Feb 14 2007

MMS Issues Proposal for Next Federal Beaufort Sea Lease Sale

“ … the sale area includes approximately 1,877 blocks encompassing about 9.7 million acres offshore Alaska’s northern coast in the Beaufort Sea.”

The “MMS will require that any offshore oil and gas activity be coordinated with the Inupiat whalers during their subsistence hunt.” Well, given that the Inupiat subsistence whalers don’t want the offshore drilling and exploration to happen, how about coordinating with STAY THE HELL OUT OF HERE.

Yeah, I know, this is not what’s reported by the media, but guess what? I know these people; they DO NOT want their waters drilled. Oh, go ahead and quote the media’s voices that say how wonderful it is to support oil development; but also know that those voices have been bought and paid for.

How can you attribute credibility to someone that is either being paid or stands to reap huge profits (at least that’s what they’re being told, and we all know that honesty is the developers’ greatest virtue)?  Last time I checked bribery was illegal.

Now, if somebody came to you, offered to make you rich in exchange for your home, culture, way of life and you stood firm in saying “Go to hell, I’m not for sale,” now there’s a real-life modern day hero: the kind of people and lives about which Hollywood makes movies. Too bad the media is so corrupted that you’ll never know until you go to the movies 20 years from now.

Shell hires Bush’s environmental adviser …

… reads the press release. You are kidding? Right? This is reported as news? Who do you think she’s been working for all along? sure as hell not for the people. I was here in 2005; I covered the delegation’s meeting in Kaktovik.  Where oh where do you think the Inupiat got the idea that if they supported opening ANWR, their offshore waters would be left alone? Smooth move in laying the offshore on to the State Of Alaska to open lease sales …  hey Lisa … how’s your Dad? 

Shell proposes 18 Camden Bay wells …

… 

…

… isn’t that where most of the Polar Bear den sites are … err … were? Let’s see the map.

Northern Report …  published by BP Exploration External Affairs Department …

  … Dec 2006 issue, page 7: “To protect employees and the bears (Polar), BP uses hazing methods approved by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to encourage bears to leave the oil fields.” 

How do you encourage a Polar Bear? Wave a dead seal in front of it and smile? Is this like the way we encouraged the Bison to vacate the Great Plains? The way we encouraged the Grizzly off the plains?

Hey I’ve got a great idea. Lease and develop the entire Beaufort Sea. Turn the whole damn region into an oil field and then “encourage the Polar Bears to leave the oil fields.”

BP will lead the presses in how well they “monitor” the wildlife.  Ever hear of capital punishment, the death penalty being celebrated like a high point of honor and success? That gets “monitored.” 

Feb 13 2007

I’m depressed no longer; I’m disgusted. I’m disgusted with the very evidence that proves me correct. My assertion: it is the disconnection of the human race from the natural world that gives rise to the absolute corruption of the human soul; over time, it this corruption that leads to the downfall of the civilization. Didn’t you ever wonder why none of the great civilizations of man have survived? Got any clue to which side of the historical fence we are currently positioned …?

… it’s easy, you can say it, repeat after me … “DECLINE.”

“Don’t care,” you say?  “Can’t be bothered,” you say?  YOU’RE IT.

Well, it’s been my life’s mission to wonder.  I just happen to think that it’s an important topic; not to detract from the press frenzy swirling about Anna Nicole Smith; I’d hate to think someone might not devote full attention to so much nothing. After all, that’s how the powers-to-be what you, brain dead, mindless and incapable of intelligent thought.  So … when someone like Accuracy In Media publishes an article, you read it, believe it and continue the rain of mindlessness by repeating the text as facts.

After all, the headline says they’re for “fairness, balance and accuracy in news reporting.”

Well, I’ve read their published article written by Paul M. Weyrich, dated May 23, 2006,

Title: Drill ANWR: Realism Over Emotion; to be able to package and deliver lies, wrap them up under the guise of “Realism”, “Accuracy”, “Fairness and Balance” and then succeed in the propagation of those lies carried on the voices of those same brain-dead, non-thinking … who the fuck is Justin Timberlake?  I just hate to say it, but it only serves as an example that illustrates the logic of my position.

