An increasing chorus of voices, including many U.S. corporate leaders, are calling for the U.S. to combat global warming by putting major emphasis on energy conservation and developing alternatives to oil. But would such policies also help to make the U.S. and the world more safe from terrorism as well? How does energy policy relate to national security, and what should the U.S. be doing to achieve energy independence?
Inergy Independence? How it plays are big role on "our" war on terror?(Our > The U.S.)..First in order to understand why our presence in the Mid East is paramont to our current National Security..we should go back to where and when and the politics that put us into this dependence on Mid East oil. I know the moderators frown on in-depth history of certain aspects of this War between idealologies of the Mid East and those of the Democratized West. Not just a war of Idealologies but a true military conflict..deepening as the days go by. On that note.. a brief History of where it began..In 1901 the Persian King, Mozaffaroldin-Shah Granted a concession to William Knox D'arcy, ( a British Subject in the mining Industry). The concession was to allow Exploration,Drilling and production of carbon materials..Oil, gas, chemicals, asphalt, etc. In joint endeavor the Iranians and Mr. D' Arcy formed the Anglo-Iranian Oil Co. Note these small beginnings led to the formation of British Petroleum, (now BP). The first well was completed in 1908 at Masjid-e-Soleiman..with a near by refinery coming on line in 1913. Moving forward.. in the 1950's the oil company was Nationalized by the Iraian Government. British Petroleum was formed with the revenues of some 30 Plus years of mining Iranian oil. Now Oil was cheap at this point and since it was plentifull in the whole of the Mid East...The Americans were now deeply envolved in the Region also with Saudi Arabia..(Aramco) and other smaller countries..Kuwait, Bahrain, UAI, etc...(Note: these countries eventually followed Iran's Lead of nationalization). There were deals made during the process which allowed certain western co. acess to cheap exports via tankers. Ok, oil was cheap so the west began to explore other regions of the world. Oil imports from the Mid East was a way the Now Big Oil Companies were going to finance exploration in other location..I'm sure for exploitation like they did in the Mid East prior to Nationalization. The North Sea..Alaska..Nigeria..Indonesia. Oil was BIG BUSINESS and getting Bigger...But the cventer of Gravity on the Monopoly of the Oil Business was changing. I'll come Back later and take us through the 60's and into the 70's.. the first signs of BIG trouble ahead..and how we failed to make a correction and allowed big business to Stear our Government in the wrong Direction. Please comment if you would like me to continue. I figured a little history wouldn't hurt to show how we allowed ourselves as a nation through bad leadership to be painted into an Enery Crisis Corner. The only way out is going to take some real tough sacrifices in the short term and we must act quickly. The longer we wait the tougher it will get. After we see how we got into this mess, ( a lot of it was created purposely to raise the price of oil)..lets try to figure a way out..through short term increased domestic drilling, recovering existing wells that were capped while producing in the 70's,(I have first hand knowledge of this) recovering shale oil..finding a way to cleanly use the worlds largest coal supply..our Coal reserves. ...and of course conservation..innovation.. and finding multiple renewable non carbon energy sources.
Koonism, thanks for the history lesson. You seem to know a lot about energy issues. But do you think coal is really a big part of the answer to our dependence upon middle east oil? Is there really a way to burn more coal without polluting the atmosphere and contributing more to global warming? If you can tell us more about this, please do.
I would like to see the U.S. launch a really aggressive campaign to reduce the use of oil, the equivalent of a war effort. Let's have higher taxes on gasoline to discourage consumption, and put the revenue into developing alternative energy sources. Some sort of government-mandated carpooling program would really help, too. Also, I think the government should require buildings to be upgraded for better energy efficiency.
What do you think about nuclear power? I used to be against it, but now I'm not so sure. Maybe if they built smaller reactors with better technology, it would be a safer solution.
