I live in the Midwest where we don’t have beaches or shorelines, so whenever a vacation or travel opportunity arises I am the first to say “let’s go to the beach.”  In the natural beauty of the sea is tranquility that defies description.  It breaks my heart to hear the gas gluttons cry for offshore drilling, knowing that ‘quick-fix’ will mar forever the calming horizon.  We have damaged our planet in so many ways.  Must we also destroy those gorgeous vistas?  Surely the small amount of oil to be gained is not worth such a dear price?  There are already drilling installations off the Gulf Coasts and in Mobile Bay.  It is a tragedy to go there and gaze into a sunset framed around an ugly mass of steel.  Please stop before it is too late.