Gulf Coast Deserted for July Fourth Weekend

On July Fourth weekend, the entire Gulf of Mexico should look like, in the words of Brenda Boggs, "heaven."

Boggs caught redfish and speckled trout on Bay Rambo, one of Louisiana's few fishing areas reopened since the oil crisis began.

The biggest holiday weekend means Gulf coast beaches ought to be packed, but that's not the case this year. They're deserted, except for cleanup crews, CBS News Correspondent Mark Strassmann reports.

Special Section: Disaster in the Gulf

"We weren't sure if we would be able to fish," said Boggs. "I really would like to be able to see a lot more people being able to."

Other waters should be just as ideal as Bay Rambo for fishing on Independence Day. There's no sign of oil but not a boat in sight either. Oil worries have closed one-third of all federal waters in the Gulf. Off Louisiana, that's everything east of the Mississippi River.

Adm. Paul Zukunft is the Coast Guard's new point man for the BP spill. On Saturday, he toured toured the zone where "A Whale," boasted to be the world's largest skimmer, was being tested.

"Right now, the Coast Guard is really focused on the removal aspect of this operation," Zukunft said.

In Gulf Breeze, Fla., Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, walked along oiled beaches and said she wouldn't go in the water.

"They're getting the largest pieces and leaving a lot of the smaller pieces that I don't know if you can ever get," Jackson said.

Even rumors of oil chase away tourists. In Destin, Fla., cancellations have cost the Henderson Park Inn $200,000 and general manager Ryan Olen his peace of mind.

"I've got a wife, an 18-month old son and another kid on the way," said Olen. "It's a scary feeling."

It's a different Fourth in the Gulf when fishing boats want more company.

"There could be tons of boats around," said Boggs. "I'm happy today, but I'm sad about the situation in general."

Cleanup crews lost most of the last three days due to bad weather and Hurricane Alex, but sunny skies and Louisiana's broiling summer temperatures are in the forecast for Sunday.

[workerbee2]

We have such a wonderful gulf coast to enjoy and there is plenty of it out there and in good shape and not spoiled. We just enjoyed a magnificent week on the beach with our family reunion of 21 ranging in age from 18 mos to 70 yrs. It was wonderful, great weather and NO oil. While it was great to have the beach mostly to ourselves, it was sad to see the local businesses trying to put on a good face with so few customers. Unfortuneately, it seems all the news and hype about the oil spill has turned a difficult situation into a disaster, especially for the hard working folks along the coast. We rented wave riders (saw no other customers), went horseback riding (few other customers were there) and ate out at several great restrants and had no reservations, no waiting and wonderful food and service. The only silly thing we saw was the U.S. President trying to "direct" a response to a problem that he seemed to have no grasp of what was needed or practical to do except seek out media photo ops to somehow prove he is helping. Good folks are hurting while the tragic team of media and Obama fumble around looking for a cause and a cure for which they have no potential to understand, let alone fix. The one and only real fix will come as the good folks there push on, recover they will, and despite all the outside "help" build lives and services worthy of reward.

[waterflaws]

The BP Oil Spill, gushing for 75 days at 2 million gallons per day is 150 MILLION GALLONS, so far!! Now, that's not much in terms of the U.S. consumption of 850 million gallons per day, or 65 BILLION gallons during the same time period as the BP Oil Spill. But in terms of oil spills, it's more than 10 TIMES the Exxon-Valdez spill!! The Gulf War oil spill is regarded as the worst oil spill in history. Estimates placed it anywhere between 42 to 462 million gallons. Looks like the BP OIL SPILL is gonna be a contender!

[calicheflat]

Such an angry and hostile response to a simple question regarding a 1920 law imiting coastal water access to American flag ships and crews. Not sure the D's, R's, G's or I's own it now. Just someone wantng to pick a fight with a total stranger. Pity.

[newsterI]

In Destin, Fla., cancellations have cost the Henderson Park Inn $200,000 and general manager Ryan Olen his peace of mind."

Think of it as a vacation, that $200,000 is not a cost, it is only money you have not EARNED YET, you did not pay $200,000 out of your pocket you just didn't GET it. Oh well, so there's next year.

"I've got a wife, an 18-month old son and another kid on the way," said Olen. "It's a scary feeling."