I will return to this post tomorrow and try to lead into possible solutions on cutting our energy use and New Non fossil sources of energy available. Also explore the possibilities of converting to coal and finding the technology to burn this ample energy resource we have so much of...how to extract the energy with minimal damage to the invironment..New domestic oil sources,(deep drilling on land under played out existing oil fields) shale oil recovery..and other resources...However.. Today.. I am going to go look for an energy efficient car for my teenage son. Wish me luck. Teens and efficiency don't mix well..ha, ha..like oil and water... By the way ..A BIG YES ..on the U.S. having hidden Reserves. like I said in a previous post..during the mid and late 70's..oil wells that were steady producers mainly on the outer continental shelf 30 to 200 feet of water in the Gulf of mexico...were being capped..cemented..plugged. I was there..I was a high pressure gas consultant..(Brought in , Tested, and put on production pipeline), High pressure gas wells after they were drilled. We didn't question what was going on at the time, although we talked about it..especially when we ran out of gasoline not long after this practice began during the Carter Administration. So we have somewhat created the problems of today. The price of oil began to rise up after the late 70's. we have to also examine what took place at the same time in the Mid East...THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION in Iran. The capping of the U.S wells started before the Irainian Revolution. WHY?? later
Car shopping for a Male teen loaded with testosterone, looking for energy efficiency..is a formadable task. I think I succeeded..at least it's done. Ha,ha,. First of all I will have to research the period in the 70's that produced the first fuel shortage in the U.S...&..the Iranian Revolution. At approximately the same time, like I said earlier, I was employed in the Petroleum industry as a high pressure gas consultant. In other words I went to offshore drilling locations, (platforms in the Gulf of Mexico from 10 miles offshore to 80 miles offshore), and participated in Bringing in Newly Drilled Wells on-line. This consisted of unloading the heavy drilling fluids that lubricated the drilling bits, unloading the heavy clear fluids used to flush out the hole,(calcium Cloride), and gradually bring the well on line. Testing it frequently to determine the quality of the flow rate and the extent of production to be established. At the same time these NEW wells were being drilled..existing wells..mostly closer to shore were being capped/Plugged..cemented in. Why??? I never was given an explanation for this. As a matter of fact..it was a subject that was not open for discussion and on the job gossip about this was frowned upon. I think that there is plenty of oil still available from these old plugged wells. Possibly the capping of these wells was stimulated by Geo political events of the times..Ie..The Iranian revolution..Emerging OPEC Power on the world stage...??? I do know that the wells I witnessed be plugged collectively in Block locations were producing probably 10 to 20 % of total production for those areas. I found out that this was a practice taking place across the Gulf in the same areas away from the coast 10 miles out to about 50 miles out. OCS..outer contintal shelf..areas. Now drilling continued even further out after the 70's and early 80's up until now. This wide band across the gulf of some 40 miles wide..has capped wells with oil still available for production. I think it was a money thing..oil was still pretty cheap then..this same oil that would have sold for $16 a barrel ..is now worth,(in the ground), almost 4 times that amount, and the infrastructure is still available to bring these wells back on line at a very minimal cost. Unplug them, (an easy process), a workover rig can do this on an existing platform, clean out the hole..re-perforate, get the well flowing again into an existing pipeline that is already connected to the well. I recommend that all those who want to educate themselves on the History of Oil..the different types of carbon fuels, how they are extracted..go to this site. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/petroleum Everything and anything you want to know about the oil industry is located at this site including links to other sites. It is very informative. It seems the Nazi's developed a method of extracting oil out of coal called ERSATZ..during WW2. 1.25 Barrels of oil out of one ton of coal. They had to do this because their imports of oil was shut off during the conflict. This web site shows a couple of other methods of extracting oil from shale, coal and other petroleum bearing strata. I'll be back later.
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This business about the capped wells is pretty interesting--this is the first I've heard of anything like that. I suspect, though, that there are more than a few secret chapters in the history of oil consumption and its geopolitical implications.
I can't link to it, unfortunately, but New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman made an interesting point today. He thinks that practicing energy conservation and reducing oil consumption would be a very effective way for the U.S. to counter Iran. If the U.S. did that, he writes, the resulting drop in global oil prices would hit the Iranian regime where it hurts. Just as the U.S. is dangerously over-dependent upon imported oil, he says, the Iranians are dangerously over-dependent upon oil revenues. What do you think?
