[Re: The Real Side, “The Udall Economy,” June 19-25] Jim Scarantino contends that we need to drill everywhere we can to get our hands on oil to keep the cost down. Never mind that it was our greed for cheaper products from abroad that fueled the global economy that is now coming home to roost with higher energy costs and the loss of U.S. jobs. Scarantino thinks cheaper oil is somehow going to fuel alternate energy development. That was the scheme for years to keep us reliant on oil and prevent the development of alternate energy. I attended a study group on nuclear energy at the UNM School of Law last week. There was a Tom Udall representative there. She made an attempt to praise how Udall voted on a energy bill but was quickly but politely corrected. I’ll never know if she was misled or not, but it didn’t seem like a good place to try to fool anyone. Scarantino congratulates Sen. Pete Domenici on his energy policy. I would argue that it’s people exactly like Domenici who caused the present energy issues we now experience. If he was/is such a good statesman, then why isn’t there an alternate energy program? He became chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in 2003 and is one of the longest-serving members of the Senate Budget Committee in Senate history. It certainly sounds like he was in a position to influence policy.The “El Machete” cartoon on page 6 of the June 19-25 Alibi explains why Scarantino always seems to have an easy solution for everything. I believe in giving credit where credit is due. But I also won’t give it where it’s not due. Domenici may be a good person, but a good statesman—no. And definitely not a visionary. In this regard, there is no supply shortage in D.C.
The Oil Economy
[Re: The Real Side, “The Udall Economy,” June 19-25] Jim Scarantino dismisses the notion of a "Bush economy" in his criticism of Rep. Tom Udall’s energy policy but conveniently omits important facts. This president willfully and deceptively lead the U.S. into an unprovoked war, with the intention of leading us into a permanent war-time economy. The Republican Party, albeit abetted by some Democrats, has fought any restraints on the oil and automobile industries for many years. It has intentionally kept us strung out on fossil fuels, knowing that when the crunch came, they could use it as an excuse to boost profits and decimate our environment in the name of cheap gas.Imagine if all the money we have wasted in Iraq had instead been invested in alternative energy. Our nation would be in a very different place right now, well on our way through the transition from a fossil-fuel economy to one powered by greener, alternative energy. To deny that Bush’s war spending, which will eventually total trillions of dollars, will not greatly impair our economic growth for years to come is delusional. Bush has left his mark on our national economic future for generations. He has done his best to plunder the national treasury for his cronies and delay any meaningful attempts to reform our national energy policies or stave off global warming.Tom Udall is one of the few politicians who has had the courage to both advocate for a new energy future and object to the continuing subsidies to Big Oil, which is willfully destroying our planet, simply to prolong its economic stranglehold on our citizens. Rep. Steve Pearce represents an industry and a way of life in complete denial of its long-term effect on our planet and the lives of our children and grandchildren. Big Oil will stop at nothing to maintains its profits.The choice voters face in November is quite clear. Do you want to destroy every last bit of the natural world in our suicidal quest for every last drop of oil, or are we willing to make the tough choices that will save our planet? I’ll be voting for Tom Udall.
Racism?
[Re: The Radford Files, “Astrology, Prejudice and Racism,” May 22-28] I have been a practitioner of astrology for more than six years and know better than to get in a tussle with someone who just doesn’t trust astrology. I am not here to argue the validity of astrology with you, just your use of the word racism in the title of your article for what I hope is sensational value and not what you truly believe.I can see your argument for prejudice (although I don’t agree, personally). But racism? Astrology has nothing to do with race. Racism, in case you have forgotten, is discrimation based on race, ancestry or skin color.Connecting the two ideas is ignorant and dangerous.How can you even compare the type of crimes and cruelties caused by racism to astrology? You can’t!You don’t have to like or trust what we do, but astrology makes no more dangerous assumptions than psychology does.In fact, if you weren’t aware, famed psychoanalyst Carl Jung subscribed to astrology and many practicing astrologers are psychologists in their full-time work.We are respectable people, not white-shrouded hate-mongers wishing to hurt and exercise superiority! In the future, try not to mistake the two.
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