Like it was yesterday, I remember my thoughts after the 911 attack on America. First, that the people who did this will be hunted down and receive the kind of punishment they deserve. My second thought was that finally our country will return to being serious about energy independence, like in the seventies, and be independent of Middle East oil.
The war on terrorism must be war for energy independence. By not fighting for energy independence as hard as we’ve been fighting the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, we leave ourselves weak and vulnerable to terrorists. Even worse we open ourselves to the revengeful hatred of Muslim extremists who see us as a morally corrupt country intent upon plundering the resources of the Middle East.
Why have George W. Bush and the Republican Congress has been so weak, although they’ve slickly sold themselves as otherwise, in the war on terror? George W. Bush has been fighting wars of vindication against the terrorists and against Saddam Hussein, while appeasing the big oil companies who contribute 85% of their corporate Political Action Committee’s money to the Republican party.
Today, five years after 911 there should have been at least 10-15 nuclear plants instead of none and hundreds if not thousands of ethanol plants under construction instead of just a few. Immediately after 911 we should have instituted tough national energy conservation standards for vehicles and home energy use using the methods I’ve outlined in previous articles. Didn’t happen.
The only sure thing George Bush, Ray LaHood and the Republican Congress have done is help "Big Oil" by doing exactly what we as a nation "addicted to oil" don’t need to do, drill for more oil in Alaska. Do you give more alcohol to an alcoholic? NO! Their anemic response to alternative energy has worsened the immediate and long term threat for terrorism in America while guaranteeing massive profits for the oil companies.
And just as the facts don’t support George Bush, the Republican Congress and Ray Lahood, being strong on National security; neither do they deserve the support of the voters of the 18th Congressional District.