I can click on it and it will come up. The reason why I put it up there is so anyone can educate themselves on the subject of petroleum..it's history it's various forms, how it is extracted, transported and refined to a commodity. You are absolutely correct in stating that the politics of the recent history say from about the late 60's early 70's until now..is what really should be examined in this thread. I will do a little research and try to draw some sort of connection to Mid East politics, the world Oil Market, and what was taking place here domestically as far as oil goes. I will try to correlate these separate intities and cronologically try show successive events as a result of the Politics of Oil..during this era. I forgot to tell you, at the end of the 70's early 80's. I was hired by a company called LOOP INC. A consortium of 5 Major oil companies that built the worlds Largest offshore port..L.O.O.P. Louisiana Offshore Oil Port. This company built a group of facilities from 19 miles southwest of Grand Island Louisiana in the Gulf to almost 40 miles inland where the foriegn oil pumped inland from tankers was stored underground in pre-leached out salt domes. I was on the start-up team..worked with trouble shooting all of the auto control systems. I didn't do much at the offshore facility..but I was involved 100% on the inshore facilities. I don't feel comfortable takling about some of the particulars as it is I believe L.O.O.P is a part of the stratigic oil reserve system. I was never told not to speak about it at the time I left..after the start-up..so I guess its ok to tell you how it all works. It is an amazing system that uses natural Hydraulics to lift the oil out of the salt domes it is stored in and sends it by grade from one of the 8 domes to refineries nationwide through a network of pipelines. It starts out in the Gulf. FIRST.. The Supertankers coming from the Mid East, The North Sea, Venezuela, the Bay of Campeche(High sulpher content mexican crude), pumped from the ship to a Platform, ( the paltform actually consist of 3 platforms one is the pumping platform another is a utility platform and the 3rd is a Giganic living qtrs. like a Hotel it has everything 24 hr kitchen you can order steaks to fried shrimp. it has different work out rooms theaters,(2) lounges,(no alcohol allowed) and of course comfortable seeping units...(Located in about 140 feet of water)...Pumps on the platform boost the pressure of the oil going into a 48" pipeline..7000 Horse Power Pump,(Electric)..power supplied by a huge Pratt and Whitney jet Engine ..there are 2, I think these jet turbines are simular to the Boieng 747 Jet turbines...except they ran on atomised Diesel fuel. The Tanker had multiple pumps to lift the oil to the platform. From the Platform the oil was sent inland to the Beach at a Booster station,(at Port Foucheon), the (4) 6000 Horsepower electric driven pumps could be used in series as flow rates were increase and as needed. The oil was sent to the Main Pumping station 35 miles inland in a place called Galliano, La. where the salt caverns, (salt domes) were. Salt Caverns..these are huge salt caps that were deposited millions of years ago, (as a result of the de-composition of organic matter), they were the impervious layers that trapped the oil. Oil was depleted from these shallow salt dome capped wells.. the earlier oil fields in louisiana..shallow..less than 5000 feet. These old natural oil reserviors now depleted..were leached out using sonar and fresh water injection a few years before the project was started. It's one of the most amazing engineering endeavors I have ever been associated with..I learned a lot of technology that was cutting edge back then. I'm sure a lot of it should not be known about..but in gereral I guess it's alright to talk about. You see this facility was built to handle imported oil coming to the U.S. I hear they now also use for domestic transfers. yes Foriegn oil ..it went on line in 1982. If you have any questions about this let me know I will try to answer them. You see there is another example of BIG oil speculating big business on foriegn oil..What was that all about? It was after the Gasoline crisis of the mid late 70's. Why didn't these oil companies invest in New Energy sources other than fossil fuels. Instead they built a $1 Billion facility to accept forign oil..food for thought ..don't you think so? I will, like I said, try to organize these events on a timeline. The politics of Big Oil and the influence on our government's Domestic & foriegn energy policies is certainly speculative..if not obvious. I hope we can draw some conclusions, at the least we may be able to hypoticize with some measure of creedence. Later
