Signal Boost: Oil threatens French-speaking Cajuns, native Choctaw
asakiyume posted about this article, about some effects of the oil spill on communities -- specifically a community that is already under pressure. The oil spill is horrendous, and this just makes it worse.
Used to being overlooked, the Choctaw Indians were not surprised that military engineers sent to the region after the disaster have refused to erect barriers between the bayous and the sea as they have done further up the coast.
If the huge oil slick arrives here as predicted, nothing will stop it from washing up on Isle de Jean Charles, on the southern tip of Lousiana's vanishing wetlands.
"They told us that this island has nothing of value worth saving," said the island's historian, Christophe Brunet.
Tribal chief Albert Naquin confirmed his concerns, saying: "They forgot us because we are a small community and because we are an Indian community."
The full article is here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100520/ts_alt_afp/usblastoilenergypollutionculturecajun
Are we supposed to save only what's absolutely necessary? Who gets to make the judgment of what that entails?
A phone call or letter to your Senator or Congressman can at least (hopefully) help this community gain booms to stop the oil. (You can look up your Congressman here: http://house.gov/ and your Senators here: http://www.senate.gov/)
ETA:
In fact, if you're lazy or tired and can't think of what to write, feel free to copy and paste the letter below.
Dear [your representative],
From a news article titled "Oil threatens French-speaking Cajuns, native Choctaw" I have learned that a small community off the coast of Louisiana is receiving no realistic help with oil from the recent disaster. According to the article, "military engineers sent to the region after the disaster have refused to erect barriers between the bayous and the sea as they have done further up the coast." They have done this because "the island has nothing of value worth saving." I would like to know who has decided that both the community and the marine and freshwater environment in that area has so little of value that barriers cannot be erected to halt the oil from penetrating the bayou.
The oil spill has been a major disaster; by confining our response to a small area we encourage the disaster to have even greater repercussions. I urge you to communicate the American people's displeasure with this decision and expressly encourage the military engineers to place barriers in this area to stop the oil.
Sincerely,
[your name]