The news from the Gulf of Mexico is worse than even a science fiction writer could imagine.

Tar balls from the oil spill have been found on a Texas beach, evidence that gushing crude from the Deepwater Horizon well has reached all the Gulf states.

The amount found in Texas is tiny compared to what has coated beaches so far in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Strings of oil were seen Monday in a waterway that connects the Gulf with Lake Pontchartrain, a large lake north of New Orleans. That route likely means the oil will move directly into the lake on a backdoor way into New Orleans.

Combine that with tropical systems flaring up in the Gulf and skimming operations starting and stopping with reports from the National Hurricane Center.

People here in Selma watch the Gulf Coast of Alabama, where the beaches have become mired with tar balls and cleaning continues. We love our vacation beaches for ourselves and for the tourism they bring to the state.

Even The New York Times has focused on Orange Beach and the damage done to businesses along the Gulf Coast.

It’s hard not to blame someone or something for this disaster. That is our natural instinct as human beings.

BP owned the well, so the blowout must have been something wrong with the way BP drilled or the equipment purchased, which means the equipment manufacturer.

Hearings have begun and are likely to continue for years after this.

This is hurtful all the way around.