[MonteQuest]

When one reads an article such as this, it is hard to not consider the timeliness of the "war on terror". Even if you don't believe the events of the past year were intentional, that does not change the picture of the future before us. We stand at the dusk of oil-based civilization, and the U.S. is preparing for the approaching night by extending its military might throughout the world and instituting a police state at home. Just like the Cold War, the War on Terror puts us in bed with some extremely unpleasant regimes. What worries me about the War on Terror is something different: how cleanly and easily it explains the world. Like the Cold War, the War on Terror will tell us everything about Abroad that we need to know: Who are our friends, who are our enemies, and where our priorities must lie. We get a few Columbian guerrillas blowing up some deep jungle pipelines of much needed "US oil", then I think it highly likely they will become terrorists that need extermination in a country in need of a "regime" change.


$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')hen, and in just what form, the United States enters the coming energy crisis cannot be foreseen. Perhaps it will be provoked by a coup d'état in Nigeria, a civil war in Venezuela, or a feud among senior princes in the Saudi royal family (possibly brought on by the impending death of King Fahd). Or it could be thanks to a major act of terrorism or a catastrophic climate event. Whatever the case, our existing energy system, already stretched to its limits, will not be able to absorb a major blow like this without considerable readjustment and pain -- or worse. While President Bush is likely to respond to a new energy crisis, as he has in the past, with renewed calls for drilling in ANWR and the further relaxation of U.S. environmental standards, nothing he has proposed to date even suggests a viable exit strategy from perpetual crisis.

[savethehumans]

Been reading stories about what the Neocons are up to...seems that they want the system to fall, so they can rebuild it in their own image.

Of course, when they find they won't be able to rebuild it, that the crash is out of their control, MAYBE they'll feel a little regret! (And maybe the moon IS made out of green cheese....)

[stu]

Monte,

Don't think Colombia will be on the target of regime change. President Uribe is a key ally of Bush in South America. Colombia is pretty messed up though. You have a 4-way civil war going on between government forces, left wing marxist guerillas, right wing forces and militias controlled by drug barons.

They are trying to sort this out though but have a lot of work to do.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4087311.stm
How much do you want to bet on Hugo Chavez being targeted for regime change?

[DomusAlbion]

Stu,

I believe that in Columbia we just might be seeing the future of the world.

I was kind of hoping we could skip the whole feudal mini-state scenario but that is basically what is going on in Columbia and what could happen world wide as transportation collapses and it becomes more difficult to control large amounts of territory from a central government.

[MonteQuest]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('stu', 'M')onte,

Don't think Colombia will be on the target of regime change. President Uribe is a key ally of Bush in South America. Colombia is pretty messed up though. You have a 4-way civil war going on between government forces, left wing marxist guerillas, right wing forces and militias controlled by drug barons.

They are trying to sort this out though but have a lot of work to do.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4087311.stm
How much do you want to bet on Hugo Chavez being targeted for regime change?

[stu]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DomusAlbion', 'S')tu,

I believe that in Columbia we just might be seeing the future of the world.

I was kind of hoping we could skip the whole feudal mini-state scenario but that is basically what is going on in Columbia and what could happen world wide as transportation collapses and it becomes more difficult to control large amounts of territory from a central government.

[mindfarkk]

IMO this has already happened. except instead of estates, here in the U.S. we call them 'corporations.'

[Kingcoal]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DomusAlbion', 'S')tu,

I believe that in Columbia we just might be seeing the future of the world.

I was kind of hoping we could skip the whole feudal mini-state scenario but that is basically what is going on in Columbia and what could happen world wide as transportation collapses and it becomes more difficult to control large amounts of territory from a central government.

[TrueKaiser]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Kingcoal', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DomusAlbion', 'S')tu,

I believe that in Columbia we just might be seeing the future of the world.

I was kind of hoping we could skip the whole feudal mini-state scenario but that is basically what is going on in Columbia and what could happen world wide as transportation collapses and it becomes more difficult to control large amounts of territory from a central government.

[DomusAlbion]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('stu', 'I') take it what you mean here is as PO kicks in people will be disheartened with their current governments and resort to more extreme left or right wing ideologys.

[stu]

I met someone once who told me the US system of government involving state laws was a good set up for anarchists. He reckons if the US system did collapse then you would have all of these small anarchical societies.

