June, 09 2010, 11:42am EDT
Distraught Gulf Shrimper Arrested for Pouring Oil on Herself in Senate Energy Hearing Protesting Senator Murkowski's Refusal to Make BP Pay
Diane Wilson, a fourth generation shrimper from the Gulf,
poured oil on herself at today's Senate Energy Committee hearing to
protest Senator Lisa Murkowski's refusal to make BP pay for the
disaster that has devastating Wilson's shrimping community. Republican
Lisa Murkowski, ranking member of the Senate Energy Committee, blocked
the bill that would have lifted the oil companies' liability cap (the
Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act). Wilson was removed from the hearing and
arrested.
WASHINGTON
Diane Wilson, a fourth generation shrimper from the Gulf,
poured oil on herself at today's Senate Energy Committee hearing to
protest Senator Lisa Murkowski's refusal to make BP pay for the
disaster that has devastating Wilson's shrimping community. Republican
Lisa Murkowski, ranking member of the Senate Energy Committee, blocked
the bill that would have lifted the oil companies' liability cap (the
Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act). Wilson was removed from the hearing and
arrested.
Wilson traveled from Texas, where her livelihood and those of her
fellow shrimpers has been ruined. She had this to say, "My name is Diane
Wilson. I am a fourth generation shrimper from the Gulf. With this BP
disaster, I am seeing the destruction of my community and I am outraged.
I am also seeing elected representatives like Senator Lisa Murkowski
blocking BP from being legally responsible to pay for this catastrophe.
She stopped the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act and wants to keep the
liability cap at a pitiful $75 million. This is outrageous. How dare she
side with big oil over the American people who have been so devastated
by this manmade disaster."
"We want people to call Senator Murkowski's office and tell her to
stop supporting big oil and support a healthy environment and American
livelihoods instead," said CODEPINK co-founder Medea Benjamin, who was
with Wilson at the hearing. "Our members from across the country have
sent Murkowski thousands of emails already. We also want the Senator to
call for Diane Wilson to be exonerated. BP CEO Tony Hayward should be in
jail, not a distraught shrimper!"
Wilson has been working for decades fighting the polluting of the
Gulf. She wrote the book An Unreasonable Woman: A True Story of
Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters, and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas
detailing her years long fight against oil and chemical companies in her
community. She went on to say, "I have seen the oil and chemical
companies destroying our air, water, our wildlife--and the government
going along with it. Politicians like Murkowski take campaign money from
big oil and then get in bed with the same oil and chemical
corporations. This must stop. Enough is enough." The full text of
Diane's statement is here
Wilson is also a co-founder of the organization CODEPINK Women for
Peace. She was in front of BP HQ in Houston, Texas two weeks ago to
protest the oilspill and draw attention to BP's legacy of negligence.
Read her
most recent article, "The BP oil gusher is just the latest in
a long line of assaults on the Gulf of Mexico" published on Grist.com.
For
more info contact Medea Benjamin/CODEPINK at medea@globalexchange.org
or call 415-235-6517.
CODEPINK is a women-led grassroots organization working to end U.S. wars and militarism, support peace and human rights initiatives, and redirect our tax dollars into healthcare, education, green jobs and other life-affirming programs.
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