Unhinged Lunatic President Out of Control

...film at Eleven.

And no, I'm not talking about Chavez. Calm down, wingnuts.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Bush is continuing a six-year run of bad ideas with yet another really, really bad idea. He is considering ending the drilling ban in the Alaskan bay.

WASHINGTON - President Bush is deciding whether to lift a ban on oil and gas drilling in federal waters off Alaska's Bristol Bay, home to endangered whales and sea lions and the world's largest sockeye salmon run.

Leasing in a portion of the area rich in oil and natural gas ended nearly two decades ago — while Bush's father was president — in the outcry after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.

But with natural gas prices higher, the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service proposed reopening up the North Aleutian Basin. That includes Bristol Bay and part of southeastern Bering Sea.

[...]

Environmentalists oppose drilling there because of the potential for oil spills and harm to wildlife. They have speculated in recent days that Bush might allow such drilling before Democrats regain control of Congress in January.

"If the Bush administration decides to allow drilling in Bristol Bay, it will simply illustrate the level to which they will sink to satisfy Big Oil," Carl Pope, the Sierra Club's executive director, said Saturday. "They are willing to risk a valuable, renewable resource like Bristol Bay's salmon fisheries for limited, shortsighted drilling plans."

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass, a senior member of the House Resources Committee, said opening up Bristol Bay and expanding drilling off Florida's coast — a goal of House Republicans before losing power to Democrats — would amount to "a last minute giveaway of public lands as an early Christmas present to the big oil companies."

If there is anyone left that still sneers when people claim that Iraq was "all about the oil," here's a little more evidence to hopefully shut you up once and for all. Every single step of the Bush "presidency" has been about nothing but securing more power and money for the friends of Bush & Cheney.

Some 200 million barrels of crude oil, about what the U.S. imports every 16 days, are thought to be there. The agency estimates the region could yield 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas — a quarter of all U.S. annual production.

So... all the oil will be used up in 16 days, and all of the natural gas will be gone in about three months? Or am I reading this wrong? I'm to understand that wasting all of this time, money, and resources on non-renewable resources is somehow more important than working on alternate, renewable sources of energy? Not to mention that, with the current seafood crisis, monkeying around with a valuable source of food might not be the smartest action.

Its findings are startling. A global study lead by Dalhousie's Boris Worm shows current trends projecting the collapse of all currently fished seafoods before 2050. The international group of ecologists and economists show that the loss of biodiversity is profoundly reducing the ocean's ability to produce seafood, resist diseases, filter pollutants, and rebound from stresses such as over-fishing and climate change.

The study, published in the November 3rd issue of the journal Science, reveals that every species lost causes a faster unraveling of the overall ecosystem. Conversely every species recovered adds significantly to overall productivity and stability of the ecosystem and its ability to withstand stresses.

"Whether we looked at tide pools or studies over the entire world's ocean, we saw the same picture emerging," says Dr. Worm. "In losing species we lose the productivity and stability of entire ecosystems. I was shocked and disturbed by how consistent these trends are -- beyond anything we suspected."

Damn scientists and their findings! They must be watching those damn liberal propaganda movies! No, not the Gore one, that other one!

Environmental groups said they are confident the new Democratic-controlled Congress would work to restore congressional protections on Bristol Bay.

You know what? It might not be a bad idea to give them a call, anyway. Jellyfish aren't just found in the sea anymore.

(I'd like to be... under the sea... in a cross-post's garden, in the shade...)