re: #221 Cato the Elder

For the record, I am firmly opposed to people who oppose offshore drilling in US waters.

What we do now is, we let all the other places with offshore oil deposits drill their asses off, with all the concomitant ecological damage, while the Prius drivers here at home get to do both: suck up the gas and enjoy pristine shorelines. (And pretend their cars are ecologically clean.)

If we were anything less than abject hypocrites, we’d drill the shit out of the Chesapeake Bay and people would see up close and personal the injuries we inflict on other people’s environments.

That, in my view, would do more than all the abstract altruism in the world to get people to rethink their habits.

But the general rule of thumb for Western nations is “not in my backyard”. Dump all the shit on the brown people and enjoy the fruits without let, hindrance, or bad conscience.

And my targets here are not the ordinary Americans who couldn’t give a wet fart about where their gas comes from, but the oh-so-concerned eco-drivers who couldn’t give a flying doughnut about any of it unless a baby seal dies in Alaska.

Drill that shit!

Out of sight, out of mind. It’s almost as though people believe that if they don’t see oil drilling occurring within their sight it does not exist. Meanwhile, it is occurring in the far reaches of the globe and under less environmental scrutiny then it would if done within our shores. That’s another aspect people don’t consider. Oil produced domestically would have to adhere to EPA and other standards which are not applied in other countries.

To be morally consistent one would have to oppose oil drilling throughout the world. They can object it on environmental ground and as many do in the United States, aesthetic grounds. One factor that is largely ignored is the one you mention — the social impact of foreign produced oil — as well as oil that is produced with almost no environmental or safety regulations in place.