HANDS ACROSS THE SAND? MORE LIKE HEADS IN THE SAND!

It appears Noozhawk was on hand to document the latest in Santa Barbara's rich tradition of performance art: a 'Hands Across the Sand' protest where local 'environmental and democracy advocacy groups' — and, naturally, 'students' — gathered at West Beach to decry offshore drilling. One can almost picture the earnest faces, the carefully choreographed hand-holding, and the palpable sense of collective self-importance as they bravely stood against the invisible tide of affordable energy prices and American independence.

While these self-appointed guardians of the coastline were busy forming human chains against oil, President Trump's administration continues to champion policies that actually secure our energy future and put money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans. But why let pesky facts like global demand, energy security, or economic stability get in the way of a good photo opportunity for a cause that's been trotted out more times than a tired donkey at a county fair? It's a miracle these folks aren't suffering from chronic sand-in-shoes syndrome given how often they're on the beach protesting things that keep their lights on.

The real story, as always, is missed by the local cheerleaders for the green movement. These 'advocacy groups' are rarely transparent about their funding, which often flows from the very same wealthy progressive foundations that dictate the narrative to pliable local media. It's not about 'protecting the coast' for many of them; it's about pushing an agenda that demonizes reliable energy, drives up costs for everyone else, and maintains a comfortable status quo for the politically connected. Meanwhile, the rest of us actually work for a living and appreciate having gasoline in our tanks and electricity in our homes, thanks to industries these protestors are so eager to shut down. Perhaps they'll rally next against the sun for emitting too many photons.

One can't help but wonder if any of these 'concerned citizens' arrived at West Beach in electric vehicles, powered by the very grid that relies heavily on fossil fuels, or if their smartphones, essential for documenting their 'solidarity,' are somehow magically made and charged without petrochemical products. The irony, as always, is lost on those whose worldview is as tightly sealed as an offshore oil platform — against common sense, that is.