Arianna Huffington, the name should say it all, is on a crusade
against SUV’s. The campaign is called The Detroit Project and it is airing
television commercials not unlike the government-sponsored commercials that
pose the idea that if you buy drugs you are funding terrorism. Instead of
drugs Ms. Huffington is asserting that people who drive gas-guzzling SUV’s
are funding terrorism each time they spend money on gas for their vehicles.
If there were any logic to this thinking and any equity in her thinking at
all then all drivers support terrorism each time they purchase gas that send
money overseas.
The problem is not the cars that we drive, although the low gas mileage of
the larger SUV’s and vehicles in general is disturbing due to the fact that
we all know the automakers can make an engine that performs better - a lot
better - but the fact that we need to start being less dependent on oil from
the Middle East.
There are many other sources of oil in the world that the United States
could shift its consumer focus on other than the OPEC nations. Alternative
oil producing nations include Russia, Venezuela, Mexico, South Africa and an
assortment of other countries around the world. If one actually thinks about
it there are some situations that could greatly improve if the back of OPEC
were to be broken and other oil producing nations were banned together in an
alternative to their dominating roll in the oil producing community.
If the United States were to come to an agreement with Russia or perhaps a
consortium of countries led by Russia so that they sold us their crude oil
at a reduced rate for a period of time in return for a long term commitment
to buy their oil and a commitment to use our oil industries technology to
build up their oil industry so that it could thrive in a world market the
two countries couldn’t help but come out on top of the situation.
Instead of borrowing money hand over fist from the World Bank, Russia could
build a financial infrastructure based on a natural resource that is
abundant in their country. This would only help to strengthen their economy
and lend a great amount of stability to their government as well as their
currency. Their debt could be paid off over a shorter amount of time and
they would once again become a superpower on the world stage with regard to
economic stability only this time it wouldn’t be under the repressive eye of
tyranny.
The commitment of the Russian government to our oil industry would only
guarantee contracts for our oil producing companies. It would create jobs,
tax revenue and help to strengthen our economy in this time of fiscal
upheaval. Every company that has contracts with big oil companies would
benefit from the addition work available that result from this contractual
partnership. Further, it would ease the fear of the possibility oil prices
would skyrocket each and every time some third-world leader from the Middle
East who went to Falafel-Mart and bought fatigues decided to rattle his 18th
Century saber. It would also help to stabilize prices set by OPEC because
they would have to address the fact that the United State was no longer
uniquely dependent on them for oil.
It would bind the United States and Russia together in a corporate and
economical partnership that would most likely reduce the amount of tensions
that may arise when there is a problem on the world stage. In theory it
would extend to our two countries the opportunity to have a relationship
that could and most likely would transcend the politics of the world theater
to some extent.
It would also allow the United States to stop catering politically to the
backward practices and demands of the Middle Eastern nations such as Saudi
Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar who discriminate against the women of the U.S.
military who are stationed over there. Currently it is acceptable for our
women to fight and die for their security when one of their self-appointed
dictators gets some sand in an irritating place and decided to invade a part
of their country but it is quite unacceptable for the same women to have a
beer with the subordinate male counterparts in a local bazaar when on leave.
If we weren’t so concerned about the security of their nation because of
their oil supply then perhaps they would understand that they would have to
meet us on an even playing field if they want to remain protected by out
superior armed forced.
And maybe one of the most important aspects of this idea, it would probably
take a lot of revenue out of the bank accounts of those who would use it to
fund terror. With the decreased revenue coming in to OPEC it would almost
certainly end the era of free spending in the Middle East as it is known
today and create an air of tightfistedness in the region. It would choke off
the seemingly endless supply of revenue that terrorists have been spoiled
with in today.
All of this could happen not only in Russia but also in each country that
would be in this proposed consortium.
So, instead of jumping on the bandwagon that Ms. Huffington has championed,
most likely to serve her ego and narcissism by allowing her to see her face
all over television a bit more than it already is extending her misguided
feeling of self-importance, I propose that we do something about the current
fuel producing situation that could affectively make a few more countries
friendlier toward capitalism and the United States. Pursuing this idea would
not only shore up democracy in some countries around the world where the
freedom to practice capitalism is hanging on by a thread but it would help
to make some of these countries a better place to live for their people
because of the elevated level of their economy.
It’s either that or we will all have to listen to those stupid commercials
that she came up with. I don’t think I can stomach that for very long.
Frank Salvato is a
political media consultant and the managing editor for The New Media Journal.us. He is a
contributing writer for The Washington Dispatch, GOPUSA, OpinionEditorials,
Men’s News Daily, Canada Free Press & AmericanDaily. His pieces are
regularly featured in Townhall.com. He has appeared as a guest on The
O’Reilly Factor, The Kevin Matthews Radio Show (Chicago) and The Brad Messer
Radio Show (San Antonio). His pieces have been recognized by the Japan
Center for Conflict Prevention and are occasionally featured in The
Washington Times and The London Morning Paper as well as other national and
international publications.
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