• Home
  • About

Rural Ruminations

OpEd pieces by a retired CIA station chief.

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Real Energy Change — We Need To Get On with It
Iraqis hold key to their own success »

Real Energy Change — We Need To Get On with It

July 30, 2008 by Haviland Smith

[Originally published in the Herald of Randolph.]

Americans are in a bind.  We are bogged down in an incredibly costly adventure in Iraq.  Our dollar is crashing.  Our national and foreign debt is skyrocketing.  We are mired in personal debt and losing our homes. Inflation is increasing at an unusual rate.  We have a worldwide petroleum shortage bringing us frightening prices at the pump and the furnace. And we face mounting prices for the food we need. There’s not a whole lot of good news out there.

In the midst of all this, we face the existential threat of global warming, a judgment which is now supported by the vast majority of scientists worldwide and even by President Bush, one of the earliest nay-sayers.  Americans who continue to deny this are living in a fool’s paradise, prayerfully hoping it isn’t so and driving SUVs and Hummers.

White House supporters tell us that we are going to solve all our problems by finding and pumping more crude.  Yet they all admit that this tactic will have no effect for at least 10 years, and probably not much even then.  Neither they, nor the Democrats have a solution for tomorrow.

There seems to be agreement, even among those who would drill in our waters and in Alaska, that we can’t pump our way out of the shortage.  So what are we to do?  Are we going to turn coal into oil?  The Germans did a lot of that during the Second World War and, God knows, we have a lot of coal.  Are we going to start producing shale oil?  There are apparently gazillions of barrels available there. Of course the problem with all of this is that these are carbon-based fuels that, when burned, contribute mightily to global warming.

So, it would appear that to solve both our energy needs and the global warming issue, we will have to do something else, something new, something different.

T.  Boone Pickens, the Texas oil billionaire and conservative Republican, sees the problem and has a passionate solution.  He is investing heavily in solar and wind energy.

General Motors arbitrarily scrapped its first electric, the EV-1, in 1999, before the advent of new, more efficient batteries. This car was produced from 1996-99 to comply with California clean air standards. The cars, all of which were available solely on lease, were recalled in 2003 and crushed, as if to remove all the evidence.  Now, GM says it will have a new, plug-in hybrid model, the “Volt”, in showrooms in 2010.

Right now, we are spending trillions of dollars on imported petroleum from abroad, using dollars that have been devalued by our profligate spending in Iraq, by our tax cut program, by our relentless consumption of imported goods and by our incredible energy consumption.

Some of that money indirectly supports terrorism aimed against our interests.  Most of it is coming back here and buying America lock stock and barrel. With real estate foreclosures rampant, Asians, Europeans and Middle Easterners, people with strong currencies, are snapping up American properties.  The same is true of our stocks and bonds and government instruments.  America is for sale!

Even if you can’t stand him, Al Gore is right! So is T. Boone Pickens and at least one GM executive.  We need to invest heavily in alternative, non-carbon based energy innovation. We need to become self-sufficient.

Americans are clever.  We always have been.  We can solve the technical problems involved here and in doing so, we will create products and technologies that will be in high demand around a globally warming world, items that will fix our balance of payments problems and put us squarely on our international and national economic feet again.  This will happen only if we get going right now.

Winston Churchill once said, “Americans always do the right thing, but only after they have tried everything else!” That’s remarkably perceptive. The absolute worst thing that could happen to us, given this Churchillian observation, would be to see the price of crude go down in any meaningful way.  If gas dropped to $2 a gallon, we would never put a penny into alternative energy research, prolong our petroleum pain and ultimately cook ourselves off our globe.

In fact, as some have suggested, we probably would be well served if the Federal Government put a floor under the price of crude.  Let’s say, they would never let it be bought here for less than $130 a barrel.  Any income they made in the process could be channeled into research on alternative fuels while the reality of that price would keep private investment focused on the research process and American drivers pushing industry and government for viable alternatives to their SUVs and Hummers.

Americans probably look at our current energy plight as wholly negative.  In fact, it bears with it the seeds of our national and international economic and political redemption.  America really needs to get on with it.

Haviland Smith is a retired CIA station chief who served in East and West Europe, the Middle East and as chief of the counterterrorism staff.  A long-time resident of Brookfield, he now lives in Williston.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in United States |

  • Search all posts

  • Newest Posts

    • TRUMP AT WAR WITH AMERICA
    • WHERE IS THE WORLD HEADED?
    • Democratic socialism and the coming election
  • Posts by Category

    • Afghanistan (34)
    • CIA (23)
    • Democracy (7)
    • Egypt (6)
    • foreign policy (104)
    • Gulf (1)
    • Insurgency (3)
    • intelligence (22)
    • Iran (18)
    • Iraq (44)
    • ISIS (1)
    • Israel/Palestine (27)
    • Lebanon (2)
    • Libya (2)
    • Middle East (60)
    • Military Polilcy (8)
    • NATO (1)
    • Pakistan (2)
    • Revolution (2)
    • Russia (20)
    • Syria (11)
    • terrorism (53)
    • Uncategorized (25)
    • United States (88)
    • Yugoslavia (4)
  • Posts by Date

