Letters to the Editor Policy

Needed A Break

The last few weeks were such that I just could not address all the issues flying in the face of our Constitutional form of government. It seemed as if there would be no end to the assaults on our Freedom. I needed a break. I read “The Real George Washington” (Jay A. Perry and Andrew M. Allison, published by the National Center for Constitutional Studies). This book is not for weaklings - it must weigh two pounds, in paperback, but it contains literally tons of information on the life of George Washington. It materially consists of his letters and speeches, connected and sequenced by the authors and placed in the context of the time - fighting the English or fighting for our Republic as president. This book in not someone’s interpretation of George Washington. It is his words and actions - actions which sometimes defy belief, such as Valley Forge and much more. I am truly blessed that I lived long enough to realize that the Founding Fathers were incredibly gifted and committed men (and women). Can you imagine fighting a war for Independence for eight long years on a shoestring? Can you then imagine being involved in the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia followed by eight years as the first president? It is no wonder that he died less than three years after leaving office. He literally gave his adult life to his country and yet we no longer celebrate his birthday. Why? A really interesting item was the feuding between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson (which caused Washington great consternation). Hamilton believed the citizens too ignorant to govern themselves and therefore a strong Federal Government was called for. Jefferson believed that the people can and should govern themselves. Jefferson won round one. Our present course appears to show that Hamilton is still in the game.

Which brings me to today’s tawdry business in Washington, DC. At the present moment, we have our Socialist president Obama making multiple attempts to shut off drilling for oil in the Gulf, which would inevitably make our country weaker. We have the Federal Government filing suit against Arizona for daring to protect their citizens from illegals, mostly drug traffickers and mobsters, while the Federal government does nothing to enforce our borders. The Climate Change movement is failing the sniff test, while we, the taxpayer, pay over fifty cents a gallon to subsidize the production of that crap, ethanol (unless you have the opportunity to drink it). We have Cap and Trade in the pipeline, impending tax increases to pay for the trillions in new entitlements. We have admissions that Obamacare is just redistribution of wealth from those who earn it to those who do not. We have an exploding federal government which does nothing to contribute to the health and prosperity of our nation. We are now passing a mammoth financial regulatory act written by the architects of the Fannie and Freddie collapse, Dodd and Frank. President Reagan said: “Government is the problem, not the solution.” We have New Black Panthers given not even a slap on the wrist for voter intimidation (Philadelphia, Nov 2008). We have a president who is welded to a tele-prompter, spewing Progressive propaganda. A president who is surrounded by Marxists, Socialists, Radicals, Revolutionaries and Terrorists. We are in serious trouble, that is, if you value our Constitution and Bill of Rights, three equal branches of Government, Liberty and Justice. We have half of the country working to support the other half, and it is getting worse. We are in serious trouble. If all you watch for news is what is found on the network presentations, you are probably clueless. I certainly hope not. If you are not there yet, try Glenn Beck and Brett Baier. You won’t like it but the truth is sometimes ugly. Record it if the time is not convenient. If you give it a fair trial, and you can live without two headed calves and hot dog eating contests, you will be stunned at the documented material you will see and hear. Ignore these times at your peril! In the ensuing months, take the time to learn the facts. Ignore the rhetoric. Learn which candidates for Congress are the wheat and which are the chaff. Eat the chaff and you will wither and die. You need to carefully differentiate the one from the other so that the right persons are kept in office and the wrong ones are thrown out. Folks, it is only your Freedom, your Country and your children which are at stake.

Sincerely,

Joe McCann

Elk Lake, PA

Do Something About It

I had the opportunity to go to a public meeting concerning trucks on the road that was held in Montrose. My, my. I'm only sorry that the public, who hates trucks, did not come. They would've loved to hear what the motor carrier enforcement has in mind for the working class. I was impressed when his first statement was: if you have anything to do with the Marcellus Gas, we are coming after you, to repair our roads and bridges. I thought an honest man, in the company of two elected officials. I am terribly disappointed in those two ladies. I will not cast my lot with them again. I also wondered where is the money, that I, as a legally registered heavy vehicle owner paid in new fees which were to repair the roads and bridges for the last twenty years?

According to the trucking industry magazines, PA always ranks as one of the states you do not want to drive in. Number one in potholes. Old bridges. Oxen trails.

Well now a miracle is happening. Gas. And quite a lot I hear. We shall pound the heavy trucks, they must have the money, they drive (own) a truck. We will be able to keep our fun money, and still throw a couple dollars at the infrastructure when our limo hits the holes, in Harrisburg, Philly, or Pittsburg. Any place else in the state must be Alabama.

