I have actually known that for a long time as I used to, with someone else, run a large conservative news and opinion web site. Many of the contributing authors wrote about the hardships that have been caused by the environmental movement...farmers having water cut off because a non-indigenous pest species could be harmed (Klamath), spotted owl silliness, cutting off the use of DDT and causing needless human deaths from preventable disease, wetlands designations causing people to lose rights over their property, acid rain that isn’t - the list goes on forever. And all that was long before Al Gore’s scam.
Somehow, though, I didn’t question the oil spill disasters. I guess I let myself be unduly influenced by those pathetic images of dying birds and sea lions.
One other thing I believe about the environmental movement is that, in conjunction with a lot of other policies and groups, those people don’t much like people in general and would like to have a lot fewer of them in the world.
The facts are as follows....The spill is way east of their usual shrimping grounds, assuming they even go out into the gulf. Only the big boys do, and most of the small boats fish inland waters as the area is 80-90 percent water. Brown shrimp season has not yet started so they would be sitting around anyway, most likely and I would venture a guess that most of them fish out of the back of a 20ft Bayliner.
The Oyster guys might have a issue if their beds are west of the inlet but I don't know much about oysters.
What I am saying is that all this hand wringing for the cameras is for a check from BP. They pray for plant explosions and the like to collect damages and when it happens it is a free for all.
BTW, I lived down there for 11 or so years. I used to shrimp in my spare time when I was not working on a rig or refinery.
Like Katrina, what you see on TV is mostly a act and panning for the cameras while they stick their other hand in your pocket.