About a Beach

So I live here in sunny Florida.  Just this past weekend, we went to the beach.  The beautiful, white-sandy, pristine, Pass-A-Grille Beach in St. Pete Beach, Florida.  To look out at the gentle surf, smell that fresh sea air, and feel the warm sand on my skin, makes me wonder, how can anyone in his right mind be willing to risk that for the sake of offshore drilling?  It's easy for Louisiana to say they want the drilling.  They don't have beaches.  Not like this:

 

Or this:

 

OK, to be fair, Louisiana does have some sandy beaches.  Here's one:

 

That's Grand Isle.  While it is beautiful, it's important to remember... Louisiana is not known for that.  Louisiana is known for wildlife, hunting, fishing, Mardi Gras, insanely good food, the Superdome, friendly people, bayous, the Bayou Classic, agriculture, and so much more.  It is not well known for its beaches.  I had to search quite a bit to find a picture like that of a Louisiana beach.  Most searches of "Louisiana Beaches" turned up pictures like this: 

 

That's not oil.  That's just how the water looks.  Here is that same beach after the spill:

 

 

Well, Florida is known for its beaches.  World-class beaches.  That, plus sunshine, good times, bathing suits, and theme parks.  We manufacture memories.  Our only export is magic.  We have lots of retirees, and their grandkids can't wait to visit.  We love being a tourist state.   Nobody saves all year for that big family vacation to Louisiana.  When I moved from Louisiana to Florida, my friends were all jealous.  No one envies someone who moves from Florida to Louisiana.  Then, the only question is, "Why?"  

We live in heaven.  I don't want want to keep inviting that hell into my backyard.  It's time to end the threat.  Let's get off fossil fuels now!