The Jackson Simon Review Letters to the Editor

Posted 11:04 AM by Patrick
Comment on our test for President

Jackson-

I accidently got on your site looking for info on Brad Maaske who was on C-SPAN this morning. Wonderful the internet, yeah? Within days we will know more about that man than he ever counted on.

Anyway, I was going to take your test- but right off the bad you had bogus choices. One of your choices for energy was re: ANWR. I lived in Alaska for 10 years. I researched everything from all sources (I was writing paper for college and they do not consider it proper research when you only get one side and it will be reflected in your grade).

First, of all, the 1% of ANWR that you site envolves more land than just where the oil is- hauling the oil and setting up will take more land. Secondly, this area is the calving ground for the porcupine caribou heard that migrates from Canada (and is protected by Canadian law from being disturbed) up to the arctic ocean. Biologists agree that disrupting this area would eventually end this migration. (do not be decieved by pictures of caribou prouncing around the pipeline. This is a different herd of porcupine and they aren't calving. Pregnant females of any species are a little bit more tempermental. Also, increase in any animal count can be misleading. A loss of predators (who may be more sensitive to man's footprints) is also a consideration in rise of a particular population, in this case the caribou.

This is the last arctic ecosystem in the world. It affects over 200 species of birds that fly from as far away as South America. Some compare its magnificence to the wildebeast migration in Africa.

Third, there are native people in both Canada and the United States that's livlihood depend upon the caribou. We always say -now- that if we would know what we know now we would have done it differently with the native people of continental America. But now they are overlooked again by both the oil greedy interests and the environmentalists.

Fourth, the very best "scientific" (as opposed to political spin) estimate of the oil in ANWR section that you are referring would only provide enough oil for less than a year in America.

Lastly, both parties, the duopoly, in Alaska favor drilling. Only the Green Party has a different plan. It states we should use ANWR like a "savings account" and use it if and when we cannot use of the other guy's oil- as it were. This makes a lot of sense to me and of course any reasonable person. But not so for those "that rule the world."

The truth is that they really want to break the back of the opposition to drilling in this unequal treasure of the world because of precident setting. If they can drill in this last arctic ecosystem in the world- they can drill anywhere. Hell, topple the Statue of Liberty, dynamite the Black Hills.

Please, whoever is the real person behind this blog- do not get caught up in the us against them- dem or rep argument. You only become a pawn in the hands of those who are of no party -only the greedy, soulless party.

For oppositional reading try anything by Ralph Nader- a consummate patriot or read (if you dare) "The new rulers of the world" by John Pilger. And then make up your own mind.

I am a 54 year old poor grandma who gains nothing from my statements here.

Mary McGinnis

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