Democracy Has Prevailed.

September 24, 2008

Chris Potter Fact-Checks The P-G

Go check out Chris Potter's blog.

Does a fair job at fact-checking this "fact" from the good folks on the Boulevard of the Allies. Yes, it's about the size of the drilling in ANWR.

Here's what Chris found:

But this picture is one-sided at best, utter bullshit as worse.

That tiny dot makes it look like all the drilling would take place on just one site. But it ain't so. Politifact, a fact-checking site operated by Congressional Quarterly, points out that "oil is not concentrated in a single area but is instead spread throughout the refuge. ... And, between those acres would have to be a network of roads and pipelines connecting them." Environmental groups note that on Alaska's North Slope, a 12,000 acre drilling site actually disrupts a space five times as large -- roughly 1,000 square miles -- when you account for airstrips, roads, and other supporting infrastructure. It's precisely because the impact of drilling is so large that it hasn't already taken place.

But it's no surprise the P-G graphic doesn't reflect any of that controversy.

Good going, Chris. So good I almost assumed a blogger did it.

16 comments:

EdHeath said...

You know, I saw that graphic on Sunday and said "hmm" to myself. Today I noticed where the graphic came from: The Heritage Foundation. "Ohhh".

John K. said...

John K: For comedic purposes, this one wins the day.

cathcatz said...

it does indeed, for the shear fact that even our local media can be so influenced by the neocons.

John K. said...

John K: So how did Potter get to work this AM? Bus or did he drive his car fueled with what, hot air. LMAO LMAO LOL

EdHeath said...

I biked.

Besides, just because the oil is there doesn't mean we can't save it for when we really need it.

Anonymous said...

Amen, Ed.

What is the big rush to burn off the resources that we have?

Bob said...

We (U.S.) don't need more oil. Repub just want to make money.
Both side agree on another source of energy (nuclear). Which is IMO a quick fix but still is a cash cow for Repub energy price fixing money makers.
Any NEW coal plant has to have their stacks capped. Coal is still king for energy, because we have the most in the world.
===
BTW, I don't believe there are any cars fueled by hot air.

Sue said...

Ouch. It is hard to be the 'alternative' MSM, Chris. You can't catch a break.

CB Phillips said...

Funny, I had an op-ed in Sunday's PG, and when I turned to page G4 to read the remainder of it (it started on the front page), there was that graphic with the headline "Enough Said." That alone was enough to suggest that it was not nearly enough said.

John K. said...

John K: I biked. LMAO Did you heat your house with cow dung. LOL Or cook your food with road apples. LOL LOL I biked LMAO. Ed, you are just too funny.

John K. said...

John K: Of course we don't need to drill for more oil. What's the rush. Oh mostly because $4 a gallon gas hurts the working poor. But it does benefit the left. Especially Speaker Pelosi. LOL LOL And you folks care about poor folks and rip them off at the pump. LMAO

John K. said...

John K: Now, since some of you bike and some of you do not like drilling for more oil to lower the price I have an investment idea. Rickshaws. We get the poor and homeless of Pittsburgh to pull us around town on rickshaws. They can work for say a can of food. Anyone with me? I mean after all, you like $4 a gallon gas. LMAO LOL See how easys it is. LOL

Anonymous said...

johnk,

If it costs $90/bbl to extract, ship, and refine the oil in ANWR, or offshore,...

How much do you expect gas prices at the pump to fall, pnce we start drilling in these places?

EdHeath said...

Hey, as long as someone can promise me that $4 is as high as gas will ever go, and that drilling through the head of a polar bear will keep the price below $4 a gallon forever, then I say drill here, drill now.

Otherwise, do not make fun of my (pathetic) efforts to conserve, you worthless piece of sh*t, unless you are doing something better. When gas reaches $10 a gallon, when gas is competing with fertilizer and plastic as a use for oil, we might be glad we waited to drill for oil here and now. I don't know whether that will happen in five years or fifty, but since I don't believe in screwing over my (potential) grandchildren, I don't think that makes any difference.

John K.'s just nervous because the graphic that made the Republicans look good is revealed as a fraud. He wants to telll us how he cares for the poor, by drilling for more oil in Alaska, so the Alaskans can use their windfall profits tax (courtesy of Ms. Palin) to raise the price of oil even higher.

Anonymous said...

On another note:

McCain is trying to get out of the debate.

No deal. Times like these are precisely what debates are for.

Anonymous said...

Ed,

Your efforts to conserve are not pathetic. You're doing what you can, as all of us should be. You should be commended for adjusting your lifestyle to suit the times.

Perhaps if greed whore conservatives like John K. were less obsessed with the accumalation of meaningless wealth and more with the accumalation of something of actual value - a country to be proud of, a country that works - we might get somewhere.

Conservatives like John K. used to call that initiative and personal responsibility; but they're such shameless hypocrites now that I'm not surprised he took such a low blow at you.