Hypocrites

Somehow I missed this letter until today. Its brilliant.

Writer rails against ANWR drilling yet uses more petroleum than most

Karen Jettmar claims opening the ANWR coastal plain is merely "a pathetic scramble to another oil fix for a nation addicted to gluttony." She should look in her mirror ("Arctic refuge is far too precious to destroy for sake of oil gluttony," April 2).

Ms. Jettmar is a full participant in "oil gluttony." She drives cars, rides in airplanes, lives in a petroleum-heated home and collects her Permanent Fund dividend check.

Ms. Jettmar's company, Equinox Wilderness Expeditions, offers ANWR tours for the well-heeled (bring $4,000). Her ANWR tour involves a jet to Fairbanks, a plane to Arctic Village and a plane to the Hulahula River. Wearing Gore-tex and fleece (made from oil), clients enter rafts (oil) and float down the river, using tents and sleeping bags (oil) and camp stoves (more oil). At the end of the journey, a plane takes folks to Kaktovik and on to Fairbanks.

Start to finish, each trip requires huge volumes of petroleum per client. No item of equipment or food is free of the "taint" of oil in its production, processing and transportation.

People can take principled positions on the ANWR coastal plain. But it is the height of hypocrisy for Ms. Jettmar to impugn the American lifestyle when she lives that very same lifestyle and uses more petroleum than most through her business operations.

Marc Bond
Anchorage

Bravo.
If you ever make it to D.C. Mr. Bond, drinks are on me.