Jive Turki: Admit it, U.S., you're addicted to oil

Products Made From Oil

Clothing Ink
Heart Valves
Crayons
Parachutes
Telephones
Enamel
Transparent tape
Antiseptics
Vacuum bottles
Deodorant
Pantyhose
Rubbing Alcohol
Carpets
Epoxy paint
Oil filters
Upholstery
Hearing Aids
Car sound insulation
Cassettes
Motorcycle helmets
Pillows
Shower doors
Shoes
Refrigerator linings
Electrical tape
Safety glass
Awnings
Salad bowl
Rubber cement
Nylon rope
Ice buckets
Fertilizers
Hair coloring
Toilet seats
Denture adhesive
Loudspeakers
Movie film
Fishing boots
Candles
Water pipes
Car enamel
Shower curtains
Credit cards
Aspirin
Golf balls
Detergents
Sunglasses
Glue
Fishing rods
Linoleum
Plastic wood
Soft contact lenses
Trash bags
Hand lotion
Shampoo
Shaving cream
Footballs
Paint brushes
Balloons
Fan belts
Umbrellas
Paint Rollers
Luggage
Antifreeze
Model cars
Floor wax
Sports car bodies
Tires
Dishwashing liquids
Unbreakable dishes
Toothbrushes
Toothpaste
Combs
Tents
Hair curlers
Lipstick
Ice cube trays
Electric blankets
Tennis rackets
Drinking cups
House paint
Rollerskates wheels
Guitar strings
Ammonia
Eyeglasses
Ice chests
Life jackets
TV cabinets
Car battery cases
Insect repellent
Refrigerants
Typewriter ribbons
Cold cream
Glycerin
Plywood adhesive
Cameras
Anesthetics
Artificial turf
Artificial Limbs
Bandages
Dentures
Mops
Beach Umbrellas
Ballpoint pens
Boats
Nail polish
Golf bags
Caulking
Tape recorders
Curtains
Vitamin capsules
Dashboards
Putty
Percolators
Skis
Insecticides
Fishing lures
Perfumes
Shoe polish
Petroleum jelly
Faucet washers
Food preservatives
Antihistamines
Cortisone
Dyes
LP records
Solvents
Roofing

In other words, You're trapped, Infidel. Get used to it.

He sorely underestimates the ability of the West to innovate and invent, especially when there is pressing need (whether one is doing it for "green" reasons, or to get the Saudi yoke off our necks), or because we know that the supply of oil one day WILL run out.

He overlooks all the technological accomplishments of the west and of Japan in the past century.

He seems to think that because Islamic society is stagnant, then ours must stagnate too.

Sorry to disabuse you, little princeling, but someone, somewhere in the west - or Japan - will come up with a solution that is both viable and affordable. In fact, from tuning in to techie shows from time to time, it would seem that progress is proceeding apace on the problem. My own province has a rather impressive wind farm on the plains in the shadow of the Rockies that serves the general grid. Unfortunately, my own power probably comes from a nearby (relatively) coal plant, but that coal is domestic, at the very least, gathered from the mines of Crowsnest Pass and Grand Cache.

My own car is dead; I feel no need to leave town (at least, not until I'm ready to run from my ex), and can get anywhere in town on foot easily, even in the winter. I personally don't have very much use for your Saudi oil.

Oh, we Canucks also have the tar sands, and subarctic oil. :P

"Whether you like it or not, the destinies of the United States and Saudi Arabia are linked and will remain (linked) for decades," he said.

That does not mean that we should not be looking for alternatives. Many of the products in the post by PVB could be replaced by soybean or metal alternatives.

The question is will Obama really recognize the problem and in a meaningful way address it with national policy. To me that means programs that reduce oil consumption while developing new processes that are commercially successful and profitable. Oil will not be replaced until it is profitable for a company to do so.

Until then we will be funding Jihad.

"That does not mean that we should not be looking for alternatives. Many of the products in the post by PVB could be replaced by soybean or metal alternatives." - JetCal1

Hemp might be a useful substitute, too, if governments would get over themselves about cannabis products of all types.

