I find it interesting that everyone from my hardware store:

To my credit union:

is encouraging me to Go Green frequently with the same arguement!  Replace that broken light bulb with a flouresent . . .every little bit helps . . . turn off your paper statements . . . every little bit helps . . . . replace the gas guzzler with a hybrid . . .every little bit helps.  There is this mindset, which is correct in my opinion, that small steps become long walks, and long walks become marches toward progress.  Fantastic . . I get it.  Rome wasn’t built in a day . . . it’s gonna take years in order for us to realize the value of all of the little efforts but let’s take small steps today so later we can take great leaps.  Sign me up . . . .but wait.

Why doesn’t the same go for the exploration of new oil sources?  Why doesn’t every little bit help in that scenario?  I know it will take some time to fully realize the benefits of additional drilling and expanding our refining capacities but shouldn’t we take the small steps now so we can take great leaps later?  Instead we hear we that we shouldn’t waste the time and money, or create the jobs necessary I suppose, to find and drill for more oil because it will be years before we will ever see a drop flow into the gas tanks of Americans.  It seems to me that those who oppose drilling for additional oil yet avidly support these incremental Green Initiatives are being dishonest by accepting the “Chinese water torture” methodology for their cause and using the negatives of that same methodology to quell calls for additional domestic oil production.

Our natural gas, oil and coal reserves are sufficient to significantly reduce our dependency on foriegn oil and the moment that the world beleives that the United States is going to start taking that seriously the rules of the game have been changed.  The United States is the largest consumer of OPEC oil, if tomorrow President Bush standing with John McCain and Barak Obama announced that the United States was going to begin the exploration and recovery of energy sources throughout the United States and its territorial waters coupled with investements in improved fuel efficiency, and coal liquification  OPEC would have to react or watch it’s best customer turn to the seller in their own backyard.  Even though a single drop will not have been produced yet, the public announcement of our willingness to do what is necessary would create change.

So America start drilling, because every little bit helps!