So the WIFE dont work? far as the kids go, shoulda thought about THAT before you had them in the first place, too bad but they are YOUR problem.

[fiberglass3]

Independence Day

Oil poses a clear threat to America's economic and national security. This spring we have watched as untold millions of gallons of oil flowed into the Gulf. But for years, we have watched as billions of dollars flowed to hostile nations to pay for oil.
Every day, we send well over a billion dollars out of this country to pay for oil -- money that could and should be used to grow our economy and create jobs. The simple fact is that our dependence on oil from nations in the Middle East and other regions constrains our choices, hamstringing America's flexibility and choices on the world stage.
Today, thousands of Americans are calling for a new freedom from oil -- a dangerous, dirty and vulnerable source of energy. This week, 10,000 American flags were planted on the National Mall, each representing Americans who have pledged to free our nation from a long and damaging cycle of dependence.

[calicheflat]

Has the Jones Act been suspended to allow the WHALE access to the oil spill in coastal waters?

[msimamaji]

This is another example of a lie spread by the Republican party. the Jones Act has never been enacted during the Gulf spill. Since the very beginning of the spill foreign-owned boats have participated in the clean up efforts. Please get your facts straight and stop smearing the reputation of the Coast Guard.

[sean56v]

What kind of precedent was set by BP? How many ocean floor oil wells located anywhere in the world will rupture and remain unsealed? Toxic sludge fills our seas killing plants, fish, sea mammals, and amphibians. Early forms of life began in salt water. This poisonous oil slick could muck the coasts of Africa from Morocco to Congo. The eco-system of the Planet Earth is delicate and sensitive.

[M_Miles]

Gulf Coast Deserted for July Fourth Weekend. What has happened to our nation? Let us apply the following case law to determine that . . .

The Solomon Case:

The Solomon case is about a woman who steals a baby. The real mother goes to court stating that the baby is hers. The problem is that there is no proof. There is no proof as to the baby being stolen.

The Judge asks the two women in the case to decide who the baby belongs too. Both women state the baby is theirs. The Judge asks that a sword and the baby be brought forth. The Judge takes the sword and acts as though he will divide the baby in two.

One of the women claiming to be the mother screams out no, yelling that the other women can have the baby! The other woman is silent. The Judge takes the baby and gives the baby to the woman that screamed knowing that she is the real mother.

Many people have raised concerns that our President does not have a legitimate U.S. birth certificate. Our founding fathers stated that as part of the U.S. Constitution the President must be born in the U.S.A. In order to be President a person must meet all the criteria of the United States law with respect to the law of being born in the United States. The founding fathers created this law so that a foreign power and or country would not rule over the United States in the form of one of their people born to their nation ruling over anything in the U.S.A. as President.

Apply the Solomon Case process to the question, does the President have a legitimate U.S. birth certificate?

Let an unquestionable U.S., birth certificate represent the legitimate mother. Let the baby be represented as this our great land the U.S.A. Now ask yourself how would a legitimate mother react if she saw her baby being covered in oil!? Would she react quickly or on a slow basis? Think about the oval office speech as cap and trade was emphasized, not the gulf oil crisis! Also think about the time it has taken now seventy days and counting and still many processes are not being employed to stop the onslaught of oil from reaching our beaches and killing our birds and marine life!

Many state representatives have asked the President to simply show his legitimate U.S., birth certificate; he has not done it. If the mother is not legitimate then we must remove the baby from her illegitimate arms and give the baby over to a President that is legitimate. We the taxpayer have a right to know the truth! We the taxpayer must know the truth. Again let this question be asked of your state representatives. Does the President have a legitimate U.S. birth certificate? If he does let us see the legitimate U.S. birth certificate. The peoples concerns are not being formally addressed with respect to this question. It is time that these concerns be addressed!

[dibbs977]

When I was a child, my father was a driller in the oil field and we went out to the rig to play frequently. We got oil all over us and never had any ill effects. I worry about our habitats and the animals, but people saying that they are ill after swimming in the gulf, are probably just feeling sick due to the power-of-suggestion. The oil spill is bad enough without people making it worse with hysterical reactions---also hoping they can make some money with claims and lawsuits.

[pwgrant]

I don't think you ate, breathed into your lungs, or drank the oil. What a myopic statement.