Joplin man pleads guilty to federal child pornography charge, originally arrested along with former JPD officer

A Joplin man pleaded guilty to child pornography charges today in U. S. District Court in Springfield.

Anthony Helsel, 31, withdrew his not guilty plea and pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of children.

Judge David P. Rush ordered a pre-sentence investigation. Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.

Helsel is the second person to plead guilty in connection with the same case. Former Joplin police offier Gary McKinney pleaded guilty August 12 and is awaiting sentencing.







The Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force were led to McKinney following their investigation and subsequent arrest of Helsel.

The probable cause affidavit detailed McKinney and Helsel's alleged crimes: Helsel admitted to investigating officers that he had sent videos of himself with a four-year-old girl to others, including McKinney.

When law enforcement arrived at Helsel's home, he was talking to McKinney, who was going by the name of "Jim Beam" on the KIK application, the affidavit said.

Helsel said McKinney sent him a $30 money gram asking for photos of the four-year-old's feet. He also asked for shoes and socks that had been worn by the girl, but he did not want anything that had been laundered.

In exchange for that, McKinney allegedly offered Helsel an opportunity for a sexual encounter with an adult woman. When McKinney and the woman arrived at Helsel's home, the woman declined to have sex with him, the affidavit said.

Helsel gave law enforcement officers permission to assume his KIK identity and began "engaging in chats with Jim Beam." An attempt to arrange a meeting with McKinney that evening was unsuccessful.

A forensic examination of Helsel's phone showed numerous conversations between Helfel and McKinney, according to the affidavit. On October 2, Helsel sent McKinney several files, with two including child pornography.

One included an approximately five-year-old girl engaged in a sex act with a boy, who appeared to be about nine years old.







Joplin Police conducted a search warrant at McKinney's home on South Byers Avenue Wednesday. A forensic examination of McKinney's phone showed a chat dated August 26:

During the chat, the two talked about setting up or finding groups with young children live streaming sexual acts. McKinney talked about having "a few women with little girls." (The other man) asked if they would "live show" and McKinney replied , "Yeah they (have intercourse with) their kids."McKinney and other man exchanged child pornography images, including photos of a six-year-old, a seven-year-old an "infant or toddler" whose genital area was being graphically displayed by an adult.

The search of the phone uncovered other exchanges of child pornography and discussion about children engaged in sexual activity, according to the probable cause affidavit.

FBI investigators interviewed the woman McKinney allegedly tried to set up with Helsel and were told McKinney liked her to have sex with men, including an act that involved her feet and then give him the details.

Columbia man pleads guilty to providing support for ISIS

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Columbia, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to his role in making preparations to launch a terrorist attack with persons he believed were members of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), but who were actually undercover law enforcement employees.

Robert Lorenzo Hester Jr., 28, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Hester, who has been in federal custody since his arrest in February 2017, is a U.S. citizen. He was enlisted in the U.S. Army for less than a year, receiving a general discharge from service in mid-2013.

By pleading guilty, Hester admitted that, from October 2016 to Feb. 17, 2017, he attempted to provide material support to ISIS, knowing that it was a designated foreign terrorist organization that engages in terrorist activity.

According to the plea agreement, multiple confidential sources reported to the FBI that Hester had posted a variety of material on multiple social media accounts.

Hester indicated that he had converted to Islam, expressed animus toward the United States, and posted photos of weapons and the ISIS flag, among other material, suggesting an adherence to radical Islamic ideology and a propensity for violence.

In order to assess whether Hester posed a security threat, the FBI undertook a series of investigative steps, beginning with an examination of whether and to what extent Hester would engage directly online with confidential sources working for the FBI and, later, with FBI employees working in an undercover capacity.

FBI employees using undercover identities communicated with Hester via social media, texting and personal meetings on several occasions.

In those conversations, Hester said, for example, that the U.S. government should be “overthrown,” and he suggested “hitting” the government “hard,” while noting that it would not be “a one man job.” Hester identified categories of potential targets for attack, including “oil production,” “military bases,” “federal places,” “government officials,” and “Wall Street.” Hester specified that “[a]ny government building in DC would get attention of everyone.” He said he wanted a “global jihad.”

