the dispersant?

That dispersant, wherever it was dispersed, would have the potential to cause wide-spread sickness. Right now, my sister, who lives in Seminole, FL, is eating grouper found in as yet "normal" fishing areas of the gulf.

So, what are we dealing with here, folks? Point me to it, if you please.
:shrug:

[amborin]

53. this does:

http://upload.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8392578



http://demopedia.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8588340

[MrMickeysMom]

58. "There isn't any information on what is the environmentally relevant..

...level of dispersant".

Not only that, but... "In toxicology it's quite often not the original compound that's the toxic entity."

I'll be sending this information to my sister, who's attitude thus far is, "if I die, I'm gonna die".... I know better, having taken care of people who are dying. It ain't that simple.

"SKIN CONTACT :
Can cause moderate irritation. Harmful if absorbed through skin.

INGESTION :
May be harmful if swallowed. May cause liver and kidney effects and/or damage. There may be irritation to the
gastro-intestinal tract.

INHALATION :
Harmful by inhalation. Repeated or prolonged exposure may irritate the respiratory tract.

SYMPTOMS OF EXPOSURE :
Acute :
Excessive exposure may cause central nervous system effects, nausea, vomiting, anesthetic or narcotic effects.
Chronic :
Repeated or excessive exposure to butoxyethanol may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the
liver.

AGGRAVATION OF EXISTING CONDITIONS :
Skin contact may aggravate an existing dermatitis condition.
HUMAN HEALTH HAZARDS - CHRONIC :
Contains ethylene glycol monobutyl ether (butoxyethanol). Prolonged and/or repeated exposure through inhalation
or extensive skin contact with EGBE may result in damage to the blood and kidneys."


HUMAN HAZARD CHARACTERIZATION :
Based on our hazard characterization, the potential human hazard is: High

[branders seine]

54. 'Our government' (I use quotes because they are neither ours, nor in the business of governing--

they work for the ruling elite and their corporate functionaries)has become reflexively authoritarian. They also are hiding (and perhaps hiding from) the original premise of this post. The Big Spew in the Gulf is FAR FAR FAR worse than we've been told.

[wordpix]

55. if anything, it's that there's little chance of stopping spew, even in 2 months

Over at the Oil Drum, one tech-savvy oil person was saying there's no way they can stop it. :cry:

I spoke to my congressman's office about this, and his staffer hadn't heard the theory. Definitely a secret.

[IOKIYAL]

57. LOL!!! the gov't is hiding something?

next time come with some hard facts. This story has been told everyday since gov't was invented. it's completely cliche.

OF COURSE, over time we are going to hear about what happened and when and who. This is what happens with all disasters.