Why do extreme religious groups think bringing suffering to the world will bring them more glory? Why is there a tendency in religion to equate suffering with holiness? Where did this group jump off the boat and start thinking self-mutilation is the way into God's favor?

PART 2 OF THIS EXCERPT FROM A RELIABLE (NON-BOLD-FACE-LYING) MEDIA RESOURCE

Toxic chemicals 'in the air'

Two-year-old Gaven Tillman of Pass Christian, Mississippi, has been diagnosed with severe upper respiratory, sinus, and viral infections. His temperature has reached more than 103 degrees and he has been sick since last September.

"He has been seen by nine different doctors and had twenty-four doctor & ER visits," Shirley Tillman, his grandmother and former BP oil cleanup worker said, "Some of his diagnoses include severe inflammation of his upper sinuses, upper respiratory infections, ear infections, sore throats, headaches, fever, vomiting & diarrhea."

Both Shirley and her husband Don's blood tested positive for chemicals from BP's crude oil, but now Gaven's blood has tested positive as well.

"We expected to find BP’s toxins in our bodies after working in the VOO [Vessels of Opportunity] program," she added, "But we did not expect our two-year-old grandson to test positive for having them too, with levels higher than ours. He has not been to the beach and has not eaten any seafood. Therefore, it is in the air."

Dr Riki Ott, a toxicologist, marine biologist, and Exxon Valdez survivor, said that: "The dispersants used in BP's draconian experiment contain solvents such as petroleum distillates and 2-butoxyethanol.

Solvents dissolve oil, grease, and rubber", she continued, "It should be no surprise that solvents are also notoriously toxic to people, something the medical community has long known".

"They evaporate in air and are easily inhaled, they penetrate skin easily, and they cross the placenta into fetuses."

"For example, 2- butoxyethanol [in BP’s Corexit dispersants] is a human health hazard substance; it is a fetal toxin and it breaks down blood cells, causing blood and kidney disorders", Ott said.

Pathways of exposure to the dispersants are inhalation, ingestion, skin, and eye contact. Health impacts include headaches, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pains, chest pains, respiratory system damage, skin sensitization, hypertension, central nervous system depression, neurotoxic effects, cardiac arrhythmia, and cardiovascular damage. They are teratogenic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic.

Since last July, scores of Gulf residents, fishermen, and clean-up workers who have blamed the aforementioned symptoms they are experiencing on the chemicals from BP's oil and dispersants.
"I have critically high levels of chemicals in my body,” 33-year-old Steven Aguinaga of Hazlehurst, Mississippi said.

Aguinaga and his close friend Merrick Vallian went swimming at Fort Walton Beach, Florida, in July 2010.

"At that time I had no knowledge of what dispersants were, but within a few hours, we were drained of energy and not feeling good,” he said, "I’ve been extremely sick ever since.”

According to chemist Bob Naman, these chemicals create an even more toxic substance when mixed with crude oil.

"I’m scared of what I’m finding," Naman, who works at the Analytical Chemical Testing Lab in Mobile, Alabama, added, "This is an unprecedented environmental catastrophe."

Aguinaga’s health has been in dramatic decline.

"I have terrible chest pain, at times I can’t seem to get enough oxygen, and I’m constantly tired with pains all over my body,” Aguinaga explained, "At times I’m ****ing blood, vomiting dark brown stuff, and every pore of my body is dispensing water.”

And Aguinaga's friend Vallian is now dead.

YOU CAN'T TRUST THIS MEDIA SOURCE (ASSOCIATED PRESS) ANYMORE HERE ARE TWO EXCERPTS FROM A RELIABLE JOURNALISTIC SOURCE ON WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING:

Ed Cake, a biological oceanographer, as well as a marine and oyster biologist, has "great concern" about the fish kills over the last year, which he feels are likely directly related to the BP oil disaster. Cake’s assessment for sea turtle and dolphin populations in the Gulf is bleak.

"The two models of the turtles and dolphins indicate that something is drastically wrong in the marine environment, that I believe point towards the demise of these vertebrates in the Gulf."

Underscoring his concern, a new study published in Conservation Letters this March reveals that the true impact of BP’s oil disaster on wildlife may be gravely underestimated.

The study argues that fatality figures based on the number of recovered animal carcasses will not give a true death toll, which may be 50 times higher than believed since most carcasses sink before they are spotted.

Cake believes the National Marine Fisheries Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have been remiss in determining the cause of the deaths.

"In the year since the spill began, NOAA admits to doing no tissue sampling, which to me is scientifically incredible, for if you have forensic samples, you are bound by protocols to have them analysed right away so they do not degrade, unless your purpose is not to know what is killing these dolphins", he said.

