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17 August 2010 By Stephen
Lendman On August 15, AP reported that
Obama gave his "personal assurances of (the) Gulf's
safety," saying: "Beaches all along the Gulf Coast
are clean, they are safe, and they are open for
business." He lied. The same day, Britain's
government owned BBC reported: "Barack Obama has taken a swim in
the Gulf of Mexico (to) reassure Americans that the
waters are safe despite the recent oil spill." US corporate media reporters
repeated the message, CNN's senior White House
correspondent Ed Henry among them, saying "Obama takes
(the) plunge, swims in the Gulf (to show it's safe
and) open for business." In fact, area businesses continue
to be severely impacted, and the entire region is
dangerously unsafe. As for Obama's swim, on August
16, the London Independent reported that Obama and his
daughter, Sasha, swam in a private Panama City Beach,
FL beach off Alligator Point in St. Andrew Bay, not
part of the Gulf. Reporters were banned, no TV
video permitted. "So....only the White House
photographer was allowed to capture proceedings. The
official picture was intended to provide evidence that
the region's beaches are back to normal." False. A dangerously toxic
oil/dispersant brew contaminates much, perhaps the
entire Gulf. It's poisoned and potentially lethal for
decades, maybe generations. Nothing in it should be
ingested. Millions in the region are at risk. No one
should swim in coastal waters or eat any Gulf seafood.
Responsible officials should ban it. Instead the all-clear's
been given. Obama, his officials, and BP
executives are criminally liable. So are state
governors, coastal mayors, and regional health
authorities. Area residents with children
should leave. Tourists should avoid the region. A
growing catastrophe will continue for decades,
including a silent epidemic of cancers and other
diseases, as well as lives and livelihoods lost. That's the major media's
unreported reality, worsening, not improving daily. Stephen Lendman lives in
Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and
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