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March 2012

Thu, 2012-03-01 14:50

A knock at my door

Four weeks ago I answered a knock on my door.  I was surprised when I opened it.  There stood a friend, a 56-year-old Houma Indian who has been a crew boat captain for many years.  I was surprised as this man very rarely visits my home.  I asked him, "how are you?"  Then I realized he had tears in his eyes.  As he began to speak, tears streamed down his face.  He began by saying, "I'm sorry, but I need to tell somebody."  He paused to [...Read more]

Kindra Arnesen's picture
Kindra Arnesen


Fri, 2012-03-02 15:08

Misguided management threatens sustainability of fishing communities and fisheries alike

boats alabamaIf you care about the fisheries resource and the traditional fishing communities that rely on them, take the time to read through this article and listen to the audio educational link contained within it (http://communityfood.posterous.com/fish-grabs-the-corporate-concentration-of-our). [...Read more]

Tracy Kuhns's picture
Tracy Kuhns


Thu, 2012-03-01 15:52

BP funds Gulf research, but not the boats needed to conduct it

Crossposted from Facing South. In the wake of its 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, BP pledged up to $500 million over a decade to create an independent program to conduct scientific research at institutions in the U.S. Gulf states. [...Read more]

Sue Sturgis's picture
Sue Sturgis


Fri, 2012-03-02 15:48

Black Herstory: Ms. Rose Johnson of Turkey Creek, Mississippi

mt pleasant baptist churchBy Mia White, crossposted from Ms Magazine. An hour’s drive east of New Orleans along the Gulf of Mexico, there thrives the largely unknown historic black settlement of North Gulfport and Turkey Creek, Mi [...Read more]

Bridge The Gulf's picture
Bridge The Gulf


Mon, 2012-03-05 15:50

How a radio station in Alabama is taking on the nation’s toughest anti-immigrant law (Part Two)

acij edmund pettus bridgeYesterday, a crowd of about 3,000 - 4,000 crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama; Today, the Civil Rights activists continue on a week-long, 50-mile march from Selma to Montgomery.  These marchers, some of them veterans of the original 1965 march for voting rights that took the same route, are not just comme [...Read more]

Ada McMahon's picture
Ada McMahon


Sun, 2012-03-04 23:23

BP Recognizes Health Concerns in Settlement

ur being poisoned signAs Midwest and Midsouth communities mourned and regathered from tornados that claimed at least 30 lives and billions in destruction Friday night, Judge Carl Barbier announced a settlement between oil giant BP and thousands of individuals and businesses that lost money due to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. BP is estimating that this portion of the settlment will cost a little less than $8 billion. [...Read more]

Brentin Mock's picture
Brentin Mock


Tue, 2012-03-06 11:45

We Can Stop This - Continuing the fight for justice in the Gulf Coast  

sunset over gulfWell, here we are,  675 days since we all awoke to the news that the Deepwater Horizon oil rig had exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Across the seasons since, we have borne witness to the near silent disaster that has continuously unfolded.  It would be a lengthy deposition, were we allowed to take oath and testify to our individual journeys. [...Read more]

Cherri Foytlin's picture
Cherri Foytlin


Tue, 2012-03-06 12:14

BP's Settlement Leaves More Questions Than Answers

jonathan henderson wtih tarmatCrossposted from HealthyGulf.org. The big news is that BP and the plaintiffs steering committee have agreed to a process to settle remaining private claims, and that the PSC will be bowing out of a trial. [...Read more]

Aaron Viles's picture
Aaron Viles


Fri, 2012-03-09 17:53

A Gulfwide Gathering to Discuss Progress and Ongoing Disasters

Gulf Gathering 2012Last week, roughly one hundred Gulf Coast concerned citizens, advocates, environmentalists and scientists came together for the third Gulf Gathering since the first held in October 2010 not long after the BP oil disaster. [...Read more]

Brentin Mock's picture
Brentin Mock


Thu, 2012-03-08 13:04

Texans Fight to Protect Their Land from the Keystone XL Pipeline

Down in Texas there’s an old saying; “You can put your boots in the oven but it don’t make them biscuits.” [...Read more]

Rocky Kistner's picture
Rocky Kistner


Mon, 2012-03-12 13:32

The RESTORE Act and what it means to the Gulf Coast region

bird with boom ms gulf coastThe RESTORE Act passed in the Senate on Thursday.  I will never forget the vote: 76-22.  We collectively were a part of this victory, with one voice. [...Read more]

