My reflections on 9/11.

[EagleRJ]

Firstly, I don't think we have to become an isolated nation to free ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil (or at least Middle Eastern oil).

Very true. Reducing our dependance is a long-term task to be sure. Reducing our consumption is something we've been trying to do for the last 30 years. We're making some headway, but I'll bet it will be another 30 years before we have a truly energy-efficient society. In the short term, we can increase domestic production. That's why I support opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for production. The SPR was created to supply us in the event of war with the Soviet Union, and I think our current situation is as good a reason as any to begin using it.

We'll have to ask ourselves what impact reducing our dependance will have on the Middle East. Look at Saudi Arabia. It's a hereditary monarchy with an established caste system in its society, and while it has a high quality of living now, it gets almost all of its revenue from oil. What will happen to the people of Saudi Arabia and the demeanor of its government if they were to lose 70% of their GDP over a decade? I'm not saying we shouldn't do it- we just need to address all the issues so we don't create another Iraq for our children.

We needed F.D.R., Marshall, Patton, Nimitz, MacArthur, Arnold, and King very badly last year. [/B]

I've wondered how they would have handled our current war, against an unconventional enemy.