08-02-01
COUNTERING THE SPIN ON ANWR


Well, folks, looks like we're going to see what Tom Daschle's spine is made of. Without a filibuster, I don't think we'll have the votes to stop drilling in ANWR.

Although I'm angered by the House's approval, I'm not seriously worried - yet. Daschle isn't a dummy, and he knows he's got to fight this one with everything he's got. And so do the other Democrats. The simple truth is that despite the endless propaganda blizzard the Cheney/Bush regime have unleashed to try to pump up public enthusiasm for trashing ANWR, the majority of people are still opposed to the idea. And with good reason - it's a mind-bogglingly stupid idea.

Funny how the regressives recently stopped talking about gas prices. For a while, they were practically guaranteeing that if those radical environmentalist types didn't quit hollering about destroying the "wasteland" (one of the Bushies' favorite terms for ANWR) and open it up to Cheney/Bush's buddies in the oil industry, gasoline prices would triple. But then - darn it! - the price of gas started declining. A few weeks ago, I drove past my favorite gas station (their prices are always the lowest around...of course, they also sometimes run out of gas, and their credit card machine never works, but it's nice knowing that Exxon/Mobil isn't getting my money), saw that gas had dropped another few cents, and got the giggles picturing Shrub on his knees praying: "Please, dear Jesus, make gas prices go up again!"

Of course, drilling in ANWR wouldn't have any real effect on gas prices, and the more intelligent right-wingers know that...but it did make for good rhetoric. Luckily for them, there's plenty more rhetoric to go around, and plenty of ignorant regressives who'll swallow the pap and then regurgitate it at every opportunity.

I used to wonder why the Bush supporters remained so stubbornly clueless about the facts involved with drilling in ANWR, until I realized that the truth is that they simply don't care about the facts. Most likely, the vast majority of the little lemmings are dimly aware that this would not be a good move on the environmental level; many of them probably realize that it wouldn't be a good move on ANY level, except the "make-the-oil-industry-happy" level. So why do they support it? Well, first, it's a simple way (because they're fed easy-to-remember talking points) to support their Commander-in-Thief, and -- as recent polls have shown -- he needs all the support he can get right now. And secondly, it's a way for them to fight back against those who care about the environment and believe we ought to all take a little responsibility for ensuring that the world is an acceptable place to live a few generations down the road. Nothing gets a regressive hotter under the collar than the suggestion that he or she ought to be responsible. And the sad truth is that they really don't care about the environment. They are short-sighted, selfish and greedy, and the Cheney/Bush regime has repeatedly told them that it's okay to be this way...and they are by God going to defend their selfish, greedy short-sightedness as best they can.

It'd be nice if we could just assume that any rational person would look at both sides of the issue (we'll skip over irrational people -- their minds won't be changed, and it's pointless to waste time on them) and realize that drilling in ANWR is a mistake. Unfortunately, that would require a fair, unbiased media; and we haven't had that in this country for a long, long time. So it's important to know the facts in order to counter the right-wing spin, and hopefully grab the attention of those right-wingers who are still capable of seeing reason.

So the next time you hear someone blathering about the "energy crisis" and the need for drilling in ANWR, slap them down with the facts. It's entirely possible that they have never heard them.

First, drilling in ANWR will not in any sense stop us from being dependent on foreign oil. We wouldn't even GET the damned oil for 10-15 years, and the US Geological Survey has done extensive studies proving that while the oil from ANWR might have a TINY (and we're talking pennies here) effect on prices, the effect would last for less than a year.

And more oil is not a be-all end-all solution. These are not magical oil reserves...they will not renew themselves. When the oil's gone, it's gone. Period. Other solutions need to be found if we give a damn about the future.

Secondly, the scare tactics used by the right to make people believe that we've got to have our own supply of oil so we're not "dependent on foreign oil", and would be able to fight Saddam if necessary, is just downright silly. Not just because drilling in ANWR wouldn't rid us of this dependence, but also because of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve - over 570 million barrels of crude oil that could be used in a war effort. We have about twice as much oil in reserve (plus the capacity to extract more) than will ever be found in ANWR.

Right-wingers have gone back to championing "states' rights" after their brief departure in the Selection 2000 debacle, and often claim that we should leave the decision of drilling in Alaska up to Alaskans. This sounds sensible until you think about it for five seconds. Would we support New Yorkers if they decided to trash the Statue of Liberty? Would we give a wink and a nod to Montana, Wyoming or Idaho if they decided to pave over and "develop" sections of Yellowstone National Park? The key word here is "National", and let's not forget that that's what the N in ANWR stands for. It doesn't belong to Alaskans alone -- it's mine, too. And yours.

It is true that some Alaskans support drilling. Why? Well, follow the money. A large percentage of the profits from drilling (over half) would go to the residents of Alaska. So, naturally, the more greedy residents of Alaska want those profits. The same holds true for the Inupiaq Eskimos - their corporation, formed in 1970, would receive millions of dollars from the destruction of ANWR. But the argument that the "native people" of Alaska, to whom the land belongs, support drilling falls apart when one considers that the Gwich'in tribe is staunchly opposed to drilling...and the land belongs to them, too.

No doubt, if you engage in debate on this issue, you'll be told that a poll was taken which showed that the American public supports drilling. But this poll consisted of only 803 people -- and while it's true that repondents said they favored drilling, it is ALSO true that they said they favored it ONLY AFTER outlawing environmentally-destructive SUVs and investment into renewable energy sources. And since responses invariably fall along partisan lines - those who voted for Bush support drilling, those who voted for Gore oppose it - than it's clear that the "No"s have it.

To those Bush-lemmings who scoff at environmental concerns and state that drilling in ANWR wouldn't hurt anything, I honestly think that the only appropriate response is derisive laughter. Anyone who truly believes that drilling is environmentally friendly is a fool. Of course, the truth is that the regressives who spout such nonsense simply don't give a damn about the environment, so giving them the facts won't change anything.

But if you enjoy beating your head against concrete walls (or if you find someone who does care about the environment, but is genuinely misinformed), you can always point out that unlike Prudhoe Bay, the possible oil reserves in ANWR are highly unlikely to be found in one big field -- they are scattered about, which means that rather than one large production site, a multitude of smaller production sites would be necessary, all connected by roads, pipelines, landfills, utility lines, etc etc etc. I don't think you'll find anyone who'll argue with a straight face that oil spills are GOOD for the environment, and if you find someone who argues that oil spills won't happen, my suggestion would be to ask "Oh, will the Tooth Fairy prevent them?"

And yes, the caribou will be harmed. It's true that the drilling in Prudhoe Bay has not had as much of an adverse effect as was feared, but the primary reason for that is because the caribou were able to move away from the areas of production. In ANWR, there are almost no other places for them to go...so the two cannot be logically compared.

There is one reason, and one reason alone, to drill in ANWR - and that is to fatten the pocketbooks of the oil industry bigwigs.

Anyone who says otherwise is either a fool, a liar -- or, more probably, both.


~Rose



Much of the information in this rant was found at Native Forest Council's webpage, "Debunking the Myths About Oil Drilling in the ANWR"


Opinions expressed in the daily rant are those of the author and may not reflect the opinion of every member of the fringefolk project. The articles posted here are protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the author's express permission. You do, however, have permission to post a link to this article and include the first few sentences as a lead-in, if you wish.