Why Are People So Scared of Syrian Refugees?

[JonNC]

After listening to a program on EWTN I have changed my thoughts regarding this and agree. There are safe zones that we could be protecting, it said in the show and that people want to live in their countries and not have to move to another. We could be supplying them and we could be meeting with other countries to try and stop this inhuman genocide. We could also stop any negotiating regarding oil with Muslim countries that refuse to help these Christians and Muslims who are being slaughtered by ISIS. Instead we have big corporations working in these Muslims countries and giving them all that they want. Americans – how can they even work there when other Muslims are slaughtering our Christians? All about the almighty dollar.

I think you bring up a good point about the role oil plays in this. Under our feet, on this continent, within the borders of the United States, sits vast supplies of untapped petroleum restricted from the American people by its government, intentionally costing us jobs, energy independence, and financial liberation from the massive debt, far more than the paltry $18 trillion we hear about, the central government has accrued. I suspect,given the choice, oil companies would much rather drill here.

Jon

 

[HCTC]

I think you bring up a good point about the role oil plays in this. Under our feet, on this continent, within the borders of the United States, sits vast supplies of untapped petroleum restricted from the American people by its government, intentionally costing us jobs, energy independence, and financial liberation from the massive debt, far more than the paltry $18 trillion we hear about, the central government has accrued. I suspect,given the choice, oil companies would much rather drill here.

Jon

You know, Jon, it seems to be a popular pastime to make broad-brush statements like yours about the harm done to the “American people by its government.” Your comment obviously refers to the Federal government. However, the reality in NC is that the petroleum industry is using the State government to force fracking on the people of NC who want to exercise good stewardship of their natural resources. County by county the people of NC are coming together to reject fracking jobs and fracking money in favor of protecting the natural resources that are important to everyone - clean water and clean air.

“Hearty congratulations to the very committed folks in Rockingham and Lee Counties who’ve been working for years to get protections in place! On Nov. 16, Rockingham County voted for a two year moratorium on permitting and Lee County held the first of two hearings on the proposal there, passing the moratorium’s first reading! This means that four of the counties that are considered at the heart of potential gas extraction areas in the Dan River Basin (Stokes, Rockingham) and Deep River Basin (Chatham, Lee) have now taken action despite aggressive legislative attempts to intimidate local officials.”

frackfreenc.org

 

[JonNC]

You know, Jon, it seems to be a popular pastime to make broad-brush statements like yours about the harm done to the “American people by its government.” Your comment obviously refers to the Federal government. However, the reality in NC is that the petroleum industry is using the State government to force fracking on the people of NC who want to exercise good stewardship of their natural resources. County by county the people of NC are coming together to reject fracking jobs and fracking money in favor of protecting the natural resources that are important to everyone - clean water and clean air.

“Hearty congratulations to the very committed folks in Rockingham and Lee Counties who’ve been working for years to get protections in place! On Nov. 16, Rockingham County voted for a two year moratorium on permitting and Lee County held the first of two hearings on the proposal there, passing the moratorium’s first reading! This means that four of the counties that are considered at the heart of potential gas extraction areas in the Dan River Basin (Stokes, Rockingham) and Deep River Basin (Chatham, Lee) have now taken action despite aggressive legislative attempts to intimidate local officials.”

frackfreenc.org

First, frackfreenc is a political movement, using this nonissue as a political tool against Gov. McCrory. This is typical for the environmentalist movement, which is a front for progressivism.
Be that as it may, even the Obama EPA, more of a political bully organization than an environmental agency, has said that fracking has not be shown to be a problem for drinking water, etc.

bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-04/u-s-epa-study-finds-only-limited-water-pollution-from-fracking

npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/04/412047602/epa-finds-no-widespread-drinking-water-pollution-from-fracking

There are any number of stories on the issue. But fracking is just a small part of the issue: ANWR, inner continental shelf, Keystone pipeline. All restrictions that are intended to do exactly what my “broad-brush” statement says. The real broad-brush statement that’s essentially false is that fracking, as portrayed on NC television ads that are nothing more than political attack ads on McCrory, pollutes drinking water, etc.

