August 5, 2008

Hey Hey Ho Ho! Nodrillosi Has Got to Go! Hey Hey Ho Ho ...

Monique Chartier

UPDATE - RESCHEDULED

To next Tuesday, August 12. Same bat time; same bat channel.


The RI College Republicans have organized a protest at 1:00 today [edit] next Tuesday against inaction by the US House on several bills to expand domestic oil drilling. It will start at Congressmen Kennedy's office, 249 Roosevelt Avenue, Pawtucket, and move to Congressman Langevin's, 300 Centerville Road, Suite 200 South, Warwick.

The College Republicans at Roger Williams University and the College Republican Federation of Rhode Island are inviting YOU to join us and show your support for bringing an end to the House of Representative's August Recess and stopping our energy crisis!

HELP MAKE HISTORY

Last Friday, on the floor of the House of Representatives, an historical event took place. Several GOP congressmen defiantly stood up against an ignorant Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives. For almost 5 hours, several Republican members gathered on the floor of the House of Representatives in protest of the August recess that passed an adjournment vote Friday morning. They're protesting because for the last week or so, Democratic Speaker ("Dictator") Nancy Pelosi and her far-left colleague Harry Reid, majority leader in the Senate, have been blocking bill after bill that would be voted on to address the energy and gasoline crisis currently crippling Americans. Said bills would open up exploration for drilling in Anwar and allow off-shore drilling to drive down our dependence on foreign oil and lower gas prices.

To date, the DEMOCRATS have not allowed a vote on such a bill, and instead have decided to take a break for the ENTIRE MONTH OF AUGUST! Instead of remaining in D.C. and performing the duties they were elected to perform, they are running away from the biggest energy crisis since the 1970's and the Carter days.

In honorable defiance of the Democrats and their cowardly "recess," GOP congressmen gathered on the House floor and demanded a vote! To counter this revolution, Pelosi herself ordered the power to but shut off to the House. For hours the brave GOP congressmen conducted their rally behind locked doors and without electricity! The DEMS ordered the lights to be shutdown, the mics and CSPAN cameras to be turned off, and didn't allow reporters into the capitol. These revolutionaries had to resort to their cell phones to take pictures and relay messages of the happenings that took place on the floor.

COLLEGE REPUBLICANS ACROSS RHODE ISLAND ARE CONTINUING THIS FIGHT!

We have coordinated our efforts and put together a protest of our own to this ridiculous break the Democrats have taken! On Tuesday afternoon, tomorrow, we will march down to the offices of Rep. Patrick Kennedy and Rep. Langevin and rally for the cause of the GOP congressmen, and a vote on an energy or drilling bill that will bring relief to the American People! Both Rep. Kennedy and Rep. Langevin voted Friday morning to adjourn the House into this month long recess (see House Roll Call 566). We need to let our elected officials know that they belong in Washington doing their jobs!

JOIN US AND FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY! TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY! LET'S GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS!

We will meet in front of Rep. Kennedy's offices at 1:00PM sharp on Tuesday, August 5 [edit] 12. We will then carry on the rally to Rep. Langevin's offices at 2:00PM. Bring your markers, your poster, your thoughts, your sunglasses, and your friends! Remember, there is strength in numbers.

Sincerely,

Barry Christopher Lucier
Chairman, College Republicans at RWU
1st Vice Chairman, CRFRI
barry.lucier@crfri.org


ADDENDUM

For those who cannot participate next Tuesday but would like to convey their views via Mr. Edison's invention:

Congressman Patrick Kennedy - (401) 732-9400

Congressman James Langevin - (401) 729-5600

Comments, although monitored, are not necessarily representative of the views Anchor Rising's contributors or approved by them. We reserve the right to delete or modify comments for any reason.

Attn: College Republicans-ChickenHawks

After the protest the US Army recruiting office is just around the corner at 1800 Post Road, Warwick

Posted by: Forum at August 5, 2008 2:04 PM

There are half a dozen College Republicans in the national guard.

