Obama’s bipolar energy policy
I witnessed the Alaska tour of President Obama with great interest and more than a little editorial-inducing intrigue – pushing both climate change action and more drilling for oil? ‘Bipolar’ has never seemed more apt in describing the U.S. approach to energy and climate. Rationalizing the need for “energy independence” is surely a discredited tactic, since the record clearly shows that the U.S. is now a major fossil-fuel exporter – including oil products – and it has been since 2012. Although the drop in oil prices may have temporarily reduced the fracking-derived U.S. output, that transitory factor certainly would not justify drilling in the Arctic. Is the president masking U.S. foreign policy strategy as an energy gambit? Containing Russian expansionist ambitions by checkmating its oil-exporting influence is understandable, but there may be more involved – including a need to appease the oil lobby to win nominal political support for incremental advancement on climate-friendly clean-energy alternatives.
DAVID KYLER, Executive Director, Center for a Sustainable Coast, Saint Simon's Island
Preserving history at Morris Brown
The tragic fire that enveloped Gaines Hall (“Cause of fire at former Morris Brown dorm remains a mystery,” News, Aug. 24) is a setback for the preservation of Atlanta’s rich history that we should work to overcome. This almost 150-year-old dorm has hosted such civil rights luminaries as W.E.B. DuBois and James Weldon Johnson. Like other buildings on historically black college and university campuses that also face threats due to neglect and disuse, Gaines Hall tells a critical part of American history that has too often been underappreciated. To help tell the full story of America’s past, we need to save and commemorate more places that reflect our diverse history. To that end, the National Trust for Historic Preservation is contributing $5,000 for an expert assessment and for assistance in the preservation of Gaines Hall. Saving it will affirm the value of older buildings on HBCU campuses, and demonstrate how these storied structures can continue to thrive.
STEPHANIE K. MEEKS, President and CEO, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Washington, D.C.
World War Two section offers insight
Your special section on the end of World War II contained an interesting juxtaposition — the gratitude column by former U.S. Senator Max Cleland, who donated limbs for his country, was side-by-side with a gratitude column by Saxby Chambliss, who won Mr. Cleland’s senatorial seat on, among other things, the implication that Mr. Cleland’s opposition to the alleged Patriot Act was unpatriotic. Ah, Georgia voters.
JIM DAVIS, ATLANTA
