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Editor”s note: The author is a Vallejo native whose first letter to the Times-Herald was published in 1956.

In keeping with the principle of “trying everything that doesn”t work first,” while scrupulously ignoring what has already been tried and proven effective, the oil companies continue to disregard slant drilling to offshore oil fields, where a “leak” would either occur on dry land, or be sealed beneath an undersea layer of bedrock.

But what thrill is there in doing that? Slant drilling is (pun intended) boring boring. The popular approach of offshore drilling rigs is much more exciting!

As a sort of reminder, the first Gulf War in the Middle East was caused by Kuwait slant drilling under Iraq, prompting Saddam Hussein”s “brazen” invasion of Kuwait for stealing his oil. But you probably never heard about that. It was the best kept secret of the entire Gulf War. Otherwise, Americans would have found out that we had chosen the wrong side to fight against, and should have sided with Saddam against those criminal Kuwaitis!

Like (the pre-extinct) jellyfish, only the spineless among humanity side with the winner, regardless of the issues at stake, or the ultimate consequences. They react with fear of immediate pain or discomfort. They will side with the bully any time it looks like the bully is winning. Might makes right! This pretty well sums up the attitude of the general populace, including our government. Consider: Who else has been “winning” besides the Kuwaitis? Perhaps our illegal immigrants who have remained here despite the law?

To paraphrase an important historical figure: “Wide is the gate that leads to destruction, and many there be who go that way; but straight and narrow is the path that leads to life; and few there be who find it.” I think his initials were J.C., and I”m not talking about Julius Caesar.

To paraphrase further, wouldn”t you say that the ongoing gulf oil spill qualifies as “destruction”? And wide are the shorelines and the beaches. But straight and narrow is the slant oil well shaft that leads to oil, “the energy of life.” and few there be who drill it.

I have read that now oil executives are insisting that the only way to really resolve the problem of this nearly uncontrollable leak is to dot the entire oil field with more wells, a mile underwater, to relieve the pressure. This aptly illustrates the maxim that, “It is so important for a person to be right, that they will go on being wrong in order to prove that they are right.”

Hearing about President Obama”s tirade to the oil company executives, while pointing his finger and demanding that there be no more finger pointing, I imagined a scene I”d like to see. President Obama on Dr. Phil”s television show: ” and so I got really mad and told those #@&* oil company executives off!”

And Dr. Phil saying, “OK. And how did that work out for you?”

Norman Dale Swartz Kingman, Ariz.

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