Sharon Hanshaw's picture
Sharon Hanshaw


Tue, 2012-03-13 17:02

Report From Resistance in Alabama to Racist Anti-Immigrant Bill HB56

By Ingrid Chapman, crossposted from Justice Roars. I arrived in Alabama 2 days before HB 56 went into effect with the original plan of being here for 2 weeks. That turned into 3 months. I have just returned for 6 more months to work with the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice. [...Read more]

Bridge The Gulf's picture
Bridge The Gulf


Mon, 2012-03-12 14:22

"The Phony Settlement" - My response to NYT op-ed columnist Joe Nocera

Editors Note: In Friday's New York Times, business columnist Joe Nocera argues that the BP settlement is a lawyers' scheme to "gin up" new clients and squeeze more money out of BP.  He writes that "the vast majority of legitimate claims have already been paid by Feinberg" and that the new claims process established by the settlement will result in mostly "bogus" claims.  Nocera specifically ridicules the BP settlement for

Cherri Foytlin's picture
Cherri Foytlin


Tue, 2012-03-13 13:42

Come to Baton Rouge this Thurs to support Louisiana Fishermen

dead turtle pic shirley tillmanJust to let all my fisherman friends and families know, there will be a meeting in Baton Rouge at the Wildlife and Fisheries building  (2000 Quail Dr.) on Thursday March 15th at 10 am, concerning the possible implementation of TEDs (Turtle Excluder Devices) in our inland skimmer nets, also the implementation of an onboard observer program for our vessels. [...Read more]

Mike Roberts's picture
Mike Roberts


Wed, 2012-03-14 13:28

“Parents’ Guide” publisher Aesha Rasheed talks public education in New Orleans

nola parents guide coverAs the parent of a New Orleans Public School student I can tell you, the reality of sending your child to school has completely changed from when many of us were growing up. When I was a kid, we went to our local neighborhood schools. In New Orleans, since Hurricane Katrina, just sending your child to the closest school is no longer an option. [...Read more]

Rosana Cruz's picture
Rosana Cruz


Thu, 2012-03-15 14:17

A Letter to the BP Plaintiffs Steering Committee

Dear Members of the BP Plaintiff Steering Committee,

You do not know me, and if it were not for the reckless, reprehensible, violations of British Petroleum regarding the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, you would not know me. But you will get to know me.  [...Read more]

Charles Taylor's picture
Charles Taylor


Fri, 2012-03-16 12:06

Gulf Watch: Dead Zone, Oil in Food Chain, and Record Drill Rigs

The dead zone is a problem rarely mentioned in national Gulf Coast discussions, and whether BP oil entered the sea food chain after their disaster is a discussion neither the federal government, nor BP would like to have. For those who live and work off of Gulf Coast seafood, frankly it's not the most desirable discussion either. But as with talk about ubiquitous drilling in the Gulf, it's a discussion that needs to be had. 

[...Read more]

Brentin Mock's picture
Brentin Mock


Fri, 2012-03-16 11:19

Texans to Future Tar Sands Refineries: Do They Care?

Gloria Trevino doesn’t need a Washington politician to tell her that a daily gusher of Canadian tar sands crude won’t do her air in south Houston any favors. Surrounded by massive petrochemical plants, she and her neighbors in this industrial community already breathe some of the dirtiest air in the country. Her small one-story pink stucco house is sandwiched between giant multi-colored steel storage containers like a tiny doll house stuck in the middle of a field of gigantic cooking pots.  [...Read more]

Rocky Kistner's picture
Rocky Kistner


Mon, 2012-03-19 15:14

The Perils of Looking 'Suspicious' While Black and Interpreting While White

By Pam Nath. Sometime around 5:30 a.m., on March 1, 2012, an off-duty policeman working for a private neighborhood security force stopped two young black men driving in a predominantly white neighborhood in New Orleans. The officer called for back up. [...Read more]

Bridge The Gulf's picture
Bridge The Gulf


Wed, 2012-03-21 17:15

Texans Say No to the Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline

With news that President Obama will fast track the building of the southern leg of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, Texans in its path say their health and property rights are endangered by a torrent of corrosive tar sands oil from Canada. [...Read more]

Rocky Kistner's picture
Rocky Kistner