Protesters label Redford an enemy of the poor - Salt Lake Tribune

So say some East Coast ministers and conservative activists, who took to the streets in front of a downtown Salt Lake City theater on the eve of Robert Redford’s Sundance Film Festival to accuse the actor of holding down low-income Americans with his opposition to oil and gas drilling near national parks in Utah.

The protesters, led by the Congress of Racial Equality’s national spokesman Niger Innis, suggested Redford should “relinquish his wealth” and live like a poor person. They complained that the filmmaker’s anti-drilling stance could lead to higher energy prices for inner-city residents, forcing them to accept a lower standard of living.

The clergymen prayed for Redford “to see the light” and linked his environmental activism with racism.

It’s good to see some of our celebrity airheads reminded that envirowhackery destroys jobs and raises energy prices. Both of these fall disproportionately on the poor. Rich celebs can afford to keep miles of trackless desert free of oil and gas extraction, and they just don’t care what that does to the economy.

I love how the article tries to justify drilling restrictions based on the amount of natural gas produced - as though it weren’t a fungible market, where every added bit drives the price down. They also trust figures on recoverable petroleum provided by environmentalists. Would you trust such figures provided by a party with an interest in the outcome? If so, I’ve got an Airbus A-320 to sell you - gently used, just a little wet right now.

Speaking of which, kudos to the US Airways Flight 1549 pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, and his crew for dealing masterfully with a FUBARed plane and getting everyone out alive. Captain Sullenberger was the last to leave the sinking plane - as is proper. Excellent work!

Submit to Stumbled Upon!