    • March 2020 (2)
    • February 2020 (1)
    • September 2019 (2)
    • August 2019 (5)
    • February 2018 (2)
    • January 2018 (1)
    • December 2017 (1)
    • October 2017 (1)
    • September 2017 (1)
    • June 2017 (1)
    • May 2017 (2)
    • April 2017 (1)
    • March 2017 (2)
    • February 2017 (3)
    • January 2017 (1)
    • November 2016 (1)
    • October 2016 (1)
    • June 2016 (4)
    • February 2016 (1)
    • December 2015 (1)
    • October 2015 (1)
    • September 2015 (1)
    • August 2015 (4)
    • May 2015 (1)
    • March 2015 (1)
    • February 2015 (1)
    • November 2014 (1)
    • August 2014 (1)
    • June 2014 (1)
    • May 2014 (1)
    • February 2014 (1)
    • December 2013 (1)
    • November 2013 (1)
    • August 2013 (3)
    • July 2013 (1)
    • June 2013 (1)
    • May 2013 (1)
    • March 2013 (4)
    • February 2013 (2)
    • January 2013 (2)
    • December 2012 (2)
    • November 2012 (1)
    • October 2012 (1)
    • September 2012 (2)
    • August 2012 (1)
    • July 2012 (1)
    • June 2012 (1)
    • May 2012 (1)
    • March 2012 (4)
    • February 2012 (1)
    • January 2012 (1)
    • December 2011 (1)
    • November 2011 (3)
    • October 2011 (3)
    • September 2011 (2)
    • August 2011 (2)
    • July 2011 (2)
    • June 2011 (3)
    • May 2011 (3)
    • April 2011 (4)
    • March 2011 (3)
    • February 2011 (2)
    • January 2011 (4)
    • December 2010 (3)
    • November 2010 (3)
    • October 2010 (2)
    • September 2010 (4)
    • August 2010 (3)
    • July 2010 (4)
    • June 2010 (4)
    • May 2010 (3)
    • April 2010 (2)
    • March 2010 (4)
    • February 2010 (3)
    • January 2010 (6)
    • December 2009 (4)
    • November 2009 (3)
    • October 2009 (3)
    • September 2009 (3)
    • August 2009 (1)
    • July 2009 (4)
    • June 2009 (4)
    • May 2009 (3)
    • April 2009 (3)
    • March 2009 (4)
    • February 2009 (4)
    • January 2009 (6)
    • December 2008 (4)
    • November 2008 (2)
    • October 2008 (3)
    • September 2008 (6)
    • August 2008 (5)
    • July 2008 (7)
    • June 2008 (2)
    • May 2008 (5)
    • April 2008 (2)
    • March 2008 (3)
    • January 2008 (1)
    • December 2007 (1)
    • November 2007 (3)
    • September 2007 (2)
    • August 2007 (2)
    • July 2007 (2)
    • June 2007 (2)
    • May 2007 (1)
    • April 2007 (1)
    • March 2007 (2)
    • February 2007 (1)
    • January 2007 (1)
    • December 2006 (1)
    • November 2006 (1)
    • September 2006 (1)
    • August 2006 (1)
    • July 2006 (2)
    • June 2006 (1)
    • May 2006 (3)
    • April 2006 (1)
    • February 2006 (1)
    • January 2006 (1)
    • November 2005 (1)
    • September 2005 (1)
    • August 2005 (1)
    • June 2005 (1)
    • April 2005 (1)
    • March 2005 (1)
    • January 2005 (2)
    • December 2004 (1)
    • November 2004 (1)
    • September 2004 (1)
    • August 2004 (1)
    • May 2004 (1)
    • April 2004 (2)
    • November 2003 (1)
    • October 2003 (1)
    • August 2003 (1)
    • June 2003 (1)
    • February 2003 (1)
    • January 2003 (2)
    • December 2002 (1)
    • January 2002 (1)
    • November 2001 (1)
    • September 2001 (1)
    • August 2000 (1)
    • January 2000 (1)
    • August 1999 (1)
    • May 1999 (1)
    • August 1998 (1)
    • April 1997 (1)
    • August 1996 (1)
    • July 1995 (1)
    • January 1995 (1)
    • September 1994 (1)
    • March 1994 (1)
    • October 1992 (1)
    • July 1992 (1)
    • February 1992 (1)
    • August 1991 (1)
    • February 1991 (1)
  • Videos

    • Haviland Smith: VPT Profile
    • The Impact of the U.S. Invasion and Occupation of Iraq
  • RSS

    • RSS - Posts
  • Blog Counter

    • 6,724 pages viewed

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

WPThemes.


Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Rural Ruminations
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Rural Ruminations
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
%d bloggers like this: