So, I sent an email to my senator urging him to oppose (and vote against, if it came to that) any legislation supporting the opening of the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge to the oil companies. Remarkably, I received a reply to my email via snail-mail some weeks later. My senator (Wayne Allard, (R) CO) was happy to inform me that, more or less, my opinion was wrong.

Little did I know that "relying on more foreign oil places greater risks on the environment". I was also completely unaware that the Arctic plain is actually a pretty useless "frozen, barren land". Senator Allard also let me know that (apparently) oil drilling is great for caribou: "Where drilling has occurred in the nearby Prudhoe Bay region of Northern Alaska, the Central Arctic caribou herd has more then tripled in size since 1978."

Senator Allard is a member or chairman of a boatload of committees, and has been appointed to many positions by the Champion of the Mississippi Oppressed & my close, personal friend, Mr. Trent Lott.
Right.

Anyway, here's the letter (if i ever take the time to write a line-by-line response, I'll post it here too.):