Every modern war is an oil war, a resource war. Napoleon believed an army moves on its stomach. Today, an army moves on gasoline and diesel fuel as well.
WWII wasn't primarily a war for oil but it was a war about oil and don't let anybody tell you different. As this poster and others in this series clearly show, oil was considered as much a weapon as any gun, bomb, or trained fighting man.
Today, we are considered crackpots and conspiracy theorists if we talk about oil within the context of little Georgie Bush's Global War on TerrorTM (patent pending). Yet, when we were serious about warfare, everybody learned quickly that every resource is valuable and
Fuel Fights!
If you want to learn more about the history of oil and warfare from the first wellhead to the invasion of Iraq, Robert Newman's History of Oil, a 45 minute multimedia presentation powered by eco-cyclists, is both entertaining and informative.
I've been using reproductions of WWII posters in my Solar Survival Show and at anti-war events for the last couple of years. They cut right to the point and highlight the seriousness of the homefront during WWII against the greedy silliness of the "homeland" today.
I even gave a set my favorite WWII energy conservation posters to Al Gore at a recent book signing ( http://www.youtube.com/... )
I'm the guy in the maroon shirt.
You can download the full image above from http://www.library.northwestern.edu/... and find an extensive library of downloadable images of WWII posters at http://www.library.northwestern.edu/...
It's way past time to get real and shame the chickenhawks by shoving the reality of history in their faces.
PS: The Project for an Old American Century ( http://www.oldamericancentury.org ) and the Propaganda Remix Project ( http://homepage.mac.com/... ) are reworking some of these posters for 21st century purposes but I tend to be a purist, preferring the originals for their jarring resonances across the decades.
Fourteenth in a series of WWII posters that have relevance today.
Previous entries:
7/25/06
Should Brave Men Die So You Can Drive? - WWII Poster
http://www.dailykos.com/...
7/30/06
Do With Less So They'll Have Enough - WWII Poster.2
http://www.dailykos.com/...
8/6/06
Have You Really Tried to Save Gas...? - WWII Poster.3
http://www.dailykos.com/...
8/13/06
All Fuel Is Scarce - WWII Poster.4
http://www.dailykos.com/...
8/20/06
We'll Have Lots to Eat - WWII Poster.5
http://www.dailykos.com/...
8/27/06
Is Your Trip Necessary? - WWII Poster.6
http://www.dailykos.com/...
9/3/06
Prepare for Winter Now - WWII Poster.7
http://www.dailykos.com/...
9/10/06
Scrap - WWII Poster.8
http://www.dailykos.com/...
9/17/06
Serve and Conserve - WWII Poster.9
http://www.dailykos.com/...
9/24/06
Won't You Give My Boy a Chance to Get Home? - WWII Poster.10
http://www.dailykos.com/...
10/1/06
Food Is a Weapon - WWII Poster.11
http://www.dailykos.com/...
10/8/06
A Message to Our Tenants - WWII Poster.12
http://www.dailykos.com/...
10/15/06
Make Yours a Victory Home! - WWII Poster.13
http://www.dailykos.com/...
The first four WWII posters are the ones I gave Al Gore. I also sent a set to Bill Moyers. This set of four images is also available at
http://solarray.blogspot.com/...