Who is it that wants to render wilderness into an industrial zone? … those that care nothing of space but that a dollar sign is affixed to an extractable resource … those that care to accumulate those dollars to the detriment of preserving an intact and balanced ecosystem … those that are so disconnected from natural systems, they recognize no value that cannot be measured in currency.  In pursuit of their greed driven mania, these are the same people that exhibit the grossest manifestation of corruption.  These are the people to whom you listen and entrust your thoughts.  These are the people to whom you entrust your futures  … problem is … it’s not the truth; you follow, you’re first in line to go down. 

OK, back to the article. It would take me days to assail all that is misstated and misrepresented by Accuracy in Media; I'll take days if that's OK with you; on to the first glaring point … “Only 2,000 acres of the 10-02 Area are to be used for the permanent infrastructure – pipelines, oil wells, etc.”

First of all, that’s a pretty damn big “etc”; kind of easy to get away with when to most people the “etc.” drops off and alludes to the least significant factors. In this case, “etc.” will require more space than the items listed. If you’ve never been to Deadhorse, then you don’t realize to what extent you’re being manipulated. They count on the fact that most people don’t know and won’t question … they bank on the fact that you will believe the lies …

… it’s easy, you can say it, repeat after me, “mislead the public”.

1. The 2000 Acres Lie –  I’ve documented first hand, eye witness testimony to the fact that it is the Government’s intent to explore the entire 1.5 million acres. They will take the oil from where ever they find it. Any cap on infrastructure area would make exploration a pointless and futile exercise; expansion of infrastructure will be required of future discoveries. Oh, I get it, this is to be non-development development, kind of like “road-less” doesn’t mean road-less. It’s a lot easier to lie and mislead the public when you get away with re-defining the English language as you go.

It may well be that the first installation of hardware will fit the Government’s 2000-acre definition, but you have to understand how it is defined and that “first” implies “second” and so-on and so-on.

The Government is estimating area for infrastructure not by measuring surface area occupation or exclusion but by measuring ground-contact area of said infrastructure.  So, to put it in terms most could identify … say you’re a homeowner in New York State. The tax assessor pays you a visit. It pulls out a tape measure then documents the exterior dimensions of your home. 100 ft. x 50 ft. …  looks like your assessment will be based upon 5000 sq. ft.  Have two full stories? Make it 10,000 sq ft. (ouch).

Wait a minute, here comes the Government to the rescue; you no longer measure the home … you measure the area of surface contact.

What’s that get you?

You wonder? 

Say goodbye to the cellar, jack that prized abode up off the foundation, set it upon pilings (posts) that sit about a foot or two above the ground. If you’ve done a good job, 15 posts might be all that’s required to support the house.

Now comes the fun part. The posts are 10” square. 10 in.  x 10 in. = 100 square inches per post that contacts the ground … times 15 posts … that’s 1500 square inches of ground contact. 1500 sq inches divided by 144 sq. in. per sq foot = 10.42 sq feet.  Congratulations, now according to the Government and corrupt men that spread the lies, your 5000 sq. foot house is now only 10.42 square feet. How about that for a tax savings?

How about that for a way to mislead the public  … 2000 acres?  You now know it’s not the truth.

Don’t live in New York, you say. Maybe the western range is your home? Try this one out Mr. Multi-Generational Hanging on by a Thread Rancher; are those pesky cattle grazing leases an issue? No more worries. If you’re running a thousand head of stock, at 4 legs/feet per animal … that’s 4000 hooves in contact with the ground. Say 6 in. x 6 in per hoof, that 36 sq. in. per hoof x 4000 hooves = 144,000 sq in. total. Divide by 144 sq. in per sq foot, which gives a total of 1000 square feet. Let’s see, an acre is 43,560 sq feet. 

So congratulations Mr. Rancher, you only need to pay lease rights for .02 acres, well .0229568 acre if you’re fussy. And that’s not figuring in for three legged cattle and calves, fewer legs and smaller hooves respectively. 

Support drilling or not, this is an insult and slap in the face to every hard working man and woman in the country. You live by the rules, you log countless hours, keeping the family intact is a feat worthy of the Nobel Prize. These bastards make their own rules, break what's left, lie and cheat you of your heritage as a human being, then reap obscene profits on the backs of those that can least afford the strain.

