Shanky's GoM Report (Updated)

UPDATE: So much for the 4th of July down here. If you are thinking of coming to Panama City or really the whole panhandle, I'd think twice.

4x4's on the beach with people taking samples.

Just now saw family SWIMMING in ocean, in the rain, with a hazmat team not 50 yards from them on the beach (not to mention the oil pads floating 30 yards away). No wonder we're in this mess. We have some of the most ignorant people on the planet living here.

Looks like post Alex the emulsified oil is now rolling in. Mats of the stuff yards off of the beach as far as I can see. It will be on the beach by this afternoon I suspect. No, that is not sea foam as the government and the MSM will report.

Beef posted this nice link in comments last night with the nice warning "Warning To Gulf Volunteers: Almost Every Cleanup Worker From The 1989 Exxon Valdez Disaster Is Now Dead"

That can be verified here at http://www.rikiott.com/ She's a Exxon Valdez expert. I think we can get a lot of baseline assumptions from that incident. (and then multiply those times 100 since this oil is contained for the most part in a bowl).


We're heading home today. If I see anything else I'll get it posted.



OK, how do I convey one of the most sickening things I have witnessed in my life? How do I address the fact that there is no way in hell that I will swim in that ocean no matter what the government claims says. How do I address the fact that there may be literally no reason for me to come back down here for, say, 10 years before the toxicity of the GoM is safe enough to swim in without me having to worry about my own personal little swimmers being genetically altered? Not sure, let's see where this post goes...

I am here and I'm still alive. Sure, my feet literally burned for over 24 hours after walking on the beach barefoot the other day, but that's normal safe fine if you have the gene pool that won't allow you to get cancer from the Corexit they have generously applied to the oceans surface. Yup, those are tarballs. They are not covering my beach, but they are present. You see the tram came thru the other day carrying plenty of people in rubber boots and dressed top to bottom in hazmat gear to try and pick the beach clean to make it safe give the appearance that all is well. They even have tractors bringing in port-o-lets for the workers.


Yes, that is a tarball on Seacrest Beach. I am positive it is conveniently covered with some sort of dispersant like Corexit. You see the little A on the map? That is quite a ways from the site of the spill. Hey, I'm picking up tarballs 70 days after the rig explosion! Not to worry, only like several hundred millions of gallong of oil have been spilt (and there are billions more under the ocean), so there will be plenty more for you so squeeze should you decide to come down here.

Funny thing though, while driving to PCB (Panama City Beach) I passed a bunch of these ominous flags, but when I got within a mile of the strip they disappeared. There were no visible signs of oil on the strip or on the surface. We walked out the pier and spoke with local fisherpeople and confirmed the erratic actions of fish and the increase in the amount of fish after the spill (the fish are being forced from deep water to the shores for oxygenated water you see).


So here are the future MRK and PFE pill gobblers just soaking up the sun, surf and Corexit they can. Sure the beach is closed a mile to the West, but is sho is fine fur swimmun down here. Yup, someone hit a home run here and you know the big drug companies are just licking their chops at the opportunities they will have in the future. Never mind the oil covered pelican that was pulled from the water about two miles West of here on the same day this photo was taken. All is well safe fine. Bring your money and don't cancel that family vacation.

You see this is not just a surface problem. It is an airborne issue as well. I can prove it. Pete The Pond Man (the guy who is a water expert and has taken care of our ponds at the beach and home for several years) and I observed our pool here after an arm of Alex passed. What did we discover but floating bubbles. These are not normal bubbles. No, there was not an oil slick on the pool or any rainbow action, but these bubbles were remaining separated from the water and floating on top of it for extended periods of time.

Can't have something like an oil spill get in the way of the most idiotic populace on the planet on their way to max out their Discover Cards one more time now can we? Sadly my adventure was cut short due to Alex and the multiple inches of toxic rain we have received over the last day and a half. I did manage to get one last shot of the beach though. Nope, this is not my handy work. Apparently someone else is just as pissed as I am. I can appreciate fine art like this.



The assumption that BP has trucked in fresh sand for photos ops with the brass and the fact that yet another cleanup worker has died without probable cause is really no big deal. The issues facing the GoM becoming another Black Sea are important also, but we can fix if like former President Clinton says by just blowing it up since there is more oil down there than he ever imagined.

What to do about the economy? You do what every business does, you sick your lobbyists on Washington and plead pay for leniency in regulations like they are doing to get for an increase in the allowance of oil allowed in gulf seafood. You see, they have a plan for everything. It will all be just fine in the end.

As for claims paying, I spoke with a local shop owner (whose business she is very worried about and discovered the words 'drying up' are in her vocabulary) whose husband is an accountant. He represents a fishing business with eight boats. They have had claims filed for over a month now and after repeated filings and regulatory BS the accountant has decided that he will no longer file any more claims. the process is not worth it as his fees to the customer will eat into the claim to such a degree (cause of his time involved) that it is not worth it. So there you have it, slow play the consumer and eliminate the middleman that knows how to work the system thru attrition. Perfect!

No problems here now, the weekend of the 4th is rapidly approaching and you need to get your family down here ASAP and spend your money. Make sure you stop at a BP station (or two) on the way down as you will be contributing to the cause crime. The beaches are have been cleaned up by the troops in hazmat suits, so, sure, uh, yeah it is safe. I'm here now, not having much fun as Alex rolls overhead doing it's part to pick up the oil and disperse it over as wide an area as possible.

The best site I have found for Oil Spill related items (other than Washington's Blog) that is updated regularly and is full of fun sickening articles is HERE. This disaster is real and it is only going to get worse. I am afraid that this will be America's Chernobyl. That a large portion of the Southeast will become a wasteland and uninhabitable as the oil and dispersants become airborne and eventually kill plant life and contaminate water supplies. The economic impact on the coast line will be immense. Just wait till the RE and CRE values get crushed again and the banks that hold the mortgages get it even farther up the ass. I would not buy anything down here for any amount of money at this time. What good is a beach if you can't use it? 

Obama is quickly and quietly becoming known as President Tarball down here in the south (from Uncle Remus - Tar Baby and the Briar Patch ) Now that is a racist comment, and I do not support those at all. Just passing along that bit of knowledge. As for my opinion of the O....this is his mess and so far he's done a worse job than Bush had with Katrina. He, and the whole lot in DC, are puppets to the lobby and special interests. Their first loyalty is to find the best balance workable solution for big business that is possible. Just as in the financial crisis, their masters are driving the ship and we the people are left to pay and suffer for their greedy decisions.

Sooner than later our blood will boil over. We've almost had enough of their bullshit. I suggest they pay attention as this election year rolls along. I also suggest you invest in moving companies in the DC area, cause they will be busy moving the lot of them out this fall.

Get involved America. Now is your time. Censorship is growing. The truth is hard to come by. If we don't come together and raise our voices now, we may not get the chance.

As always, GL!