Oct 6, 2013 1 min read

Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy sees foreign oil as the alternative to burning coal. Is he willfully ignorant that oil is a fossil fuel and that there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Four-hundred parts per million was the milestone reached in May 2013. Or is Congressman Murphy merely a dedicated enemy of the environment?

Atmospheric carbon dioxide regulates the weather, which is rapidly warming thanks to human activity. It is also responsible for the accelerating rate of species going extinct.

Fifty years after the problem became public knowledge, fossil fuel workers should be ashamed of their occupations. Employment is a human right, but polluting the environment is a criminal activity no matter how well paid or endorsed by zombie politicians. Even as our backward, exploited region forgets the lessons of the 20th century and regresses into the 19th, our 21st century needs will continue to be met by people from elsewhere in exchange for our best and brightest.

Jim Greenwood

Washington