Citing his brief enlistment in the U.S. Army, Hester also claimed proficiency with “assault weapons” and said that his favorite firearm was the AK-47 rifle. Hester spoke about the perceived ease in which one could gain access to a military base.

Hester established an apparent willingness to act on the statements that he made online. An undercover FBI employee conversing online with Hester offered an in-person meeting with a like-minded “brother.” Hester agreed to meet and subsequently did meet on numerous occasions with a person who was described as, and Hester believed was, a terrorist operative – but who, in reality, was an employee of the FBI working in an undercover capacity.

In the meetings, the FBI undercover made clear to Hester that the undercover was representing a foreign terrorist organization (ISIS) and that the undercover was planning an attack that would involve multiple operatives, deploy bombs and guns, and result in mass casualties. Hester indicated through his statements and actions that he was ready and willing to participate and assist in the “plot.”

Hester obtained, at the undercover’s request, items that he was told would be used as bomb components, including boxes of roofing nails. The undercover made clear to Hester that the nails’ purpose was to maximize the number of casualties. In addition, Hester did not hesitate when the undercover showed him a cache of three machine guns and two handguns that would be used in the “attack,” and two pipes that would be used to construct the “bombs.” In fact, in the days after seeing this display, which was arrayed in the rear compartment of the undercover’s SUV, Hester provided information on storage units that could be used to hold the weapons and agreed to obtain additional supplies for the operation.

As the plea agreement cites in greater detail, throughout the investigation, Hester expressed his interest in and exhibited his willingness to commit violence in support and on behalf of ISIS.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, the government anticipates recommending a sentence of 20 years in federal prison, which is the maximum penalty for this offense. Hester may not seek a sentence below 15 years’ imprisonment. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Casey and David Raskin and Trial Attorney Jennifer Levy of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. It was investigated by the FBI.

Agenda posted for tonight's Joplin R-8 Board of Education meeting

The Joplin R-8 Board of Education will meet 7 p.m. today in the Memorial Education Building.

A closed session is scheduled at 6 p.m. to discuss legal and personnel matters.

A. Call to Order
1. Roll Call

B. Pledge of Allegiance

C. Approval of Agenda - Action

D. Reports
1. Board President's Report
a. Celebrations - Info. (Sharrock Dermott)
2. Superintendent's Data Report
a. Health & Dental Plan Update - Info. (Dr. Lankford)
b. Financial Statements - Info. (Dr. Lankford)

E. Public Comments Regarding Agenda Action Items

F. Consent Agenda - Action
1. Minutes - Action (Pat Waldo)
2. HP Support Extension - Action (Dr. Sachetta)
3. Securly License Extension - Action (Dr. Sachetta)
4. Declare Miscellaneous Items Surplus and Authorize Auction - Action (Dr. Sachetta)
5. Approval of 2019-20 Bus Routes - Action (Dr. Sachetta)
6. Fuel Bid - Action (Dr. Sachetta)
7. Salary Adjustments for the 2019-2020 School Year - Action (Justin Crawford)
8. Policy Updates for Second Reading - Action (Dr. Moss)
a. Policy GBCB: Staff Conduct - Action (Justin Crawford)
b. Policy GBEBC: Criminal Background Checks - Action (Justin Crawford)
c. Policy GDBDA: Support Staff Leaves - Action (Justin Crawford) 

G. Regular Agenda
1. Accounts Payable - Action (Dr. Lankford)
2. Equipment for Secondary HVAC/R Program - Action (Sarah Mwangi )
a. Field Tool Sets - Action
b. Refrigeration Training Systems - Action
c. Frequency Drive Trainers - Action
d. Inverter Heat and Air Units - Action
3. Asphalt Seal and Stripe at NMS and MEC - Action (Dr. Sachetta)
4. Fulfilling Board member Training Requirement - Action (Dr. Moss)

H. Plus/Deltas - Info. (Dr. Moss)

I. Adjourn - Action

Feds arrest suspect in connection with Carthage man's death due to fentanyl-laced cocaine

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania)

Peter Rene Sanchez Montalvo aka Carlos has been charged by federal criminal complaint with illegal distribution of a controlled substance resulting in death and serious bodily injury, United States Attorney Scott W. Brady, FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones and Pittsburgh Public Safety Director Wendell Hissrich announced today.