We are all losing, here. It's time to wake up.

I refuse to be identified by the sicioeconomic/political machine that tags and assigns every race, creed, color and political leaning with a label designed to separate and cull individuals into divisive categorizations.

The division of people is the goal, the end to which I stand in gross opposition. People ... tagged and labeled are people divided and off balance. There can be no unity within any population of endless factions and divisions arranged and controlled such that they are pitted against one-another, such that they argue and fight as if a desirable outcome could be attained. The discord is the goal, the division of people is the end. A divided people will never present a challenge to anyone or anything. That is state of being into which we are manipulated.

I have stated before and will state again ... I am neither liberal, nor conservative. I support neither Republican nor Democrat. I am not a "tree hugger" nor am I an industrialist. (Although trees are pretty hard to come by in the arctic, so saying I'm not a tree hugger is not a real statement of conviction. Polar Bears, on the other hand ... can't quite hug a bear ... as much as the temptation is there ... guess the label still doesn't apply). I am a Christian, I accept Christ and I love God, but I do not accept the structure of organized religion. I cannot accept any contrivance employed of men that seek the power and standing to manipulate, divide, discriminte, separate and factionalize the civilization of man.

What I am ... is a Human Being.

How difficult is it to understand that to continue life as earth-bound human beings, we need an appropriately healthy environment in which to continue and sustain a future? If greed were not so short-sidedly blinding would not then its ultimate expression be the deisre for as much future as we could guarantee: for our children, grand, great and all to follow? This would dictate the greatest care possible extended to the state of our enviroment.

Not so, say the pro drilling replies to offshore drilling protests. I guess that's what makes greed so evil: it's the very nature of the requisite short-sidedness and blindess that defines greed as the failing for which it is known.

If not for the implications of a mindless obedience to principles that don't exist, it might actually be funny.

Throughout the course of history, whether it the quest for survival, escape of political, theological or social pressures or purely the human desire for discovery, man has relied upon the refuge of wilderness. The frontier has always existed ...

            ... until now.

The human need for self discovery, the importance of natural space; Aristotle ... Thoreau ... Muir ... Jesus ... due course of time past such that wilderness has existed, the intellect and humanity of civilization has advanced of its connection and experience with the natural world. A time when wild and natural space has not accompanied the tenure of human existence, has never been ...

            ... until now.

The Earth is settled; the frontier no longer exists. In lieu of man's historical movement, in credit to the resilient nature of human beings, wilderness regions of our planet have bridged the transition. Man has adapted the experience of wilderness to fill the void. We have maintained a precarious balance ... until now.

A world void of frontier, a future void of wilderness? To where will mankind turn in seek of the humility and respect necessary to counter the unending tide of greed and arrogance?  Does the body of civilization care to consider that we stand at the threshold to terms of life that have never been faced by man on this earth? What of a world absent the space, the pure and unspoiled retreat for the mind and soul? What offerings could be made to the future of a civilization denied basic tenets of its nature?

I look to these questions in hope that no answers need be considered. It is my hope that such thoughts raised become so repugnant, that in place of answers, a new will is found: the will that some questions pose as a call of alarm, a call to defend our natural heritage. The basic principle to achieve and defend a sustainable balance, is a matter of all things. To preserve a setting within which man confronts the truth of his own being, is to preserve what is necessary to the civilization of human life. 

In consideration of the challenges to life that the modern age has sought to mitigate, a quiet sleep has descended: an ease of peace within the illusion of predictability: a material comfort to soften being, to dull senses into trancelike dysfunction. No such sleep is afforded Arctic life; to sleep is to die, to experience is to live.

The Arctic is a wilderness that defines extremes. To endure and survive this world, the sharpness of senses rise to the limits of  innate code, the limits of reason and awareness. It is this nature of "extreme" that awakens within the human spirit a sense of humility and respect. A sense of smallness and challenge enliven the heart to such heightened state that one may truly awaken; such imprint upon the soul to carry forward throughout all life to come.

