Speak Out

Re "Who profits from oil?" (Speak Out, May 1):

I want to address letter writer Homer H. Turner Jr.'s concerns regarding record oil company profits and rising gas prices.

When it comes to energy policy, our nation is facing a defining moment.

We can keep going down the path we're on — with $4-a-gallon gas, wild swings in oil prices and rising dependence on foreign sources of energy, all while hard-working east Alabamians take it on the chin at the pump with no end in sight.

Or we can accept a challenge as bold as our nation has faced in a long time and begin to work to become energy self-sufficient.

Accepting this challenge and making energy affordable again won't come cheap. It will require a commitment from all levels of government, from business and our citizens.

That's why I recently supported a bill, H.R. 5351, which would remove a number of tax breaks and subsidies for Big Oil and redirect that money into renewable energy efforts. Institutions like Auburn University are on the cutting edge of alternative fuel research, but Congress needs to pay more than lip service when it comes to funding.

With hard-working Alabamians sacrificing at the pump, it seems Big Oil certainly can do some sacrificing of its own — especially with more than $120 billion in record profits reported last year.

But we won't get there on alternative fuels like cellulosic ethanol, hydrogen, solar and wind alone.

We need to expand our use of domestic energy sources, such as those in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and in the Gulf of Mexico. We need a new generation of safe and affordable nuclear energy. Higher gas mileage (CAFE) standards are in our future as well.

These solutions aren't an overnight fix, but they are essential first steps. A new energy policy is about vision, and if Congress puts some muscle and funding into this effort, I have no doubt American know-how will help make it a reality.

Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Anniston
Washington

Judiciary vs. Laws

Judicial systems in all levels of government are in shambles and getting worse. Alabama's legislative branch has been, and unfortunately still remains, a self-serving bunch of politicians. And an Alabama senator has attempted this session to perpetuate both these travesties by introducing a measure into congressional committee requiring that all judges (at least at state and county levels) be lawyers.

How more self-serving can one be? Lawyers write laws for lawyers so only lawyers can interpret and apply them. And now they want to run (ruin) our courts? Whoa, there is something terribly wrong with this picture.

A judge is supposed to do just exactly as is said — "judge." To judge, one must attentively hear and listen to all the sworn truths (facts) of the case, and based on the merits of these facts, pro and con, logically and impartially render a decision either for the prosecution or defendant.

To be logical and unbiased, a truly effective "judge" may be, but should preferably not be, a practicing lawyer.

If one writes, or has a hand in writing, laws, how can one remain unbiased in a matter to be "judged"?

To remain totally fair and unbiased, judges must be well organized, attentive and, above all else, logical — not lawyers.

James L. Nix
Hartselle