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Pat, when I left college in the early 70's, living on the Louisiana gulf coast..the oil field was a gold mine for young guys that didn't mind working hard. I did everything from working as a roughneck on a drilling rig,(dangerous and extremely physical), to perforating, ( using explosive charges to shoot holes into oil & gas bearing formations downhole,(back then 8 to 10 thousand feet deep), to permit flow into the tubing and up to the surface. I worked with drilling fluids, (drilling mud and weight material) These fluids lubricate the drill bit carry the cuttings up the hole to a shaker that seperates the cuttings and recycles the mud. Weight material ..different fluids that are very heavy in weight and viscosity as to hold back the natural pressure of the Gas and oil at the time of perforation into the production zones. By reducing the weight of the column of fluid in the tubing the oil and gas naturally rises to the surface under control. I also ran 100 foot supply vessels out into the Gulf and worked a short while on Ocean Tugs helping to lay under water pipelines from field to field and then to shore. In 1976 I became interested in auto safety control devices, ( pneumatic & hydralic at the time), used in the production and pipelining process. I went to many schools to increase my knowledege base, (Paid for by the companies I worked for).. at this time automation was becomming the new horizon in technology applications in the oil industry. I guess looking back, I was at the forefront of this new technological application. At first it was instituted for safety purposes..and then later for effeciency in production. In 1978, I was called out on my days off on an emergency during a weekend. I saved a production platform with a drilling Rig & living qtrs. on top of it. I did this with nothing but common sense. A hole developed in the tubing and was pressurizing the casing up near the surface. if the casing ruptured the whole platform would have topple over with catostrophic results..an ecological disaster, not to mention fireand possibe loss of life. There were 80 + men on board in 170 feet of water 68 miles south of Morgan City Louisiana in the middle of a winter gale.( the Gulf of mexico gets really bad in winter cold front storms 18 to 20 foot seas 45 to 60 mph winds.(the Helicopter that brought me out there could not shut down, they had to refuel and return back to base)..Block 236..then a Gulf Oil facility,( I believe it is now Chevron). You see they shut in the well..the exact opposite of what they should have done. When I arrived out there during this storm..I immediately opened up the well and increased the choke sizes..hooked up temporary High pressure lines to the casing and flowed it into the pipeline also. The well was 9000 Psi shut in pressure. In less than 3 hours the situation was under control. I recieved accomendation from Gulf Oil and was awarded a consultant position, ( Big $$$'s). I stayed until the last well was drilled in 1979..Then I was told I should apply for a position at the Big L.O.O.P. project which was already under construction. I was the first start-up guy hired..and I was sent to numerous electronic control schools around the country during the construction phase. When the test and check-out phase began I worked with Engineers that came from M.I.T. contracted or farmed out By Boeing. I signed up for a one year stint with no days off, was tested and approved for the Senior controls specialist position. It was one of the most rewarding times in my working career. Cutting edge technology was being tested at this new facility, the largest and only one of it's kind in the world. ( I think it still is). We completed the testing and truble shooting repairs & started-up a few weeks ahead of deadline, accident free, and under budget. We recieved handsom bonuses, no one on the teams missed work throughout the start-up process. Everyone injoyed being a part of something never done before..I guess like the Hoover Dam project or the Golden Gate Bridge, (thats what it felt like) I worked both at the Booster station on the coast..and at the salt dome complex further inland. with massive equipment. (some of the automated valves were 2 stories high), The 6000 HP pump motors were the size of a BIG dump truck. A truly wonderfull experience. After the system was on line and debugged, redundant systems removed. I went on to help build Paper Machines, Steam Boiler systems. (working with Industrial automation controls). Until I was disabled by neurological problems resulting from an Auto accident which occured right after the Loop project. I was hit by an auto and suffered a major head injury..my father was killed. We were pedestrians jumping off his battery besides the highway, hit by a Drunk driver. I manage to work in the Paper Industry for almost 12 years before the Black outs sidelined me. Now I go back to my late teens and early 20's. I have a small recording studio, and I play several instruments, record and produce music with a couple of other over the hill musicians. It's been a bumpy but a good ride. Now you have it. I hope I didn't veer off to much..I just wanted you to know that sometimes my thought train wonders and my spelling is not what it was, ( there is a reason for this..& and appreciate your patience). But,... I have pretty good long term recall, & I still know the processes of finding the solutions or the right answers..if you know what I mean..it's like like riding a Bike. You know in the Reagan years especially around 1985 to the end of the decade..the oil companies were in a slump..lots of oil field support contractors, offshore Boat owners lost their shirts.(that's why I went into the Paper Industry after I recovered from my accident). No one was hiring anyone, no matter how much experience you had in the oilfield. Those that had jobs took pay and benefit cuts. This I guess was the results of..Reaganomics..& the fall-out after the Iranian Islamic Revolution. I need to look into that period on the cronological scale I am putting together for next weeks discussions on this thread. I am currently in the outline phase. By the way, If I go off outside of the topic... direct me back into it, I won't be offended. Have a good weekend..talk to you Monday or Tuesday..I want to do some more research...Later
