RUSSIA DRILLS IN THE GULF

"The Obama administration is poised to ban offshore oil drilling on the outer continental shelf until 2012 or beyond. Meanwhile, Russia is making a bold strategic leap to begin drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. While the United States attempts to shift gears to alternative fuels to battle the purported evils of carbon emissions, Russia will erect oil derricks off the Cuban coast.

Offshore oil production makes economic sense. It creates jobs and helps fulfill America's vast energy needs. It contributes to the gross domestic product and does not increase the trade deficit. Higher oil supply helps keep a lid on rising prices, and greater American production gives the United States more influence over the global market."
Washington Times

Why? Why won't we drill for oil? I think alternative energy sources need to be found. I think we should be using nuclear as much as possible. If solar or wind or some other fantasy energy source can be made workable, do it. However, right now we need oil. And lots of it.

The only way to get to better sources of energy is to survive to create them. Without oil we won't survive. We won't be able to do anything. Our economy will grind to a halt.

Maybe that's the idea. Never let a good crisis go to waste.

POPE SAYS HE DOESN'T WORSHIP THE GORACLE

“The Pope denounces the ecological crisis but does not belong to the church of Al Gore," wrote Giuliano Ferrara, director of Italian daily Il Foglio, in his editorial column after reading Benedict XVI's message for the World Day of Peace. Ferrara described the papal message as being "of great culture" in its reminder that man must be valued above all other living things.

The Pontiff's message underscores the threats to the environment and the necessity of taking decisive action to find long-term, inter-generational solutions to the crises of today. It also provides parameters for the role of the Church and individual Christians in combating the environmental and economic crises, pointing to a renewal of values and morality without losing sight of the "distinctiveness and superior role" of human beings over nature.

"Benedict XVI," wrote Ferrara in his analysis, "in no way denies human abuse of nature,” but in affirming the ecological crisis, neither does he share "the environmentalist religion or environmentalism as a religion."

Catholic News Agency

The Pope doesn't subscribe to the religion of environmentalist earth worship. I never thought he did. And, his statements have been rather clear about his position on the current global environmental crisis. Great.

WHAT FREAKIN' CRISIS??!!!!!

This is the part that I can't get my hands around. He keeps referring to this so called "crisis". Last time I looked around the air seemed pretty clean, the water from my well tastes pretty good and there isn't a whole bunch of trash laying on the ground. There are more critters running around here in Missouri than we know what to do with. I mean, things look pretty peachy here.

The Pope writes about the inequality of wealth in relation to this "crisis", as if cleaning up the air will make the kids with the bloated bellies in Africa full. Sorry to break it to him but the environment isn't the problem. Leftist political ideology that destroys any incentive people may have to better themselves is the problem. Oppressive government controlling all aspects of life in the name of "social justice" is the problem. Focusing on a redistribution of wealth at the expense of creation of real, productive wealth is the problem.

America consumes an awful lot of resources to maintain our standard of living. We create some pollution but considering how much energy we consume we keep it pretty clean. It's a whole lot better than it used to be.

The reason for this is that the energy we consume creates wealth and the wealth allows us to innovate. We aren't consumed by the need to keep from starving so we have time to worry about other, less immediate problems; like the environment. If it wasn't for our wealth created with the use of energy we would have a bunch of kids with bloated bellies, too.

It seems like the people that promote the redistribution of wealth would be happier if we had a few more bloated kids around here. It seems like here in America, where admittedly some do much better than others, in some cases obscenely better, that this system of ours has raised almost all the ships. Even the leaky, poorly maintained ones do OK. It may not provide equality of outcome for all, but it has provided an acceptable quality of life for most.