Via Grist:
If some closet liberal in the design department isn’t trolling the National Review editors with this, then National Review is definitely trolling us. “Go ahead,” it’s saying. “We DARE you liberal reactionary ninnies of the press to tell us this isn’t a photo of a beautiful, idyllic miracle wonderland.” Honestly, though, I totally support its contention that the tar sands represent a many-splendored bower of bliss. Go live there, guys! Live there in pastoral ease and leisure! Jealousy guard your miracle home against minorities and illegal immigrants! You deserve it. We will just wait here in our inferior non-wonderland and feel really, really jealous.
I totally buy it. The complete lack of trees or anything smacking of an "ecosystem" gets them legitimately excited; a feeling only compounded by that black-lung-inducing haze. This is what they wish America looked like.
Strip away those miners' access to the Canadian health care system, and I daresay, this would be conservative Nirvana.
And what's that up in the right-hand corner? Oh, just another story on the tea party.