The American Spectator

Reader Mail

Grease and Oil

5.7.08 @ 12:01AM

(Page 3 of 6)

Roger Kaplan has hit the nail on the head. Although decades of our absurd environmental and regulatory policies have fed into the problem, there can be no doubt that, because of OPEC, the price of oil is above market, and these countries are getting an above market profit. Basic free market economics tells us this can only happen over the long haul by using force. It is not as if these sheiks legitimately own the oil in some kind of Lockean sense. Much was nationalized. It would be morally acceptable to use force to disband OPEC or seize the oil(or as it should be called, "liberating" the oil). Perhaps a real threat of military action with an ultimatum could produce the desired effect as well. One quibble: rather than letting the U.S. administer the price, auction the oil off to non-state run oil companies. We can and need to have a real market price for oil, not this State enforced sham that is delivering mega illegitimate profits to terrorists and dictators, while starving and impoverishing the rest of the world.
-- Philip Schneider

Mr. Kaplan has got to be kidding.

First, his proposed course of action would require denouncing the UN charter and mutual treaty obligations with dozens of countries all at once. I cannot conceive of any administration that could be snake-charmed into that.

Results vary, but the USA has been trying to be a good friend and moral exemplar these last few decades. How could that be thrown away at a stroke, even supposing you could find someone with more credibility than David Duke to advocate it?

And this country is not a European imperial power of the 19th century, when the society was grounded on the more homicidal strains of the Old Testament, with "la mission civilatrice" and "the white man's burden" as solemn articles of faith.

Today a supposedly beneficent conquest (supposing it worked -- a damn big "if ," after Iraq) would look more like an economic mutation of the "lebensraum" theory. Probably rightly.

Second, seventy years of Marxists in high places has had its effect, and not a good one. America today is hard put to summon the national will and popular support to defend its own interests, let alone devise a rationale to impose its supervision on others. Quite apart from the fact that it is beyond our capabilities right now to stage an oil Blitzkrieg in any OPEC country, even trying it would lead to open revolt and quite possibly a civil war in this one.

Third, I cannot help but notice that many of the hard-line, preventive-war crowd never spent a day in uniform themselves. No matter how sincere, something is lacking from the perception of strategic planners who have never stood watch or sentry duty themselves.

So let me propose a middle course: modify the Arms Control Act, with its bans on foreign military recruiting and sensitive weapons sales -- at least as far the non-nuclear items. After that, have at it! Let the visionaries launch their own filibustering expeditions. On their own dime. Risking their own necks. Win and we're with 'em all the way, lose and we never heard of 'em. What was good enough for Francis Drake and Henry Morgan should be good enough for them.
-- Martin Owens
Sacramento, California

Roger Kaplan: You yourself acknowledge the obvious: that the Saudi and Gulf royals exist at the pleasure of the U. S. and the UK governments. So what is to keep all of us out here in flyover country from believing that our government (behind smoke and mirrors) already sets the price of our fuels? And why should we believe that the price would be set more in our favor if our government swept away the smoke and mirrors (swept the Saudi and Emirate regimes, that is) and took direct control?
-- Ty Knoy
Ann Arbor, Michigan

The thesis of this article has to be the most idiotic idea I have heard or read since the last time Hillary or Obama opened their elitist mouths. The Arab despots who "own" the oil, own the oil. It is their oil, to do with whatever they choose to do. It is not their fault that the USA now lies prostrate at their feet, begging and praying them not to raise the price of oil and to increase output.

The reason the USA is in an energy bind is our own stupid, misguided, idiotic, moronic, suicidal energy "policy." Simply put, it is literally illegal to drill for oil or gas in most places within the offshore or on-shore confines of the USA, it is near impossible to build a new refinery, and it is almost impossible to build a nuclear power plant, and each state sets its own guidelines as to what type of gasoline is permitted. What a total joke.

And what forms of energy are promoted. Domestically produced ethanol -- the biggest sick joke since the global warming scare and solar and wind; two forms of energy that if fully utilized would satisfy about 5% of the energy needs of this country.

This has been our energy policy for the last 35 years. In fact, if 35 years ago it was intended that we endanger national security by implementing a policy that would guarantee dependence on Arab oil, the suicidal policy we have followed would have been implemented.

The overwhelmingly successful, and environmentally sound, oil and gas drilling of the last 30 years or more in the Gulf of Mexico and in Alaska's North Slope somehow have no bearing on decisions to seek more energy sources in Alaska or off the U.S. coastline. The fabulous success of France utilizing nuclear power -- as well as our own U.S. Navy -- has no bearing on increasing use of this non-polluting -- and limitless -- energy source.

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Election 2008, Taxes, Education, Health Care, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Economics, Business, Environment, Global Warming, Military, Iraq, Iran, NATO, Conservatism, Energy, Alaska, Oil