The so-called congressional Gang of 10 consisting of five Democrats and five stupid Republicans are supposedly working on give and take legislation to open up offshore drilling in exchange for other legislative considerations. Such talk of compromise is offensive and wholly unacceptable.

The "Gang," which includes the very vulnerable Sen. Mary Landrieu, is heading off in directions that the American people should be unwilling to support.

Part of their plan is to allow offshore drilling in four areas (if states agree) if Republicans will back a lot of other legislative nonsense (like increasing energy taxes indirectly which will increase gas prices) to appease the wing-nut branch of the Democratic Party. This is all part of careful "negotiations" by mentally challenged Republicans who obviously don’t know they’re being had.

A good reason not to negotiate this issue is the fact that the offshore ban will totally expire, on its own, in 41 days unless Congress votes to reauthorize it. So what’s really going on here is Democrats are trying to extend most of the ban while making it appear that they are opening up, ever so slightly, our shores to offshore drilling.

Republicans should call their hand and instead insist on a straight up and down vote on extending the drilling ban, something the American people no longer want. Put the Democrats in a box and make them vote to extend the ban and show they don’t care about the pain at the pump their constituents are suffering.

Another flaw with the "Gang" plan is they introduce barriers where none now exist. The language opening up the four areas for offshore drilling (ANWR is conveniently not included) gives away rights held by all Americans for essentially nothing in return which is unacceptable. As proposed, states in the four areas would have to approve offshore exploration before it could begin.

Call me old-fashioned but what rights do states have in federal waters? The answer is none, unless we stupidly give those rights away which is exactly what this legislation does. I’m not against cooperation but in no case should the tail ever be allowed to wag the dog. That offshore territory belongs to all Americans, not just those living in nearby states.

A more reasonable plan of action would be to let the drilling ban expire and get to work on an "all of the above" energy plan that includes drilling, nuclear, oil shale, wind, solar, hydro, geothermal, hybrids and electric/hydrogen/natural gas vehicles. There is no future in pursuing energy independence or powering everything with renewable energy because neither alternative is doable in the real world. If you’re a tree hugger you need to accept the reality of fossil and nuclear power in our energy mix and if you’re a realist you need to accept that wind and solar can play a role in our energy needs even though they currently need subsidies to survive.

On another note one of the joys of being in the information business is some of the more hilarious information that makes its way into our feeder lines. For example, the Center for Immigration Studies just published a piece that says that immigrants, legal and illegal, cause increased greenhouse gas emissions. In case you haven’t figured it out, this particular group is against immigration.

Their director is quoted as saying the health of the planet would be better if these people remained in their home countries. He goes on to say that they significantly increase their carbon footprint by coming to America.

Yes, before you know it they’ll be turning on lights when it’s dark, watching TV, soaking in a hot bathtub and other environmentally unfriendly things the back to the stone-agers want to do away with.

What a load of hooey.