The September 4-5 "Spill into Washington" protests against BP were severely hampered by two factors. The Park Service refused all camping permits for Gulf residents who cannot afford DC hotels like the Mayflower. In addition, organizers used Facebook-and their pages were blocked at "convenient" times.

Several dozen people still showed up to hear shocking speeches about the grinding poverty and overwhelming destruction left in the wake of BP's massive Macondo oil spill.

One person spoke of flying over the Gulf-and finding orange crude oil mist all over the aircraft even though they had not flown directly into the smoke plume from the "in-situ" burn they observed.

Another told a shocking story of the economic Depression the combined oil/seafood shut down resulting from BP's recklessness has caused.

You see, the same people work the shrimp boats and the oil rigs. BP's criminal safety violations forced a drilling moratorium while ways are found to prevent a repetition, if such options exist. One speaker said the Macondo deep water project was so dangerous even the Russians (no cowards are they) said BP was NUTS to drill there.

The spill also caused fishery closures, and though they have been lifted, people who live on and work on the water are reporting that the seafood is presumed (and often TESTED) unsafe, so nobody dares go out to catch it. That means both primary means of employment are shut down, and people cannot pay their mortgages.

One woman spoke of having to choose between medicine for her youngest child and food for the older two-all because of BP.

Yet others reminded us that our own oil, suburb, and SUV habits are why corporations like BP exist-and why they take such reckless risks.

Lastly, the sabotage by Facebook is no surprise, as corporations like BP hire professionals to suppress dissent by harassment, intervention with web hosts, even direct threats.

The "Park Disservice," while tolerant of one day "Marches on Washington" where some group comes and goes with minimal impact, seems to be damned careful to make sure that no group of aggrieved citizens unable to rent out the Mayflower and the Hilton can come to DC, stay, organize, grow-and place the seat of Federal power under a surrounding occupation.

These bullshit rules about "camping" et all seem to have been crafted in response to incidents like the National Guard firing on the Bonus Marchers during the last Great Depression. They may also be intended to keep the homeless from occupying the Mall either just to sleep or for political reasons. This country makes people homeless with things like BP's spill-then makes sure they cannot make camp where tourists are supposed to roam.

Can't allow comments after what happened with Facebook. I must assume BP is hiring thugs to harass opponents online, and I will not give BP's hired guns another forum.