We Own It. Let’s Use it. Drill in ANWR.

In 1867, the United States government signed a treaty to purchase Alaska. We handed over precious gold to Russia for the territory. Russia was in a difficult financial position and feared losing the Alaskan territory without compensation in some future conflict, especially to their rivals the British, who could easily capture the hard-to-defend region. At the time, some said it was foolish to purchase such a remote, icy region. Ohers called the Russians foolish because of the amount of natural resources, such as oil, that this area contained.

At the time Senator Charles Sumner, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said that if the United States purchased Alaska, “A practical race of intrepid navigators will swarm the coast ready for any enterprise of business or patriotism. Commerce will find new arms…”

But today, the liberal establishment in the United States Congress, following the lead of environmental extremists, have shut off Alaska from the commerce that would help end our dependence on foreign oil. They have promoted and pursued a policy of shutting off and locking up Alaska from the people who purchased it. They have locked up our energy and forced us to pay higher fuel prices at the pump and keep a dependence on foreign oil rather than using the land and resources we already own.

When it comes to ANWR, we own it and we should use it. Let your Congressman know. Otherwise, we’ll come off as the foolish ones when we hand our economic prosperity and our national security over to China, Saudia Arabia, and other nations who don’t like us.