‘Oil No More Evil Than Gold, Wheat…’

To the Editor:
I share Jack Fichter’s concerns about the wildlife destroyed by the catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf. Like him I love nature. Back in 1964, my wife (then fiancé) and I were instrumental in saving Cedar Island in Avalon from destruction as a wild life refuge and rookery. We formed the Save Cedar Island League to prevent the borough from selling all 210 acres for $58,000. To this day it is a sanctuary and place of beauty.
I must disagree with Fichter regarding his statement that “oil is evil.” Oil is a commodity and no more evil than gold, wheat, iron and land. It is man himself who is evil. Saddam Hussein was evil and did so much to destroy the environment and poison the Persian Gulf. What’s more, he did it deliberately. Oil is so necessary for the world as we know it. We cannot fly across oceans nor power our society without it. Wind power and solar power will not do the job in the foreseeable future. Where would our South Jersey economy be without it?
I was watching the 700 Club the other day on ABC Family and saw the story of Operation Blessing going into the mountains of Honduras to save the life of a little girl dying from pneumonia in the name and for the glory of Christ. Oil made this possible. Yes, there will be accidents no matter what we do. It’s our job to minimize their number and effect.
DR. ROBERT BARRON
Petersburg