Adam's Apple
Senior Member
- Apr 25, 2004
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Pretty good article. Printed in its entirety - subscription site.
The London Bombings Were Fueled by Oil
By Froma Harrop
Friday, July 8, 2005
Excerpted:
It is oil's fault. The London bombings are almost surely al-Qaida's work, which means oil paid for them. Oil keeps the Mideast backward. It funds the madrassas that fill heads with anti-West poison. And it pays the terrorists who plant bombs on European trains and fly airplanes into American buildings. It is time we did something about oil.
The United States accounts for 25 percent of the world's oil consumption. We could crush oil's power to hurt us with a serious campaign to kick our fossil-fuel habit. But we don't, because we have an administration and Congress that care more about the oil industry than about us.
That said, not everyone in Washington is craven to the god of petroleum. The Senate has just passed an energy bill that provides real incentives for conservation and alternative sources. But little of the good stuff made it into the House version. And so, the Senate must now reconcile its modern vision with the House's primitive worship of fossil fuels.
We're in Iraq because of oil. That's not to say our intentions were ever to take over Iraqi oil fields. Our interest is to transform Mesopotamia and the rest of the Mideast into stable democracies. The theory is that angry theologies and genocidal tyrants frustrate economic advancement and breed dementia.
But the corrupting influence of oil goes on because the United States hasn't had the discipline and courage to end the oil game. This approach damages us because it maintains the myth that America can somehow reduce its dependency on foreign oil without giving up oil consumption. World supply and global demand ultimately set the price of oil. China's mushrooming economy alone will keep it rising.
The lack of will to tackle the problem lies not in the American people but in their leadership. An Associated Press poll in April asked this simple question: "Do you think George W. Bush is or is not handling the nation's energy problems effectively?" Two-thirds answered, "Is not."
Every time someone suggests programs to reduce America's oil consumption, the president says "can't do." It would harm the economy, he argues. But empowering terrorists with oil money also damages the economy.
The civilized world's struggle against terrorism is a fight against oil. We must fight it everywhere and with every weapon. That means fuel-efficient appliances, wind turbines, solar panels, nuclear energy and hybrid engines. And yes, throw in ethanol. Thanks to improved production techniques, corn-based fuel now produces more energy than is required to make it. Ethanol is a player.
The awful bombings in London no matter who did them remind us that terrorist attacks on the West are not one-time deals. There will be more of them, and some will happen here. And when they do, there will be more hand-wringing about our addiction to oil.
But instead of wringing hands, we could start applying elbow grease. Americans really do want to reduce their dependency on oil. They are willing even eager to make short-term sacrifices for this longer-term good. But they need leaders who are with them and serious about taking America out of the oil quagmire and into an enlightened age.
The London Bombings Were Fueled by Oil
By Froma Harrop
Friday, July 8, 2005
Excerpted:
It is oil's fault. The London bombings are almost surely al-Qaida's work, which means oil paid for them. Oil keeps the Mideast backward. It funds the madrassas that fill heads with anti-West poison. And it pays the terrorists who plant bombs on European trains and fly airplanes into American buildings. It is time we did something about oil.
The United States accounts for 25 percent of the world's oil consumption. We could crush oil's power to hurt us with a serious campaign to kick our fossil-fuel habit. But we don't, because we have an administration and Congress that care more about the oil industry than about us.
That said, not everyone in Washington is craven to the god of petroleum. The Senate has just passed an energy bill that provides real incentives for conservation and alternative sources. But little of the good stuff made it into the House version. And so, the Senate must now reconcile its modern vision with the House's primitive worship of fossil fuels.
We're in Iraq because of oil. That's not to say our intentions were ever to take over Iraqi oil fields. Our interest is to transform Mesopotamia and the rest of the Mideast into stable democracies. The theory is that angry theologies and genocidal tyrants frustrate economic advancement and breed dementia.
But the corrupting influence of oil goes on because the United States hasn't had the discipline and courage to end the oil game. This approach damages us because it maintains the myth that America can somehow reduce its dependency on foreign oil without giving up oil consumption. World supply and global demand ultimately set the price of oil. China's mushrooming economy alone will keep it rising.
The lack of will to tackle the problem lies not in the American people but in their leadership. An Associated Press poll in April asked this simple question: "Do you think George W. Bush is or is not handling the nation's energy problems effectively?" Two-thirds answered, "Is not."
Every time someone suggests programs to reduce America's oil consumption, the president says "can't do." It would harm the economy, he argues. But empowering terrorists with oil money also damages the economy.
The civilized world's struggle against terrorism is a fight against oil. We must fight it everywhere and with every weapon. That means fuel-efficient appliances, wind turbines, solar panels, nuclear energy and hybrid engines. And yes, throw in ethanol. Thanks to improved production techniques, corn-based fuel now produces more energy than is required to make it. Ethanol is a player.
The awful bombings in London no matter who did them remind us that terrorist attacks on the West are not one-time deals. There will be more of them, and some will happen here. And when they do, there will be more hand-wringing about our addiction to oil.
But instead of wringing hands, we could start applying elbow grease. Americans really do want to reduce their dependency on oil. They are willing even eager to make short-term sacrifices for this longer-term good. But they need leaders who are with them and serious about taking America out of the oil quagmire and into an enlightened age.
