[geeks] One of the things I love about America

[Eric Dittman]

> > The alaska pipeline actually increased populations of caribou, eagles, small
> > mammals, and the birds that feed on them, I see no problem with drilling in
> > 1% of the ANWR if it's handled properly. Tis is good for us because it means
> > we need 5-7% less oil from Saudi Arabia. You know the oil that we went to
> > war over in 1991.
> 
> Bullshit.  The drilling in '1%' of ANWR is bogus math.  That's like saying
> my office only takes up 15 square feet because that's all that's touching
> the floor.  The '1%' doesn't count the roads and infrastructure to make
> the drilling possible.

That still doesn't address the fact that the Alaska Pipeline
increased the populations of the indigent species.

> And how about instead of drilling on ANWR, we just pass better emissions
> standards for vehicles?  How about we implement standards for SUVs?  These
> will save a lot more than  that 5-7% (and that 5-7% is overly optimistic,
> that's 10 years down the road and even then is a best case scenario).

I'm all for that.  The grandfather clauses for old vehicles and
the monetary limits on bringing non-compliant vehicles to code
need to be dropped, too, along with emissions controls on all
engines, whether they are on the road or not.

> The reason why ANWR drilling is wanted is because it'll make more money
> for the domestic oil companies.  That's it.  It won't signigificantly
> lessen our dependance on foreign oil.  It's not that much oil anyway.

Most of the people bitching about the domestic oil companies
making money and having influence in the White House are
the same people that said Communist China having influence
in the White House was no big deal.  I'd rather have the
influence domestic rather than hostile foreign.

> > War on drugs is bad. Its that simple. It is in all ways and forms bad. It
> > must be stopped. It was quite possibly the most damaging long term policy of
> > the first Bush administration.
> 
> I love the whole "If you bur drugs, you're supporting terrorism" bullshit.
> 
> Because all that OIL we buy... none of THAT money is going right to the
> terrorists.  And there's a LOT more money flowing for oil than drugs.

This is true, but remember most of Al Queda and Taliban money
did come from sales of drugs for the west (which they liked
as they could feed their war against the west by using the
corruption of the west).
-- 
Eric Dittman
dittman at dittman.net
Check out the DEC Enthusiasts Club at http://www.dittman.net/