Drilling ANWR Is The Finale In Dropping Pretenses

There is little time left for the worst administration ever, and it seems that it has dropped all pretense of keeping those oaths about defending the constitution or protecting America. The last gasp of misuse of power appears to be trying to open all of our resources to the oil industry, and the institutionalization of abuse. The Gitmo trials are one atrocity, and opening the continental shelves to drilling and exploration are another. Diane has been following closely the Gitmo trials, so I will deal with the environmental abuse which is being used as a substitute for ameliorating highway robbery in the form of outlandish prices for gasoline.

Already 68 million acres are presently under lease to the oil industry that are not being explored. The resources available there would supply this country with 4.8 million barrels of oil daily. Of course, the costs of exploration is high, and for that reason the oil industry has begged for subsidies, and received them, from our tax dollars. It has bought up refineries and closed them down. The price of gasoline has soared, and with it everything transported on our roads. The popular interest has been severely disserved by letting this go on.

However, as its last gasp in control through the White House that is totally serving oil interests, this obscenely profitable industry wants to rob the country further. It has its minions in Congress trying to rip away controls over the coastline, opening the natural beauty of our beaches to pollution and endangering the majority of the population which is located there.

The real reason for oil prices soaring out of control has actually been identified.

“Increasing evidence shows that the run-up in crude oil prices and gasoline is being driven by larger trader banks, pension and hedge funds. Speculation may have as much, if not more, to do with high gas prices than any Saudi Sheik."

“The announcement at our hearing that CFTC it is now going to require more complete disclosure of speculative trading information is critical to stopping the excessive speculation and market manipulation that is driving up gasoline prices.”

“Now we need to give this agency to the professionals and computer tools they need to stop any market manipulation. As Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee which oversees the agency’s budget, I will work to secure a substantial increase in CFTC’s funding to make sure it has the resources to keep excessive oil speculation in check.”

Source: Senator Dick Durbin

The facts are being ignored for this attempt at a raw grab of the country's resources. It is a growing threat to the right wing that the country is going to remove their direct access to the public trough, and they are making a mad dash to get through at the last minutes a new robbery.

The failure of this occupied White House to accomplish anything for the country's good shows where its priorities lie. The resources it wants to put those very dirty hands on, our public lands, are in need of protection - not a rape on the premises that although what it already has in hand are being ignored, this time the oil companies will use them and bring down prices. Ridiculous.


The prices are high not because of a lack of accomodation of oil interests, but because of over accomodation.