OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2012
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HIGHLANDER SHOWDOWN: WRITE TO THE DEATH
THE KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE DEBATE James Njuguna
T i m R. A g u i la r
STAFF WRITER
STAFF WRITER
A few weeks ago the Obama administration announced that they had rejected a previous agreement to begin work on the Keystone Pipeline project. The project was to run from Northeast Canada to Texas and through a number of refineries along the way. Because of threats from the powerful environmentalist lobby as well as tree huggers at the Sierra Club and other groups, Obama decided to cave into pressure and cede yet another worthwhile project that would have had major economic, energy and national security implications for our nation. According to TransCanada, the energy company looking to build the pipeline, and John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, the project would have created 20,000 jobs for our nation alone. Most of these would have been blue-collar construction jobs at refineries in need of renovation as well as on the ground laying pipe and drilling. Indirectly, it is estimated that the plan could have resulted in over 100,000 jobs. It could also prepare refineries for the task of handling the flow of natural gas, a kind of fuel that it is speculated will be very important in our nation’s future. America would have eased its dependence on oil from the Middle East, Nigeria and Venezuela while opening the door to doing more business with Mexico and Canada. The pipeline, ergo, would’ve taken not only the national economy, but also the North American economy to new heights. One must wonder how the War on
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right nation. Most people worry about whether or not they might make ends meet, living from paycheck to paycheck. They worry if they will be able to pay the mortgage and provide for their children. They do not have much time for television, perhaps only a handful of hours a night. Now, during those hours, predominantly referred to as prime time, most would like to watch a good, entertaining, decent show with their children. This is why cheesy reality shows like American idol, serial dramas such as NCIS, comedies like The Big Bang Theory and sports win big in the ratings business. Not many are interested in watching violence-centric shows
Terrorism will ever be won if America, Europe and the rest of the world continue relying on oil from the Middle East. Iran and Iraq are good examples of how this dilemma effects current international politics. For the past few years, the Iranians have been attempting to build a nuclear program to facilitate the production of dangerous weapons. The tough economic sanctions put on Iran in response to their continued pursuance of this path are crippling their central bank’s ability to properly manage their monetary policy, imports and foreign exchange. The Iranian economy is, therefore, even more dependent on selling oil now that it has been in years past. At the same time, the withdrawal of troops from Iraq has taken that country to the brink of a civil war. If these two major OPEC oil producers descend into further chaos, the price of a barrel of oil might very well shoot up to over $200, leaving consumers paying well over $5 a gallon. This sudden price increase could be catastrophic for our fragile economy. The Keystone deal would have curbed tensions surrounding the world’s oil markets and helped to stabilize prices. The mere prospect of Canada stepping up to do more business with America would have had an immensely positive effect on the oil market all over the world. The Keystone project is good for America, in the present and the near future, at a time when many people are suffering. Let’s hope Democrats H change their minds soon. ■
like, for example, The Wire (no doubt the greatest show of all time) or Sons of Anarchy. There is a destination for the lovers of these kinds of shows, and it is called cable. Almost 60 percent of American homes have some kind of a basic cable plan (usually going handin-hand with their respective Internet bills), so shows that would be censored in public broadcasting still have a huge audience on other channels. There was a time in history when government was truly and actively censoring broadcasting shows and compromising people’s First Amendment rights. Thanks to Joseph McCarthy’s relentless witch hunt against supposedly communist behavior in the country, network broadcasting heads were
We need jobs, but at what cost? Today politicians are willing to do whatever it takes to get into office or stay there, but desperate times do not call for irrational or hasty decisions. We need leaders willing to make unpopular decisions in the face of adversity and at the risk of scuttling their own political aspirations. Our impetuous political climate requires that we carefully examine words and decisions made by our leaders, which is exactly what must be done in regards to President Obama’s decision to delay the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline, which is expected to send 830,000 barrels of crude oil across this nation, from Alberta, Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast, daily once completed. President Obama’s decision is neither popular nor politically savvy. Political pundits claiming that his decision is intended to please environmentalists fail to recognize the impact his decision has had on his political support from unions, who are angry because of the loss of potential jobs that would’ve been created by the project. In the media, Obama has been characterized as either a climate hero or job killer. What we don’t hear is why this decision was necessary so early in the process—the State Department made it perfectly clear that more time was required to complete and examine the Environmental Impact Report, as required by law, and that the review and approval process would therefore need to be extended to 2013. In December, House Republicans, angry and embarrassed over the controversial payroll tax cut, attached the pipeline decision to the tax measure and asked for a decision within 60 days, thereby forcing Obama’s hand before review of the Environmental
quick to take away any content off the air that could be deemed un-American. Some writers were censored time and again, and most didn’t dare defy the political process on their shows for fear of being blacklisted. After being blacklisted, one had approximately the same chance of working as a writer in Hollywood as a just-released-from-prison pedophile has attempting to become a kindergarten teacher. Even those that stood up to this perverse tyranny, like the Hollywood Ten, found themselves in prison for the crime of expressing a perspective. This purging of ideological diversity on the airwaves is what censorship entails. What happened back then should be
Impact Report could be completed. But despite the political consequences, the president refused to succumb to the political scheming of House Republicans and place our environment at risk. He knew well we could not afford to suffer the environmental and economic devastation of another Deepwater Horizon or Exxon Valdez. Since 2010, the existing Keystone Pipeline has experienced 14 oil spills, including a 21,000 gallon spill in North Dakota. Republicans responded by announcing that President Obama had killed jobs visà-vis their pseudo political campaign office, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who placed a full-page ad in the New York Times stating President Obama said no to 20,000 jobs—a number provided by TransCanada (the company slated to build the pipeline). But this is not the case according to reports from the U.S. State Department and Cornell University, who collectively identified an estimated 2,500 to 4,650 jobs each year over two years that could have been created by the pipeline. TransCanada spokesman Shawn Howard did not respond to questions regarding these discrepancies, according to Inside Climate News. Recently, President Obama made 21 million acres of offshore drilling sites available in the Gulf of Mexico, much to the chagrin of environmentalists. That’s why we must closely examine these decisions if we are to appreciate Obama’s focus on doing the right thing for the right reason. With reelection in the balance, Obama’s decision to delay the Keystone XL Pipeline as well as his approval of off-shore drilling sites demonstrates his commitment to developing natural resources and creating jobs in a H responsible way. ■
viewed as a proper example of what it means when people say their First Amendment constitutional rights are being compromised. At the end of the day, context prevails, making this argument between broadcasting stations and the FCC less of a constitutional issue and more of a decency issue. This is not McCarthyism. This is not government attempting to direct content. It is a question of logic, and a question of decency. If the police can arrest, fine and charge a person for indecent exposure for going streaking at night, why can’t the FCC do the same if one decides to take their clothes off on-camera in front of an audience of millions? The faster these broad-
casting stations figure out that cursing, blood, gore and beautiful, half-naked women do not necessarily translate into a ratings bonanza in the free broadcasting channels, the faster they’ll get back to making shows worth watching again. This is not the fifties, nor is there any longer a Joseph McCarthy going after people for expressing a view. This is about adherence to decency, not sanctioning people’s rights. Even the Hollywood Ten, if they were around today, would probably shun this entire process and call it a fiasco, then get back to writing good shows. Maybe, fingers crossed, the Supreme Court ruling will lead to the screenwriters of the present to H do just that. ■