Senator Dick Durbin's Solution to the Oil Crisis

A message from Senator Dick Durbin's Washington DC office regarding Offshore Drilling...

Dear Mr. Moehlenhof:

Thank you for contacting me about increasing domestic energy production. I appreciate hearing from you.

Record high fuel prices have sparked increased interest in opening additional areas in the outer continental shelf (OCS) and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas leasing. I share your interest in addressing our nation's energy needs and support safe and environmentally responsible oil production. But I also recognize that an energy policy based primarily on drilling will not meet the needs of American consumers.

Large areas of our onshore and offshore oil and gas reserves already have been made available for leasing and development, yet prices remain at unprecedented levels. The Minerals Management Service estimates that 79 percent of recoverable offshore oil and 82 percent of offshore natural gas is already open to drilling. Onshore, the numbers tell a similar story. Roughly 72 percent of oil and 84 percent of natural gas resources are leased or open for exploration pending the completion of land-use planning or environmental reviews. The oil companies continue to demand the right to drill on federal lands and on our coastline, but they are failing to produce on lands currently under lease.

According to the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration providing increased OCS access in the Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Gulf regions would not have a significant impact on domestic oil and gas prices before 2030. An analysis released by the Energy Department in May 2008 projected that at peak production oil from ANWR could reduce the price per barrel of oil by $0.40 to $1.44 on the global market, an amount equal to one percent or less of the price of crude oil. This would amount to a savings of just a few pennies per gallon for consumers. We cannot drill our way out of our energy troubles

It would be at least 20 years after opening ANWR before oil production reaches its peak of 750,000 barrels per day. In comparison, the fuel economy standards passed by Congress in last year's energy bill are expected to save between 2 million and 2.5 million barrels of oil per day by 2025.

Others in the oil industry blame short supplies on federal refinery laws. However, the industry itself reduced its refinery operations and capacity over the past decade, closing many competitive, independent refineries. Meanwhile, domestic utilization of operable refinery capacity is lower than it has been in years, averaging just over 85 percent during the first four months of 2008.

I am deeply concerned about the effects of high fuel prices on Illinois residents. Increases in energy costs affect consumers in countless ways. High prices at the pump drive up food prices and further deplete the savings of consumers who in many cases are struggling just to pay for the necessities of life.

Several factors continue to put significant pressure on gasoline prices. Since the price of oil is quoted in dollars, a weak U.S. dollar has triggered a rise in world crude oil prices. Increased world demand for crude oil and lasting concerns about the threat of supply disruptions have contributed to an increasingly volatile market.

Many experts have suggested that today's high fuel prices cannot be fully explained by the market interplay between supply and demand. Excessive speculation and manipulation in energy commodity markets may be a significant factor in higher prices, and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) does not have the resources or the authority to fully address this risk.

For this reason, I introduced the Increasing Transparency and Accountability in Oil Prices Act of 2008 (S. 3130). My legislation would promote greater transparency in the trading of energy commodities and provide the CFTC with increased resources so that it can better monitor energy markets and prevent traders from engaging in price manipulation and excessive speculation.

I will keep your thoughts in mind as I continue to work for legislation to set our country on a path toward a more stable energy supply and a more secure energy future.

Thank you again for writing. Please feel free to keep in touch.


Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator
RJD/hw

TONIGHT: Conference Call with Fr. Frank Pavone--Priests for Life

Folks:

Join Father Frank Pavone tonight at 9PM EDT as he will discuss further about the "Is this What you Mean?" Project. Dr. Alveda King, Bobby Schindler, Deal Hudson, Dr. Kenyn Cureton, Marjorie Dannenfelser, and top lawyer on eleciton and tax law James Bopp, Jr..

Learn more about the mission and goals of Priests for Life pro-life election campaign.

Click here to register for the teleconference:

http://www.priestsforlife.org/conferencecall/index.aspx

Here is a message from Fr. Frank Pavone:

Friends,

Our next election-related teleconference will be on Thursday, July 17 from 9 to 10pm Eastern Time.

Through participating in this call, you will be more equipped to make a difference in this year’s national elections, and to awaken the conscience of Americans about abortion.

We will discuss various ways to register voters, educate them on the positions of the candidates, work with Churches, and understand the legal limits of what organizations and individuals can do.

We will also give a progress report on our "Is This What You Mean?" project.

We will give you practical tools to use at the local level to advance the Culture of Life in this election in proven ways!

You won’t want to miss this opportunity and we don’t want to miss out on having you participate!

