There is no question that each of us has our opinions on the war effort in Iraq. One clear unified position among the greatest number of us is that we rally around the support of our troops fighting in harms way.
As a young man I can recall the classroom exercises where we had to learn about being prepared if we were attacked with a hydrogen or other type of atom bomb. Back then we at least had an idea of who our enemies were. Today, our efforts defining who or where the real threat is coming from still remains elusive.
The real most dangerous adversary is our overwhelming dependence on foreign oil and the stream of billions of American dollars flowing overseas. This money is funding the very countries that harbor and propagate the fugitives that become recruits to suicide bombings, gun runners, and weapons purveyors. We all recognize that it is time to break this chain of our nation’s dependence to foreign oil and cut off the unlimited access to these dollars.
The might of our country is not just tied to our military power; America’s economic muscle is just as great and perhaps even more effective. Our greatest effort today should be to pressure all of our national elected representatives to work day and night to develop the most important exit strategy of our generation. This is the strategy of becoming totally energy self sufficient. We cannot wait 5 or 10 years from now, we must start today with the same effort we would in preparing to go to war to defend our freedom and way of life. We can in the balance of what’s left this year alone reduce billions of gallons of gasoline consumed with good old American discipline and perseverance.
Several decades ago we were forced to cut our fuel consumption when the Arab oil embargo was imposed upon us while Israel was fighting Egypt. This economic maneuver caused our country to ration fuel and restricted our buying gas to certain days of the week based on our car’s odd or even license numbers. As the most powerful nation in the history of the world, we should never place ourselves in that position ever again.
Our economic might in this new world we live in is unprecedented and can be the most powerful and effective weapon in combating terrorism from the very countries that rely on American’s dollars and our insatiable appetite for oil.
A comprehensive, fast-tracking boost in conservation and the use of alternate fuels NOW, is better than waiting for our offshore “friends” to force us to take another look at whether we have an odd or even license number on our cars and trucks. Or worse yet, continue to bury more of our soldiers because of the sinister global ambitions of our enemies.
American ingenuity and know- how have always won the day. As the great football coach George Allen said … “the future is now!”