An Open Letter to Senator John McCain

Dear Senator McCain:

As a supporter, a life-long Republican, and also a service-connected disabled American veteran (WWII), I am planning now how I should vote in November. Obviously I desire, as do my friends, to vote for a conservative Republican.

First, let me congratulate and thank you for your announcement to ask Congress to lift the ban on federal control of off-shore drilling. Many states will welcome this ability. At the same time, it is even more important for the federal government to encourage additional underground drilling. I have been disappointed to see you side with the Democrats and the pseudo-environmentalists who prevent this country from reaching the tremendous amount of oil under our soil, especially when we have more oil underground here than Saudi Arabia has there.

Just to hear you say, "I would no sooner drill in ANWR than I would in the Grand Canyon" is shocking. Such words imply that we voters are unaware of our geography or that we lack knowledge about our country. You have to be aware, as are we, that thousands visit the Grand Canyon daily to admire its beauty, while no one in his or her right mind vacations in ANWR, especially in the winter when the temperature can reach minus 70 degrees without the wind chill and the oil rigs would do their drilling. You must also be aware that there is no oil under the Grand Canyon, yet there are millions of barrels under ANWR.

I am also sure that while you and I have both seen more than seventy years of life, we have also observed that the drilling technology that we grew up with has been dramatically improved in the past decade so that there is, in the year 2008, absolutely no damage to the environment or to the inhabitants of the surrounding land.

Yes, it may take a few years for oil to be brought up, but as soon as the first drilling starts, the futures market will be affected as traders start selling oil shares thus causing gasoline prices to plummet. This was proven a few decades ago when the Middle East saw that we were serious in developing synthetic oil and also drilling in places like Rock Springs, Wyoming. They immediately responded with lower prices and more oil from Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, we accepted this instead of urging our companies to keep making us energy independent.

I suspect the reason the Saudis now are planning to increase their output by 200,000 barrels daily is because they have read the polls showing Americans are fed up and are urging our government to take action again. Obviously, it is to the advantage of the Wahabis to keep us dependent on Middle East oil; our Middle East enemies need to prevent us from using our own energy and capitalist system to continue our path to prominent prosperity and dominant power.

Add to this the fact that we are draining oil from our Strategic Oil Reserves at a time when Iran is getting close to developing nuclear bombs that could rain down on both Israel and New York City, taking out our strongest ally and stopping our economic system one more time while making the New York metropolitan area uninhabitable for many decades to come, if not more.

Today's so-called Green activism, resulting from "GOREbal" Warming, is not much different from the antics of the former German Green Party. Here in America, they are intent on destroying America's economy with such actions as the Kyoto treaty, "Cap and Trade" and lowering "demand." Supply will always win over demand. The more we lower our demand for oil, the more that China and India will increase their oil and energy consumption.

China already has leased oil-drilling not far from our own Florida coast, near Cuba. Russia has lowered taxes on its oil companies as an incentive to drill for more oil, while Iran is now building 35 new refineries for gasoline. Here in the USA, the Democrats and some Republicans want to punish our oil firms with higher taxation. As Lee Raymond, former Chairman of Exxon, said, "While our oil companies have many leases in the USA, all this means is we have the right to search many haystacks for a missing needle."

Oil is not everywhere, but we do know there is oil in Alaska, the Colorado shale, the coal gasification in Montana and off our American shores. Yet our federal government does nothing about this nor does any candidate even promise to take strong action if elected.

We need a future President and Congressional members who understand these facts and who are willing to place America first, and above political power and greed. All candidates of both political parties must cease making political promises in return for campaign donations, instead of first serving the needs of this country.

Because this is not happening, too many Americans are now selling their votes to the highest bidder. Empires have fallen or have been easily defeated by enemy nations in the past when this has occurred. The independent spirit of 1776 must be revived again if America is to survive as a true Republic.

Respectfully Submitted,

Lee Ellis