As of last weekend, the oil from the BP oil explosion is showing up on the beautiful beaches along the Alabama coastline. Dauphin Island, a beach resort that was popular in the 60s and 70s, now a haven for fishermen, is getting globs of oil showing up on the sandy white beaches there. In Orange Beach, a popular beach resort among the younger generation, is also seeing oil turning the beaches to a shade of brown. Gulf Shores, by far the most popular beach destination in Alabama, is also witnessing this brown scum showing up along its beaches. I went to Dauphin Island last Saturday to see how bad things actually were. It was pretty bad in the area I visited. I did not notice any cleanup crews. I don't understand why there weren't any there. This place has a special place in my heart because this is where I went as a young boy many years ago. Dauphin Island has always had the kind of independent spirit among its inhabitants just as the people in Key West are known to have.

I'm not sure how bad things are as I type this post up. Gulf Shores stands to lose much more due to tourists going elsewhere. Gulf Shores attracts people from all over the nation during the summer. Merchants up and down the beach are going to suffer. The people suffering most are the commercial fisherman. Specifically, shrimpers and oystermen. Mobile Bay waters are closed until further notice. Many of these people have not received anything from BP. In fact, BP has not even tried to hire these unemployed commercial fishermen to work in cleanup crews. There are many people to blame on this disaster. But, right now, the focus should be on stopping the flow of oil from the well, and cleaning up the beaches. Wetland cleanup has already commenced in most of the gulf coast. But, turtles, dolphins and pelicans are showing up dead all along the gulf coast. The bad news; this disaster is just now really getting started.