We might even find a different manufactured material to replace petroleum-based plastic.

The past revealed marvels unthought of to the people living at the time, and there's no reason to think that this won't continue to happen. At least, so long as our civilization with its tradition of free inquiry remains intact.

PVB:

You may find that most of those items you have mentioned also require the by product of cattle which uses every single part of the animal.

Of course he's right. What's a shame is the political paralysis that has surrounded this issue for the past 35 years, since the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo.

The ingredients are in place today to break the impasse. Instead of pushing cap-and-trade to reduce CO2, they should put a big tax on oil imported from the Middle East to improve national security.

Republicans would support it. Democrats would support it.

Instead, those in power push a cap-and-trade bill that will die in the Senate. Nothing will be done, and the paralysis will continue.

What a shame.

Ernie Banks - Maybe not a tax (which would imply that we would be paying it) but a tarriff (making the Saudis pay it.)

Without oil, would there be any "successful" Islamic country in the world?

The free world has the skills and expertise to come up with all kinds of alternatives. Over the decades powerful lobbyists and unions have put a kink in this countries ability to get these things done.

Corn was not the best and cheapest flex fuel by far but the powerful corn lobby got the politicians and the president to give it the primary support and who gets hurt everbody but the corn futures and third world countries who can no longer afford corn meal. Switch grass would have been the cheapest and the most abundant but they had no lobbyists, and sugar beet would have been cheaper as well

Take a look at asphalt highways across America. Did you know that a asphalt hwy that uses crushed used tires in them can last 5 times longer than one that does not. Arizona is the best example of that on their state hwys, but the powerful asphalt lobbyist padded the pockets of politicians to the point where no rubber tires are put into the federal asphalt hwy system---imagine the billions of gallons of oil that could be saved there.

North America is still surrounded by billions of barrels of oil in the oceans and in the ground such as Anwar, that have been put off limits. So who is drilling in these places now? try China, and host of other countries that don't have the leftwing liberal mind set that makes up our politicians.

Without oil, would there be any "successful" Islamic country in the world?

Posted by: Jew_Lover

WITH oil, is there any successful Islamic country in the world?

Not true....we have it.

1. Oil Shale
2. Coal
3. Drilling for more oil

We just need to stop being lazy, and spend the cash (or create incentives for companies to invest in it like massive tax breaks etc.). All that money Obama spent in his idiotic economic plan, and what Bush spent in our pointless war in Iraq could have really helped in these areas....and would have been better spent. We have the worlds largest supplies of oil shale and coal, and could supply our energy needs for hundreds of years to come, giving us plenty of time to develop new energy strategies away from fossil fuels.

Energy independence from the Islamic world is the most devastating blow we could give the Islamic world.

Thomas-h,

LOL, you got me:)

The West does NOT need Arab oil. Google Fischer-Tropsch proces and you will find out that the Germans found a way to make synthetic fuel from coals nearly 90 years ago. The Germans and Japanese used those fuels during world war 2 but because of Allied bombings Germany's production of synthetic fuel was paralyzed. That was 70/80/90 years ago with the knowledge and technology of those days, can you imagine what could be acheived with today's knowledge and technology?? And i am not even mentioning Nuclear energy, solar/wind/waterpower energy etc etc

Unfortunately there is no political will to stop the dependency on Arab oil and switch completely to other forms of energy. That is so in my opinion because big oil companies and Arab states are giving huge amounts of money to political parties (under the table offcourse) in order to prevent the forming of a political consensus
with regards to ending the dependency on Arab oil. The corrupt politicians of the West have sold us all out to the muslims for the sake of some petrol dollars.

