Energy Independence First

Today, the survival of Western Civilization depends on the production of energy. It’s the universal source of food, shelter, clothing and the fulcrum upon which our nation’s economy and security teeters.

The refusal of congressional Democrats to recognize our absolute dependency on energy is placing the nation in great peril. And time is running out. Their practice of holding energy independence initiatives hostage to environmental sensitivities during a time of war is beyond traitorous—it’s insanity.

Energy—the nation’s lifeline—is heavily dependent on fossil fuels from foreign suppliers. This dependency has enslaved our economy to the dictates of foreign countries and made our nation vulnerable to the goals of Islamic fascists.

When the US was the primary buyer of energy in the twentieth century, it controlled the marketplace. The rapid industrialization of Third World countries, especially China and India, changed the balance of power. The competition for oil has made the United States vulnerable to international blackmail. The cost of oil is already depreciating the value of our currency.

That the United States imports about 20% of it oil directly from the Middle East is both dangerous and moot. If the production flowing from the Arabian Peninsula is severely interrupted, the competition for other sources will be intense. No industrialized country will have a safe harbor.

If the disruption is prolonged, the western democracies will suffer economic chaos.

The Islamic terrorists, those determined to destroy western civilization, understand this dependency. Although the pipelines remain vulnerable to clandestine attacks, the control of the oil reserves and pipelines by Islamic fundamentalist/fascist caliphates is the greater danger.

Iran has already fallen under Islamic fundamentalist control and is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to undermine the US efforts in Iraq. If the US military exits Iraq before stabilizing its government, the Islamic fundamentalists will gain control of Iraq’s reserves and outputs.

Now, let’s give Iran a nuclear weapon. They don’t have to detonate it in Europe or the United States to destroy us.

Just threatening to annihilate Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait if they fail to curtail or cease their oil production could reduce the world oil output by about 50%. One bomb dropped on Saudi Arabia would send the western democracies into a decades’ long economic tailspin.

With this very real possibility a few hours away, Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi are screaming for the US to bequeath Iraq to Iran. And the Democrats are even protesting the consideration of terminating Iran’s nuclear threat with military force.

The failure to acknowledge—or comprehend—that US energy independence must take precedence over environmental concerns is a prescription for disaster. Global warming and animal habitats are irrelevant when compared to the catastrophic consequences of US transportation at a standstill, the shutdown of commerce, cold homes and food shortages.