Posted on 07/08/2005 10:32:50 PM PDT by Libloather
The London bombings were fueled by oil
Friday, July 8, 2005 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
Froma Harrop / Syndicated columnist
It is oil's fault. The London bombings are almost surely al-Qaida's work, which means oil paid for them. Oil keeps the Mideast backward. It funds the madrassas that fill heads with anti-West poison. And it pays the terrorists who plant bombs on European trains and fly airplanes into American buildings. It is time we did something about oil.
The United States accounts for 25 percent of the world's oil consumption. We could crush oil's power to hurt us with a serious campaign to kick our fossil-fuel habit. But we don't, because we have an administration and Congress that care more about the oil industry than about us.
That said, not everyone in Washington is craven to the god of petroleum. The Senate has just passed an energy bill that provides real incentives for conservation and alternative sources. But little of the good stuff made it into the House version. And so, the Senate must now reconcile its modern vision with the House's primitive worship of fossil fuels.
We're in Iraq because of oil. That's not to say our intentions were ever to take over Iraqi oil fields. Our interest is to transform Mesopotamia and the rest of the Mideast into stable democracies. The theory is that angry theologies and genocidal tyrants frustrate economic advancement and breed dementia. Change all that, and the Mideast will become a peaceful and prosperous region.
But were it not for oil, that part of the world would have long ago moved toward modern economies. The people would have had no choice. They would have done it themselves. Americans would not be sending their soldiers to build democracy for them.
But the corrupting influence of oil goes on because the United States hasn't had the discipline and courage to end the oil game. The Bush administration's only energy policy is to provide new tax breaks to the drillers and open up wildlife refuges to energy companies. As national policy, it's a sideshow: The amount of oil that could be economically taken from the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge is minuscule next to our energy needs.
This approach damages us because it maintains the myth that America can somehow reduce its dependency on foreign oil without giving up oil consumption. World supply and global demand ultimately set the price of oil. China's mushrooming economy alone will keep it rising. The idea that U.S. oil companies would give Americans a break on the world price because the crude came out of Alaska is utter fantasy.
The lack of will to tackle the problem lies not in the American people but in their leadership. An Associated Press poll in April asked this simple question: "Do you think George W. Bush is or is not handling the nation's energy problems effectively?" Two-thirds answered, "Is not."
Every time someone suggests programs to reduce America's oil consumption, the president says "can't do." It would harm the economy, he argues. But empowering terrorists with oil money also damages the economy. For further reference, study the recession that intensified after the 9/11 attacks. Look at our limp response to something as simple as applying fuel-efficiency standards, now required on cars, to light trucks. The president and Congress quickly squelched that idea. Why? It would raise the price of SUVs, and that is purportedly more than Americans can stand.
The civilized world's struggle against terrorism is a fight against oil. We must fight it everywhere and with every weapon. That means fuel-efficient appliances, wind turbines, solar panels, nuclear energy and hybrid engines. And yes, throw in ethanol. Thanks to improved production techniques, corn-based fuel now produces more energy than is required to make it. Ethanol is a player.
The awful bombings in London — no matter who did them — remind us that terrorist attacks on the West are not one-time deals. There will be more of them, and some will happen here. And when they do, there will be more hand-wringing about our addiction to oil.
But instead of wringing hands, we could start applying elbow grease. Americans really do want to reduce their dependency on oil. They are willing — even eager — to make short-term sacrifices for this longer-term good. But they need leaders who are with them and serious about taking America out of the oil quagmire and into an enlightened age.
Providence Journal columnist Froma Harrop's column appears regularly on editorial pages of The Times. Her e-mail address is fharrop@projo.com
(Denny Crane: "Sometimes you can only look for answers from God and failing that... and Fox News".)
Does this moron actually believe we could make oil valueless?? Nobody could be that stupid.
Logically, then, the moral thing to do is to sieze the oil without paying for it.
Froma's understanding is hampered.
Bad men did bad things.!!
If not oil then there would be some other source!!!
I blame the stupidity of her column on the trees it took to make today's newspaper.
What disgusts me more than anything is that she gets paid to write this sh*t.
Leftist logic in action. No wonder they all look so PAINED all the time, they've got their little brains having headaches with this malarky.
Naw they would have still been backward.
I stopped reading after that.
They're so predictable.
They'll blame Aemricans for this, when in actuality the blame lies fully on the evil cowardice of al-Qaeda.
No, wait...I put some of the blame on the leftist media for encouraging and supporting al-Qaeda with crap like this article.
She puts out a pretty good screed, but she completely skips the little piece of reality that happens if something happens to the oil supply. It won't be pretty, but there is a lot of interesting technology coming. As oil gets more scarce and the supply more tenuous, other energy technologies will come on line.
Wars will be with us until the end of time. Get used to it!
It would only take a few barrels of oil to pay for the small quantities of explosives apparently used in the London terrorism. The issue is not oil or money, but ideology.
No wonder the terrorists feel so empowered! The world is filled with morons who haven't got a clue! Suggest this man start Jihad 101 at the nearest Kindergarten class.
Like what—ride subways and buses more?
Working for the Seattle Times has much the same effect.
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