The West's oil addiction is like a sword dangling over our collective heads. It has left the West in a position of base appeasement of some of the most vile and evil regimes on the earth today. We saw this most recently with Britain releasing a convicted jihad terrorist who murdered over 250 people so that Britain could get an oil deal with Libya, a state known for its funding and facilitating of jihad terrorism. We all know of the disgusting relationship between the Bushes and other American oil elites and the Wahhabist jihad-state of Saudi Arabia. The money that Saudi Arabia receives from the US and other Western countries then going to end up in the coffers of the mujahideen. Iran, like Libya and Saudi Arabia, uses its Western-supplied oil revenues to fund Hamas, Hezbollah, the Iraqi Shi'ite militias of Muqtada al-Sadr, and various jihad groups from Somalia to Central Asia.

I've noticed in the last month or two a number of those Op/Eds about oil and its continuing importance that are transparently paid for by the Saudis, even if (or especially if) Saudi Arabia is not mentioned. But when it is, the key word that the Saudis are pushing is "interdependence." We and they -- the truest-bluest of true-blue friends -- the Americans, and the Saudis, are dependent on each other.

It isn't true. The Americans are not "dependent" on Saudi oil. And the one thing that must be kept firmly in mind, because ever since the fall of 1973 so many have lost their minds when it comes to oil, is that you need not do a single favor, not one, for the Saudis in order for them to keep selling oil. They sell it at the market price, to anyone and everyone. And they will continue to do so, because they have failed to build a modern economy -- they failed first with their huge agricultural schemes, and now they will fail with their "business cities" that they are hoping to build, but which will be meaningless because the Saudis themselves do not work. They do not have, and will not acquire, the habit of work. And the Muslim prohibition on bidah (innovation) inhibits new ways of doing things, and the inshallah-fatalism that is everywhere in Islam discourages extraordinary -- or even ordinary -- individual and collective effort. Why bother, if it's always and everywhere a case of Inshallah?

The Saudis are deeply worried that the Americans will come to their senses about oil, that American entrepreneurs will build successful electric cars, that ways will be found to better exploit other forms of energy, and that the American government will begin to tax oil, and gasoline, as they should have started doing, in steady ever-rising increments, back in 1973, but so many who either were on the Saudi payroll, or stood to benefit in some way (contracts, for example, were dangled) if it was widely accepted that America "owed" the Saudis something, managed to shut down all rational discussion. And many were long ago, and many still are, convinced that Saudi Arabia calls the shots, and there is nothing to be done about it. It's nonsense. Just nonsense, based on a failure to think things through.

Without access to Western medicine, Western education, Western technology, Western engineers and other highly-trained specialists, the Saudis would not know how to survive. They just can't. We, however, can tax oil, which includes Saudi oil, and depress demand, just as much, and at the rate, we care too. It only requires political will, and that can be found, if it is understood that the money Saudi Arabia receives in turn funds the building of mosqes and madrasas, and pays for pro-Islamic propaganda, all over the civilized but imperilled non-Muslim world.

Turki said energy independence was an unrealistic, groundless and harmful concept
..................

"Harmful" to him, perhaps, and the rest of the Muslim world.

more:

"There is no technology on the horizon which can replace oil to satisfy colossal needs of U.S. industry..."

Didn't they say the same thing, during the 19th century, about sperm whale oil? Somehow, we developed other solutions when we had to.

Then there are stories like this one:

"Massive oil field found under Gulf"

North Slope, boosting U.S. supplies by 50%

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51837

It is thought that this *single field in the Gulf of Mexico could boost U.S. oil reserves by as much as 50%*.

PVB,
I guess your point of presenting that long list of “Products Made From Oil” is to demonstrate the endless creativity of the West versus hopeless indolence and inanity of Moslem Arabs. Is it?
Or are you suggesting that Arabs invented oil...?

Why do folks in DC jump at every opportunity to speak out before thinking, then try to make good on what they said in order to appear honorable, even if it means total chaos & discombobulation?

When George Bush told us all we would have to give up our addiction to 'oil', did he have the back-up plan devised? NO! Does BHO? NO! Our entire country is interwoven with systems of highways,built by Eisenhower during the 50's. They are just about ALL in need of replacement because most are beyond repair.

Use most of that stimulus money that hasn't been used up yet to build alternative transportation systems for your citizens, DC!!! Don't bother sinking a trillion $$ to rebuild it all. Portions of it, yes!