Jon

 

[anthrogirl]

slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/view_from_chicago/2015/11/why_american_people_are_scared_of_syrian_refugees.html

We shouldn’t let our fears drive a caution that has little to do with real risk and a lot to do with ignoring our mission in Christ. Even if the acceptance of refugees did increase terrorism risk for us in the US, that risk does not absolve us of our duties to help our desperate brothers and sisters. They can’t stay where they are because they are in danger and there are too many countries denying or restricting their entries. Too many have nowhere to go. So throwing money at them without providing a final destination is not going to work. We can’t decide to only reach out and help others when the risk to us is low. That option is not in the Catholic playbook.

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, KY urged " … all Catholics in the United States and others of good will to express openness and welcome to these refugees, who are escaping desperate situations in order to survive. Regardless of their religious affiliation or national origin, these refugees are all human persons—made in the image of God, bearing inherent dignity, and deserving our respect and care and protection by law from persecution."

He and the USCCB (our country’s bishops who are officially charged to lead and instruct us on the tenets/beliefs/truths/precepts of our faith) called on US Catholics to:
1 - Pray that God provides his protection to Syrians and all other refugees displaced by violence and persecution.
2- Write a letter to President Obama, urging him expand U.S. resettlement efforts of Syrian refugees who are fleeing unspeakable atrocities and violence. Ask him to allow an additional 100,000 refugees into the US.
3 - Urge your member of Congress to provide urgently needed development aid for refugee host countries near Syria that have heroically borne the brunt of the Syrian refugee crisis. Ask them to allow and additional 100,000 refugees into the US.
4 - Contact your local Catholic Charities agency to find out if it has a resettlement program and, if so, how you can assist them in their effort to resettle refugees and help them build new lives of hope here in the United States.
5 - Donate to the MRS’ Parishes Organized to Welcome Refugees (POWR) program, which provides parish and community volunteers an opportunity to help sponsor newly-arriving Syrian and other refugees and provide for their critical needs.

 

[Michael_Mayo]

Thank you, Anthrogirl, for a reasonable post.

 

[HCTC]

First, frackfreenc is a political movement, using this nonissue as a political tool against Gov. McCrory. This is typical for the environmentalist movement, which is a front for progressivism.
Be that as it may, even the Obama EPA, more of a political bully organization than an environmental agency, has said that fracking has not be shown to be a problem for drinking water, etc.

bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-04/u-s-epa-study-finds-only-limited-water-pollution-from-fracking

npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/06/04/412047602/epa-finds-no-widespread-drinking-water-pollution-from-fracking

There are any number of stories on the issue. But fracking is just a small part of the issue: ANWR, inner continental shelf, Keystone pipeline. All restrictions that are intended to do exactly what my “broad-brush” statement says. The real broad-brush statement that’s essentially false is that fracking, as portrayed on NC television ads that are nothing more than political attack ads on McCrory, pollutes drinking water, etc.

Jon

For the past 10 years my husband and I have lived in Surry Co. for about five months out of the year, and I can tell you with certainty that opposition to fracking in NC is grassroots based. Frackfreenc is an outgrowth of that grassroots opposition.

Regarding the Keystone pipeline: I am a sixth generation Texan (on my mother’s side). My father retired as executive v-p of transmission for a petroleum company. The petroleum industry fed me, clothed me, and sent me to college. The Keystone pipeline makes no business sense. At this point even the industry doesn’t want it, and the issue is being used as a partisan whip.

 

[JonNC]

=HCTC;13497091]For the past 10 years my husband and I have lived in Surry Co. for about five months out of the year, and I can tell you with certainty that opposition to fracking in NC is grassroots based. Frackfreenc is an outgrowth of that grassroots opposition.

I’ve lived in Western Carolina for 15 years, and its obvious that this is a politically motivated movement, with tentacles in the broader envronmental/ progressive movement.

