Feeling Profoundly Responsible and Disturbed. Today is Day 50. And you'd better know what I'm talking about.

photo courtesy of http://www.boston.com/, AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

A bird is mired in oil on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the

Louisiana coast on Thursday, June 3, 2010

When I saw this disturbing image on Twitter, it ripped my heart right out of my chest and shredded it into a million bloody pieces. If you've not yet seen these photos by AP Photographer Charlie Riedel about the oil spill, please go here, but I'm about to share some with you because I feel they need to be seen and shared. Stephanie over at Babes Rockin' Mami saw my tweet and we went back and forth about it, each of us equally disturbed and feeling helpless. Stephanie has a big heart and is also posting today about the oil spill. Please go visit her blog next if you haven't done so already. She has lots of other information and some different ways you can help. Thanks for linking up with me today, Stephanie! You rock!

Anyspill, around the same time on Twitter, I saw tweets about the seafood still being safe to eat. I tweeted back, "I don't care if the damn shrimp are still okay to eat, I care about the pelicans, ducks, birds, and other helpless animals." It angers me that people are worried about what's going to end up edible on their plates. I am from New Orleans, so I'm entitled to say this, but GET OVER IT. What is happening is unreal. Yes, seafood is a lively part of the region and an annual source of income for fisherman, etc. But you will survive without your shrimp poboys and oysters on the half shell. What about our planet, the Gulf, the innocent animals who are suffering at our hands, and our future---our children's future?

We are selfish. We use and abuse. We've taken this planet and turned it upside down. As for these defenseless animals? We're ruining their habitat in our greedy quest for oil. For those of you saying, "Oh, it's just a bird," imagine if it was your dog, your cat, or God forbid your child. Today is DAY 50 of this disaster. It's been said it could go on until autumn. Unacceptable. Horrifying. Profoundly disturbing.

A Brown Pelican sits in heavy oil on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast Thursday, June 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel via www.boston.com)

A Brown Pelican is seen on the beach at East Grand Terre Island along the Louisiana coast on Thursday, June 3, 2010. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel via www.boston.com)

According to Tina Susman and Julie Cart of the Los Angeles Times:

"Of the 820 birds found so far, 597 were dead and all 223 found alive have been visibly oiled...."

"There have been 70 sea turtles picked up in the state of Louisiana, 66 of them dead."

"The number of birds, reptiles, turtles, and mamals collected along the Gulf stood at 1,143 Sunday, 107 more than the previous day."

"In Texas, 46 dead birds were picked up, the first wildlife casualty reported from that state."

I was stunned to read that BP Senior Vice President, Bob Fryar, said Saturday that he was "very pleased" with the progress. Which strikes me as sick, seeing as the current cap (which isn't even working well) won't be replaced until next month. With hurricane season just around the corner, this could potentially become even more of a debacle, if that is even possible at this point.

I wanted to grab my kids and jump on a plane, enroll in training so that I could help clean the oil from the animals. But it's not realistic for me. It takes a while to become certified and I can't schlep from my mom's house in Metairie down to the coast daily with my kids in tow....so I'm brainstorming about other ways to help.

Something you can do---go to http://www.matteroftrust.org/. This organization is collecting hair from salons everywhere and making it into booms to absorb the oil. According to an article in today's Kansas City Star, BP is reluctant to use the hair booms because they aren't as bouyant, but they will be used. Local fisherman and others are working together to develop ways to make them more bouyant. A salon owner in Blue Springs says, "What else are we going to do with it? Even if it absorbs half the oil that Matter of Trust says it does, it's still doing something. It's still having an impact. Come on! BP's first attempt was putting trash and golf balls in the pipeline. How is that better than using hair?"

I heard about Matter of Trust in Savannah over the weekend. I was at a salon there getting my hair done for the wedding I was in and they had fliers posted about it. Let's get the word out. Tweet about it. Facebook about it. Contact your local salons, tell them about Matter of Trust. This is something little that we can all do to help. Greasy hair means hair collects oil, people!

I think the girls and I are due for haircuts this week. Anyone else? Before you go, visit the Matter of Trust site, print out some info, and bring it with you. Talk to the stylists. Spread the word.

You can also go to http://www.gulfaid.org/ to check out ways to donate to the cause. Please stop in over at change.org and read this. Finally, check out the Audubon Institute site.