Posted by
On the Right on Saturday, September 20, 2008 12:04:59 AM
Anti-chemical Activists Hit the (Plastic) Bottle
Again - Anti-chemical activists opened a new front in their jihad against the plastics chemical bisphenol-A
(BPA) this week.
Drill, Baby, Drill - Energy is essential in
America, and 40% of what we use comes from oil and 23% from natural gas. That comes to about 21 million barrels of
oil and 64 billion cubic feet of natural gas each day. Domestic oil production is declining--down nearly half since
1970--so imports are up, from one-third of what we needed in 1970 to just under 60% today. So we need to discover
and access more of our own energy resources.
The good news is that huge resources of oil and gas exist offshore: recoverable oil and gas on America's Outer
Continental Shelf comes to some 85 billion barrels of oil and 420 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and there are
another 10 billion barrels of oil in the North Slope of Alaska. If full access to these resources were permitted,
together they could replace America's imported oil for some 25 years, and no doubt reduce the price of oil, gas and
gasoline. (Pete Du Pont, Wall Street Journal)
Pelosi's Drilling Ruse - The sudden
pro-drilling makeover of the Pelosi Democrats has always had an air -- a gale, really -- of election-year
convenience, and the House proved it Tuesday by passing an energy bill that would put any bunko man to shame. This
confidence trick won't expand domestic oil-and-gas supplies even a bit.
The ruse began late Monday night, when Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a 290-page bill and then waved it through less
than 24 hours later, 236-189. "Closed" rules prohibited the GOP from offering alternatives. The real game
was to give vulnerable Democrats political cover by letting them vote for more offshore drilling -- while also
making more drilling all but impossible, thus appeasing the party's green wing.
Sure enough, only 13 Democrats voted against the bill; even antidrilling purists like Ed Markey found something to
like. Nearly all the members of the Blue Dog coalition, who had been on the cusp of revolt this summer because of
Mrs. Pelosi's obstructionism, also fell in line. They now have their campaign cover story. (Wall Street Journal)
The Democrats’ Sham Energy Bill -
WASHINGTON -- The other night when House Democrats appeared to reverse their long-standing ban on offshore oil
drilling, the electorate was again hoodwinked. At least the Democratic leadership hoped the electorate was
hoodwinked. (R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., American Spectator)
Ganging Up on the
Gang - It’s a familiar story: A promising kid gets in with the wrong crowd, ends up joining a gang, and wastes
his life away in addiction and futility. In this case, the addiction is to expensive foreign oil and the gangsters
are the Senate’s so-called Gang of 20, who are pushing a potentially disastrous energy package that amounts to
near-complete capitulation to the anti-drilling, anti-energy crowd. The promising kid is John McCain. And the bad
influence? His name is Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Someone hit Lynas with a reality stick? Why
greens must learn to love nuclear power - Global warming and finite resources mean our way of life is more
threatened than ever, and it's time for the environmental movement to face up to some hard truths (Mark Lynas, New
Statesman)
Public needs to know vaccines are safe, docs say -- A new
coalition of 22 major medical groups says public confidence in vaccine safety needs to be restored to avoid risks
for deadly disease outbreaks.
Thursday's message comes from the Chicago-based American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and
20 more of the nation's most influential health-related groups.
Their concern stems from recent measles outbreaks in several U.S. cities. Last month, health officials said 131
children had gotten the measles so far this year - the highest number in more than a decade. Nearly half of the
cases involved children whose parents rejected vaccination and many of the cases were traced to outbreaks overseas.
(Associated Press)