Once you sign up, we will send you details on what number to dial for the call, and how to also listen over the internet, where we will guide you to specific documents and templates that will help you understand and implement these activities!

God bless you, and I look forward to talking with you TONIGHT at 9PM EDT!


Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director

McDonalds Corp Gives Money to Gay Organizations

McDonalds Corporation has continued its aggressive plan to promote their homosexual agenda once again by contributing funds to gay and lesbian organizations seeking to break the barriers of traditional marriage.

A demonstration was held near McDonald's national headquarters in Chicago to draw attention to their pro-homosexual stance.

The protest was in response to the corporations $20,000 donation to the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, and a McDonald's executive who was seated on their board.

American Family Association's Buddy Smith was on hand for the event, which included a press conference. Smith said that McDonald's needs to project a pro-family philosophy. "They need to line up their associations with that message and drop their membership in the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber," he stated.

He adds that the chamber is a political machine that is out to radically redefine marriage and family in America.

Peter LaBarbera, of Americans for Truth, supports the boycott, and says their message is that "when you take sides in the culture war, at some point there's gotta be a price to pay. And we're hoping that millions of people join this boycott and it becomes really something the entire pro-family movement gets behind." He stresses that unity is the key to success.

The battle continues against big corporations who seek to control policy and decisions accross America fighting against traditonal marriage modelists.

Soon, McDonalds Corp will marketing their products to the gay community and become no longer a family friendly eatery, but one that supports the gay marriage proposals that the liberal left seeks.

The buck stops here.

New National Polls Show Deadlock between Obama and McCain

Recent polls suggest a deadlock between Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain. A new Rasmussen survey has Obama leading by two percent, but within the margin of error while Newsweek shows the same momentum moving in McCain's direction.

"The Rasmussen daily presidential tracking poll shows Obama ahead 44 to 42 percent after both candidates had been tied at 43 percent each for the two previous days.

When "leaners" are included, it’s Obama 47% and McCain 46%, a gain for McCain after the Rasmussen survey had Obama leading by about five percentage points for most of the last month-and-a-half."

The gains by John McCain in recent days shows that he is continuing to assert his political positions and make known to many where he will stand in 2008. His campaign has been running what has been called the most open campaign in recent US election history.

In the latest Newsweek poll, the Illinois senator leads his Arizona counterpart John McCain by just 3 percentage points, 44 percent to 41 percent.

That dead head is a marked change from last month's poll, where Obama led McCain by 15 points, 51 percent to 36 percent.

Newsweek's poll indicates voters are upset with the new perception of Obama as a flip-flopper, given his change of position on FISA legislation, his decision to opt out of the campaign public-financing system, and his recent attempt to moderate his strong pro-abortion positions.

This latter point is upsetting Americans and will certainly upset Catholic voters in the upcoming election. Barack Obama has come under strong scrutiny over his endorsement from the largest abortion provider Planned Parenthood. Coupled with this is his determination to win over strongly pro-choice voters. At the same time Obama is distancing himself from pro-lifers and forcing them to move to John McCain.

The Catholic vote will probably make all the difference in 2008 lead by Senator Sam Brownback, Congressman Chris Smith, and pro-life leaders such as Fr. Frank Pavone, Norma McCorvey, and other well known activists.

Obama Accepts Planned Parenthood Endorsement

This week, Barack Obama accepted the endorsement of Planned Parenthood, which could've have come at a better time. Barack continues to make clear his posiitions on abortion and where he will stand as President.

As an Illinois Senator, Barack Obama opposed the IL Born Alive Act, which would provide protection to survivors of failed abortions, and even was the lone speaker against the bill. In 2003, Obama single-handedly stopped identical legislation to the federal Born Alive Act from being introduced in the Illinois Senate as chairman of the committee vetting the bill. That legislation finally passed in 2005 – the year after Obama left the Illinois Senate – refuting his claim it was unnecessary.

Barack Obama is so radically pro-abortion he supports infanticide, as evidenced by his active opposition to the Illinois Born Alive Infants Protection Act. This makes him further left than any U.S. senator and even NARAL.

Obama last year even made a promise to Planned Parenthood that “I will not yield” to pro-life concerns. "There will always be people, many of goodwill, who do not share my view on the issue of choice. On this fundamental issue, I will not yield and Planned Parenthood will not yield."Senator Obama said he was “absolutely convinced that culture wars are so nineties,” saying it was “time to turn the page.”

Folks, this is what Catholics are up against in 2008, a radical far leftist who will not "yield" to pro-lifers, thus shutting the door to the possibility of overturning Roe vs. Wade and years of hard work to defend the innocent unborn.

