Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on February 20, 2008 - 12:12pm.
Walt, I agree that developing alternative fuel sources and increasing the efficiency of our existing fuel sources are vitally important strategies, and I hope the DPC and all Americans will work to make these things happen. And we need to start now. And again, I want to say how difficult it is for me, and others I believe, to suggest that this boycott might be less than productive, or to appear to be siding with Big Oil, which I am not. But claiming that Big Oil is largely responsible for the war, as some well-meaning activists are, obscures some major issues.
First and foremost, the Bush administration created the false pretense for the war in Iraq, and Congress, with few exceptions, gave, and continues to give its support. Congress could end the war now if it really wanted to. But it's not that simple.
So why do we remain in Iraq? Alan Greenspan, and others, have said that the war in Iraq is largely about oil, and I agree. But it is not just about Big Oil greed and profits. All Americans - you, me, all of us - are indeed addicted to oil. Bush was right about that. We are 5% of the world's population, but we consume 25% of the world's oil. And even with all that excessive oil consumption, our economy is now in dire straits. Just the prospect of Hugo Chavez cutting off Venezuelan oil to the US, and a minor refinery accident, have pushed oil futures to over $100/barrel for the first time in history. And again, oil is a fungible, publicly traded commodity.
But what most Americans don't understand is that oil is finite. Like the Tower of Power song said "there's only so much oil in the ground" and there is a growing consensus that we are near the global peak in oil production, or simply put, we've used about half of ALL the oil in ground. The actions of the Bush administration and Congress make (a little) more sense when we consider that the Middle East has 2/3s of the world's remaining oil, and the ME oil fields are approaching depletion themselves. With the economies of China, India and other developing nations coming on line and demanding more and more oil, the leaders of these countries understand that the competition for ME oil will only get more intense. So even if we do boycott Big Oil, other nations will gladly buy and consume whatever oil we Americans boycott.
If the US did not maintain a presence in the ME, the Iranians and others who we've alienated in the past would surely make the shipment of oil out of the Persian Gulf - regardless of the destination - a much riskier and uncertain enterprise. In the absence of a US military presence in the region, China, Russia, India and others who don't have our best interests in mind would surely try to make their own long-term claims on future shipments of ME oil.
So, in short, we've screwed ourselves by creating a country and economy that are completely dependent upon imported oil for our well-being. You're right, Walt - we're all to blame for this, not just Big Oil. Fortunately, right now, we get most of our oil from Canada and Mexico. But our neighbors do not have limitless oil, and eventually they will need their oil for their own citizens and uses. We have to make some major life-style changes and soon.
I understand why well-meaning activists would want to boycott some very visible symbols of American greed and excess.But let's take this is step further; let's all try to use less oil, regardless of who sells it to us. And by all means, let's demand that Congress get our military out of the Middle East and start addressing our serious energy and economic problems here at home.
"End the Occupation Of Iraq"
Walt,
I agree that developing alternative fuel sources and increasing the efficiency of our existing fuel sources are vitally important strategies, and I hope the DPC and all Americans will work to make these things happen. And we need to start now. And again, I want to say how difficult it is for me, and others I believe, to suggest that this boycott might be less than productive, or to appear to be siding with Big Oil, which I am not. But claiming that Big Oil is largely responsible for the war, as some well-meaning activists are, obscures some major issues.
First and foremost, the Bush administration created the false pretense for the war in Iraq, and Congress, with few exceptions, gave, and continues to give its support. Congress could end the war now if it really wanted to. But it's not that simple.
So why do we remain in Iraq? Alan Greenspan, and others, have said that the war in Iraq is largely about oil, and I agree. But it is not just about Big Oil greed and profits. All Americans - you, me, all of us - are indeed addicted to oil. Bush was right about that. We are 5% of the world's population, but we consume 25% of the world's oil. And even with all that excessive oil consumption, our economy is now in dire straits. Just the prospect of Hugo Chavez cutting off Venezuelan oil to the US, and a minor refinery accident, have pushed oil futures to over $100/barrel for the first time in history. And again, oil is a fungible, publicly traded commodity.
But what most Americans don't understand is that oil is finite. Like the Tower of Power song said "there's only so much oil in the ground" and there is a growing consensus that we are near the global peak in oil production, or simply put, we've used about half of ALL the oil in ground. The actions of the Bush administration and Congress make (a little) more sense when we consider that the Middle East has 2/3s of the world's remaining oil, and the ME oil fields are approaching depletion themselves. With the economies of China, India and other developing nations coming on line and demanding more and more oil, the leaders of these countries understand that the competition for ME oil will only get more intense. So even if we do boycott Big Oil, other nations will gladly buy and consume whatever oil we Americans boycott.
If the US did not maintain a presence in the ME, the Iranians and others who we've alienated in the past would surely make the shipment of oil out of the Persian Gulf - regardless of the destination - a much riskier and uncertain enterprise. In the absence of a US military presence in the region, China, Russia, India and others who don't have our best interests in mind would surely try to make their own long-term claims on future shipments of ME oil.
So, in short, we've screwed ourselves by creating a country and economy that are completely dependent upon imported oil for our well-being. You're right, Walt - we're all to blame for this, not just Big Oil. Fortunately, right now, we get most of our oil from Canada and Mexico. But our neighbors do not have limitless oil, and eventually they will need their oil for their own citizens and uses. We have to make some major life-style changes and soon.
I understand why well-meaning activists would want to boycott some very visible symbols of American greed and excess.But let's take this is step further; let's all try to use less oil, regardless of who sells it to us. And by all means, let's demand that Congress get our military out of the Middle East and start addressing our serious energy and economic problems here at home.