Dennis Kucinich: “in the Book of Genesis, Esau, hungry and believing he was about to die, sold his birthright to Jacob for a pot of red…”

“in the Book of Genesis, Esau, hungry and believing he was about to die, sold his birthright to Jacob for a pot of red stew. The Alaska National Wildlife Refuge is the birthright of the Gwich'in Tribe as well as a national treasure of natural beauty. Are we, like Esau, about to sell our birthright to corporations for a mess of oily pottage? Are we ready to despoil our natural heritage in search of liquid fool's gold? It is time for new thinking. Instead of the oil companies taking over ANWR for drilling, we ought to be talking about taking over the oil companies. They have gouged the American people. They control our politics. They have ignored the growing global environmental crisis. They have defeated alternative energies. The lust for oil has put us on a path toward war. It is time for new thinking. We should be talking about a windfall profits tax, breaking up the oil monopolies, or even taking over the oil companies, not sacrificing ANWR. Esau thought his birthright didn't mean much. Will we, like Esau, come to regret that we never claimed our right to control over our natural resources, our own environment, our own Nation? ____________________”