Just because I am opposed to cancer, it does not mean that I have to be an oncologist.

The College Republicans pick up where the former administration left off: on a great note!

Posted by: Jim at August 5, 2008 4:50 PM

Jim

Over 25,000 college kids in RI ?
a half dozen GOP kids are in the national guard....wow

about 100 Gays and lesbians have been thrown out of the Rhode Island National
Guard...since 09/11/2001
Go Figure

Posted by: Harold at August 5, 2008 8:03 PM

You support abortion, so why haven't you had one?

Do you not support our action in Afghanistan? If you do, why aren't you there?

And if not, any further discussion is pointless, because you're clearly brainwashed.

Posted by: EMT at August 5, 2008 8:22 PM

I think it's great that the college kids get into protests and all that, but as a proud Republican, I'd be more happy if they'd take the advice of a late Democrat: "All politics is local". If you want to protest, go after our General Assembly. Our party has lots of great candidates running for office and each face a huge uphill climb. Rather than getting together and protesting in some way that probably ain't gonna change Langevin's opinion, volunteer for one of these local Assembly campaigns. Help get more Republicans into the state office. Work in a positive way to shape the discussions and policies in RI. Put all that youthful energy into a local campaign and make a real difference. Thanks!

Posted by: Geezer at August 5, 2008 9:39 PM

Geezer, I agree strongly with your point about the impact of participating in the campaign of a candidate you support.

However, as a one time event, this protest would not really supplant campaign activity. At the same time, it is one important way that a voter can convey his or her view on a subject to an elected official and/or express disagreement with that official's stance. (I've appended the post with another method.)

Posted by: Monique at August 5, 2008 10:13 PM

I guess I think there are bigger fish to fry than this.

Not being an avid supporter of more drilling - not due to some over zealous love fest with the earth - but more concerned that if one of the largest issues we'll face in the 21st century is energy, we need to spend our time supporting alternative energy resources.

So I'm unconvinced that more drilling will net us the resources that will sustain us and lower energy prices in the long run. Perhaps I am not as well versed to the benefits of more drilling, but day by day I'm becoming more convinced our reliance on oil is going to be our achilles heel in the future.

Posted by: donroach at August 6, 2008 5:05 AM

Have the RI College Republicans ever participated in an event that wasn't the political equivalent of group masturbation?

How about doing something productive? Something wacky that didn't make you (and us by proxy) look like idiots and assholes?

How about volunteering to clean up a playground or build a house or do something civic minded? Something that gets your names in the paper for all the RIGHT reasons? Pointlessly prancing around in circles with placards is behavior we expect from the morons like Crowley and his thugs.

Of course it really doesn't matter since there's only five of you.

Posted by: Greg at August 6, 2008 7:46 AM

Greg, you know as well as I do that charity work doesn't sell newspapers. Have you heard about all of Don Carceri's philantropy in any local news outlet? Me either.

But I agree, the College Republicans need to stop such displays that do nothing but make them look like toolbags, especially when their ranks are less than impressive.

Posted by: JP at August 6, 2008 8:27 AM

Don, it will be our Achilles heel, mainly because we are dependent on it yet demand for it around the world is growing.

Of course, we should turn to alternates. I will be breaking out the champagne as fast as the Sierra Club when it is developed, in part because we will have put certain Middle East governments, with their charming systems of justice and democracy and enlightened attitude towards 50% of their population (i.e., women), out of business. But the alternates are not here yet. At this point, they all have serious limitations, the biggest being cost.

When you listen to what environmentalists say, their plan seems to be, if we could just make oil go away today, tomorrow the wonderful alternative fuel supply will appear. I'm not sure hw realistic this is. Even from the time that the alternative fuel is found, there may well be some transition time needed as infrastructure is converted.

As demand for oil continues to grow and with it the price of oil due to supply and speculation, until the alternates arrive, why shouldn't we, who possess a considerable supply of it, help bring down the price by tapping it, while simultaneously depriving some fairly hideous dictatorships around the world of some revenue?