Regarding the Keystone pipeline: I am a sixth generation Texan (on my mother’s side). My father retired as executive v-p of transmission for a petroleum company. The petroleum industry fed me, clothed me, and sent me to college. The Keystone pipeline makes no business sense. At this point even the industry doesn’t want it, and the issue is being used as a partisan whip.

Were that the case, the anti-energy independence forces that the current president is in league with would not have fought so hard to block it. If there is no industry support, then approve it, and let it fall under the weight of the free market system.
That there was no interest in the industry was never the argument against it. It was always so-called environmental concerns, concerns that don’t seem to apply to China’s use of that oil, only to America’s.

Jon

 

[HCTC]

I’ve lived in Western Carolina for 15 years, and its obvious that this is a politically motivated movement, with tentacles in the broader envronmental/ progressive movement.

Governor McCrory is himself responsible for the grassroots anti-fracking movement in NC. He seeded it himself when he put the interests of Duke Power Co. and their coal ash storage ponds above his responsibility as the primary steward of the interests of the people of NC.

Were that the case, the anti-energy independence forces that the current president is in league with would not have fought so hard to block it. If there is no industry support, then approve it, and let it fall under the weight of the free market system.
That there was no interest in the industry was never the argument against it. It was always so-called environmental concerns, concerns that don’t seem to apply to China’s use of that oil, only to America’s.

Jon

In the event that you are uninformed regarding the barrel price of sweet light crude, here is a link to a trading chart:
futures.tradingcharts.com/chart/CO/M

The breakeven price of NAmShale is $65/barrel. The breakeven price for oilsands is $70/barrel.
The current price of sweet light crude is below $50/barrel.

Btw, if you are ever in west Texas or south Texas, please take notice of the countless wind turbines. There are more wind turbines in Texas than in CA. Sustainability is the future of the energy sector.

 

[JonNC]

Governor McCrory is himself responsible for the grassroots anti-fracking movement in NC. He seeded it himself when he put the interests of Duke Power Co. and their coal ash storage ponds above his responsibility as the primary steward of the interests of the people of NC.

In the event that you are uninformed regarding the barrel price of sweet light crude, here is a link to a trading chart:
futures.tradingcharts.com/chart/CO/M

The breakeven price of NAmShale is $65/barrel. The breakeven price for oilsands is $70/barrel.
The current price of sweet light crude is below $50/barrel.

Btw, if you are ever in west Texas or south Texas, please take notice of the countless wind turbines. There are more wind turbines in Texas than in CA. Sustainability is the future of the energy sector.

I lived in south Texas for close to 30 years. I lived in what was then an oil bust town, more recently a oil boom town. I know the fluctuations in prices. That doesn’t have anything to do with allowing the market to work, and not artificially limit domestic supply.
As for sustainable and renewable resources, of course that is the future. But for the near future, fossil fuels are the most plentiful, cost effective source of energy, particularly for transportation. It is unconscionable that the government is forcing us to use foreign sources when we have plentiful supplies of domestic fuel.

Jon

 

[HCTC]

I lived in south Texas for close to 30 years. I lived in what was then an oil bust town, more recently a oil boom town. I know the fluctuations in prices. That doesn’t have anything to do with allowing the market to work, and not artificially limit domestic supply.
As for sustainable and renewable resources, of course that is the future. But for the near future, fossil fuels are the most plentiful, cost effective source of energy, particularly for transportation. It is unconscionable that the government is forcing us to use foreign sources when we have plentiful supplies of domestic fuel.

Jon

…But just to reiterate… My point is that the industry does not want to build a pipeline in order to pump oil from CANADA (a foreign country) at a loss. Nebraska doesn’t want it; environmentalists don’t want it; the petroleum industry doesn’t want it. At this point it is just another issue that gets a knee jerk response from the Republican base. IMHO, it would really be better for the country if the base of both parties would give more meaningful consideration to all the issues presented to them…

 

[JonNC]

…But just to reiterate… My point is that the industry does not want to build a pipeline in order to pump oil from CANADA (a foreign country) at a loss. Nebraska doesn’t want it; environmentalists don’t want it; the petroleum industry doesn’t want it. At this point it is just another issue that gets a knee jerk response from the Republican base. IMHO, it would really be better for the country if the base of both parties would give more meaningful consideration to all the issues presented to them…

Interesting that you put Canada in upper case. Yes, I know Canada is a foreign country. Please compare our relationship to them to that of Saudi Arabia or Venezuela. If we have to send American dollars for fuel to a foreign country, CANADA is a far better choice than these others.

