Drew Landry said everything, we all here would like to have said, but better. We would like to volunteer, but you can't even touch a turtle without animal rehab training, and in some cases hazmat training, as well. The Humane Society of Louisiana, right now, is helping facilitate classes that are shortened to 3 mos because of the oil spill. These classes allow a person to be a sub-permittee, allowing the person to volunteer at one of the wildlife rehabilitations centers in the state that are taking in animal refugees of the spill. If you want to work at the spill site you have to also have hazmat training, and other licensing. More information about these programs, how to sign up, and the organizations involved, can be found at the humane society's website at www.humanela.org. the society also accepts much needed donations. I am volunteering, and filming some of the activities. Also much needed are facilities to house the animals, information on how to start your own wildlife rehab center can also be found through the humane society. Thank you Drew, for the beautiful song.

Pretty powerful stuff, and thank you for posting it here. I especially liked when he ended with the part about it shouldn't take a committee to just listen to the people.

Not too long ago, a friend objected to my concern over the "sea of anger" tossing around President Obama, and coming from the right-wing in America. My friend's concern was raised out of a sense of justice. His point was this: George Bush was tossed around in the nation's discourse by a sea of anger, too. Why am I partial to Mr. Obama?

There is a qualitative (if not quantitative) difference in the anger levied at both presidents. With George Bush the most intense anger came from almost all quarters, and was directed at his special-interest-protecting policies which eroded America and its values: a war (the Iraq war) which diverted our energies from Al Queda; the false premises (weapons of mass destruction) which were invented to get us into that war; at the Patriot Act provisions which violated constitutional rights to justice under law and fundamental civil rights; the adoption of torture by an American administration in violation of our most sacred values; the gutting of the environmental protections for our country and its people; the deficit producing tax cuts for the rich only, that, with other measures to protect the rich and provide government welfare for corporations, resulted in a trillion dollar deficit when Bush left office, and the forced distribution of wealth further upward to the wealthy; the attempt to privatize social security (which, were it successful, would have gutted your social security benefits in the wall street meltdown of 2008 which, also, actually did destroy so many of our stock portfolios and pensions); the deregulation of the country's banking system; the protection of Wall Street giants which prey on the middle class and brought this country into a near-depression; the vigorous support of the giant health-care and pharmaceutical companies that have bled us dry yet have left us prey to bankruptcy after an illness, even if we have insurance; and on and on. (If you lost a job because of the economy - what other evidence is more personal?) This anger from the country as a whole was directed against the damage done to us by an ideologue in the White House who was out of touch with the suffering middle class and in bed with the greedy economic pillagers of America. Republicans today, have, themselves, given up trying to defend Bush against the indisputable result of his legacy.

With Barack Obama, the most intense anger comes from a raging right-wing -- from acid-filled guts that hate this man for who (they think) he is: a non-American citizen (the birthers), a Muslim, a communist, a socialist, a fascist, a Nazi, a baby-killer, a Death Panelist (all of which are Conservative and Tea Party doctrines); a man secretly trying to bring down America, who conspired with BP to create the spill so he could shut down the oil industry (Glen Beck), the Anti-Christ, "an arrogant colored," a tax hiker, a master of deceit, a racist... the list goes on and on, and I have chosen not to mention the worst of the hateful attacks hurled against this president (which I am sure you have already heard).

The temper and tone of the invective leveled against these two presidents could not be more different in character.

The nastiness and hysterical nature of what is said about Mr. Obasma is (for me) completely beneath the values that we, as Americans, profess. It makes me afraid for our country. It makes me fear that bigotry and mindless hate will overwhelm the national discourse -- and, God forbid, our elections themselves.

Not since the days of the No-Nothing Party and the Ku Klux Klan has America seen such hate on the national scene.  The Conservative and Tea Party slogan of "Constitution, Flag, and God" is, in practice, spit upon by these very persons who would deny the Constitution's protections and opportunities, who embarrass the flag here and abroad, and who never set foot in a church, pick up a Bible, or act or think in any way like the Jesus they profess. All in the name of patriotism.

This hypocrisy seems to go unnoticed! Where are those who will call these people out?

God save us all.

hi-

very disappointed that my comment went to a "newbie screening" section. i can TOTALLY see why this should be done. .....still....

SUGGESTION: when a newbie STARTS to get going on a comment, let them know they have to comment on a different site the first few comments. then they can just put their comment in at that site, and save lots of time.

i am a "Techno Peasant" and need help doing nearly everything, so an icon to SIMPLE instructions would be helpful. i don't know anything except aol mail, ebay, the easy listings on google. pretty pitiful. don't understand RSS, can't use Word except for the simplest of letters.

getting a book doesn't help. i need simple, friendly directions. i learn as i go. there are probably millions of us out here.

be advised: this does NOT mean i am unintelligent. (trust me on this one...), merely a "Techno Peasant" never interested in learning more till maddow came along. P.S: don't kow how to use twitter or facebook. but i DO know the internets are a series of tubes! HAHAHAHAHAHA (i'm a peasant but i do know idiocy when i hear it... one of the reasons i like maddow. knowledge with natural humour... excellent.

i can watch maddow because my VCR is not still flashing 12:00.

perhaps i am all alone on a wagon train whilest the others are flying jets, if so, nevermind.

i'm just sayin'

Drew, may you and yours keep on keeping on.

a quick plug for USGS inviting helpful comments:

Read and comment on USGS draft methodology for biological carbon sequestration: http://go.usa.gov/OIv

Any chemists, biologists, environmental scientists, or general suggestions out there?

Brought tears to my eyes ...

i hope he gets a music deal and the cd goes platinum to tenth power and sells so many copies that he buys a home for everyone down their, run for mayor, win and become so popular for the common man that he will be the envy of the rich and BP and sanction them by name from ever eating any good cajun food in the state of louisiana until their fifth generation....lol

I am dealing with some of the same problems here in NC. When will Americans take a stand. What ever happened to "For the people, By the people"? Seems like everyone just turns there heads to the heartless dictation we allow to break our very spirits.
As someone said a long time ago, "They got the guns, but we got the numbers". Thank about it! It is getting to the point, that I am afraid to have kids of my own, in this so called "land of the free".

You are my hero Drew! We need more like you man.