According to the federal criminal complaint filed in this case, Montalvo was arrested early this morning at a residence in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb.

According to the affidavit in support of the complaint, the overdoses occurred after Montalvo distributed narcotics at an apartment on the South Side. 

During the party, Montalvo, wearing distinctive clothing, produced a large quantity of powdered narcotics in a box. He then cut into the narcotics and scooped out a large quantity of what the users believed was cocaine. Montalvo then started going around the room with the knife, allowing individuals to sniff the white powder from it. 

The surviving users stated that after they did a "bump" of suspected cocaine people immediately began to drop and suffer adverse effects. 

Investigation by the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office has initially determined the presence of fentanyl in the white powder. 

Pittsburgh Police Zone 3 Officers and first responders from Pittsburgh Medics and Fire Departments were dispatched to the apartments at 2626 Tunnel Blvd. 

Upon entering the building one adult male was found deceased outside of an elevator. Five additional persons were located inside the apartment: two deceased males and three males suffering from a medical emergency, who were transported to UPMC Mercy.

(Note: A Pittsburg Post-Gazette article identifies as one of the deceased as Josue Soberal Serrano, 38, Carthage.)









Montalvo was arrested today and is scheduled to make an initial appearance in federal court at 1:30 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Patricia Dodge. The United States Attorney’s Office intends to seek detention of the defendant without bail. Assistant United States Attorney Brendan Conway is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of not less than 20 years and up to life in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

The investigation leading to the filing of charges in these cases was conducted by the FBI’s Western Pennsylvania Opioid Task Force, which is comprised of law enforcement officers from the FBI, Port Authority Police of Allegheny County, the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office, the North Versailles Police Department and the Stowe Twp. Police Department, along with the Pittsburgh

Bureau of Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

A criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Carthage man held on $25,000 cash only bond after arrest for statutory rape, statutory sodomy

A Carthage man pleaded not guilty to statutory rape and statutory sodomy charges during a video arraignment held today in Jasper County Circuit Court.

Judge Joseph Hensley rejected the request of Aarron Bittick, 34, to have his bond lowered from $25,000 cash only and scheduled a bond hearing 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.








The Carthage Police Department arrested Bittick after receiving a report from a 14-year-old juvenile that claimed to have been molested by Bittick.

The molestation allegedly occurred September 1.

After an investigation, Bittick was taken into custody and is being held in the Jasper County Jail.

Kay Hively: Walnut season is nearly upon us

For years, in the fall, I wrote a newspaper feature about black walnuts. I find the story of the black walnut in the Ozarks a fascinating one. I am taken with the folks who gather and sell them. I enjoy visiting the buying station in the area and meeting the man who buys the walnuts. I like talking to the people who haul them to the station.

The buying season begins October 1.

Collecting black walnuts has a long history in the area. For years, many families gathered nuts in the fall, often using the money to buy Christmas gifts.

When the walnut trees lose their leaves, exposing the nuts, families got ready. It was usually after a big frost that the nuts began falling. The entire family worked, usually after school and on weekends, scooping up the nuts which were encased in a mushy, green outer cover.

Many young people in the Ozarks-of-old earned their first dollar gathering walnuts. Picking strawberries in summer and gathering walnuts in fall were the best way for kids, and even some families, to make much-needed extra money.

Today, people gather walnuts for a variety of reasons. Many, of course, still do it for the money, especially the kids. They usually work on weekends. but since the buying station is not always open then, the nuts are hauled to the station by a parent, or most likely, a grandparent. The kids find out how much money they have made after school on Monday.

