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A new argument on oil drilling in Alaska or is it??

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4dsc Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Aug-21-06 04:39 PM
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A new argument on oil drilling in Alaska or is it??
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2006/08/20/opinion/commentary/iq_3564711.txt

ALthough I do not agree with this authors assessments on why we should drill in ANWAR, I love some of the quotes he used..


Oil is unique -- astonishingly concentrated and liquid at room temperature. It powers 97 percent of global mechanized transportation. From motorcycle helmets to plumbing, it makes everything plastic. Your computer is part oil, as are most medical devices. No other earthly substance seems so magical.

We import 65 percent of our oil. Three-quarters of world reserves are concentrated in Islamic theocracies and assorted trouble spots. Bob Baer, ex-CIA agent and author of "Sleeping With the Devil," has explained how vulnerable the global oil supply is. With vulnerability comes the potential for economic shock that Baer explains in language not permitted in a family newspaper. So, why should we not start vaporizing Alaskan oil?

Precious resources should be hoarded for generations, not incinerated in less time than it takes to wear out the warranty on a minivan. If a family had one cord of firewood left for the winter, would it make sense to burn it as rapidly as possible? If a student were down to the last $200 in the checking account, would it make sense to race to the next ATM? Racing to use the last of a depleting resource is foolish.

Roscoe Bartlett, a life-long scientist and inventor before being elected to Congress in his 60s, seven terms ago, votes against every act promoting drilling in ANWR. Bartlett, a Republican who has briefed President Bush on oil depletion, makes his case succinctly: "It's really dumb to use what little you have as quickly as you can."
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