When did WE decide to get 'addicted' to oil anyhow? We just went with the flow. Developers built suburbs everywhere adjacent to highways! Bush, BHO, and anyone else who wants to speak through their butts, give us an alternative plan to oil. Isn't that what 'leaders are for?? Otherwise you will be revealed as the PUSHERS of the cracks or your arses!!!!

The prince is probably right that we will continue to need imported oil, but it doesn't need to be from OPEC and the Arabs. Thirty years ago, during the second "oil shock", we could have started a rational energy policy that would have included:
1) development of our own oil and natural gas resources -- offshore in the Arctic, off California, and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico -- and onshore in the Rockies, the Bakken formation in the Dakotas, and in western PA and NY;
2) a massive expansion of nuclear power generation, to the point that we'd get 70% of our electricity from Nuclear sources (a la France);
3) an import duty of, say $5/bbl, on imported oil, and an equivalent amount on imported natural gas, with NAFTA imports exempted;
4) use of the proceeds from the import duty to fund a massive expansion of electrified repid transit in the major metropolitan areas, and inter-city rail (a la almost every European country).
Instead, we've shot ourselves in the feet with insane environmental regulations and restrictions, and uneconomic subsidies to special interests like the gasohol industry and the wind-power groups.
Well, better late than never. Let's get started. We should be able to get to the point of not requiring OPEC imports, getting by on our own production and that of our NAFTA partners.

"So who is drilling in these places now? try China, and host of other countries that don't have the leftwing liberal mind set that makes up our politicians."... Posted by Mackie

Guess who just bought a bog piece of the Alberta Oil Sands? Yup, China.

And a pipeline is in the planning stages from Alberta to the west coast (Kitimat, BC) for the purpose of..... well you can likely guess.

Interesting this is taking place not long after leftist politicians in the US started complaining about "Canadian dirty oil".

After the 1973 Yom Kippur war; during the Arab (OPEC) oil embargo, there were bumper stickers in south Florida reading, "OIL YES, JEWS NO!"

Does anyone question what drives US / Obama policy in the region? Does anyone wonder why Bush and now Obama are demanding Israel capitulate to the jihadists?

Over a century ago, work started on a new electric railroad to connect New York to Chicago
in 10 hours. That was well within the technological capabilities of the time. With today's technology, it could be done in 5 hours. A network of such railroads between the major urban centers would eliminate a very large portion of the short-haul air flights.

God told Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you, I will curse. (Gen 12:3) God told Abraham and his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob that He would give to them and to their descendants all the land of Canaan.

Bush and now Obama are cursing Israel. Why should God continue to bless America?

Bush and now Obama are cursing Israel. Why should God continue to bless America?

Posted by: Steve Klein

Perhaps God doesn’t see "Bush and now Obama are cursing Israel". That may explain His continuous blessing of America. Do you have a better explanation?

"When did WE decide to get 'addicted' to oil anyhow?"
Posted by: brownkitty

Books could be written about this, but here are a few chapter summaries:
1) After WW2, the government began mortgage guarantee programs thru various agencies like the VA. But these were available only for single-family, new construction houses; not for enlarging or modernizing existing houses, or for 3-flats and 4-flats -- the mainstay of most big-city housing. The only place available for new construction was the suburbs -- low density, dispersed, and hard to serve with rapid transit.
2) In the 50's the Interstate Highway System was begun, and constructed from then on thru the 70's. Initially the proposal called for inter-city construction only, but, in order to get the support of big-city Congressmen (and in the 50's a much higher proportion of the population lived with big city limits and so had more Congressmen -- in 1950 Chicago had probably 12 Congressmen, today it has 4), the system was modified to include cross-city x-ways, destroying huge swaths of cities and competing with rapid transit. Huge amounts of federal money were available, and the cities grabbed for it. On the other hand, no federal money was available for rapid transit. NYC, after having build the finest rapid transit system in the world, now turned its back on it. New construction virtuall ceased, and much of the existing system was demolished. The NY public-works czar, Robert Moses, despised public transit, and preferred to build x-ways.
3) In the 60's, the federal courts did their best to destroy the big-city school systems, which accelerated the middle-class flight to the suburbs, which further scattered the population over low-density areas.
4) In the 70's and beyond, hysterical environmental litigation and compliant federal courts succeeded in destroying much of the domestic energy industry. The American nuclear power industry was the world's leader in the 60's, but was virtually destroyed. Environmentalists fought any domestic oil exploration or exploitation tooth and nail -- witness the Alaska pipeline, and the continuing obstacles to ANWR exploration.
Oh, it's a long, sordid story; all brought to us by wrong-headed and short-sighted liberal-left legislation. Still, it's not too late to begun correcting things.

