my reply to email from the House Resources Committee (re: gasoline)

[bertha katzenengel]

the committee sent around an email called "Reason # 16 To Increase American Energy Supplies"

the email contained the text of an AP article dateline Vienna, May 5, 2006. Forwarded without comment. The last line in the article reads, "We have to brace for more conflict." Spoken by author Michael Klare, who wrote Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Petroleum Dependency.

Here's my reply. I haven't mailed it. Waiting for the weekend to pass to see if my head cools. Give me your feedback, if you will. Thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not that you care -- after all, you're just a staffer who's forwarded this article as part of your job. But here are my two cents.

Across the globe, oil and gas are at risk not only because petroleum is a limited resource, but because greedy, oblivious, apathetic Americans do not care about that fact. Elected Americans on Capitol Hill don't even care. Look at last week's bi-partisan Congressional photo op at a gas station, to which most participants drove the one block from their offices.

At least President Bush and the House Resources Committee care. After all, it's why President Bush started a war in the middle east. And it's why Chairman Pombo and his GOP mates want so badly to drill ANWR. So hey. The Republican leadership is doing something. (This is where you picture me rolling my eyes.)

If we lazy Americans with our arrogant, grandiose senses of entitlement would walk, or bicycle, or even drive more fuel-efficient cars, we could avoid drilling in ANWR and perhaps get the president to stop acting like he has a divine right to wage war wherever there is oil under the ground.

More important, if those of you staffers of the House Resources Committee would start to push your bosses to action on things like hybrid, hydrogen, electric and other alternately-powered vehicles, maybe Americans could keep their cars and leave a little gas for the rest of the world to use before it's all gone.

Finally if, as Michael Klare assumes, "the crisis with Iran will escalate," the arrogant, wanna-be cowboy in the White House will see to it that no one on earth will need to worry about gasoline anymore.

Kim Harris
Democrat since 1982 -- shortly after voting for Reagan

PS Yes. I drive. A 4-cylinder Toyota that gets about 35 MPG. My family's second car is a '95 Toyota that gets even better mileage. I wonder: if we averaged the gas mileage of the personal automobiles driven by the members of this committee, what would it be?

[texastoast]

1. Yes, you need to chill

Not that you offend me or I think you speak untruths at all and not that I haven't personally just hit the send button before taking the advice below. I'm with ya! I think you have some really good points that will be more effective without the understandable (and very evident) frustration that looks just a LEEEEEETLE like hostility. Now that you've released some of that frustration, rewrite it productively. I have to do this at work all the time. I have to go through the cussing them out stage before sending the real email.

[bertha katzenengel]

2. thanks, toast

dig the user name ;)