Death of the Petro-Confederacy

The Southern States were addicted to slave labor. The institution of slavery was part of the fabric of everyday life. Everyone could see the slaves working in the fields and some, even in the South, questioned the morality of this economic paradigm. But the Southern Aristocracy was never going to relinquish their cheap slave energy without a fight.

Just as the South was addicted to slave labor, “we are addicted to oil” as President Bush proclaimed in his most recent State of the Union Address. Our petroleum-based economy is the foundation of the American way of life. Owning a big house in the suburbs and two big cars is part of the American Dream. On the surface, there is nothing immoral about this arrangement. This was true especially when we had all the oil we needed in the post WWII years. But since American oil production peaked in 1971, we have been heading down a slippery moral slope toward a collision course with our Judgment Day.

Energy Bulletin