Between Russell and me, we have met a lot of people gathering walnuts. One couple Russell interviewed raked and picked up nuts for the exercise. They didn't need the money but they wanted them picked up and, reversing the old trend, they used the money to buy Christmas presents for their grandchildren.

Getting the nuts off the lawn is one of the big reasons for gathering them. The large, hard nuts become bullets when they are run over by a lawnmower. So a yard full of walnuts is dangerous.

Several older folks who have walnut trees send out the word that people can come gather in their yard and keep the money. The elderly worry about stepping on the nuts and falling. Removing them may prevent a broken arm, leg or hip.

For families, getting everyone together to pick up walnuts is a reason for them to spend time with each other. Everyone enjoys the fall weather and the bonding that come from doing things as a family. There is a lot of learning, talking and, I would guess, a lot of deciding how to split the money.

Unfortunately, this old tradition is falling by the wayside. Today's kids have more money than their grandparents and parents had, and much of it doesn't require any work. Most kids would rather do something besides gather walnuts.

Also the popularity of walnut lumber is costing the Ozarks many of these wonderful trees. One only has to pay attention to lumber trucks moving down the highway full of walnut logs.

Just between you and me, one of the most beautiful scenes you can see as you drive the highways and byways of the Ozarks is a family out gathering walnuts,

(Kay HIvely is a historian, author and former editor, reporter and columnist for the Neosho Daily News and Neosho Post.)

Nancy Hughes: Address change

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am
doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not
perceive it? I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)

Moving from my old home to a new one created a lot more problems than I had anticipated. Trying to downsize was a huge issue since I was moving from a 5 bedroom to a 3 bedroom home. And of course, all the paperwork created a near migraine by the time it was finished.

One dilemma that was totally unexpected was changing my address. I thought I was ahead of the game when I bought four packages of “I’ve Moved!” cards to send to friends until I realized that they got packed in the move and were not found until a year later.

Fortunately the post office forwarded my mail from my other home for a few months, which helped as I notified insurance agents, medical facilities and credit card companies of the address change.

But for 6 months after the move, I kept receiving mail at my new home that belonged to the previous home owners. I would write “doesn’t live here anymore” and put it back in the mailbox but I continued to receive letters from the same companies over and over. It was almost as though the senders didn’t believe my message on each envelope.

It struck me that sometimes as Christians we are viewed in that same way. When we give our lives to the Lord, we are told to “forget the former things” as we read in Isaiah 43:18-19. But, as sad as it is, too often there are Christian brothers and sisters who do not.
They may not speak openly about what you did or didn’t do before you gave your heart to the Lord but their actions and glances are every bit as loud as a spoken word. And while God Himself assures us that He forgives and forgets, some do not.

If that is where you find yourself today, my friends, please remember what your new “home” is filled with: room after room of forgiveness and grace and mercy. Pray for those who feel the need to judge you by your past, that they will truly experience becoming a new creation, as you are in your new “home.”

Maybe my old “home” was larger with more storage . . . but it does not compare to my new “home” in Christ. Just as I wrote on those envelopes, you too can live with confidence in knowing that God does not judge us by how we lived in the past. Nancy doesn’t live there anymore.

Father, I praise you today for your forgiveness and mercy and for creating a new me when I turned my life over to you. Show me the new life that you have for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

R.A.P. it up . . .

Reflect

Have you ever had someone make a comment or look at you in a way that let you know they remembered your past before you came to the Lord?

What was your first reaction when that happened?

Apply

Make note cards with today’s Power Scriptures on them.

Place them around your home, in your Bible, in your car and in a cabinet to remind you about your address change when you turned your life and “home” over to the Lord.

Power

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV) “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:16 (NIV) . . . For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.”

II Corinthians 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
(For more of Nancy Hughes' writing, check out her blog, Encouragement from the War Room)

Kim Frencken: Teachers who are truly teachers love what they do

After all the jokes about full moons and sleeping in and cranky parents, teachers will admit that they love kids.

