As we all know, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is spewing out of control. Every day we hear different reports and numbers on exactly how much oil is spilling out; now it’s up to 60,000 barrels a day. As the oil spreads and reaches more and more of the shoreline, we see wildlife, plants and ecosystems dying. Fishing industries are collapsing and local economies are suffering terribly. As scientist and experts are working on ending the spill and the clean-up effort, one question remains: Will the government's response to this effort be effective now and over the long term, or will it fail like so many other disasters our country has dealt with in the past decade?

During Obama’s address from the Oval Office he stated: “We will make BP pay for the damage they have caused.” Getting financial funding is one thing, and who wouldn’t expect BP to fork over billions to help this disaster, but will the funds be distributed properly, will the money be used for effective ways to prevent and clean?

Obama has appointed Ken Feinberg to head the gulf disaster and relief fund. Feinberg was also appointed to the infamous 9/11 relief funds as well as the Virginia Tech compensation. BP will pay out $5 billion a year for the next four years into the relief fund.

Cap-and-trade and a clean energy market have also been announced by Obama and his administration over the past few weeks. After 9/11, President Bush used the tragedy to pass the Patriot Act, FISA Bill, Military Commissions Act and other unconstitutional laws. This incident would be the perfect platform for the Obama administration to push for the cap-and-trade and other energy bills that have seemed to stall and faded into the distance, especially after “Climategate.” During his presidential address, Obama stated the urgency for our country to switch over to a clean energy economy and place a tax on fossil fuels and emissions. The Obama administration and cap-and-trade supported lobbyists will manipulate the fears of many Americans, our damaging ecological ways and this environmental disaster to push forth a Carbon tax that will not aid in the relief of pollution or “Global Warming.” As Rahm Emanuel says “You don’t ever want a crisis to go to waste…”

The EPA has reported that there has been an increase in volatile organic compounds in the air for the Alabama, Louisiana and Florida. They have not issued any severe warnings for the area. After 9/11, the EPA stated that it was okay to be in the area of Ground Zero, and advised that it was okay for first responders to be exposed with little protection. Almost 10 years after the 9/11 events,  there are over 50,000 sick and dying first responders who are suffering from disease, ailments and cancers from the failure of the EPA to tell them that the air quality was horrendous. Now we see clean up crews signing contracts on confidentiality and reliability…as well as many workers becoming very ill with flu-like symptoms.

There have been leaked reports stating that the air quality in the Gulf of Mexico is extremely toxic. Volatile Organic Compounds such as Benzene, Hydrogen Sulfide, Methylene Chloride are being released into the air. These chemicals are toxic, and long exposure to them can cause diseases such as Leukemia, Aplastic Anemia, Myelodysplatic Syndrome, birth defects, low birth rate, organ failures and other malignant diseases. The EPA has not reported that there are toxic levels of such compounds in the air or that it was imperative that people in the effected areas should evacuate. BP has also refused to release their toxicity data.

Another factor is chemical dispersant being used by BP in the Gulf of Mexico in efforts to clean up and hide the amount of oil that’s flowing. Such chemicals as Sorbitan and Corexit9500 have been reported. These chemicals can have a much worse effect on the natural environment than the oil itself. These chemicals are being used rather than organic ways to clean and cover up the severity of the spill.

The more and more we read into the oil spill and look at the actions being taken by BP and our government, the more and more it resembles the failed relief efforts of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.Hurricane Katrina happened to be a natural disaster that was not preventable, 9/11 and this oil spill were. Whether you want to believe or not that elements within our government were involved with the 9/11 attacks, there have been many reports that Washington was warned on the impending attacks and should have taken action. Just as Washington was warned about terrorism, they were warned about the dangers of deep sea drilling.

Weird occurrences and coincidences have been reported and are now being looked into with suspicious curiosity… Halliburton had close ties with the Deepwater horizon rig since it manufactured its cement casing. About 10 days prior to the spill Halliburton bought Boots and Coots for estimated $232 billion. Boots and Coots is an oil clean-up company. Goldman Sachs sold 4,680,822 shares of their stocks in BP in March.

The regulators who regulate the rigs and the lawmakers who pass the regulations are in bed with the oil companies and deep corruption as Obama reported in his address. If that means allowing a law to pass or a failed inspection to pass so the oil industry doesn’t suffer, it will go by without a blink of an eye. In turn, a disaster like this is the outcome of corruption and negligence.

The American people need to know the in fallacies of the reports by the mainstream media and our government, the people of Alabama, Louisiana and Florida need to know about the chemicals in the air and the effects on their health it will have. There is a media blackout on this oil spill just as there was during Hurricane Katrina and 9/11. Only time will tell as more and more information surfaces of the true damage this spill will have on us and the effects that will shadow for decades.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.