We are not addicted to oil, we are addicted to energy. Unfortunately, Obama and the Democrats have categorically ruled out many sources of energy because they are not "green." This means no off shore drilling. No nuclear energy. Further restrictions on coal. No oil shale.

Apparently, the Democrats prefer living as dhimmis to even trying to become energy independent.

Here's a concept: shift taxation at the federal level AWAY from FICA and income taxes and over TO petroleum taxes. At the state level shift taxes AWAY from income, sales, and property taxes and over TO petroleum. This would allow us to have pre-paid $8/gallon gas, with no net tax increase and start putting OPEC out of business.

Or we can do business as usual - cheap gas, and keep taxing our own labor productivity and property.

MHO

We're addicted to energy, very true. But there are a lot of other sources than Muslim oil. There's Russian, American, Scottish and Norvegian oil and gas. There are lots of sources of renewable energies such as solar energy and wind. And there is nuclear fusion, clean and efficient. Turki, the troglodyte, can go to his burrow or should I say his pride?.

'"There is no technology on the horizon which can replace oil to satisfy colossal needs of U.S. industry, transport and armed forces. Any future scenario will be characterized by mix of renewable and non-renewable energies whether you like it or not," Turki said....'

It doesn't need to be 100% replacement, only enough to deflate the demand of volume users as in transportation. Eventually (decades hence) supply will dwindle, and oil will increasingly go toward specialized applications for which the physical properties of oil not related to energy production (e.g., lubrication) will be hard to find replacements for. Other sources for energy will be found as replacements for oil.

That day is not yet upon us, so it will still be some time that we are tied to the Saudis. The trick will be to ensure that, in the interim period, the financial revenue they derive from oil is not invested by them in any form that cannot be eliminated easily when the time comes. This means no ownership or large stock holdings of large portions of physical infrastructure in the West (particularly the U.S.), or of manufacturing facilities of a sensitive nature (e.g., armaments, or aircraft, are machinery, or electronics or microchip facilities, etc.). They can own rug or hijab factories if they want, but nothing of importance that will materially affect the economic system here or otherwise compromise the defense enterprise.

Of course, this also means strict monitoring of their financial largess to "charitable" groups, but perhaps more importantly to educational institutions in the form of endowed chairs, contributions to political parties and PACs, and money to politicians (including former ones) in the form of free trips and outrageous speaking fees. All these latter items are, of course, various forms of political or corporate corruption (ironically, more or less as defined in their own texts a "sowing corruption in the land."

Obama is Giving Brazil 10 Billion Dollars of our Monopoly Money to develop their Oil industry? While nothing can be done-by his order- here???

There is something very,very,wrong.

It is not the Governments job to willfully deny the freedom of movement its Citizens enjoy. Nor mandate how that movement must be made.

Currently, the Administrations entire Energy Policy is one of willfully limiting current and future supply while charging you through the nose for what they are willing to provide.

What a policy, Artificially inflate the price of energy to finance the growth of the dependent Class.

pvb, any idea of what fraction of the total production of oil goes into the manufacturing of those items on your list (your 1:48 PM comment), as opposed to fuel used in transportation? Is it large (greater then 50%) or small (less than 50%)? My guess is that substitutes could be found for oil in the manufacture of many of these items.