If all of these folks don’t want it, then there is no need for the president with his pen and phone to stand in the way of it. I am a bit confused, though.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) is continuing to push President Obama to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.

Ricketts sent Obama a letter on Tuesday arguing that the pipeline takes a safe path through his state and warrants approval by the Obama administration.

“Like many other Nebraskans, I support the revised route and the construction of the pipeline,” he wrote.

This doesn’t sound like Nebraska doesn’t want it.

And if the petroleum industry doesn’t want it, they won’t participate. Here are my capital letters: LET THE MARKET PLACE DECIDE.

Jon

 

[HCTC]

And if the petroleum industry doesn’t want it, they won’t participate. Here are my capital letters: LET THE MARKET PLACE DECIDE.

Jon

Energy markets

"The oil rout has chased investors out of any name connected to the energy sector, and TransCanada hasn’t been spared the pain.

The stock is down more than 25% in 2015 and is trading near its 12-month low as oil prices continue to fall. In fact, WTI is now back below $40 per barrel.

TransCanada is essentially a pipeline and storage company with a portfolio of electricity-generation assets to boot.

As energy prices fall, oil and gas producers are forced to cut back on capital spending, and that has an impact on production levels. Lower output means less demand for new pipelines.

As long as oil and gas prices remain under pressure, production growth is going to slow, and that will reduce the expansion rate of pipeline systems in Canada and the U.S."

fool.ca/2015/12/07/should-dividend-investors-buy-transcanada-corporation-for-the-5-yield/

 

[JonNC]

Energy markets

"The oil rout has chased investors out of any name connected to the energy sector, and TransCanada hasn’t been spared the pain.

The stock is down more than 25% in 2015 and is trading near its 12-month low as oil prices continue to fall. In fact, WTI is now back below $40 per barrel.

TransCanada is essentially a pipeline and storage company with a portfolio of electricity-generation assets to boot.

As energy prices fall, oil and gas producers are forced to cut back on capital spending, and that has an impact on production levels. Lower output means less demand for new pipelines.

As long as oil and gas prices remain under pressure, production growth is going to slow, and that will reduce the expansion rate of pipeline systems in Canada and the U.S."

fool.ca/2015/12/07/should-dividend-investors-buy-transcanada-corporation-for-the-5-yield/

Yep. The markets. As opposed to the president wasting millions of dollars that are not his on easily predicted failures on solar and other sustainable energies that neither the markets nor the technology are ready for.
I think you should share this information with the Dept of Energy. Let them know that expensive, underdeveloped won’t succeed in the market.

Meanwhile, we’ve drifted way off topic

Jon

 

[HCTC]

Yep. The markets. As opposed to the president wasting millions of dollars that are not his on easily predicted failures on solar and other sustainable energies that neither the markets nor the technology are ready for.
I think you should share this information with the Dept of Energy. Let them know that expensive, underdeveloped won’t succeed in the market.

Meanwhile, we’ve drifted way off topic

Jon

Personally, as a middle-class consumer, I’m very satisfied with developments in the energy sector during President Obama’s presidency. And, in my opinion, the low gas prices have stimulated the economy

 

[JonNC]

Personally, as a middle-class consumer, I’m very satisfied with developments in the energy sector during President Obama’s presidency. And, in my opinion, the low gas prices have stimulated the economy

The low gas prices have nothing to do with the president. Private drilling on private land. The use of fracking to increase domestic resources. In fact, the low gas prices are contrary to what he said he hoped would happen. Otherwise, I agree with the comment, though its obvious that his oppressive regulations, high corporate income taxes, and ACA have hindered any economic recovery lower oil prices have started.

Jon