My letter to the lying leftist Congresscritter Louise Slaughter re the Keystone Pipeline

I recently wrote to Louise Slaughter-the-Unborn re the Keystone Pipeline.  (I support it, of course, since I want what's best for our country.)  Of course, I expected little good to come from writing to her, since I've long known that her body has outlived her brain by many years now.  I guess I just wanted an excuse to write back and practice my restrained anger writing.  Since Louise never fails to disappoint, my opportunity is not long in coming.  Here is the response I received from her office:

Dear David and Carol,

Thank you for contacting me to support the Keystone XL pipeline. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter.

While I am sensitive to your concerns, I strongly oppose the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The events in Mayflower, Arkansas in March 2013 where ExxonMobil's Pegasus pipeline spilled 5,000 gallons of tar sands oil into the surrounding community, as well as the pipeline spill in the Kalamazoo River in Michigan in July 2010, have demonstrated the increased threats posed by tar sands oil. The Kalamazoo River spill, which occurred after a pipeline carrying tar sands from Canada ruptured, resulted in the largest on-land oil spill, and one of the costliest oil spills, in U.S. history.

Oil mined from tar sands is not only more toxic than normal crude oil, the extraction process is more energy intensive and emits significantly more greenhouse gases than traditional oil extraction. The more acidic and corrosive consistency of the type of tar sands oil being piped into the United States makes oil spills more likely. Furthermore, the pipeline would be constructed through the heart of America’s breadbasket where a majority of our nation’s food supply is grown and harvested. The presence of a pipeline would pose an unnecessary risk to the region and our food supply.

I also believe we must be more vigilant in our oversight of the oil drilling industry, particularly after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the worst in U.S. history, killed 11 workers and released 170 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico that continue to pose risks to the local communities and environment.

Because the Keystone XL pipeline would cross the Canadian-U.S. border, construction of the pipeline requires a Presidential Permit from the State Department; therefore Congress does not have jurisdiction over its approval.

Preventing damage to the environment and protecting public health should be our primary concern. While we may disagree on this matter, I deeply appreciate the time you took to share your views and will certainly keep them in mind.

I always appreciate hearing from my constituents about the issues that matter to them. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future. If you are interested in receiving my e-newsletter - the “Louise Line” - to update you about my work on your behalf in Washington, or for other information, please visit my website at www.louise.house.gov.



My response to her response follows:

I'd like to thank you for your email regarding the Keystone Pipeline, but I can't.  I never thank people for lying to me.  The Keystone project is not dangerous to the environment.  The EPA agrees, having okayed the project half a dozen times.  No method of transporting oil or any other product is 100.00% safe, and pipelines are safer than barge, rail, or truck transport.  Your comment about the nation's heartland is silly, as oil is as necessary there as anywhere else in the country.

 

Whether we get our oil from Canada, Saudi Arabia, or our own offshore or inshore production, it still need to be transported to our refineries and then to the customers.  It is better to get our oil from our own resources or from a friendly nation like Canada.  It is inexcusable to continue to get our oil from perhaps the most unstable region in the world, a region which is strongly suspected of using our own oil money to subsidize terrorism against ourselves and our allies.

 

I wish just once you would represent your constituents instead of your leftist lobbyist friends.  Better still, retire.  "In the name of God, go!"

 

The Hermit Crab

I strongly suggest writing to your misrepresentatives whenever they fail to put the people and the country first.  Will they listen?  In the case of most Democrats (and some Republicans), probably not.  It's a great way to practice your invective and blow off steam, though.  Just make sure your tax returns are in order...