Learn more about Barack and his social 'concerns':

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=11918

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/07/planned_parenthood_endorses_ob.html

http://naral.org/elections/obama-or-mccain.html

Father Frank Pavone Speaks the Truth

On Wednesday June 25th, Fr. Frank Pavone hosted a conference call with pro-life leaders headed up by Priests for Life that talks about in greater detail about their new project: "Is this what you mean?"

On abortion, Fr. Frank Pavone discusses the reasons why secular should redefine abortion and not merely speak of it in terms of a gray area, but in terms of black and white. Our mentality of abortion should not be one of good thoughts, but the destructive nature that is inherent in the procedures being performed.

The plan is to change the definition of abortion; that destroyed fetuses, babies that are slaughtered and the after effects that come with abortion. Their plan is to talk to politicians who are defiant for abortion, go to their offices in Washington DC, and ask them questions about the procedures done.

In my opinion, this is a bold but necessary operation that needs to be undertaken. As pro-lifers, we need to defend for life and define abortion as one that is destructive, gory, and remove the blinds over women. We are in a culture war, one of change for choice against that stand for life. Too often does the secular world speak of abortion as good and acceptable, when actually its horrible, terrible, and destructive

Listen to the replay of the conference call here: http://www.instantteleseminar.com/?eventid=3265320

Finally, how do we speak of abortion? When we say abortion, is this what you mean?

Senator Dick Durbin Response to Title X

I talked about in my previous post about Barack Obama and his response to Title X funding. I took the opportunity to ask Fellow Illinois Senator Dick Durbin about his response to Title X.

---------------------------------
June 19, 2008

Mr. Michael Moehlenhof


Dear Mr. Moehlenhof:


Thank you for contacting me about federal funding for Planned Parenthood. I appreciate hearing from you.

Title X of the Public Health Service Act provides more than four million women with a wide range of services designed to improve maternal and infant health, lower the incidence of unintended pregnancy, and prevent abortions. Under Title X, the federal government provides grants to 86 public and private organizations for the provision of comprehensive family planning services and information. Grant recipients may include state and local health departments, hospitals, university health centers, independent clinics, public and non-profit agencies, and Planned Parenthood affiliates. These funds may be used for a wide range of family planning activities, including contraceptive education and services, abstinence education, and programs that combine both approaches.

This program has a proven record of success. Without this program, it has been estimated that an additional 1.2 million unintended pregnancies would occur every year, resulting in more than 500,000 additional abortions. I believe that we should encourage abstinence among our youth and support family planning efforts such as contraceptive use to avoid unintended pregnancies and decrease the number of abortions.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please feel free to keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Richard J. Durbin

United States Senator

RJD/td

-----------------------------
Sounds similar to what Senator Barack Obama said. It seems that Title X funding will remain for a long time within the borders of Illinois. It'll just continue to pave the way for abortions since funding is being indirectly allocated.

Update on Heinz Gay Ad

I received word from Heinz Corporation that they have pulled their UK ad entirely after receiving 200 complaints from consumers about the advertisement. Their ad, which was being featured in the United Kingdom, featured a gay couple kissing.

Below is the press release that Heinz Corp sent out regarding the ad:

Heinz Says Its UK Ad for Deli Mayo Was Not in Accordance with Corporate Policy

PITTSBURGH--Heinz has confirmed that it withdrew a UK TV commercial for Deli Mayo last week because it was not in accordance with Heinz’s long-standing corporate policy of respecting everyone’s rights and values.

“Heinz pulled the ad in the UK because our consumer research showed that it failed in its attempt to be humorous and offended people on all sides,” said Michael Mullen, Director of Global Corporate Affairs for Heinz.

“Heinz apologizes for its misplaced attempt at humor and we accept that this ad was not in accordance with our long-standing corporate policy of respecting everyone’s rights and values,” Mullen said.

Heinz Ad Pushes Homosexual Agenda

This ad by Heinz Corporation out of Pittsburgh, PA demostrates their push of the gay marriage agenda and recentering the focus of the nuclear family from one man and one women, to two men.

Heinz Corp. is dedicated to the gay agenda in America and their appeal to the gay culture. While they say that they are appealing to gays and their spouses, this ad showing two men kissing is beyond acceptable.

