Polar bears, Penguins and Pelicans

I, along with the rest of the country, have seen the pictures coming from the Gulf of Mexico. I have to admit, the first thirty days upset me but not to distraction. Then I saw a picture of a dead pelican covered with oil. I know that shrimp, oysters and other creatures are affected by the spill, but I can't tell a live oyster from a dead oyster looking at a tv picture. Dead pelicans I understand. Helpless creatures who ask for nothing from us yet struggle to survive in the world we have given them are dying because we need our oil. We don't want it, we need it and the wildlife are paying the price for our greed.

The list is substantial. Polar bears, penguins and seals suffer because of our ways, just to name a few. Pictures of dying polar bears are distressing but aren't often seen. Besides, polar bears live so far away. Penguins live farther and there are still some in zoos. Why should we care? Now the penguins and shrimp are dying. I predict that some people will be upset whenever the topic is mentioned, then get into their big, gas-guzzling cars and drive to the store to buy something that was manufactured and then shipped all with the aid of oil to make themselves feel better, or because they are bored.

There are alternative energies available that do not require killing entire ecosystems. But many in Congress have listened to the dollar bills and the lobbyists for so long that they are deaf to the cries of those who support alternatives. Big oil companies pay millions to make sure we all believe we would cease to exist if we didn't have oil and gas. Granted, life would be different. We wouldn't have as much pollution or smog. We might have to purchase products made locally, giving our money back to the local economy. We would be encouraged to walk or bike to places, reducing obesity. Perhaps I oversimplify but I do know life would be different. I've seen the effects of less dependence in Europe. It looked good.

So the pictures of the dead penguins should be our wake-up call. We should realize that our need, our dependence on oil is ruining not just wildlife but our life. Instead of holding hearings on what happened and who was responsible, Congress should be figuring out how to get us off oil and onto something healthier. But, this crises will be upsetting for a while, at least until it is time to go on vacation. Then people will put aside the frustration of oil dependency and its impact on our environment and drive to the zoo, to see that polar bears, penguins and pelicans.