Daily Graphic: Cute Turtle on Federal Oil Spill Response Site Pisses Me Off

This cute turtle is the federal government's representation of how wildlife in the Gulf are being affected by BP's oil spill. PR or Reality?

If you’re looking for a lot of information on the BP oil spill and what the government is doing, this site has its pluses and minuses.  For instance, you can find the disposition of some U.S. Coast Guard assets and transcripts of media briefings.  On the minus side, when you click the link for Oiled Wildlife, you’re taken to a page with no pictures or statistics of the devastation, but there is a phone number to call if you encounter an oiled bird or other animal.  Even more manipulative than the dearth of information on oiled wildlife is the cute picture of a pristine, baby sea turtle on the homepage of this PR-driven site.

One way to kick someone’s ass over this tragedy would be to put the whole truth out there for the American people.  Federal government fails with this site.  It’s so benign it’s ludicrous.