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This is worth checking out--the American Energy Independence web site, put together by an extraordinarily civic-minded Boise Idaho resident named Ron Bengtson. He's gathered together a lot of good background information on how the U.S. came to be dependent upon foreign oil, and the risks that poses to us. Also, he's got sections devoted to energy conservation and various alternative energy sources. It's a great resource for anyone interested in this issue.
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I don't think there's any question that the United States' over-dependence upon oil--particularly on imported oil--puts us at greater risk from terrorists. Our thirst for oil is the reason that the U.S. has been beholden to the Saudi Arabian monarchy over the years. But the U.S. dollars that flow into Saudi pockets are coming back to hurt us.
Here is a USA Today article about how wealthy Saudis are helping to fund the Sunni insurgents who are attacking U.S. troops in Iraq. According to USA Today, the insurgents are using the Saudi money to buy shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles, which enable them to shoot down U.S. helicopters. (In the past two weeks alone, they've downed four of our copters.)
Think of it this way: Every American who owns a big SUV is helping to enrich the country who gave us 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers, a dictatorship full of anti-American religious extremists who are using our money to kill Americans. (I know that's an oversimplification, but you see my point.)
President Bush talks a good game about ending our addiction to oil, but predictably, he hasn't really done anything about it. We need political leaders who recognize the urgent need for energy independence, and who are going to make it a national priority.
Clean air and global warming are important issues, but we should not be confusing environmental concerns with national security.
My 2 cents: The U.S. economy is dependent on transportation fuels (gasoline, diesel and jet fuel) which are made from oil. All U.S. military vehicles (including tanks, ships and aircraft) as well as civilian first responder vehicles are dependent on these fuels too. For this reason, dependence on oil for transportation should be considered a national security issue.
A major disruption in the supply of oil or even a threat of a possible disruption increases the price of transportation fuel dramatically, draining local economies by decreasing consumer spending for other things. We can help protect ourselves from supply disruptions by increasing our domestic oil production. But supply disruption is not the only threat to our security.
Supply interruption threatens our economy but oil wealth in the hands of Islamic terrorists threatens our lives. Over 50% of oil consumed in the world is used for making transportation fuels. If we can find another way to make transportation fuels, then global oil demand would be cut in half; which would dramatically reduce the primary source of funding for terrorism.
Is there anyone who still cannot see the connection between the flow of oil money into the Middle East and the flow of terrorism out of the Middle East?
Yes, the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center on 9/11 were funded, indirectly, by Arab oil money. Osama Bin Laden inherited his wealth from his father, who received billions of dollars from the King of Saudi Arabia for building the religious sites located at modern day Mecca and everywhere that Saudi influence reaches. The Kings money came from the sale of oil to the West. See: The making of Osama bin Laden
Follow the money... and it becomes obvious that Saddam Hussein would never have had any real power without his oil wealth. Without power he would never have attacked Iran or Kuwait. Iran would not be financing Hezbollah and interfering in Iraq today, if not for their oil wealth. The Saudi Royal family would not have financed the building of ultra-fundamentalist Islamic schools and mosques around the world without their oil wealth. The Palestinians would never of had Yasser Arafat to create the PLO, if not for the oil rich Arab Sheiks who financed him. The U.S. CIA would not have interfered with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan if President Carter had not feared that the Soviets might eventually enter Iran and take control of Iran’s oil.