There are so many reasons that teachers keep being teachers, but sometimes we forget. For just a moment. Until that kid comes up and thanks you for letting them be a kid today. Or the little person who can't tie their shoes, so they help by rubbing your head while you are tying them.

The numerous high fives and fist bumps gently remind us why we do what we do. Day in and day out. On days when we're too tired to think. On days when our head is throbbing. Or days when we want to cry our eyes out.

It never fails that on those days, something miraculous happens and God reminds me why He made me a teacher. 

For a few years, I lived in a small city and worked as a merchandiser and I forgot the joy of learning. Until Mom reminded me. She reminded me that, as a child, I had taught all of my dolls and pets. Everyday after school. 

She reminded me how I had rummaged through the school trash and brought home all the teacher stuff my teachers had discarded. I set up school on our back patio or in my room on inclement days. My parents encouraged me by buying a chalk board and books. And they gave me time to pretend and imagine. What a gift!

Teaching is a gift. It can't be learned. It can't be bought. A teacher is not something. A teacher is someone. Teaching is buried deep in our hearts. It makes them beat. 

I may get frustrated with school politics. I may be sick and tired of meetings. I may run out of polite, professional things to say to that annoying parent. But I never get tired of being with children. They keep me young. They make me laugh.

So... all jokes aside. Teachers who are truly teachers love what they do. They love kids. They can't think of anything else they'd rather be.
(For more of Kim Frencken's writing, check out her blog, Chocolate For the Teacher.)

A message to the smug people who said Grant Wistrom's medical marijuana license efforts aren't news

I wasn't surprised by the reaction to my post on the Turner Resports blog about former Webb City High School and St. Louis Rams football standout Grant Wistrom's attempt to get a medical marijuana license in Springfield.

There were some who smugly proclaimed, "This is not news."

Others insisted it was nobody's business except Grant Wistrom's.

The naysayers did not keep it from being the most visited post on any of my blogs this week, the first time a post on the sports blog accomplished that feat.

I find it hard to understand how people can say the Wistrom story is not news.








Consider these elements of the story:

1. We have someone who is local celebrity and has received national sports stardom who is starting a new venture.

2. The ability to legally get medical marijuana licenses in Missouri is new and is being covered by the news all over the state.

3. The one I found most interesting. Wistrom talked about the use of marijuana to deal with pain and used his background as a professional football player who had to deal with pain every day. ,

So we have a celebrity, a timely topic and a compelling human interest story.

It's news, plain and simple.

I am certain that reasoning won't do anything to change the minds of those who don't think it is news because they aren't interested in it.

As for the other argument, that's it's nobody's business except Grant Wistrom's, it is going to be tough for him to make his business a success if nobody takes any interest in it.

Judging by the readership on this post, that will not be a problem.

This week's most visited Turner Report, Inside Joplin and Inside Joplin Obituaries posts and links to each of them after featured below.








