and thus she begins. . .

Not Sir Phobos · Post by **Not Sir Phobos** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 3:17 pm

Japoro wrote: Just to add something, I do believe Nevada is somethig like 75% Federally owned, by the BLM and/or the millitary. Not sure, been several years since I heard the exact number.

That's because Nevada soil is rich in awesomeness

Japoro · Post by **Japoro** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 3:34 pm

Not Sir Phobes wrote:That's because Nevada soil is rich in awesomeness

SOIL IS MY POWER!!!

hmm, now where is my three barrel gun??

Sorry bad FF:U joke.. carry on

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 6:22 pm

I wasn't actually going to come back here since my skewed sense of humor is easily misunderstood.

However after a little digging (on the net and in my basement) I had a few things to add.

Here is a portion of Senator Stevens' letter regarding hurricane Katrina:

Response to Donna Brazile’s Open Letter To Roll Call, October 25, 2005

By Senator Ted Stevens

I was deeply disturbed by the open letter authored by Donna Brazile, which appeared yesterday. I can only wish she had visited with me before writing her letter.

Ms. Brazile asks, “Can you imagine losing everything”? As a matter of fact, I can. Our state was hit by the Good Friday Earthquake in 1964, one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit our country. This 9.2-magnitude earthquake caused tsunamis and wiped out several of our cities, including Valdez and Seward. The town my wife and I now call home, Girdwood, was completely destroyed and had to be moved inland. While the death toll did not reach the number of fatalities caused by Hurricane Katrina, the damage was catastrophic. Our rebuilding effort cost billions of dollars, very little of which was provided by the federal government.

I had to borrow money to rebuild my home and continue my law practice in Anchorage. The federal government did not give us grant money; it was all loan money which had to be repaid. We built our state from the ground up with very little federal assistance. So, yes, I understand what it is like to lose everything.

A few months after the March 27th quake, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a $400 million federal aid package to rebuild infrastructure (transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions.) in the affected region. In other words the aid was not given to private citizens or businesses, they had to get loans.

The bill to open ANWR that Sen. Stevens added to the military spending and disaster relief bill had a provision to put a major portion of ANWR profits into the Gulf recovery fund. People would likely accuse him of wording the ANWR bill that way just to get it to pass but he really does believe in getting the funds to the damaged regions. Knowing what it's like to be left on your own when dealing with a disaster of that magnitude.

But where does everyone get the idea that ANWR is pristine wilderness? 120,000 caribou do a lot of eating and pooping. Who is running around behind them with a giant pooper-scooper? (My lame attempt at humor there folks

)

In all seriousness, ANWR had already been explored back in 1984. A fact the press has consistently left out. I have 24 detailed 1:63360 scale survey maps of ANWR left from when my dad was part of the exploratory team. There are also extensive reports of the sheer amount of care they had to take while collecting the seismic data. Even in 1984 the environmental regulations were very tight. The results of the exploration are a tightly guarded secret between the oil companies and the Native corporations. Their determination to seek oil in ANWR even after 20 years makes me think there may be more oil than the 5.6 to 16 billion barrels estimated.

Now my dad had explored for oil all over the world; Africa, South America, Canada, and America (in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska). By far, Alaska has the tightest regulations on the industry. At the very least, Congress should not be having this much trouble passing a bill to allow the Natives to explore their own land.

I think the 1/3 estimate of federal holding in Alaska only meant parks not BLM or military holdings, but I'm not entirely sure.

Not Sir Phobos and Japoro, you guys crack me up!

blueheaven · Post by **blueheaven** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 7:03 pm

Crystal wrote:A few months after the March 27th quake, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a $400 million federal aid package to rebuild infrastructure (transportation and communications systems, water and power lines, and public institutions.) in the affected region. In other words the aid was not given to private citizens or businesses, they had to get loans.

You're original statement was, "what did Alaska get? $0" Not, what did the people get. By the way, you did not count the millions of dollars in cash and aide given to them by the ARC. Of the billions that were given to Katrina by the Federal Government, there are still thousands of people who will not have the funds to get their houses rebuilt. Hate to break it to folks, but this is why we buy insurance.

It is your state, so do with as you please. I, personally, would not put so much faith into our government. They try to tell us the same thing when they lobby to dump waste here in Yucca Mountain. They promise us that it won't leak or cause a biological hazzard. Once again, a temporary fix to a very real problem that could have lasting effects on our ecosystem. NSP lives in California, and I lived there for most of my life. Ask us what oil drilling does to a coastline. Every been to Redondo, Venice, or Long Beach? The runoff from drilling goes right into the ocean and causes such toxicity that you can't even surf some days. I'm sorry that your family has such a personal stake in this issue, because it can certainly cause you to see a very tiny part of the picture.

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 7:03 pm

Thanks for telling me. What makes you think I did not count the millions of dollars in cash and aide given to them by the ARC?

Crystal · Post by **Crystal** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 8:40 pm

I probably meant to type "Alaskans" and forgot the "ns" on the end. I lived in Redondo beach when I was a kid and have been to Long Beach recently. I don't see how having lax environmental standards in California relates to Alaska. Here we can't even log dead trees. The environmentalists would much rather see them go up in flames. In 2004 the forest fires were so bad, the entire state was covered in a haze so thick the sun could barely get through, that I was happy to get away to LA for a few days. Never thought I'd enjoy breathing smoggy air.

No, Alaska is the one state where we can't do as we please. But I will put my faith in a cantankerous Senator, sharper than any tack and with a long memory, to do what is best for the state.

If you're unhappy with what is happening in your state then work to change it. I don't like the practice of same day land-and-shoot method of hunting wolves and bears and I'm collecting signatures to put the issue on the ballot. The measure passed 2 or 3 times before but the legislature just won't take the hint.

But I hardly think my view is narrow. See, I do know the kind of stringent regulations the oil industry faces in Alaska so I can be comfortable with them exploring what is in fact a very small portion of ANWR.

blueheaven · Post by **blueheaven** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 12:49 am

I must say this because it is the truth: you are a truly awesome poster here at Beta. There were a few smarmy posts on this thread by folks expecting this to be a hateful verbal throwdown, but it didn't happen. Crystal, I certainly hope you make it a habit to post here more often, because Beta needs level headed intelligent folks like yerself. You can ask Startyde, I may not agree with everyone, but I appreciate cool people. Happy holidays.

Baakay · Post by **Baakay** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 9:03 am

blueheaven wrote:I must say this because it is the truth: you are a truly awesome poster here at Beta. There were a few smarmy posts on this thread by folks expecting this to be a hateful verbal throwdown, but it didn't happen. Crystal, I certainly hope you make it a habit to post here more often, because Beta needs level headed intelligent folks like yerself. You can ask Startyde, I may not agree with everyone, but I appreciate cool people. Happy holidays.

He called me smarmy!!

("It's not ALWAYS about you, Kay!!")

I do have to agree. An intelligent conversation all around.

And then I have to change the subject for a second because I just had a close look at your avatar, BH. That's SCARY!!

Cloud · Post by **Cloud** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 9:03 am

I am an intelligent entity.