Sounds a lot better than the current systyem.

[DomusAlbion]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('stu', '.').. He reckons if the US system did collapse then you would have all of these small anarchical societies.

Sounds a lot better than the current systyem.

[Euric]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('DomusAlbion', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('stu', '
')I'm not talking subversion here, just thinking that if the lines of power and control are weakened by distance and expensive transportation we may need to move to regional rule.

[mindfarkk]

here, here, well said.

believe me i'm the first person they'll be dragging down the streets to the paddywagon (if they can catch me). i've been pretty vocal about my feelings. i can't even suck it up anymore and pretend i'm interested in the so-called democratic process. when our president elect is determined by which candidate has the biggest budget, something is gone critically awry with our system. i'd like to go found another country, please! oh wait. last time someone tried to secede from the federal union, we had that little thing called the civil war to bring them into line! but that wasn't really about taking over a confederacy of free states was it? no... that was about... freeing the slaves. yeah, that's it, we're freeing the slaves, so if you have anything to say against federalism, it must be because you are a slavemonger! yeah! effing anti-human-rights bastard!! god why does that sound so familiar? oh yeah, now we're freeing the iraqis! yeah! and if you don't like it, you must be a terrorist loving dissident! so there!

[MonteQuest]

Let's try to stay on topic here guys:

Looming Energy Crisis Overshadows Bush's Second Term

MQ

[stu]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MonteQuest', 'L')et's try to stay on topic here guys:

Looming Energy Crisis Overshadows Bush's Second Term

MQ

[MonteQuest]

Yes, and with industry guys like this all over the Bush mindset, we are in for a heated battle over the environment:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ill 2005 be the year when government policymakers finally face the reality that we must eliminate all the roadblocks to increasing domestic production, whether in Alaska's ANWR, the Rockies or offshore? The proposed Alaska gas pipeline needs a push, also. The US petroleum industry is ready to do its job, if access can be granted to areas now off-limits to exploration. In so doing, we will create more jobs here, at home. If there was ever a time to implement a good energy plan like President Bush's, this is it. —Paul L. Kelly, Senior Vice President, Rowan Companies, Inc., Houston

[Kingcoal]

Hopefully, the Bush administration will finally adopt an official energy policy. We need technology more than ever. The last energy crisis sparked off and efficiency movement in industry and many savings were found. Most of these innovations are unsung, such as the flame retention oil burner which is about 15% more efficient as older designs.

It might seem as though efficiency improvements might be harder to come by this time around, which is why the government has to lead the way and make it economically feasible for companies to invest the R&D money and other costs.

[PenultimateManStanding]

Dr. John Marburger, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and Science Advisor to President Bush stated last December that there was $850 million devoted to developement of nanotechnology and that he believed there to be great potential for the use of this technology in the energy sector. But far more is spent on biomedical research and military research. I would like to see them raise spending in this particular field. Cars made of this carbon nanotube stuff could be just as strong as steel cars but weigh only 1/10th as much. The fuel savings could be enormous. I read that BMW is already making parts using this material.

[somethingtosay]

Well, over the Holidays I bought and read Michael T. Klare's book Blood and Oil published in July 94. His analysis of the US policy towards the Oil producing regions of the world is spot on. This book is the best when it comes to putting the oil age and in particular, the current Bush administration policies into Focus.

Basically, the current US policies are a continuance and a ramping up of the defacto policies developed during WW2, when Truman realized the USA did not have enough internal oil resources, to continue the industrial and military age past the 50s.

In the 1940's, the USA basically decided that they have the rights the oil resources in the Middle East and that the USA future depends on having secured access to imported Oil. Michael does a fantastic job of how this is a fundamental policy of the US government and how it has evolved up to July 2004, and has stayed essentially the same since WW2.

The US Government is fully aware of the problems caused by the Oil dilemma; it has chosen to use the US military to securitize the Oil supply, to postpone a powerdown as far into the future as it can. A Powerdown is not an option in the American Political Process.

I got much more afraid of the future when I read Michael’s book as to me it is the peace and security of the ME that is the key to deciding between an orderly transition or a catastrophic collapse. By militarizing the ME, as Bush has done, the goodwill of the ME peoples towards the West will be altered and a collapse of the oil economy can be much sooner rather than latter.