Wall St Journal Reports Planned Parenthood moving to Suburbs

In the Monday June 23, 2008 edition of the Wall Street Journal, Planned Parenthood announced their intentions to move clinics and their services to more "affluent" areas of town. No longer are they focused on giving reproductive services to the less wealthy, but they are focused on giving services to everyone, moving their clinic or what they called "express centers" in shopping malls.

What Planned Parenthood continues to do is make their product; their brand more acceptable by the public and they are starting with teens. Their deceptive tactics are continuing to hide the truth about what services they actually provide to teens and college students. What is even worse is that PP has to cover up their true nature with glitzy clothes and make it acceptable to buy condoms from them. In fact, they are now offering $2 branded condoms that every teen must have. They are turning themselves into a toy store for teens.

This article by WSJ frightens me even more is that 1 out of every 5 abortions take place in their clinics, and they are by far the largest provider of contraceptives anywhere in America. It seems that the number will grow as affluent teens who are encouraged to engage in premarital sex by Planned Parenthood will continue to seek their services in the near future. They are building a base of young people who will believe that PP is a great "All-American" service.

When and where is enough? When will PP end their reign of terror preying upon innocent teens and students?

WSJ highlighted a 21000 sq. ft building in Aurora, a suburb of Chicago, where many of the better off live. For middle and higher income teens and college students make their centers accessible, the more likely they are going to seek their services because of the better location. Most new locations are large buildings that are now castles, making it difficult for pro-life activists to make their case to stuggling women who need an answer.

I hope and pray that folks can see past the wool being pulled over their eyes as PP seeks to make their products 'good'.

Opportunity to see Baby--Ohio Law Took Effect Today

This past March, Governor Ted Strickland signed into law that mandates abortion providers to give the woman who is seeking an abortion to have an ultrasound that allows her to see her child. Today, that law went info effect, June 20th, 2008.

This law is by far one of the most important pro-life laws because many are touched when they see a living, breathing baby in their womb. Opportunities for women to seek this probably never had the opportunity to see their child when they had their unborn child aborted, and to be able to see their baby will create a lot of turnarounds at the abortion clinics

Information is key in making a decision. Many who seek an abortion don't have all the facts right when they enter the clinic. Obviously, the folks inside that clinic won't give them any information other than telling them they can abort their baby. After they see their baby, their decision will ultimately be reversed. I hope that this is the first step towards true freedom for mothers and their unborn child.

McCain's Plant to Suspend Gas Tax & Drill Offshore

McCain announced this week his plan to drill for Oil in Alaska and offshore in order to give relief for folks at the gas tank.

McCain also suggested a National Gas Holiday, that would help ease the pain at the gas pump for most Americans. Obama has come out against the proposal citing that relieving the gas tax would give into big oil companies and would cut into revenues for the government.

Let me ask one thing of Obama, who is he looking out for, families or the government. Obama of course would argue that he's looking out for families because its Big Oil faults for rising gas prices. I think he may want to analyze that position again.

You see....its government's fault for the rising oil prices. Let me spell the reason out for you.

I-N-F-L-A-T-I-O-N....yes folks. Our dollar is as weak as ever. A week dollar means something will probably be more expensive. In economic terms...which for many political junkies may be hard to understand, the nominal price (or price in terms of real dollars) has been steady for a number of years. However, just a small shift in the nominal price of oil will raise the price tremendously during times of inflation...which we are experiencing right now.

Even better yet... Wall Street analysts are blaming it on oil futures. Yeah a big word isn't it.

Oil is bartered and sold at auction everyday on commodity markets. Oil futures are commodity future that batter for oil. Barrels of oil are then bought by oil refineries such as Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, Texeco, ect, and they process these barrels of oil into gasoline. (In Illinois, we use environmental additives mandated by law, which makes the oil burn cleaner and its better for mother nature)

Question is why isn't Obama not lifting the Federal gas tax. As an libertarian economic conservative, less taxes mean lower prices and less pressure for Americans to meet ends meet. Families are squeezed to the limit already, and they simply cannot afford the essentials to meet their ends.

Taxes hurts Americans. When you tax oil, you tax the families directly whenever they fill their gas tank, the products that they buy, and generally inflation rises again. These sorts of taxes really are double, triple taxation on families and Americans because when taxes are imposed on businesses and operations, they buck must fall on the consumer.

Drilling offshore means we don't need to deal with OPEC. They have been a headache already, and I am a believer of less bureaucracy. Lets cut to the chase and start drilling.

Senator Brownback says McCain must "Woo" Evangelicals

Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) spoke to NPR News about the issue that McCain must overcome in order to win in November. Abortion is a 'hot-button' issues for most evangelicals, and most are interested in hearing where Senator McCain stands on life and where his passions lie.

