I just read an article in the NY Times called An Unexpected Collision Over Detainees about how the Bush administration wants to gut the Geneva Conventions against torture in interrogations so that they can torture terror suspects. [Sept 30, 2006: Which, incredibly, has now been passed by our spineless Congress!] As if that wasn't disturbing enough, Bush stated that this will be a "multi-generational battle against Islamic terrorists".
When will our government get the message that this entire direction that they are leading us in is a path down the sewer?
This is my opinion of course. But I'd bet a lot of you agree. Here's what has been bugging me for a long time. When Bush said that "America is addicted to oil" in his State of the Union address earlier this year, he did two things.
- He placed that idea front and center in the minds of Americans reminding us that our current lifestyles depend upon oil.
- He framed it in such a way that American's would realize that we would have to make concessions to our civil liberties in pursuit of oil.
I don't buy into that bullshit nor do I want to continue to be dependent upon oil. We all know that our invasion and occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq is more about oil, economics and power, than it is about righting the wrongs of the 9/11 attacks.
Which brings me to my point...
In my view, all things point toward the need to urgently pursue a path toward alternative energy sources. Duh, you say?
Simply put, a series of federal initiatives mandating full transfer of automotive technologies from oil and gas to electric power within 10-years time is achievable. Such a transfer would have so many benefits to the entire world, of which three of the most important, in my opinion, are:
- The removal of the economic power of oil producing countries and the need to pursue an ever dwindling resource. Removing the need to maintain a military presence in the mideast.
- A change in the perception of the U.S. on the world stage. It can be argued that the legacy of imperialistic U.S. policies -- economic and political -- over the last 60-years or so have brought about the negative opinions held of the U.S. by these Islamic terrorists. After all, capitalism at its heart is based on the unequal distribution of goods and services. If we worked toward a more equitable distribution of those goods and services, things might be different.
- Moving quickly toward a responsible and healthful solution concerning climate change. We humans are stewards of the Earth, not her masters. Viable electric cars have already been tested but the auto industry is resisting them.
Ten years is ample time for people to adapt to the changes in the infrastructure of their lives. Companies can plan for these changes. People can be retrained for work in new industries. Humans are made to adapt and we can either be proactive and particpate in planning that adaptation process, or reactive and suffer other painful adaptations.
If you agree with what I've written here, then please apply unrelenting pressure on the Bush administration regarding a major revamping of the automotive and other oil-related industries. Write to your congress person every week, or month, whatever you can manage.