The Arctic Wilderness ... the last great remaining intact wilderness ecosystem on Earth is soon to fall ... the threshold is soon to be crossed. The world is set upon a new age, an age in which our landscape no longer serves an order of natural succession but that has been rendered a global stage of exploitation and industrial development. Should we care to look, we would see that this misguided course is as finite as the Earth is a body in space.

The Arctic is not the battleground of resource come into conflict with the trod of hoof or spread of wing; within a world that is lost to the rampant chaos of machine and madness, the Arctic may well be the struggle waged for soul of life, the last refuge of a pure and untainted connection afforded the being known as man. 

... There is only one other here that dares speak out in defense of wilderness; not wilderness as designated by political assignment, not a reconstructed void stripped bare then "designated", but a wild and undeveloped land that yet remains whole and intact, distanced from the intrusion of industrialization. As current time passes and the incursion of offshore development takes place, the lone voice will be replaced with the anguished cry of a culture stripped of its identity, future and place of being.

Successful arguments can and are being waged in defense of species and habitat in the arctic. On the reverse side, oil companies do illustrate the ability of life to adapt to the intrusion of industrial activity and infrastructure. In counter to the cry from conservationists, Shell, BP and ConocoPhillips are quick to demonstrate how careful they are to study wildlife, placing emphasis upon the documentation of wildlife coexisting with oil fields. In third world countries, humans are documented being able to survive by scavenging through garbage dumps ... life has the fortitude to endure the most debased terms of existence.

Simply because life does have the fortitude to endure the most debased terms of existence, it in no way implies that a future exists. It becomes an aberration of the human condition to represent such terms as the shining example of success. The illustration of humans knee deep in filth and refuse obviously strikes a nerve assaulting our sense of decency. While some may elect to ignore such poverty, no one would dare interpret such conditions as "human success". Yet masked behind the guise of success, oil companies destroy the existence of wilderness and promote their fraud with images of wildlife juxtaposed with pipelines and drilling pads. To a people without reference, this evokes no sense of outrage; most are so distanced from the reality of a true wilderness, the images portrayed do not violate their fundamental understanding of life.

The oil companies know this and exploit that fact. They use it to manipulate and twist the decline of wilderness into a sick badge of honor. They falsely claim the fortitude of life as the shinning example of their success.

In the end there is but one irrefutable fact: wilderness is lost; no hype, no spin, no tales from well funded oil company campaigns can hide this truth. This is the point, this is the battle: not to preserve any one species, any one aspect of the ecosystem ... but all; not to preserve it for any one people, but for all of mankind. The civilization of man requires the humility, the lessons imposed of true wilderness. Whether in spirit or mind, in thought or deed, the existence of wilderness is critical to the soul of man. Wilderness is the field upon which the soul of man is cleansed. In wilderness there exists no contradiction, only the exposed limits of understanding; there are no lies, there exists no fraud: you confront the terms of life honestly. Truth is the only choice if survival is to be gained. If you lie, if you strive of ignorance and misunderstanding, if you render truth and reality to some distant corner of irrelevance ... you will die an untimely death. Modern life is not exempt from this balance.

What of wilderness on the land when that of the waters and ice are lost? Is it to the arctic where ecosystems are distinct and disconnected? Certainly not. All life is connected, all natural life is in balance; when the wilderness falls for the coastal waters, it falls for all. When the off-shore development has taken its toll, when the wilderness is forever lost, the cry will rise to deafening heights. It will be our civilization, the culture of man that bemoans its short-sided greed and stupidity.

We have the choice, we have the ability to stop. We have the intelligence to understand the consequence of choice and action. When it is all said and done, who will mourn for the wretched souls that sought to self-inflict their own mortal wounds?

What falls of the arctic so will fall of man. It is here, it is now that we should listen to the voice.

"We know that the White House possesses documents that contain evidence of an attempt by senior administration officials to mislead the public by injecting doubt into the science of global warming and minimize the potential danger," Waxman said.

God ... could this be a ray of hope? "The sun also rises," or so it appears. Pay close attention to this one: most important yet.

Are they just starting to wake up? Do they really not get it ... like this is new news? Well here's more news for the flash, it's about ------ time. This is my third winter in the arctic and I've been screaming about "misleading the public" right from the start (see web). During the 2005 Senate delegation meeting with the Village of Kaktovik, the geologist speaking for then Sec. of Interior Gail Norton, addressed the audience concerning the 1002 saying ...