And certainly, the US Military would not be entangled in the Middle East today, if its oil was not an important resource. The threat of loss of control over the flow of oil has spawned the foreign policy that we see today. But it is not the oil that is the problem; it is the money… the huge flow of money into the hands of dictators and religious fanatics that is the source of terrorism that threatens the disruption of the flow of oil.
If oil was not needed to make transportation fuels, not just in the USA, but anywhere in the world, then its value would plummet.
Is there anyone who still cannot see the connection between the flow of oil money into the Middle East and the flow of terrorism out of the Middle East?
If we do see the connection, then why do we, the American consumer, continue financing terrorism every time we fill our cars with gas? What is the source of the national apathy that causes us to continue on this path of self-destruction? Yes, America is addicted to oil, and it is an obsession that will destroy our way of life if we fail to recognize it and overcome it.
Americans need to make a commitment to the development of sustainable alternatives that will provide other sources of transportation fuels. The alternatives can be any combination of increased fuel efficiency and electric power (plug-in hybrids) and/or synthetic fuels made from coal or biomass, etc.
I believe it is imperative that Americans make energy independence a permanent idea in the national psyche, like freedom itself, equal to national security… the moral equivalent of war (Jimmy Carter April 18, 1977)
A powerful idea is spreading through America. It is a call to this generation to take action and decide the course of history by declaring and fighting for American Energy Independence
Yes, we must make those commitments and sacrifices now! But, HOW..How are we going to swallow the BIG pill and do what must be done. Our leaders are to busy fighting with each other to get the upper political hand. Petty politics while Rome is Burning, I am ashamed of my Nations elected leadership..on both sides of the Isle. OK,... I did a lot of research on the history of the price of crude oil and world events. I found that world events like the Yom Kippur war of 1973 had some effects on the Price per barrel of oil. Price of a barrel of oil from 1947 to 1973 stayed steady between $13.50 to $18.50 per barrel,(BBL)at what the industry calls R.T.P, (real term pricing, at 2006 dollars), whatever that means??? In 1973, (after Yom Kippur) the price of oil..RTP was up to $41.00. Lets not forget O.P.E.C was formed in 1960 and to some degree began to make it's presence and it's control over world crude prices on the world market known pror to the Yom Kippur War..but only in a subtle manner. You could say the Gloves came off after the 1973 Israli War,(Yom kippur). I would have to say that this was a turning point O.P.E.C. began to assert itself after the 1973 conflict. These events and the ones that followed are shown in detail at this website http.//www.wtfg.com/prices.htm .. I could go on and try to show a relationship to oil prices and world political events, but I think one should draw their own conclusion from the complicated info available at this website. Complicated..yes the value of oil has or is changed from period to period. It is hard to track the real standard. There are values such as R.A.C Refinery Aquisition Cost.. and R.W.P. Real world prices, R.T.P. Real Term Prices W.A. P. World average pricing, etc. etc. Very confusing to say the least. After studying the timeline data I came to my own personal views. Which are..Oil enventories & Oil Prices like Diamonds are controlled by the Nomes and Gurus of the industry. Regional Political events have little play on the pricing. O.P.E.C. like Debeers in the Diamond industry sets the rules, everyone else plays by those rules. The U.S. is just a player, not a rule maker in the oil industry. We can influence decision by our, (saber ratteling), or suggestion of Military might,(which carries less weight since the Iranian Revolution, and even less since Somalia, and now the debacle in Iraq). We do not control the BIG spigot..O.P.E.C. does. We first need decent Leadership.. not Great leadership..just decent leadership. We have Bad leadership..we look weak to our enemies. Strong leadership is not necessarily protrayed by a Fellow up on a horse with a six gun in his hand threatening anyone and everyone who doesn't do what he wants. Strong leadership has to have intellegence and be able to negotiate and create options through dialogue and diplomacy. We have an Idiot for a President..we elected him and now we have to live with that