This is what is called profiling. My objection is what it does to the local boys who have been serving the needs of this county forever. Despite what the elected think, this is a reality, not some think tank. And yes, we will all pay the fiddler.

As for the local barracks, thank you for writing the note to yourself. Back in the day, you had a largely uneducated bunch of good old boys who drove over the road, and "mercy" was swearing on the CB radio. Not so much anymore. Due to the public health and safety, the industry, and the people who serve it, we have had to become mighty sophisticated just to read the chapters and sub-parts. I wonder if any other motor safety will start pulling cars in for random inspections. For permits, and permission to be on any 3 or 4 digits state roads. Just once I would love to see equal opportunity, and then maybe people would get mad about it, see the injustice, and do something about it.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Allen

Summersville, PA

Open By Permission

We have never stopped anyone from using the right of way on our property we purchased a few years ago. We are tired of all the lies some people are telling all our neighbors. They are telling neighbors to trespass on other neighbors’ lands. They have told many we are not letting people use the right of way. They continue to harass our neighbors to make us look bad.

We are good neighbors and have always tried to help others when we find someone in need. The lies need to stop. The right of way on our land is open to anyone who has permission to use the land behind us.

Sincerely,

John & Ruth Chaffee

Susquehanna, PA

Games BP Plays

Remember the lyrics of the pop song, “Games People Play?” “Oh the games people play; Every night and every day now; Never meaning what they say now; Never saying what they mean.”

It was a hit in the '60s, but the lyrics are a custom fit for the oil mega corp's Gulf crisis. Just a slight change in the title would bring it up-to-date. We'll rename it, “Games BP Plays.” The most popular diversions are, 1) Guess the Gusher; 2) Hide and Seek; and 3) Let's Pretend.

Guess the Gusher. BP's deep-water well has been running amuck for 85 days (as of July 13). Initially, it was reported as a minor oil spill but has since grown to a record-breaking oil release. At 70,000 barrels per day it has edged passed the Gulf War oil spill for the third biggest spill in history and is rapidly closing in on the No. 2 spot.

And yet, to this date, no one knows exactly how much oil is surging out of the wild well. Strange? Maybe not. BP has kept a tight rein on all information relating to the well and has sole underwater access to it.

Recently, its underwater monopoly was threatened when James Cameron, the Hollywood director, offered his services to BP. Cameron is no movieland lightweight. He owns a fleet of submersibles, has logged 2,500 hours underwater in filming three major films, has access to at least one of the only four submersibles in the world with a 10,000-feet depth limit, and can assemble a team of top-flight experts in undersea technology.

BP's response: Thanks, but no thanks. Cameron trenchant comment: “If you're not monitoring independently, you're asking the perpetrator of the crime to give you the video of the crime.” Which leads to the second game...

Hide and Seek. This is an ongoing contest. It started the day the deepwater oil rig sank ripping the riser pipe from the wellhead and opening the gusher. Since that time, experts knowledgeable in blowouts have been seeking to determine the volume of oil and gas surging into the Gulf and BP has been successful in hiding it.

But with the release of video showing the gusher, BP has been forced to increase its estimate of daily outflow from 5,000, 15,000, 20,000, and now 60,000 barrels. But while the media has uncritically parroted these estimates, many experts believe it is just another underestimate. So the game continues, BP hides while others seek. Thus far, BP is winning.

Let's pretend is a game that has to do with the total amount of oil recovery from the gusher. This one has everyone bamboozled. But before we get to the shocking answer, there are some numbers to wade through.

According to BP, they have recovered a total of 671,000 barrels by skimming and 582,000 barrels directly from the gusher for a total of 1.3 million barrels of oil. Impressive? Well, no, not when one takes a closer look.

What BP is loath to reveal is that these recoveries are a water and oil mixture. Ninety percent of what skimmers recover is water and only 10 percent is oil. This whittles the skimmed 671,000 barrels to 67,000.

Underwater containment does a little better; 80 percent is water and 20 percent is oil. The 582,000 barrels collected from the gusher shrinks to 116,000 barrels.

The total amount of pure oil recovered is 183,000 barrels. How does this compare to the total volume of oil pumped into the Gulf for 85 days? At 60,000 barrels per day, it comes to 5 million barrels.

Lastly, expressing the ratio of 183,000 barrels recovered to 5 million barrels spilled as a percent, the shocking answer is less than 4 percent. And even this 4 percent is inflated.

The key statistics concerning recovery and outflow from the uncapped well are BP's numbers. The oil company has a vested interest in maximizing the former and minimizing the latter.

We are left with this terrible truth: more than 96 percent of the gusher's outflow remains not only unrecovered, but unrecoverable.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins

New Milford, PA

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