I am not much of a cultural commentator. It's probably sacrilege to admit that on a site that's dedicated to the interaction of faith, news and culture, but except for an inexcusable affection for celebrity gossip, there's not much about the popular press that gets my riled up. Maybe its because I tend to be a long-range thinker and the burning issues of today, quickly become the burnt out concerns of yesterday. Or maybe its because I tend to be a pretty cerebral processor (I once read a book about bookshelves which is anathema to most people) and things like the latest political maneuver or the Ebert and Roper's movie reviews aren't of great interest. I say all that to say, my opinion on the proposal to drill in ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Reserve) is barely informed and probably worth less than the paper it would take to portray it.   I tend to leave those things to the expert, alhough I would like it to cost less to fill up my car's gas tank. It turns out, I'm not alone in this.

A recent survey revealed that support for drilling in ANWR has increased substantially in recent weeks. Not surprisingly this corresponds with record-breaking prices for fuel. Noteworthy to me is that the conviction of many who felt it was wrong to drill in ANWR has suddenly changed when the felt the pinch at the pump. Not only have those who support it increased, but those who opposed it has dropped. I wonder if those who believed drilling in ANWR was wrong February, why would it all the sudden be permissible now? The only thing that has changed is the impact that not-drilling has had on their life. Meaning that the cost of their conviction is basically the cost of gas. Now that cost has risen dramatically it recent weeks, but in the grand scheme of things it still means there beliefs were sold on the cheap.

Now all of this could be a reflection of my cynicism. Maybe people have changed their opinion because they have become more informed about the issues or because they've realized how barren the ANWR region is. But Jay Leno's Man on the Street segment leaves me little hope of how informed people are. No, my guess is that they simply don't like to pay so much to get where they want to go. And to lower that cost, they're willing to make a change - not in their habits but in their convictions. Which kind of makes you wonder, how much value does public opinion hold then anyway?