My beef.

I'm sick and tired of hearing conservationists claim that drilling for oil in ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) will destroy the tundra and kill off the animals. First off, people who camplaign (campaign+complain) so heavily to protect this environment need to educate themselves on exactly what it is they're so vehemently trying to save. We're not dealing with some lush Alaskan wilderness from a National Geographic magazine. No, my friends, we're dealing with an Arctic desert which is frozen solid for about 9 months of the year. I don't mean to downplay the importance of this place, nor do I condone it's destruction. Which brings me to my second point.
As much as uninformed individuals claim drilling operations destroy the environments in which they take place, this simply is not the case. I've seen first-hand the extent to which companies go to in order to ensure the well-being of the environment. It is vital to the life cycle of tundra that the permafrost below it remain frozen year-round. As a result, all facilities (which produce a tremendous amount of heat during their operations) are on raised gravel pads, raising them 4-6 feet off the tundra. In addition, the facility buildings themselves are on stilts to minimize the heat transferred to the tundra. In addition to shielding the tundra from heat, the pads also function to provide a catch-all for spills and driving surfaces for vehicles. No vehicle, under any circumstances, is allowed to drive on the tundra. The pipelines criss-crossing across the land are also a significant source of heat, so to protect the fragile plant-life all support beams are heavily insulated.
Case number two against drilling operations: it kills off wildlife. Untrue. The Prudhoe Bay drilling sites are directly in the path of caribou migrations, but instead of impeding their progress, the drill sites draw the caribou in droves. The pads and roads give the creatures sanctuary from the clouds of mosquitoes, and the shade provided under the facilities provides a reprieve from the sweltering 70-degree days (note: temperatures that high cause facilities to shut down; they function better during sub-zero winter days). All employees, save for the few trained bear-hazers, are prohibited from approaching or harassing wildlife. Because of this rule, I found myself stuck in a drill site Control Room for nearly an hour when the pad was invaded by a herd. As for bears, they're doing just fine in the presence of slopers. There are more bears killed by humans, and vice versa, every year in Anchorage than there are in Prudhoe. Humans and bears are in more danger from each other in my parents' neighborhood than they would be in ANWR.
As for litter, they're pretty good about that up there, too. I guarantee that if one was to walk down a street in the Student Ghetto of Lawrence, they would come across more trash than they would if they were to walk the same distance along a road in Prudhoe. BP annually hires college students to pick up trash along the side of the roads, around pads, and around the Cold Storage Pad and dump from June through August. During these months, the only ones where The Slope is snow free, there are Summer Hires picking up trash every day it's safe. The only days they aren't set out are the ones when it's too foggy for them to see bears coming from a distance or be seen from the road.
All this is by no means an attempt to convince anyone that tapping into the reserves in ANWR is the right thing to do. But before you run your mouth about why it's evil to drill for oil there, have an informed opinion. Know what you're talking about, and formulate an argument based on fact, not just emotional appeals. If you think the only reason it's wrong is because of what drilling does to the Arctic, take a minute to reevaluate your stance on the issue. If you think it's wrong because we should be exploring alternate energy options, then come up with an argument based on that. Don't use an imaginary destruction of the Arctic environment to convince gullible and uninformed people of your opinion.

Rant number 2:
Hey, Vic Vickers!
Thank God there are so many non-Alaskans willing to work to save us. I mean, really, thank you Vic Vickers for campaigning to replace Ted Stevens as Senator. No matter that you moved from Florida and switched political parties to do so. If that doesn't make you qualified to represent us, I just don't know what does. It really is a travesty that less than 5% of voting Alaskans found you worthy of replacing Mr. Stevens. The man has only been involved in Alaskan politics since before the state actually entered the Union. Your motto of "Take back Alaska" was supremely appropriate considering both your past and that of the man you thought you stood a chance against. Damn naive Alaskans, failing to elect you.
So much for objectivity.