It's not "chocolate milk" anymore...

Oil being “corraled” at the surface with fireproof boom, then ignited. Photo courtesy Dr. Oscar Garcia-Pineda – via SkyTruth.

Dr. Oscar Garcia-Pineda of Florida State University has been out in the Gulf this week on the research vessel Brooks McCall. He’s collecting samples and observations of the BP oil slick, and will compare results with simultaneous acquisitions of aerial remote sensing overflights being conducted by NASA. We at SkyTruth are also collecting near-simultaneous satellite imagery to assist this effort. We hope to get a better understanding of how well aerial and satellite remote sensing are detecting oil at (or near) the surface.

Oscar sent us a stunning series of photographs taken on June 22 near “Ground Zero” in the Gulf, the site of the leaking Macondo well, showing the cluster of response vessels there, and the collection and burning of oil. You can see them all in SkyTruth’s Deepwater Horizon Blowout gallery (look for the photos with “FSU Sampling Cruise” in the title).

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Thanks to comments at The Oil Drum, where posters took a timely peek at Gene Taylor, US representative for Bay St Louis, Mississippi.   Yes, that fellow who on May 1 declared the “spill” not so bad, and like “chocolate milk”.  He also said it was “not Armageddon”.  It was some small comfort reading the old article, the thread in the May 1 report hated him with a passion.

Don’t worry, the Democrats have no corner on brain power equal to fried okra… from the same report, a R buddy, representing Tupelo, was even more specific.  

What shits lead us:

Earlier Saturday, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Tupelo, said at a news conference in Fountainbleu that once the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is under control, and wildlife and wetlands are secure, the federal government will be asking BP Plc some tough questions.

 ”Clearly, they haven’t gotten the job done, but I don’t want to point fingers,” Wicker said. “I think it’s important that we take this like Mississippians do — analytically and responsibly with resolve, purpose and determination. There are some allegations on a Washington level that the response wasn’t quick enough. I’m not ready to say that. At this point, I want to get the flow of the oil stopped and keep it away from the shorelines. There will be a time for the serious questions.” 

Well, GT, long beloved of the orange pasties at Dkos and also beloved of the old Christian Coalition (do they still coalite?  Or did they dry up and blow away?) took another fly over.

No skimmers in sight as oil floods into Mississippi waters

GULFPORT, Miss. — A morning flight over the Mississippi Sound showed long, wide ribbons of orange-colored oil for as far as the eye could see and acres of both heavy and light sheen moving into the Sound between the barrier islands. What was missing was any sign of skimming operations from Horn Island to Pass Christian.

U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor got off the flight angry.

“It’s criminal what’s going on out there,” Taylor said minutes later. “This doesn’t have to happen.”

A scientist onboard, Mike Carron with the Northern Gulf Institute, said with this scenario, there will be oil on the beaches of the mainland.

“There’s oil in the Sound and there was no skimming,” Carron said. “No coordinated effort.”

So… not spilled chocolate milk anymore? He’s probably fishing for hush money, from BP or whoever… but …

Taylor slipped a note to a fellow passenger.

It said: “I’m having a Katrina flashback. I haven’t seen this much stupidity, wasted effort, money and wasted resources, since then.”

Back on land in Gulfport, Taylor let loose.

“A lot of people are getting paid to say, ‘Look! There’s oil’ and not doing anything about it,” Taylor said. “There shouldn’t be a drop of oil in the Sound. There are enough boats running around.

“Nobody’s in charge,” Taylor said. “Everybody’s in charge, so no one’s in charge.

“If the president can’t find anyone who can do this job,” he said, “let me do it.”

He’s having flashbacks. 

BTW, our local FOX affiliate did a segment from Bay of Campeche Mexico, where Ixtoc I oil washed up 30+ years ago.  Killed the oysters.  There are still oysters, but inedible.  They very surprisingly taste like…. oil.  AND, in that part of coastal Mexico, they are expecting Deep Water Horizon oil to hit them by Fall.

The Go ‘Round is not so Merry. 

And, how’s that war against the oil going?  And all the other wars?  Secret wars too?  CIA wars?  Aerial bombardment wars?  Border wars?

Ob?  Snob?  Knob?  Well, Knob will be on the Gulf coast on Tuesday.  Ready to helpful, no doubt, which will mean running that mouth of his….  What utter shits lead us.

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