Perhaps Haley Barbour is using them to deflect criticism of his own efforts. After all, he has assured everyone that the oil really wasn't a problem and people would be safe from the problems that everyone else claims are problems. McClatchy:
A morning flight over the Mississippi Sound showed long, wide ribbons of orange-colored oil for as far as the eye could see and acres of both heavy and light sheen moving into the Sound between the barrier islands. What was missing was any sign of skimming operations from Horn Island to Pass Christian.
U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor got off the flight angry.
"It’s criminal what’s going on out there," Taylor said minutes later. "This doesn’t have to happen.”
A scientist onboard, Mike Carron with the Northern Gulf Institute, said with this scenario, there will be oil on the beaches of the mainland.
“There’s oil in the Sound and there was no skimming,” Carron said. “No coordinated effort.”