Robert Palmer:

Your lights are on, but you're not home
Your mind, is not your own
Your heart sweats, your body shakes
Some more oil, is what it takes

You can't sleep, you can't eat
There's no doubt, you're in deep
Your throat is tight, you can't breathe
Some more oil, is all you need

Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh Yeah!

It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough, you know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to oil

You see the signs, but you can't read
You're runnin at, a different speed
Your heart beats, in double time
Some more oil, and youll be mine...a one track mind

It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough, you know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to oil

Might as well face it, you're addicted to oil
Might as well face it, you're addicted to oil
Might as well face it, you're addicted to oil
Might as well face it, you're addicted to oil
Might as well face it, you're addicted to oil

For those of you who might be interested in keeping up with the various alternative energy projects that are out there and in the works, I have always found this to be a terrific site.

Look to the left column to review the myriad of potential and promising research projects that are going on in this alternative energy world.

http://peswiki.com/energy/Directory:Wind

USA has loads of oil in the Alaskan region. You are just squeamish about drilling in National Parks.

Canada is swimming in shale oil. It's easy to extract but dirty.

Australia too is heavily stocked with shale oil.

Face the facts, energy independence doesnt mean loads of windmills and solar panels. They wont work. But energy independence means using what you actually have in the ground.

It will only take 100 years of not buying oil from the Middle East to bankrupt them.

Do you have the bottle?

At $65 a barrel all sorts of alternatives come into play, including converting coal to oil, tar sands and shale. We are the next OPEC if we open our eyes and see it. Remember that that Chinese wanted to buy out tar sands?
We are selling out when others are buying... figure it out!
Wind mills are no way to run a modern economy. It might be nice for a grist mill, but come on! The only way that alternative energy other than Hydro or nuclear works, is if the govt taxes us to death on coal, oil and other hydrocarbons.
Cap and Trade is nothing more than a huge wealth transfer from developed nations to underdeveloped. There will be no effect, for all our self imposed misery, as the Chinese and Indians will not participate. Moreover, the money we send abroad to supposedly shut down polluting industries abroad will only pay for bigger and more polluting plants to outcompete our heavily taxed industries.
Wake up!!!
Look at who supports cap and trade and global warming advertising.
Wall street and Al Gore they will make a mint trading pollution credits and futures.
Companies like GE, are hoping you will have to retrofit your house because your utility bills are going through the roof.
Car manufacturers are hoping your gasoline bill hikes will encourage you to dump that Suburban you bought when gas was cheap.
Utility companies are looking forward to charging you ever higher rates, and will futures back in the mix, maybe they can game you again like it is 1999.
UGH! Wake up and call your Congressmen or go to the health care meeting and yell about cap and trade. It will be far-far-far worse than govt health care.

Soon the world will be addicted to our oil.
Within our lifetime the Arab and Russian oil machine will be wrung dry. If only our weak kneed leadership realized the huge investment that the world has in hydrocarbon energy. If we stay our course we will be the next OPEC and the world will have to deal with us on our terms. The worm will turn.

The world will soon see the folly of tilting at windmills. The cost of land and re-engineering the grid will break the bank, and provide an unreliable=inadequate energy supply upon which to run a modern first class economy. As a contrarian I recommend you buy, when uncertainty keeps the price low. If you can hold oil and coal you will be amply rewarded. You might be the one that rides around in your Rolls Royce in a turban.

ROFL!! "Or are you suggesting that Arabs invented oil...?"

I have no idea Eastview, but I believe that everyone can make an impact on our consumption of oil.

Typewriter ribbons - I have to laugh at this one, who still owns a typewriter?

Not on my list candles, even candles are petroleum based- but you can buy soy based candles or good old beeswax candles.

Turki go jump in a lake!

Everyone can do their part - do not buy oil based products if there is an alternative!

I may be preaching to the choir here but, I for one use only beeswax candles, allow no fingernail polish in the house, my shower curtain is a cotton sheet, am getting rid of my lawn to reduce the need for mowing- allowing growth of more trees that reduces energy to cool the house- we have no airconditioner- we do have only 12 days of 90+ weather every summer.

