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My Double Edged Trip to Plaquemines Parish, began at night while driving from Mississippi on a two laned highway. Etched across the skies in the dark forever in my mind’s eye, were the lights of megalithic refineries. It was an auditory hauntingly quiet, drive into a place that I had never been, but visually my eyes were overwhelmed with the colorful lights. As far as the eye could see, alongside intensely, brightly lit huge cruise ships, glaring glimpses of Refineries, Oil barges. tugs, and trawlers, which became the landscape of the background of the towns, that constitute the parish called, “Plaquemines”. The strange illusion was that in reality, the people of Plaquemines Parish (part of ground zero for the BP Disaster and the Spraying of Toxic Corexit) had to coexist peacefully with refineries, open coal pits, oil companies, orphan wells and pollution. My co-pilot was Theresa Graff, our trip was probably one of the most bittersweet ( joyous and tearful) that I have been on since the Blowout of the Deepwater Horizon Disaster in 2010. Theresa and I checked into a Motel in the Dead of Night. Many of the people staying in our designated place woke up at 3 to 4 am. in order to begin their day working in the refineries. We were told not to speak of the BP Blowout nor allude to why we were there. A double edged sword, the oil went everywhere, it happened, but we dare not speak of it with the Oil field workers or the owners of Marinas or Hotels. Along with Oil Field Workers, guests in our hotel were Wealthy Anglers visiting with beautiful Sport Fishing boats, which approximately, only four percent of the people in the US can even afford to own. The light of day changed my whole perspective of Bures and Venice, Louisiana. The sun was bright when we drove to the Southern home with the beautifully painted wrapped porch and the inviting oaks that became the backdrop for the beauty that I found in Louisiana. The wind blew comfortably. Kindra was the consummate welcoming friend who for the rest of my life I will know. She and I held together a bond for almost 5 years never really speaking of it and keeping it to ourselves looking out for each other on Facebook and in phone calls and emails to one another over the years. Just the look in her eyes finally brought me physically to tears and I could not believe that I was finally meeting my sister (not related by birth) and my friend. Having Theresa there was a treasure, her humor and compassion was an added component to that sisterhood. Marriages have fallen apart all along the Gulf Region. Due to the stress, cancers, funerals, illnesses, devastation and the sheer loss that couples and families have had to endure, many prior secure marriages failed. Living in a toxic environment creates elements of anger, frustration, depression and anxiety along with the symptoms of brain fog, lesions, rashes, eyesight damages, cancers and the host of illnesses are likened to First Gulf War Syndrome. Many cannot survive the day to day stresses much less the bleak future that they have to face. Life was good for most of the residents of the Plaquemines Parish and the commercial fishermen but since the Gulf Disaster their everyday joys, celebrations, surrounded by music, love and community have been taken away. Every day in Louisiana I saw people trying to enjoy every moment they could but there was always that deep dark stain in the back of so many minds that BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and Bill Gates majority owner of Nalco aka Corexit took away. I cannot begin my series of articles on the illnesses to come, until I speak of Kindra and David Arnesen and what they have endured. These “accidental” activists did not want the spotlight they wanted their lives back. They wanted justice, not just for their family but for every family that suffered similar fates all along the Gulf. The Arnesen family lived for 2 years with reporters in their home and a consistent barrage of spotlight into their everyday lives. They did not receive any compensation for their “advocacy” at one time in the Midst of their nightmare a famous talk show host offered to buy them a new home. Kindra, being the woman that she is said “NO.” that was a first according to the reporter. She and David gave generously of their time, boat, gas and Money and the lives of their children in order to show the world what BP and the corporate dynasties did to their community. They did this only to help others that were suffering, and for all of the communities that were impacted by the largest maritime disaster in the history of the United States of America. They wanted their piece of heaven cleaned up and they wanted the US to stop spraying those dispersants. When David first went out on to the water after the Gulf Massacre, every person on that boat and the vessels around him were vomiting and sick. There are days where he wakes up not feeling well and I noted that many of the residents of Plaquemines symptoms become more acute at sundown. Sundowners syndrome is a very real phenomenon in hospitals and with many Chemically Toxic people that includes people with Alzheimer’s […] More news from The Real Agenda:
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