Posted by: Monique at August 6, 2008 8:52 AM

Wouldn't it be faster and easier to just repeal the Enron loophole that made McCain and Bush's friends all SUPER rich speculating on oil? But we won't do that. That wouldn't be good for the rich people so the Congressional Republicans have no interest in it.

Posted by: Greg at August 6, 2008 9:28 AM

How does protesting Congressional Democrats non-energy policy make someone look like an idiot? People have a right to be involved in Federal decision making, just as much as they have a right to be involved with state and local government decision making. The Federal government isn't some infallible panel of wizards with knowledge of the deep magic that we mere mortals can't comprehend, and government in this country does not work on the principle of electing a government into place, and then silently accepting whatever they do without question -- no matter what either the Progressives or the Rockefeller Republican managerialists (like the one in the White House) say. If that's the kind of government you want, then move to Zimbabwe.

Energy policy is one of the most important areas this country faces right now, and for both the citizens and elected officials to point out that Congress is shirking their duty by not taking the subject up with any urgency is very much a sign of civic health.

And though there may be some legitimacy to the Enron loophole issue, closing it isn't going to reduce the skyrocketing oil demand from India and China, so Congressional Democrats need to make their position known: are they in favor more domestic energy production and actually getting behind alternative at some point (like repealing the tariff on Brazilian ethanol, supporting nuclear and wind power) or do they believe that America should simply accept less energy, less mobility, and less freedom to live their lives. Not letting Congress dodge on this issue is a perfectly legitimate form of public expression.

Posted by: Andrew at August 6, 2008 10:59 AM

BTW, the College Democrats should be protesting right next to the Republicans- it's Democrats that refuse to act on an issue that I'm sure many CD's care deeply about.

Posted by: EMT at August 6, 2008 11:12 AM

"like repealing the tariff on Brazilian ethanol"

(gasp) How would we face Iowa voters?

Posted by: Monique at August 6, 2008 1:04 PM

I have a reasonable solution. We contract with Cuba for its sugar cane then refine the sugar into an ethanol based product. U.S. capital could invest in a refinery (on Guantanamo for example?). This keeps corn for food, employs the resources of Cuba and The United States in a joint venture that would profit both countries and go a long way towards establishing a peaceful coexistence between neighbors.

It's such a natural that it will never happen. However, I'm afraid that blind prejudices trump reason and that fear kills hope.

Also no politician has the cajones to dare even say it.
OldTimeLefty

Posted by: OldTimeLefty at August 6, 2008 4:44 PM

How exactly will this vote they are demanding "bring relief to the American people" as they claim?

I assume they mean the potential 8 cent per gallon relief starting sometime in the decade of the 2020s that is the best case scenario if we develop all of the off shore resources in the US plus all of the resources at ANWAR?

Is that the "relief" they are talking about? Another meaningless stunt utterly divorced from substance. The College Republicans remain the only group in existence that annoys me more than the College Democrats.

Posted by: Pragmatist at August 6, 2008 5:01 PM

So far the only good reason I've heard NOT to drill is that it won't bring relief RIGHT NOW.

So what?

It will wean us from paying terrorists for THEIR oil EVENTUALLY while we frantically work on hydrogen cars and electric cars and ceramic engines that were engineered and perfected in 1987 and buried away in a vault somewhere... That's good enough for me.

Posted by: Greg at August 6, 2008 5:24 PM

Greg,

That's all fine, but it's more than a bit disingenuous to first tug at the emotions about the plight of the average consumer today, and then claim that this bill will provide "relief".

Posted by: Pragmatist at August 6, 2008 8:30 PM

One could make the argument that action now will disrupt the futures market driving prices down today.

I say fix the Enron loophole and you can accomplish the same thing. But nobody in Congress seems to want to do that or they would have by now.

Posted by: Greg at August 6, 2008 8:50 PM
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