(The FOX NEWS MISREPORTER should have asked himself) ... why do I challenge all these native protesters with the "it's only 2000 acres, what does it matter?" question, when it appears that this isn't the case? Instead, should not I be challenging the Senators?

Yea, right ...

... repeat after me, it's not hard to do, can you say "mislead the public?"

OK, slow down, I know the detractors are getting fired up, "hey that's not fair, the 2000 acres is the area for actual development, the exploration is ..."

Yeah ... whatever. Chew on this one ...

Hey, I was there. Bodman, Norton, Thune, Domenici, Murkowski ... the geologist prefaces his talk with "I'm speaking for the Sec. of Interior. She'll correct me if I'm wrong," something to that effect. He stands and tells everyone they want "that whole area", all 1,500,000 acres and nobody so much as blinks? You want to talk about misleading the public? On this count the list of players is impressive.

I've got your "small farm".

Not to be outdone by the media and politicians in the mislead the public department, it does come to the very serious point of the suppression and intimidation of scientists and their work. Consider this direct quote, "I'm not allowed to say anything that might contradict the position (political) of the Sec." Or this, "I turn in my reports, they end up with the Governor's staff, I have nothing to say about how they're interpreted or used."

Not to whip a dead horse here, folks, but this goes way beyond misleading the public. This violates the very Constitution to wit these government officials are duty bound to uphold.

Everyone bemoans the issue of "Global Warming", "Global Climate Change", melting this, burning that ... I say thank God. If not for the enormity of changing climate, an issue of such scale that no Earthly power could conceal, our downfall was already assured. A silent media, a scandalous body politic, an uninformed public ... we were closer to the edge than any melting ice might portend. At least now we have a chance to do what is right, the media is slowly finding it's voice, people seem to be paying attention. At least now we have the chance, but we'll have no one or no where to lay off the blame. From here on out, it's our game. If we stand by and let it go down, it won't be because we didn't know.

... news just in ... yesterday's arrival of Shell Oil Propagandists was accompanied by an official with the Alaska State Dept. of Natural Resources. In fairness, this was a private conversation but the content no less than critical in bearing upon current climate related events. When asked, " ... with all the concern over global warming, demise of the ice, now that they (Shell Oil) are bringing in icebreakers ... doesn't that contribute to the problem?"

The official responded, "Yes, it is a big concern ... but it's not just the icebreakers, it's the drill rigs and numerous ships ..." referring to support ships, seismic ships, drilling ships. It has been learned that Shell intends to bring no less than five ships into an area that is prime annual ice habitat for denning Polar Bears and sows with cubs.

You're not going to get this on your prime time news. Oh yea, sorry, hurray we protected the polar bears, the ice is melting.

Here's a thought for the Honorable Henry Waxman, an open invitation, no holes barred, guaranteed career protection sit-down with a come one come all hospitality cart awaiting: a free pass for every scientist, biologist, climatologist and especially environblogist/filmmakers that live in Kaktovik, to speak the truth: unfiltered, uncensored, unleashed. "The Truth Is out There", it's his for the asking.

Where are Mulder and Scully when you need them?

"Royal Dutch goes deep in Alaskan waters" ...

... reads the headlines of the article that arrived just this minute. Keith Craik, the Shell drilling engineer leading the project, is quoted saying "Shell is pretty high on the arctic ... it's a really healthy place to look for hydrocarbons."

You've got to be fucking kidding me. Hey Keith, look around, it may well be healthy now, but by the time you guys get through with it, I dare you to move in with the wife and kids. Don't agree? Think I'm out of line? Then go to Nuiqsut, right now, in real time. Not hypothetical, not make believe. The oil fields have come to Nuiqsut, and so have cancers, respiratory diseases, depression and suicide. Aaron Werham, MD, is the individual documenting these facts. The long resisted health studies may now be happening.

Don't like the cold, you say? Wife not partial to the ice and long summer days? Try balmy Rifle, Colorado. The Energy Policy Act in 2005? Familiar with it? You should be, the US Congress exempted hydraulic fracturing from the Safe Drinking Water Act. I wonder? Who do you think pushed for this little jewel? Anyway, enjoy Rifle, the scenic gas well flaring. Breathe in the benzene and napthalene and don't forget to upgrade your heath insurance. You're going to need it.

