I have a friends that is an educator on the coast and many of her families that are involved in the fishing industry have been impacted. I believe that we will not fully understand the impact of this from the environmental destruction to the economic impact.

BP needs to get this cleaned up asap, and our government needs to ensure that all of the drillers have all of their safeguards in place so that this never happens again.

I'm a big believer in consumers "voting with their dollar" and do my best to purchase from environmentally friendly or locally made products. Gasoline is no different. Personally, I avoid Exxon/Mobil stations as well as BP and consumers can extend this practice to any kind of product from food to clothing to office supplies. I encourage everyone to purchase their gasoline from other gas stations and to check out the web site, www.betterworldshop per.org for a complete listing of companies good and bad.

My prayers and thoughts go out to those residing & working on the Gulf as well as those there trying to clean up the mess.

What a tragedy

I agree with Melinda!

The BP oil spill shows the human and environmental impacts of continued oil drilling. We are moved by the images of birds and sea animals covered in oil. We should be equally moved by the significant impact that the spill has on anglers, shipping companies and others on the Gulf Coast. BP should pay out its dividends AND pay for the cleanup; if that involves selling off all its assets, then so be it. From here on out, we need to focus on alternative fuels and stop allowing oil companies from getting by on the excuse that we are entirely dependent on their products.

We will see the effects of this oil spill for generations to come. BP, like every other major company, has shown greed instead of human compassion.