The Turner Report

1. Federal grand jury indicts felon who shot Jasper County deputy io 2017 on meth trafficking, weapons charges

2. Former Pineville First Baptist Church youth minister pleads guilty to sexual exploitation of children

3. Federal grand jury indicts Joplin man on weapons charge

4. Barbara McNeely killer: I'm so very, very sorry for what I did

5. Is it absolutely necessary to make every post a battleground for Trump lovers and Trump haters?

6. Burnett: Governor called $60,000 special session to give sales tax break to one couple

7. Federal court document: Joplin man indicted for meth trafficking had stolen weapons, 4,000 rounds of ammunition

8. Missouri Southern begins presidential search process

9. Federal judge revokes Neosho man's probation on bank fraud, forgery charges

10. Carthage R-9 survey: Patrons want to build performing arts center, expand tech programs

Inside Joplin

1. JPD Range Line stop nets 3.3 pounds of meth marijuana, arrest for drug trafficking, DWI

2. Joplin woman arrested, meth confiscated during SWAT search warrant execution

3. Granby pedestrian struck by motorcycle, killed

4. Joplin Police ask for help locating missing person

5. Galena man sought on drug trafficking

6. Jasper woman injured in head-on collision north of Carthage

7. Three teens injured in accident near Racine

8. Jasper County Dissolution of Marriage Petitions

9. Joplin Police Department Weekend Arrests

10. Jasper County Sheriff's Office Arrests

Inside Joplin Obituaries

1. K. T. Ashburn

2. Brad Chaligoj

3. Jonathan Orozco

4. Jeremy Choens

5. Stephanie Brown

6. Kenneth Arehart

7. Barbara Musgrave

8. Joel Lamson

9. Terry Schulte

10. Carey Cardwell

Jason Smith: Thanks to President Trump for providing us with clean natural resources, energy independence

(From Eighth District Congressman Jason Smith)

Over the weekend, we were all alarmed by the images of oil fields on fire in the Middle East. 

Historically, whenever there is global uncertainty around the security of the world’s oil supply, it sends energy prices soaring, which impacts the day to day lives of the hardworking people here in southern Missouri just trying to make ends meet. 

All of a sudden, families are forced to stretch their budgets further than expected due to higher costs to heat their homes or to fill up on gas. 

However, all of that has changed in the last two and a half years because of a president and a White House focused on making us a nation that can utilize our own resources beneath our feet and not be reliant on foreign energy sources. 

Now, thanks to President Trump, the United States uses the newest, cleanest, and safest technology to harvest energy found in natural resources right here on American soil.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit the Bakken oil field in North Dakota and see the benefits of America’s energy creation. 

Astounding advances in technology led North Dakota to reach new heights, and they now produce 1.4 million barrels of oil per day. 

This massive production exceeds that of certain OPEC countries, a conglomerate of countries that have historically monopolized global oil exports. Now, the United States is generating over 12% of the worldwide oil supply, directly leading to an increase in our national security by reducing our dependency on countries situated in some of the most dangerous parts of the world. 

This also means that instead of having Americans’ hard-earned dollars go into the pockets of corrupt overseas governments, their money is staying here in America and being used for investments in local job creation.

Not only are we producing more energy than ever before, but we are also using the latest technology to ensure we are harvesting it in an environmentally conscious way. America is using the cleanest technology found anywhere in the world and these innovations are leading to historic drops in U.S. pollution. 

In fact, the United States just recently reached a 25-year low in carbon-dioxide emissions. Nowhere is this more evident than in Texas, where they have now become one of the leading exporters of natural gas in the world. Emerging technologies have made harvesting this energy clean and efficient. And soon, new zero-emissions facilities will make natural gas a leading cause for reductions in global emissions.

Exporting American energy creates more jobs in America, supports the American workforce, and decreases our allies’ reliance on adversarial nations. Countries like China, Russia, and Venezuela are not committed to this type of sustainability. Cities in China with extensive energy production facilities cite toxins and pollutants in three-quarters of all premature deaths. Russia’s history is littered with irresponsible energy practices which have led to massive rises in respiratory health issues in children. And we know that Nicholas Maduro and his socialist scam have defrauded the people in Venezuela of their valuable natural resources and economic prosperity. That is not the case in America. Our energy innovations protect our global environment, promote our national security, and create tens of thousands of high-paying jobs here at home.

Unfortunately, Nancy Pelosi and her liberal lieutenants don’t agree. Just days before this attack, they advanced legislation in Congress to hamper our domestic energy exploration, increase our dependence on foreign sources, and drive up oil and gas prices.

Instead of obstructing President Trump, I am committed to continuing my work with him to decrease our dependence on foreign energy. That’s because I know a nation that is dependent on foreign countries is neither safe nor free. It was the desire for a secure and prosperous nation that drove our Founding Fathers to sign the Constitution 232 years ago this week. With beautiful simplicity, they crafted a government for “We the People” and gave us the noble responsibility of striving towards a more perfect union and securing its blessings of liberty for ourselves and future generations.

If we are ever going to be able to live up to our generation’s responsibility to protect our striving nation, we must achieve our energy independence.