Editorial
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Politics
      of
      oil
     
     
      Source:
      The
      Ubyssey
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      western
      world,
      including
      Canada,
      is
      floundering
     
     
      like
      a
      fish
      out
      of
      water.
      For
      too
      long
      we
      have
      been
     
     
      swimming
      in
      a
      sea
      of
      foreign
      oil,
      reacting
      only
      when
     
     
      our
      precious
      streams
      stop
      flowing
      as
      they
      should.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      We
      are
      one
      of
      the
      wealthiest
      countries
      in
      the
      world,
     
     
      and
      yet
      we
      thrash
      our
      tails
      about
      and
      jerk
      back
      and
     
     
      forth
      when
      oil
      is
      threatened.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      After
      the
      Meech
      Lake
      Accord
      failed,
      the
      Mulroney
     
     
      government
      put
      the
      Hibernia
      mega-project
      off
      the
     
     
      shores
      of
      newfoundland
      on
      hold.
      the
      project,
      which
     
     
      will
      set
      up
      the
      infrastructure
      for
      extracting
      oil
      from
     
     
      the
      Atlantic
      ocean,
      is
      steamrolling
      ahead
      now
      in
     
     
      the
      face
      of
      this
      current
      "energy
      crisis."
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Oil-is
      cheap.
      And
      oil
      from
      the
      third
      world
      is
      even
     
     
      cheaper.
      Multinationals
      need
      this
      foreign
      oil
     
     
      because
      poorer
      countries
      need
      to
      sell,
      so
      places
      like
     
     
      Canada
      can
      set
      the
      price.
      Now
      that
      this
      price
      is
     
     
      high,
      up
      to
      a
      consumer
      price
      of
      69.9
      cents
      a
      litre
      in
     
     
      some
      places,
      these
      companies
      can
      serve
      to
      make
     
     
      even
      more
      by
      claiming
      crisis.
      Will
      the
      prices
      drop
     
     
      when
      the
      rigs
      start
      pumping
      again?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      How
      loudly
      we
      cry
      for
      energy
      alternatives
      such
      as
     
     
      natural
      gas
      when
      our
      oil
      is
      threatened,
      but
      where
     
     
      are
      the
      cries
      when
      the
      black
      gold
      flows
      freely?
     
     
      They
      are
      silent.
     
    

    
     
      How
      loudly
      do
      we
      hear
      those
      bankrupted
      by
      the
      oil
     
     
      _
      booms
      of
      the
      70’s
      crying
      out
      that
      they
      were
      shafted
     
     
      when,
      after
      the
      OPEC
      crisis
      was
      resolved,
      the
      wells
     
     
      were
      capped,
      the
      workers
      canned,
      and
      the
      fat
      tunas
     
     
      grew
      fatter
      than
      ever?
      We
      don’t
      hear
      them
      at
      all.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      In
      places
      such
      as
      AJaska,
      where
      a
      thousand
      miles
      of
     
     
      coastline
      was
      devastated
      by
      millions
      of
      litres
      of
      our
     
     
      valuable
      dependency,
      fouling
      the
      lives
      of
      people
      and
     
     
      animals
      alike,m
      they
      are
      starting
      to
      call
      for
      rapid
     
     
      development
      of
      new
      potential
      reserves.
      These
     
    
   
   
    
     
      {
     
    
   
   
    
     
      reserves
      are
      in
      designated
      wilderness
      areas
      where
     
     
      one
      spill
      would
      make
      the
      tragedy
      of
      the
      Exxon
     
     
      Valdez
      look
      like
      a
      drop
      in
      the
      bucket.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      If
      we
      are
      really
      concerned
      about
      gas
      prices,
      or
     
     
      conflict
      in
      the
      Middle
      East
      we
      should
      look
      at
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ‘
      long
      standing
      history
      and
      policy
      on
      our
      dependence
     
    
   
   
    
     
      on
      the
      third
      world’s
      oil.
      It
      is
      not
      a
      recent
      problem,
     
     
      the
      gas
      lines
      of
      the
      seventies
      are
      a
      good
      reminder
     
     
      of
      that.
      We
      need
      to
      reduce,
      reuse,
      and
      recycle
      oil,
     
     
      and
      hopefully
      eliminate
      its
      consumption,
      period.
     
     
      We
      also
      need
      to
      dispassionately,
      and
      calmly
      look
      at
     
     
      energy
      alternatives,
      even
      during
      times
      where
      the
     
     
      tease
      of
      Texas
      oil
      still
      to
      be
      extracted
      titillates
      us.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Flopping
      around
      like
      suffocating
      fish
      is
      pointless,
     
     
      and
      fattening
      up
      on
      black
      gold
      is
      lazy,
      irresponsible,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      utterly
      reprehensible.
      Instead,
      we
      should
      simply
     
     
      be
      intelligent
      human
      beings.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Letter
      to
      the
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dear
      Editor,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Congratulations
      to
      the
      University
      Theatre
      Society
     
    
   
   
    
     
      for
      its
      recent
      production
      of
      "Love
      is
      Strange".
      It
     
     
      provided
      a
      very
      enjoyable
      evening’s
      entertainment.
     
     
      It
      was
      well-acted,
      well-staged
      and
      well-directed.
     
     
      Derek
      Martin,
      the
      entire
      cast,
      and
      production
      crew
     
     
      deserve
      one
      more
      loud
      round
      of
      applause.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ian
      MacDonald
     
     
      Extension
      Department
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dear
      Editor:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      following
      is
      in
      response
      to
      both
      your
      invitation
      to
      submit
     
     
      mindless
      babble
      to
      your
      editorial
      column
      and
      the
      dialogue
     
     
      between
      professors
      and
      students
      on
      academic
      responsibility,
      held
     
     
      last
      Friday,
      November
      16.
      I
      found
      the
      discussion
      interesting,
      but
     
     
      as
      with
      most
      philosophical
      forums,
      time
      constraints
      left
      most
      of
     
     
      the
      audience
      unable
      to
      participate.
      Frustrated,
      I
      left
      the
      room
     
     
      with
      uncommunicated.
      ideas
      struggling
      to
      emerge
      when
      I
      realized
     
     
      the
      X-Press
      would
      be
      an
      excellent
      sounding
      board
      for
      my
      (and
     
     
      others’)
      thoughts
      on
      the
      matter.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      22,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      3