Hundreds of high school students from across the region Monday
were told to stay engaged with the world’s affairs and measure
their personal choices carefully during a Government Outreach
program at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford’s Blaisdell
Hall.
The program – which included panelists discussing such issues as
energy, foreign affairs and the media – is presented annually by
U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa. Officials estimated more than 250
students were in attendance.
The group also heard from internationally syndicated cartoonist
and motivational speaker Robb Armstrong.
“Government is involved in our lives from birth to death,”
Peterson said. “In America, you have the freedom to build your own
lives and form your own choices. You are our future. What you do in
life will help shape the type of government we have in the
future.”
Part of that future could depend heavily on the circumstances in
such foreign countries as Iraq, North Korea and Iran, officials
said.
According to foreign policy expert William Schirano of The
Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, the
so-called “Axis of Evil” are the “primary security dangers to the
United States.”
“Iraq right now is a significant challenge and it could go
either way there,” Schirano said. “But, there have been some
successes. In reality, Iraq is not a military problem, but it’s
about the politics. If we keep our eye on the ball and solve the
problem with legitimacy (in the government) we will be in a good
position and leave it better than we found it.”
Meanwhile, Schirano said pulling American troops out of the
country too early could lead to its downfall.
“We should pull them out when the Iraqis can start defending
themselves,” Schirano said. “If we bring the troops home too early,
we will be as close to failure in Iraq as we can be.”
On the North Korean front, Schirano said Pyongyang has been
building up its nuclear arsenal for several years, and is now being
confronted in that effort during the ongoing multilateral talks.
Meanwhile, Iran is looking to join the nuclear fraternity.
“Both these countries treat their people terribly and are
threats to the world,” Schirano said. “They are thinking very
intently about us (United States) all the time. Their attempts to
develop nuclear weapons shows that.”
Schirano said Iran’s desire for weapons is connected to the
events in Iraq. “They see what is happening there, and want to keep
the United States at bay.”
Schirano said while the threat of using military force should
always be left on the table, “given the intelligence problems we
had in Iraq, it wouldn’t be guaranteed we could strategically bomb
all the right sites.
“Iran is also in a good position to mess things up in Iraq,”
Schirano added, noting diplomacy should be used first. “The key to
the situation in Iran is in keeping with our European allies. We
have to engage people and try to bring them along with us.
“If it does become a military situation (in both those
countries) it could very easily get out of control.”
On the domestic front, Lawrence Lepidi, the director of law and
government affairs for Joy Mining Machinery in Warrendale, and Don
Keck from American Refining Group discussed the future of energy in
the country.
Lepidi said coal – at 51 percent – is the leading source for
electricity, followed at nuclear at 20 percent. Natural gas and oil
stood at 17 and 3 percent, respectively.
“Demand in one area affects the price in another,” Lepidi said.
“In the future, we should be able to reduce our dependency on the
other sources because we have a lot of coal and nuclear
capability.”
For his part, Keck said hurricanes Katrina and Rita put a large
dent in the country’s ability to refine oil, disrupting the
production of refineries producing 400,000 barrels of oil a
day.
“The refineries in this country were running at 95 percent
before they hit,” Keck said. “If there is a hiccup anywhere along
the line, the prices will go up. Katrina wrecked devastation on
this industry.”
Keck added Katrina shut down eight major refineries, causing an
11 percent decline in capacity. “Other refineries were then forced
to run at reduced rates,” adding there is no excess capacity of oil
in the country.
Finally, in his presentation, Peterson focused on the dangers of
drugs and alcohol to high school-age students.
“People who are hooked on drugs don’t live until 50,” Peterson
said. “It’s just a temporary feel good. Drugs are something made in
a back alley. Is that what you want to put into yourself?”
Peterson also said the students should develop a strong inner
belief in themselves, saying “When everybody tells you you can’t do
something and you do, that’s a good high and one money can’t buy.
There is nothing better than winning when somebody bets you’ll
lose.”
