The biggest problem I see are a lot of people who are just in for themselves and don’t care about anyone or anything else.

Volcanic eruptions can certainly affect climate but we can’t be sure where or how much. Farming and fishing tend to exist on the edge of disaster and change is rarely welcome.

To add one more thing to the mix, in our area, the local farmers are also concerned about the fallout from the Iceland volcanoes. That may sound a little ridiculous at first blush, but scientific records show many a disruption in agricultural output right after major eruptions. Those pesky particles in the air, you know.

Honestly, I really am not a “Chicken Little” type of person, but the facts are scary. Fallout in the oceans + fallout in the air + agricultural disruptions + existing economic structural imbalances. What a grim stew of events.

Farmers saw what the Dust Bowl was really about – starvation. That’s what this oil spill is about. The Gulf is the spawning ground for a lot species, like the blue fin tuna, and a migratory stop-over for many other creature. Hummingbirds winter in Mexico and then stop here to eat after crossing the Gulf. A lot of birds do it.

The Gulf was already in trouble from the fertilizer run-off into the rivers and dams that have slowed down the river flow preventing the Gulf from renewing itself.

The rest of the country has its own problems, including frequent flooding because the rainfall patterns are changing and the flood control measures don’t work any more.

The environment is stressed. It has been abused for years and can’t recover as it once was able to. Before, people moved on and the healing began, but now,there is no space to move to and the land never gets a rest.

The Florida Panhandle’s single most important asset is the beach. If the beach is polluted, we are toast.

It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on his not understanding it. – Upton Sinclair

You guys on the coast will be catching the brunt of all this and I really feel for what you might have to go through. One area where you’re ahead of the rest of us is that you’re knowledgeable about oceans and wildlife and the extensive effect this type of spill can have. But I don’t think the rest of the country has caught on to just how truly bad this could be.

Sure, they know it’s a disaster. But this is on the order (and probably beyond) of the dust bowl in the 20’s. An event that can threaten the food chain and consequently our food supply for years to come. Your average person in the heartland hasn’t caught on to that yet.

I’ve seen pictures since last night, and the tar balls have the same reddish appearance from the surface dispersants as the visible oil slick, so the chance that they can from another source are almost zero, but you have to play the game, rather than state the obvious.

Monday night the U.S. Coast Guard said 20 tar balls were found off Florida’s Key West, but the agency stopped short of saying whether they came from the massive oil spill.

Now, Bryan, I’m curious. Are tar balls in the habit of dropping out of the skies in Florida?

Good grief. If this is the level of transparency to be expected, I really don’t know what to say.