No More "America's Addiction To Oil"

This is a post to my blog at http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/petec52. With so much talk in Washington D.C. about alternative energy, I thought it might be a good time to repost the article here. I know it has nothing to do with computers or the Internet, but I am passionate about alternative energy.

Americans Are Being Held Hostage To Oil

Ugh! It pains me to think about the news media's crutch of choice, sound bites and tag lines. The one that bothers me the most is "America's addiction to oil." The phrase was coined by the Bush administration some time ago and it stuck like Gorilla glue. Everyone is using it from casual local conversations, to politicians, to all the news services. When George W. first uttered those words, I thought to myself "There he goes again. Trying to blame the American people for every bad thing that happens to them."

It seems to me that nobody has given the phrase "America's addiction to oil" much thought. The phrase is bold, colorful and catchy, but does the snide remark really fit? I think not. The definition of the word addiction does not describe what has happened to the citizens of this country. In it's simplest form, addiction is the conscious or unconscious need for something. The only reason we need oil is because we have not been given any other choice.

Since the invention of the automobile, petroleum has been used to propel our vehicles. Not once has any manufacturer of energy or transportation offered any other viable energy source.

I must ask, why not? The answer is simple. Trillions upon trillions of dollars have been made marketing and selling a limited and consumable product, mostly in the form of gasoline and diesel fuel.

I don't buy into the argument that the technology to produce alternative fuels does not exist. There have been many reports over recent years of people all over the world who have built automobiles in there garage that run on all sort of alternative fuels. I will agree that the technologies need further development. Who better to invent a clean, renewable alternative fuel than American entrepreneurs.

I offer to my readers that we, the American people, are being held hostage to oil. We have been given no other choice.

No need to drop names, we all know who our captures are. As in solving any other crime for profit; just follow the money.

By petec - Jul 16, 2008 7:19:12 PM ET

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