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Examples of Published Letters to the Editor
The "Write Thing" for Wildlife
Hundreds Defenders supporters have written letters to the editor and have met with success. Here are some examples:
Borderlands bill lets us tend our
backyard
Tucson Citizen
Thanks for publishing U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva's thoughtful piece about the border fence Monday ("Failing our nation, failing our planet"). It is incomprehensible that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff alone has the power to bypass federal laws and southern Arizonans' input to keep construction moving on this destructive, expensive and permanent barrier. A lifelong Tucsonan, Grijalva knows much more than Chertoff what is needed to curb the flow of undocumented workers and appease the people of Arizona. Grijalva's Borderlands Conservation and Security Act allows our input on what happens in our backyard. Without this bill, federal officials will continue to trample on our desert, our laws and our rights. This act is a good start at developing a smart solution to border problems. I encourage my neighbors to support it, and I hope other politicians - local and national - follow suit.
Carrie G., Arizona
Drilling Won’t Lower Price of
Gas
The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)
Big Oil, their cronies in Congress, and the Bush administration are exploiting the pain we are feeling at the pump by touting drilling as a solution, even though they know drilling will not lower prices at the pump.
Big Oil wants you to believe that drilling is a quick fix, when the reality is that Bush's own Energy Department has said that any new drilling would have no effect on gas prices now, and an "insignificant" effect on gas prices 15-20 years from now.
The U.S. uses 25 percent of the world's oil supply, but holds only 2.6 percent of the world's oil reserves. No matter how much we drill, we could never provide consumers with real relief. Oil man T. Boone Pickens even said, "I've been an oil man all my life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of."
Russell N., Madison, WI
Grijalva sees problem extends beyond fence
Tucson Citizen
Thank you for the Monday column by U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva on the border fence ("Failing our nation, failing our planet"). Unfortunately, people seem to be missing Grijalva's point, which he states very clearly. A border fence will not solve our immigration problem, nor will it keep us safe from terrorism. As Grijalva states, our immigration problem needs a larger commitment and understanding to solve. Simply constructing a fence across pristine natural areas will only damage wildlife corridors and the environment while illegal immigrants will just find another avenue to cross. Walls cannot stop people determined to get around them. To stop illegal immigration, we must address the reasons immigrants risk their lives to illegally enter this country. The main reason is obvious. It's called economic disparity. Until we address this, which Grijalva understands, a border fence only represents another loss of freedom for this country.
Matthew D., Arizona
Other options exist
besides oil drilling
San Jose Mercury News
Charles Krauthammer (Opinion, Aug. 1) argues that the drilling ban in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Outer Continental Shelf is environmentally destructive because it requires increased imports from Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, where regulations are weak. Krauthammer assumes that our fossil-fuel-based economy must have more oil.
Why are we dependent on oil? Because inexpensive fossil fuels were plentiful on American soil. What we need for both environmental health and national security is a plentiful, non-polluting domestic energy source.
Hello? The United States has enormous domestic solar and wind resources. Krauthammer's arguments totally fail if there are genuine, immediately available alternatives to increased domestic drilling. There is another way. It is ridiculous to sacrifice domestic treasures to perpetuate our dependence on fossil fuel.
Rick D., Palo Alto, CA
Competing
interests
The Salt Lake
Tribune
Two items in the July 30 Tribune caught my eye. One stated that "many Utahns expect to hold their own as they wait for a better economy" ("Americans dare to hope").The other showed overwhelming support among Utahns for governmental measures to promote green energy ("Voters urge end of oil dependency").
I hope none of these forward-thinking citizens plans to vote for presidential candidate John McCain. He proposes to continue the policies of the Bush administration that got us into our current pickle, including tax breaks for the rich, lax oversight of financial institutions and drilling for oil rather than promoting energy alternatives.
Dana C., Salt Lake City, UT
Greave's conservation act needs backing
Tucson Citizen
I support Rep. Raúl Grijalva's efforts to preserve our protected areas. His Borderlands Conservation and Security Act of 2007 would provide alternatives to the Department of Homeland Security and the Secure Fence Act. Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff waived 19 laws in order to begin construction within the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area. Some of those laws protect cultural resources, human health and safety, clean air and water, wildlife and environmentally sensitive areas such as Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. The stretch of double-layer reinforced walls and surveillance along the border would be a multibillion dollar project. There is little evidence it will keep America safe. Grijalva's Borderlands Act would provide experts to determine whether walls, vehicle barricades or virtual fences are most effective. Congress can secure our borders and protect our wildlife with Grijalva's bill.
Alison R., student in Arizona
Choose
wisely
Tulsa World
Gasoline prices continue to rise while "big oil" reports billions of dollars in quarterly profits. It is definitely time to choose a president who will offer real energy strategy. John McCain's campaign is largely financed by oil companies as he pushes for off-shore drilling. McCain is proposing continuing big tax cuts for oil companies. Barack Obama's plan is a just one. It gives relief to hard-working American families. Obama proposes a $1,000 tax cut for working families paid for by taxes on big oil's profits and a $150 billion investment in renewable energy sources which will create up to 5 million new jobs and billions of dollars in new business. We can't drill our way out of high gas prices. Obama 's plan will help families, boost the economy and reduce independence on oil. Our own Boone Pickens stresses in his many paid commercials that we must reduce our dependence on oil. McCain will give us more of the same, George W. Bush.
Betty M., Tulsa, OK
Letters to the
Editor: Security issue
The Philadelphia
Inquirer
Those who advocate additional drilling either forget or ignore the fact that oil is priced on a worldwide scale like any other commodity and that adding a trickle will do nothing to lower the price (Inquirer, July 31). This idea is bad for consumers and the environment, and it weakens our national security. Every time we refuse to seriously implement alternatives such as wind, solar and biomass, we continue our dependence on countries like Venezuela and Iran.
Iran, which has the third-largest oil reserves in the world, is a rogue state whose belligerence may lead us into conflict. Continuing our dependence on foreign oil gives President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a trump card should the situation require military action.
Let's not cripple our national security by feeding our oil addiction.
Brendan S., Haddonfield, NJ
Environment must come
first
Arizona Daily
Star
Re: the Sept. 4 op-ed column "With Palin, McCain gives up any 'green' credentials" by Thomas Friedman.
This is extremely timely as there will soon be a vote on a bill which would encourage drilling in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge as well as off the American coastline. As Friedman noted, drilling in these areas will not solve our energy problems, as it will take 10 years to produce oil and there is no guarantee that the oil produced will not be sold elsewhere.
The result of drilling will be the destruction of these areas without a significant change in gas prices.
The alternative would be to increase fuel efficiency, develop solar and wind energy, and modernize our public transportation system. These measures are a long-lasting solution which would result in an increase in green jobs and the creation of an energy-independent nation.
Carol M., Tucson, AZ
Environmental issues are crucial
Arizona
Daily Star
Rep. Raúl Grijalva deserves a big round of applause for supporting the Global Warming and Wildlife Survival Act. This act addresses the devastating impacts of global warming on ecosystems and wildlife. It is my sincere hope that Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl, and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will get on board with HR 2337 so our children and our children's children can have the same opportunities for glorious adventures and experiences in nature that I have loved, and hope to continue to be able to enjoy on an even more frequent basis now that I am old and working less. Indeed, in nearly 60 years of life on this planet, those times of being outside in the wild are some of the most exciting and beautiful memories I have. What a travesty if we don't do something to save it while we still can.
Susan T., Arizona
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