Wathen, an environmental investigator and clean-water advocate for Perry County, Alabama, has worked extensively on the coal-ash issue that has affected his home area. He is involved with a number of environmental Web sites, including creekkeeper.blogspot.com.
Wathen is at the heart of bpoilslick.blogspot.com, one of the best sites on the Web for keeping up with the disaster.
The Locust Fork News-Journal named Wathen its 2009 Local Person of the Year. Writes Glynn Wilson:
As for the local Southern scene, there is really only one story worth mentioning on the environment front, and that is the massive TVA coal ash spill in Tennessee that is now creating havoc in Alabama’s Black Belt. Why this story does not rate more national, regional and local attention is beyond me, although one of the top rated and highest circulation news sites in the country had the foresight to make it the lead story on Christmas day.
Who is the person most responsible for helping to bring this story out of the darkness and into the light? Our local person of the year is Hurricane Creekkeeper John Wathen of Tuscaloosa, who deserves the credit for being more of a bona fide environmental activist than all the other fine people working for all the other non-profit organizations in the state.
Here’s to you John.
Wathen's footage of the BP spill almost brings tears to your eyes. In stark detail, it shows the devastation that already has occurred and indicates that it is likely to get much worse.
In his commentary, Wathen says "the Gulf appears to be bleeding." Indeed it does.
4 comments:
Thank you, Schnauzer. Thank you, John Wathen. I didn't know about him until I read this from Brendan Calling, and saw the video. And now you, Legal Schnauzer.
http://brendancalling.com/2010/05/12/amateur-video-of-the-gulf-show-full-scale-of-disaster-thanks-bp-thanks-a-lot/
There are a few heroes in the world after all.
P.S. I have a bookmark category entitled Armageddon. This story is libraried under that.
Unfortunately, the list is becoming very cumbersome.
I see too many of my fellow former Marines getting into trouble involving firearms. Some of you Devil Dogs are on the sending end of the gunfire because you still think you are on the job and some of you, like myself, tend to be on the receiving end of the gunfire/gun threats because unlike you Devil Dogs, ordinary folks are not conditioned to handle the amount stress you can handle or dish out and they are unwilling to keep up with you.
So, here's a few words of wisdom to all you Former Marines who are getting into trouble with guns -
1) You are no longer in the Corps & 2) aren't getting paid to be an asshole anymore. So, 3) drop the attitude. 4) Grow your hair out or buy yourself a toupee because your Marine Cut without the USMC cover to go with it makes you look like just another Nazi Skinhead thug with a freshly circumcised penis for a head who is in need of a good ass kicking by a hippie who knows way more martial arts moves than your close combat instructors taught you. 5) All former Marines are disabled whether they are man enough to admit it or not. So, move to a state where medical marijuana is legal and get you some of that WEED & smoke it!
You were "born to train, trained to kill & prepared to die," but the audacious idea that you "never will" (die) is just some bullshit your Drill Instructors told you to build your confidence for combat. You're not Superman and even if you were, a bullet is kryptonite for your dumb ass if you really believe all that garbage.
I Thank you all in advance for returning to reality and joining the rest of mankind on its quest for Peace on Earth.
I'm going to end this rant with a some words of truth from John Lennon. "(The) War is Over if you want it to be."
Dear Robbie Scott Hill,
At first I thought your rant was off-topic and wondered about it. Upon re-reading, I just want to say thank you to you, as well. My hero.
Also, Schnauzer, you already KNOW that you are one of my heroes. There are many heroes in the world. I should not doubt that. I only wish that I were one.
But I sure know them when I see them, don't I?!
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