Brownback tells NPR's Robert Siegel that he expects McCain to run on the party platform, which allows for no exceptions for abortions. McCain, though, has said he would want to change the stance to allow for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. But a group within the party has fought for this platform since 1980 — and it hasn't weakened in nearly 30 years, Brownback says.

With the continued support of Senator Brownback, McCain will win both the all important Catholic vote, as well as the Evangelical vote, as long as McCain can stay on topic on abortion, show to these groups that he is the man to elect the last justice to overturn Roe vs. Wade, and demostrate that his passion to treat America as "her native son" will also include all life, born and unborn, with the protection of the law every unborn American deserves.

Senator Obama Responds to Title X

So last week, I sent a message to Senator Barack Obama's Senate office in Washington, DC asking his office to reconsider Title X funding for the upcoming year. If you aren't aware of Title X, it provides funding for family planning for low income families who are having a difficult time to plan a family. Part of the funding goes toward elective abortions through the program.

While Title X does provide health care screenings and other important health goals that are good for low income families, it provides for abortions, not adoptions. It also encourages families to use contraceptives, not abstainence programs. Clearly, the Democrats want to expand the program due to Democratic goals they seek.

Barack Obama is no exception to this. I sent him this message:

"I am writing to urge you to oppose any appropriations legislation that increases Title X funding.

Planned Parenthood receives a substantial amount of funding through the Title X program, and recent actions by Planned Parenthood clinic staff do not merit funding. A sophomore studying at UCLA recently released shocking recordings uncovering blatant racism at Planned Parenthood clinics around the country.

Student Lila Rose hired an actor to call the development offices of various Planned Parenthood sites and ask that the potential donation be only used to abort black babies. The responses were shocking. Not a single person with whom the actor spoke said no. In fact, one woman said the request was understandable and that she was excited to process it.

Taxpayer funds should not go to clinics who call racist requests "understandable" simply because it supports their bottom line. Please oppose any Title X funding for Planned Parenthood clinics.

I would appreciate a response to my letter.

Susan B. Anthony List Activist

Sincerely

Michael Moehlenhof"

This is the response I got back today from Senator Barack Obama:

"Dear Michael:

Thank you for advising me of your opposition to Title X funding for Planned Parenthood Clinics. I appreciate knowing of your strong feelings on this troubling matter.

However, it is extremely important to not let isolated incidents eclipse the greater good which is at stake. Each year, more than five million women receive health care services at roughly 4,500 planning clinics funded by Title X. Of these women, 65 percent have incomes at or below the federal poverty level and are uninsured. It is estimated that without the Title X program, the number of teenage pregnancies over the last two decades would have been 20 percent higher.

All women, regardless of the State in which they reside or ability to pay, deserve access to reproductive services. In most cases, these clinics are the sole source of family planning for the women they serve. We can and must do more to ensure that every woman in our country has equal access to quality family planning services, and Title X is a step in the right direction.

I know this is a controversial issue. Please know that while we disagree on this issue, I respect your opinion and understand your point of view.

Again, Michael, thank you for writing. Be certain your priorities are on my mind, and please stay in touch in the days ahead.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama
United States Senator"

Written by an aide from a talking point source, I just cannot believe that I am not looking at the whole package. I believe that all women should have family planning services that protect life, not destroy it. I really believe in Title X, but its just the wrong direction. Encourage adoption, encourage abstainence; but don't fail to bring down the family. Our government needs to uplift the family. This response by Obama was disappointing at best.

Appointed National Outreach Director, Catholics for McCain

Today, I was appointed by the Catholic Students for McCain Chairman Billy Valentine to help out as the National Outreach Director for Catholics for McCain. I am proud to be able to serve Senator McCain's campaign in an area I can best serve.

Catholics for McCain is an National Grassroots operation that is supporting the candidacy of John McCain for the White House. We believe that as Catholics we can change the tides in an election, and Senator McCain recognizes of Catholics in 2008. In 2004, Catholics came out in huge support for George Bush, and in fact for the first time the Republicans won the Catholic vote even though Bush was up against pro-choice Catholic John Kerry.

Therefore, Catholics for McCain is dedicated to reach out and support issues that most Catholics care about: abortion, traditional marriage, healthcare, national security, economy, and the enviornment.

I am priviledged to assist Catholics for McCain in whatever way possible to help Senator McCain win the White House. I will post information shortly about a new website that Catholics for McCain has to offer and how you can help Catholics for McCain.