For Congressman Benishek, oil drilling is literally a religious issue. “God gave us this planet and all its resources to meet our needs. America has expansive coal, natural gas, and oil reserves. We need to responsibly tap into these reserves,” Benishek writes. Interfering with this divine providence, in Benishek’s belief, is demonic environmental regulation.

Benishek warns of an impending, and irreligious, energy disaster. Energy exploration has come to a near standstill, according to his vision. “Radical environmentalism has rendered energy development next to impossible,” Benishek says.

The facts show, however, that energy development is moving forward at a fast pace. Over 8,000 leases are currently active along the coasts of the USA. Data from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement from this morning show that, over the last half year, over 3,200 new permits for offshore drilling activity have been granted. Add to these statistics the large number of drilling operations on land, and you get a picture of a thriving energy industry that’s making money hand over fist.

And where is that oil money going to? Well, some of it is going to Dan Benishek. Benishek’s campaign last year took substantial amounts of cash from oil and mining companies.

These contributions appear to have interfered with Benishek’s judgment. On issues of energy and the environment, Dan Benishek is out of touch – with voters, and with reality.

Farenthold has pledged to undo the progress that has been made with health care reforms that are bringing medical care to increased numbers of Americans. Farenthold buys in to all sorts of strange conspiracy theories about what he calls “Obamacare”. He contends, for example, that government-provided health care has deprived people of the freedom to choose what they eat.

Can anyone point to a single story of government-run health care taking away their freedom to eat as they choose? Of course not.

The people of Corpus Christi and Brownsville need better than to be represented by this kind of corporate-backed buffoon. That’s why residents of the 27th congressional district in Texas are already organizing to replace Farenthold in 2012.

Goodness knows that Solomon Ortiz was not progressive enough, but Texas can do much better than Blake Farenthold. Spread the word with one of these bumper stickers: Brownsville Against Blake Farenthold and Texans Against Blake Farenthold.

It’s true, and the Republican candidate for Governor made it unavoidably plain. When he was asked “Would you support offshore drilling in the waters off the Maine Coast?” in a televised gubernatorial debate in May of this year, Paul LePage gave an unequivocal one-word answer: “Yes.”

We’ve seen what happened to the fishing and tourism industries of the Gulf Coast after BP’s recent oil disaster. Is this what you want to see happening in Maine’s future?

If you feel that this kind of statement makes Joe Barton a tragedy of the first proportion in Congress, you’re not alone. But wait: it could get worse. Did you know that if the Republicans regain a majority in the House in November, Joe Barton will be made Chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee?

Don’t let it happen. Make your public stand against the likes of Joe Barton with this anti-Barton bumper sticker (or, if you prefer, with this made-in-the-USA anti-Barton t-shirt).

We’ve heard too many excuses from the Drill Baby Drill crowd, pushing offshore drilling on us as if it’s just some kind of game to try to keep America’s coasts clean. Our natural treasures shouldn’t be sold out so easily.

The standard for true success should be clear: No more Deepwater Horizons – a Moratorium on Offshore Drilling NOW!

Here is an Exxon-McCain 2008 bumper sticker to help spread the meme, using the style of the George W. Bush 2004 bumper sticker to help reinforce the idea that John McCain is just four more years of George W. Bush.