The Gulf Oil Catastrophe

I read an article today that was asking the question,

"Why on earth are we still calling this an oil spill?"

It summons to mind a manageable situation, something not

quite so significant.  Not a DISASTER of
unprecedented proportions.

No! This should indeed be called a
"catastrophe"!!

Over 100,000 barrels of oil a day are gushing into the
pristine waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Sometimes visuals help us to really get it.
This one made me cry.

This diver decided to give us a different perspective than
one from a helicopter, or smallish blobs on the shorelines of
coastal beaches.

HE DOVE INTO IT.
Literally...

He and his mask, needless to say, were immediately coated with oil and 

it was difficult to see...very eerie according to him.
He shot the next photo from under the water.

It took him 30 minutes of clean up
before he could go inside the boat.

The oil floats on top of the water and in columns
reaching into the ocean depths.

He said he couldn't get out of there fast enough.

I don't know about you, but this really chokes me up.
 

This is where all of the oil  is headed, and yes the water is
really this gorgeous...I've been there many times!

To truly some of the most beautiful beaches in the world,
and wetlands that are home to hundreds of species of wildlife,
including this little beauty...

and these gentle wonders...

Please keep praying for all the people
whose livelihoods have already

been snatched away by closed beaches,
and for all the wildlife species that normally
thrive in these coastal areas.

May God pour out His mercy and bring an end to this soon!

{photos from USA Today and  aturtletale.blogspot.com}