Mega Disaster<->Monumental Cover-Up

Image via Wikipedia60 days and counting - the greatest oil spill disaster of all time (by far dwarfing the Exxon Valdez) and likely the greatest environmental disaster yet recorded. At best, if all goes as planned it will take at leastanother 60 days to caulk the hole and staunch the relentless undersea flow. In the interim vast swathes of the Gulf of Mexico are being turned into desert as huge numbers of bird and aquatic life succumb to the sticky substance. While the long-term effect on the food chain is largely unknown, it is known that an active hurricane season (which is anticipated this year) can create a toxic stew onshore as millions of gallons of dispersal chemicals along with the oil itself are washed up on the coastline and absorbed into the cloud cover to be released later on as toxic rain.

Meanwhile, as bad as the oil gushing up from the ocean-floor may be, the cover-up by BP - aided & abetted by the White House, may well prove to be far worse. As herculean efforts continue so as to prevent the black stuff from coating the shoreline and revealing the true magnitude of the disaster, toxic chemical dispersants are being applied in unprecedented quantities. And as reporters try to cover the story firsthand, workers are cautioned not to speak to them under threat of losing their jobs, while the press themselves are being denied access by the Coast Guard under threat of arrest, citing orders from BP - yes, indeed, right here in the 'land of the free'!

Conflicting reports have emerged about whether and if so, how much BP knew beforehand about the anti-blowout and anti-leak devices having been compromised, with the attendant need to halt drilling efforts in order to effect the necessary repairs. If true, you can be sure that they will not soon be falling over themselves in order to share such evidence with the authorities. Neither it seems, will those in power be too eager to 'haul them over the coals' so to speak, as this quite wealthy firm has had a long history of being a major contributor to political campaigns. So much so, in fact, that we recently witnessed the spectacle of a senior Congressman apologizing to BP for having been the victim of a 'shakedown' through agreeing to set up a $20 billion escrow fund to cover damages.

For more on the oily details of this unfolding train-wreck:
Obama, BP and the Gulf Oil Disaster
Disturbing Questions Around BP Leak
5 Reasons You Won’t See the Worst of the Gulf Oil Spill
Gulf Oil Disaster: BP Cover Up of Sick Humans and Dead Animals
Lindsey Williams Talks with Alex Jones About Deadly Gases Leaking from BP Spill