A VERY GOOD DAY!!!!!!!!!!
Posted on 03/17/2005 4:50:56 AM PST by Jet Jaguar
Maybe the U.S. Senate finally became exhausted with the issue of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Maybe senators did it for the tireless Sen. Ted Stevens. Maybe they did it because Sen. Stevens wore his Incredible Hulk tie.
Or maybe the senators did it because they realized that allowing drilling in the refuge's coastal plain is the right choice right now for the nation.
Whatever the reason, the Senate's decision Wednesday to proceed with opening the refuge to oil development can be hailed as a triumph for Sen. Stevens, for Alaska and for common sense in the face of years of exceptionally organized opposition.
Wednesday's vote against an amendment to remove ANWR-opening language from a budget resolution was seen as the last major ANWR-specific barrier in Washington. The House has consistently favored opening ANWR, though it has declined to use the budget procedure used by the Senate and will instead likely authorize it in separate legislation. Either is likely fine with President Bush, who made ANWR oil a centerpiece of his national energy policy shortly after taking office in 2001.
ANWR is seen by many as the next, and perhaps last, giant domestic oil deposit. For the nation, oil from ANWR will add to the domestic supply and send a message that the nation is ready to search its own holdings to lessen reliance on foreign sources. For Alaska, the benefits are enormous: jobs and hundreds of millions in revenue from initial leases and from the oil itself once it begins flowing into the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
Wednesday's hard-earned victory in the Senate is not the final barrier to be breached, however. The budget process itself could collapse due to matters unrelated to ANWR because the House and Senate appear to have differing fiscal priorities. If the process falters, the opening of ANWR could slip away.
Such a scenario is why it's worth considering the words of an assistant secretary of the Department of the Interior who was making an official recommendation that the ANWR coastal plain be opened to oil development. "This is not the last word," he said.
Indeed it wasn't. He made the remark in 1986.
Maybe politicians are essentially cowards and the rising price of crude being on the headlines pushed them over the top?
...because the republicans kicked democRAT butt in 2004 and now are FINALLY using their majority?
Now, congress needs to pave the way for more refinery capacity. Oh, and nationalize gasoline standards to minimize "boutique fuels."
A VERY GOOD DAY!!!!!!!!!!
More and modern refineries. I agree.
Just in case anyone missed it, here's a thread for your reading enjoyment with this mornings coffee. Scroll down to the one where she's closing her bank account and keeping her money under the mattress because of the ANWAR vote!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3283238#3284889
You can't make this up folks, it's going to be a classic. Enjoy.
Best of all, the news on ANWR was drowned out by all the fuss over Peterson/Blake/Jackson. We'll get the oil, and most people will never know the difference.
Funny stuff. They sure do curse a lot.
It passed as part of the budget, which is immune from the 60 vote filibuster rules and only requires a majority vote.
A truly rare display of testosterone by the Republicans in the Senate, and a pretty damn funny thing on the heels of Dingy Harry's shut down threat.
Thanks for the link! HILARIOUS!! LOLOL!!!!
What a sorry bunch of screwups!
they did good work today.
Now I just watch helplessly as the right-wingers kill it. That polar bear in your post is worth more than all the freepers in this country. I feel that way right now.
I'm investing heavily in anitdepressants/antipsychotics
"Just in case anyone missed it, here's a thread for your reading enjoyment with this mornings coffee. Scroll down to the one where she's closing her bank account and keeping her money under the mattress because of the ANWAR vote!
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x3283238#3284889
You can't make this up folks, it's going to be a classic. Enjoy."
OUTRAGE FATIGUE!!! ROFLMAO...
What we need to do now is go to www.craigslist.org. Pick your state, pick politics and have at it. They are just as irrational over there also.
I go there, whip the young Marxists up into a frenzy and then hit them with facts. Warning: There is foul language there, all of it RAT.
Enjoy
Absolutely great work.
I don't think they would have used the budget process for this had it not been for the judicial filibusters. So I consider this to be a very good sign and look forward to more of the same.
Do these pansies really think they win a civil war? That's funny...a bunch of limp-wristed, gun hating commies want to pick a fight. They'd probably run away when they pulled the trigger screaming..."What was THAT noise? Run Away....run away....run away..."
"because the republicans kicked democRAT butt in 2004 and now are FINALLY using their majority?"
Exactly :)
PJ Comics has a DUmmies Funnies thread on the DUmmy postings here; http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1364388/posts
Oh, my. The DU needs to get a grip. And an education. I'd hold me breath, but there's too much of life to enjoy.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.