Ban hir curlers! Live with your straight hair! Every women I know hates their hair whether it is straight or curly :)

In our household we use everything until it falls apart- we don't need the newest stuff!!

OK, for the past year, we have been treated to the "Obama is a secret Muslim using Taqqiza", "Obama the Jihadist president" "Obama is Muslim who wants to introduce Shariah to America" " he bowed to the Saudi Prince" - All this has been pushed by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer "which side is he on?" among others.

So why is the president trying to wean AMerica from Oil? How can this be? Whz is he ordering Strikes into Waziristan?

Is this some good cop, bad cop deal where Obama is trying to appear to be working for the good of America but in reality is quietly implementing Shariah law?

"So why is the president trying to wean AMerica from Oil?"
posted by: mp11

The answer is: he's not, but it's good press to say he is. Every President since Nixon has claimed to pursue "energy independence", and every party platform since his time has included it, but we sink ever deeper into dependence. Actions speak louder than words and the actions of almost all our Presidents and Congresses have made us ever more dependent.
And it's not just raw crude. Due to the laws passed at the behest of the environmental crazies, we haven't built a new refinery in decades. We import refined gasoline and diesel. Likewise no new coke batteries have been built, so we import much of the coke for our steel mills. This, in a country with huge reserves of metallurgical coal.
And it's the same for other sources of energy. Hydro-Quebec has built dams whose entire electrical output is exported to New England, where the environmentalists have stopped the building of new power plants.
Just this year, final approval was given for a natural gas pipeline from Alaska to central Canada (where it would link with existing pipelines). The approval process took 20 -- TWENTY! -- years!

I blame Bush for this.

After 9/11 we had the best reason in the world to go and take it.

Instead, he...........*&$@

It's our damn oil in the first place.

The fact that the Arabs were born near the oil fields gives them no more claim on the oil than I have on the hospital in which I was born.

Perhaps there were some too hopeful or naive minds in our past that thought that setting up a local thugocracy with a stake in the game was cheaper and safer than dispatching our military to defend our oil.

But history has proven that wrong.

We have our military over their anyway, fighting no less. We've even had attacks on our home ground.

The only thing we accomplished by setting up their Beverly Hillbilly sheikdoms was to lose money by giving the sheiks a cut, and to lose control of the supply.

We got the war and hostilities anyway.

==============

Oh, and for those that believe that unearned wealth can contribute to civilization, you can reflect on the fact that the endless billions, indeed trillions, poured into mohammedan coffers in return for exactly nothing, have done exactly nothing to uplift the despotic, backward, ignorant life that characterizes the mohammedan nations.

Their productivity is still zilch, they can barely feed and cloth themselves, and they are still as dangerous as ever.

Forget comparing them to ourselves, compare them to the Indians!

Without the civilizing effects of advances in philosophy (concepts of rights & reason etc...) and plain old work, nothing helps.

============

Fools that imagine that we can go on like this indefinitely would do well to let go of their godlike self regard and reflect on the fact that we are just people, trying to get by in a hostile and dangerous world.

We cannot civilize other countries, we cannot even improve them much without exerting enormous brutal force, and we cannot endlessly sustain attack from without and within.

The blessing of western civilization are still new, by historical standards, and still quite fragile.

mp11 wrote:

OK, for the past year, we have been treated to the "Obama is a secret Muslim using Taqqiza", "Obama the Jihadist president" "Obama is Muslim who wants to introduce Shariah to America" " he bowed to the Saudi Prince" - All this has been pushed by Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer "which side is he on?" among others.
................

Look back through the archives, mp11. While there has been a lot of concern about President Obama's actions here--for ample good reason, I think--the assertion that Robert Spencer has claimed Obama is "a secret Muslim using Taqqiza" (sic), or referred to Obama as "the Jihadist president" is ludicrous.

Yeah, we're trapped by our own bastard lefties, Marxists and 'progressives' who wont let us drill for oil.

Yeah, we're trapped by our own bastard lefties, Marxists and 'progressives' who wont let us drill for oil.