So, to top off the morning's joy, I read, "... and other producers have discovered more than 10 billion barrels of oil in the North American Arctic seas." Great, I'm so excited. Now I'll be able to camp out with no concern for polar bears. Let's see ... cancer, respirator, depression ... or pesky polar bears that want to eat you? Guess I'd like to take my chances with the bears, at least they don't come to town, hold meetings and kiss babies like they're doing the world a favor ... then fuck you.

The article also quotes Mr. Craik, "Drilling is expected to begin in 110 feet of water on Aug.1."

So, there you have it. 10 billion barrels of hardware and infrastructure, all just beginning, all approved and moving ahead, unopposed. 10 billion barrels of industrial development that will occur within the very habitat that is already crucial for the Polar Bears. AND WHO IS CELEBRATING THAT THE POLAR BEARS ARE PROTECTED? I won't name names, but I just bet they're the ones that like to open the mail containing all those supporting contributions. Feed the deaf, dumb and blind a few little lies. What could it hurt? You mean well. You'd like the bears to be protected, it sounds good, lots of press and attention. Your intentions are good, aren't they?

Too bad it's not the truth. Too bad people will think the issue is settled when it is actually more perilous than ever. Too bad you are silent to the immediate threat of off-shore drilling that will begin before the "Listing" issue is even decided. Too bad you don't realize that an industry is making up the rules as they go. Too bad you don't see that the polar bear will never be listed, the Endangered Species Act deemed unadministerable(is that a real word?).

"Polar Bears choosing to live on land" ...

... states the Associated Press article dated 1/24/07. What do you know? Science is saying that more Polar Bears are coming to shore to den ... expects trend to increase. The bears that den on ice are moving east into the Beaufort sea, better ice.

Sounds like my article to which no one will acknowledge or pay the slightest attention, is spot dead on the money.

"An icon for climate change: The polar bear" ...

... I love the following quote from this "published" article. "Whether Bush likes it or not, scientists will continue to study global warming, conservationists will continue to turn that science into conservation policy, and the Endangered Species Act will ensure polar bears have a chance to survive."

In case you're not aware, (this is multiple choice), who do think funds the government's study of polar bears? From whom do the biologists receive project funding? Whose interests will receive first priority when reports are released? It's not like an important Environmental Impact Statement was ammended by a Sec. of Interior in favor of development, nothing like that ... answer? 1. Oil Companies 2. Oil Companies 3. Oil Companies

Give up, want me to tell you the correct answer? I don't know about you, but the policy to be rendered has less to do with science than it does the politics and finanicial standing of those who hold the greatest stake ... in the Arctic oil.

Maybe it's sun-stroke, maybe just the heat ... but it's definitely not related to a first-hand grasp of reality. The ESA ensures protection if and only if the species in question is bestowed the assignment. It is a political process. It has not yet happened, it is not yet reality. In the interim, reality is happening. Why not address the fact that critical habitat is about to be compromised ... oops, too bad, too busy riding the bandwagon. If anyone thinks that the ESA will be retroactively applied thereby abandoning 10 billion barrels of oil to wit drilling has already begun ... I'd like to introduce you to somebody you should meet, say hello to Keith Craik.

As I close this blog session, I have to wonder. How do so many, so far away, all hum the same tune? Is it because they are informed? Do they understand the science, the complex relationships between the various facets of this arctic environment? Maybe they've all studied and interned here in the Arctic, learned what it's all about ...

... repeat after me, it's not hard to do, can you say "annual ice?"

Maybe no-one is thinking for themselves. Maybe the handbook gets a new chapter, a new verse ... soldiers in rank are expected to march. Maybe I'm too far from the political centers, I'm just too simple to understand the process of give and take, compromise.

News flash, this is it, the end begins as I write. Ships are being readied, crews are being assembled and trained. There is no compromise. It's going down right under our noses. If the mainstream environmental community continues to ignore this reality, if it continues the pretense of "Victory! Polar bear Protected!", then the cause has failed before it has even begun.