Quote:

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Allen Kruse had turned his boats into what BP dubs "vessels of opportunity." For two weeks, the charter captain worked for the oil giant, helping haul boom and look for oil.

But those closest to him say Kruse's life unraveled when the oil spill hit the Gulf waters where he worked. Authorities say deck hands found the 55-year-old dead in his boat's cabin, with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, before he was scheduled to head out on the water Wednesday morning.

Friends, family and local officials say his death is another tragic casualty of the environmental disaster that has sent crude gushing into Gulf waters. And they're worried others may be suffering in silence.

"There's a lot of people on the edge. We feel hopeless. We feel helpless. We don't feel like there's an advocate out there," said Tony Kennon, mayor of Kruse's hometown of Orange Beach, Alabama.

Kruse's nickname was "Rookie," but he had captained boats for 26 years. Relatives and friends say the effects of the oil disaster devastated him. He did not leave a note, and friends said they never suspected he would do anything so extreme.

Kruse told his family that he believed the gusher had effectively killed his livelihood as well as the ocean where he made his living.

"The day that oil entered the Gulf, my phone quit ringing," he said during a television interview last month.

With charter boat income -- normally $5,000 or $6,000 a month -- drying up, Marc Kruse and Frank Kruse said their brother had few options other than joining BP's program. Instead of captaining his boats on the hunt for snapper and amberjack, Kruse spent 14 days hauling protective boom off Alabama's shores. He worked for two weeks straight, family members said, but hadn't been paid.

Marc and Frank Kruse said their brother would still be alive today if he had believed he was making an impact against the oil that was threatening the waters he loved.

Instead, he told them, cleanup boats were placed close to shore, just so onlookers would think work was being done.

"Madness. It's just a dog and pony show," Marc Kruse said. "Send them out. Ride around. Let everybody see them. Bring them back in."

His friends told CNN they were concerned others might buckle under the stress.

"We worry about that every day," Fairey said.

Gulf states are reporting that anxieties and frustrations over the ongoing oil spill are spreading, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and officials said they are worried about an increase in depression as well as suicide.

"We're all going through a lot of stress," said Tom Ard, president of the Orange Beach Fishing Association and a close friend of Allen Kruse.

"We're bringing in and asking all the preachers and all the churches to step up and help. We have a weekly meeting at lunch on Wednesdays where we invite the entire community in for support. BP is there to ask questions. Folks vent," he said. "But the big thing is we have to love each other. We've got to be there for each other. We can't let go. We can't give up."

On Thursday evening, Kruse's boat -- also named Rookie -- returned to Orange Beach without its captain. A wreath memorializing Kruse sat on the dock.

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Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
signing off


To our President: “Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar. Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.... oh, go fuck yourself, Mr. President” ...Raptor

To Anthony, unquestionably the most civil person on this forum: “Go fuck yourself. On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you. ...Raptor

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To Niki: “My guess is it won't just be your ugly face you dislike.....Well, it's true......if you had a soul.” ...Raptor

To Kwicko:" You're the putrid slime which oozes between troll's toes, you're so low.” ...Raptor

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