mistake..the rest of the world however doesn't! We need somebody with an eye to the future.. not a hand in the Nation's treasury. We must do what is necessary Quickly, to not cut, but to eliminate our dependence on foriegn oil all together, with the exception of Canadian and North Sea, Resources. We must form our own coilition of non fossil energy developer Nations. We must neutralized O.P.E.C.'s influence on world politics. I would like to explore the different possibilities of doing just that. What will it take besides Decent intellegent leadershipt to reach those goals. When I hear one of our leaders go off on going back to the Moon or going to Mars, instead of tackeling the real domestic issues that is taking our country towards 3rd world status, I want to pound the table. Maybe they should go to Mars.. the sooner the better. Tax breaks for the Rich..forclosure for the unfortunate who are suffering in this Republican manufactured Global economy. Has things gotten better for the working class since 1980? What happen to retirement plans, Company health insurance, Job security, etc. our leaders have led us down a road to economic disaster for the working class. My god we are in a War & we are loosing, and loosing badly..and our leaders today are fighting over what kind of airplane one should be allowed to use to fly home depending on what party you belong to and at what one's level of importance in Government. It's insanity. I'm ashamed. The World is Watching our leaders act like a bunch of school kids fighting at the playground over who's the Big Kahuna on the Block. Unbelievable. At the same time people incharge of a fabricated war can't explain where $8.4 Billions of Dollars in CASH went. Transported by C-130 aircraft,(3 loads?) to Iraq to be handed out..to WHOM, for What?? Cash..Non traceable cash. They?? didn't want electronic transfers?? Duffle bags of cash passed out..TO WHOM, ON WHO'S AUTHORITY. BREMMER WON'T SAY. The largest amount of cash ever takin out of a Federal Reserve Bank in the History of our nation..the U.S. Citizens hard earned tax money...OUR CASH. It's a legalized bank Robbery approved by this administration. 300 tons of CASH. What in the H#*l is going on anyway? No one can explain who's idea who authorized it, or what was the reason..and most important..WHERE DID IT GO?? I feel like I am in a bad dream sometimes. This can't be really happening, can it? This kind of B.S while 10's of thousands of U.S. citizens are homeless on the Gulf Coast in Hurricane ravaged communities...here in the UNITED STATES. How about one of those C-130's land a load of cash for the victims on the coast. That would be aiding members of the opposite party and that is not acceptable. How are we going to deal with the real issues of this nation with that kind of deceptive and corrupt leadership. The worst part about it is there is no accountability and nothing can be done about it. Leagalized robbery is what it is. It's seems like no one really cares what the public thinks anymore. What a mess! Yes,the absolute first process in making this nation wholesome again is to find Dynamic leadership..if that even exist anymore. Then, and only then can we establish a Plan with an independent energy policy that is sustainable and realistic. We not only are energy deficit we are lacking in a lot of other crucial and vital components for this nation to be Great once again. First of all again, It Starts with Intellegent leadership..something this nation is also in short supply of. We as citizens will have to agree to make some huge sacrifices to achieve the goal of self reliance on energy. Rationing, car pooling, cutting frivolous energy use. , less recreational travel, etc., etc.. Lets talk about what can be done for the future.. not about what is going on and what has happened in the past. Status quo is a recipe for a National economic collapse. Don't let the facade of Wall Street trick you into believing everything is economicly OK. Under the surface of that guilded veneer..there is real trouble lurking economically here in the United States. It won't take much for make believe to rear up in stark reality. A real energy crisis lurks just around the corner..and that would be just the catalyst to launch an economic disaster for our nation. So the answer to our Energy Problems is simple...NEW LEADERSHIP FOR THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ...A.S.A.P!
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What is the source of the national apathy that causes us to continue on this path of self-destruction? Yes, America is addicted to oil, and it is an obsession that will destroy our way of life if we fail to recognize it and overcome it.