Lockdown on Sea Island: community under siege

" "This time George Bush really has shit and fell back in it," says Wanda Bullard, who teaches children with learning difficulties in Brunswick. Wanda's school runs a holiday lunch programme, offering underprivileged (mainly black) children a hot midday meal. This too has been cancelled because the school has been commandeered as an emergency centre by government agents. "It's plain disgusting," Wanda fumes. "Bush and his cronies are going to be sittin' around Sea Island discussing world hunger, as it affects, say, children in Africa, while African-American kids are going hungry right here because of them."
There are no children, either, on St Simons. Normally the first week of the school holiday marks the start of the "season", with holiday-makers arriving to take advantage of the spectacular World Heritage beaches. Today the beaches, patrolled by sharky, high-speed gunboats, are empty and shorn of the sea broom and bramble that provided much-needed shade for humans and wildlife (terrorists who make it past the tanks and missiles might hide there). Much has been made of President Bush's personal fondness for the loggerhead turtles who nest along the shoreline. He gave his personal assurance that no turtle would be disturbed by the world leaders. In fact, dead turtles have been washing ashore at a rate of 40 a week because the Department of Natural Resources, which monitors the toxic effluent of the shipping injury, has been suspended for the summit. On the bright side, a sophisticated electronic tag-and-track device has been made available, at the government's expense, to all remaining turtles. People round here say the turtles are working for the CIA.
And what of the fabled bonanza for local business? Some of the shops on St Simons are boarded up against protesters. Others are open, but empty.
Last week shopkeepers took out an advertisement begging for local custom to make up for the lack of profitable visitors. (Feds aren't big on buying knick-knacks). The hotel and rental industry, with the notable exception of The Sea Island Company, has suffered a massive loss.
One hotel was block-booked by government agencies, presumably to queer the pitch for the more affluent protester, and last week, the bookings were cancelled. No apology, no explanation, and, crucially, no compensation.
So there won't be too many people on St Simons waving the G8 flags today. "No matter which way you look at it, you're polishing a turd," says Hairy Dave. "You can polish it up as much as you want, dress it up in pretty pink ribbons, and what have you got at the end? A shiny turd." "