In February the Obama administration, via the National Marine Fisheries Service, issued a gag order to force marine scientists who were contracted to document the spikes in dolphin mortality and to collect specimens and tissue samples to keep their findings confidential.

Bleak prognosis

Dolpins and sea turtles can be considered the canaries in the coalmine in the Gulf since they are at the top of the food chain and directly reflect what is happening to the marine environment in which they live.

"Adult dolphins systems are picking up whatever is in the system out there, and we know the oil is out there and working it’s way up the food chain through the food web and dolphins are at the top of that food chain."

Cake explained: "The chemicals then move into their lipids, fat, and then when they are pregnant, their young rely on this fat, and so it’s no wonder dolphins are having developmental issues and still births".

Since last fall, Dr Wilma Subra, a chemist and Macarthur Fellow, has been conducting tests on seafood and sediment samples along the Gulf for chemicals present in BP’s crude oil and toxic dispersants.

"Tests have shown significant levels of oil pollution in oysters and crabs along the Louisiana coastline", Subra said, "We have also found high levels of hydrocarbons in the soil and vegetation."

Cake, who lives in Mississippi, said:

"In the past months we’ve lost the young of the year population of dolphins in this area. We are not seeing any young of the year dolphins in the Mississippi and Alabama coastal area. The question is, for us as humans, could we withstand a similar impact if all our children were born dead because of environmental pollutants? I would say we could not."

It has been more than 31 years since the 1979 Ixtoc-1 oil disaster in Mexico's Bay of Campeche, and the oysters, clams, and mangrove forests have still not recovered in their oiled habitats in seaside estuaries of the Yucatan Peninsula.

It has been over 21 years since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil disaster in Alaska, and the herring fishery that failed in the wake of that disaster has still not returned.

and I should spell "your" as "you're" but you didn't catch that one huh? Relax, it's sarcasm. But apparently not so much.

Come on people, give the rich a break! I know a couple guys who are still stuck driving last year's BMW 7 series. Now how are they gonna resell that car and let it trickle down to all you little people?

Rich got it tough, rich got it bad y'all!!

I heard another guy had to fire all his illegal immigrant house help too. Job loss when rich don't get tax breaks, duh!

cotus said "This isn't a difficult problem to solve. "

Hoo hoo ha ha! And where are you going to find the money in a country that thinks gov't spends too much?

OK to convict her, but she deserves an extremely short sentence, like 4 months with time served IMO. She has already suffered enough, probably more than most people will suffer in their entire lives and she still has a ways to go with these memories. There was no maliciousness.

As every conservative knows, the future is about the rich staying comfortable with their tax cuts, it's not about the younger generation, trying to make a better future. Us rich need our money, all of it, so we can die with everything. We can't go on funding "higher education". Every one knows higher ed is just a way for undeserving greedy ADMINISTRATORS to make a lot of money. ADMINISTRATORS are like UNIONS, they caused all the problems in this country, including the housing crisis and 3 wars. It's not the rich special interests corrupting gov't. Heck no! And it's not the stupid tEa Partiers who think the UNIONS are stealing all the money rightfully meant for the CEOs.

Young people need to buck up and pick up the smashed pieces of this country after all the old greedy farts have shat all over the place. Learn your place Liberals! You are the new peons. The conservative elite will rule once again like in Feudal times! Long live the rich conservative. All the rest, get to work, every member of your family, even children, making me richer, or else die because you're just looking for handouts. You're either working for me or you're looking for handouts.

The only thing I fear, as a conservative, is the democracy movement spreading to this country, like what happened in Egypt.

Ooh your on to something RN1, nobody can pay for governemnt, especially the rich!! Better make those lazy liberals get to work. I hate Liberals.

Yes SPENDING IS THE PROBLEM. THE ONLY CURE TO NOT SPEND ANYTHING. GOVERNMENT IS ENTITLED TO NOTHING. ELIMINATE SS, MEDICARE, MEDICAID AND LET RICH PEOPLE TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING. DUH. Hey Liberals, your so dum.

Yes ver veritas, regulation is the highest cost not taxes are the highest cost. If only government would stop regulating business could really go at it. It would be like Viking invaders - so free! America needs more Viking businesses to rape and get the gold. Regulation is like a bad word. Did you know Atlas Shrugged at the regulations? He did as Ayn Rand prophesied!!!

Lucky we have many conservative posters here to keep the discussion intelligent! God Bless the corporations for fighting the government and the regulation. Now get to work liberal! Pay my taxes and make me money. Ha ha. Liberals so dum.