Gas and the Middle East....

Wow..I'm really worried about the fact that the arab countries who have been unable to get along with each other are unifying against the US on the idea of no longer importing gasoline....Has anyone been out to the gas station yet today?



Thomas is supposed to fly home again in May and he's considering cancelling the flight because he's so concerned about the way that things are heating up...





Kris
Time is a Dressmaker, Specializing in Alterations!

Kris -

I'm curious as to why Thomas is considering cancelling his flight? Is it because of presumably higher ticket prices due to the gas situation or safety considerations? I am looking at flights for my trip to defend (woooooooh!) my thesis and I hadn't really considered any reason not to fly -- ??? -- am i being silly?

He is afraid that things are going to get more dangerous than immediately following 9-11...he fears that there may be a serious retalliation now......



or maybe he's looking for an excuse not to go home??? I don't know. After reading the german news yesterday, it's what he said...the european press reports that the Israeli soldiers raped women and killed children in the no journalist zones......there is talk that the arab nations (not just Iraq) are going to boycott the US, making even our war in Afghanistan more difficult to find support for.....He's more concerned about the newest news reports than the reports since 9-11...



But many of the stories haven't hit the US news...I wonder if they will....
Time is a Dressmaker, Specializing in Alterations!

[DCJenn]

Kris-



we have the one thing that the Middle East needs- money- they need people to buy their gas and oil and we're the largest consumers in the world.



So, while we definitely need to lessen our dependence on Foreign Oil, (and oil in general- jeez those SUV's make me sick!) the bottom line is that all of the other countries put together cannot buy what we do. Plus, we still have our own sources of oil. and lets not discount American Ingenuity when it comes to inventing things when we have to. Like more fuel efficient vehicles and integrated solar panels and harnessing wind power, etc. All of which need to be explored and FAST.



We're also spoiled- we pay the lowest gas prices in the world. Maybe Americans wouldn't be quite as wasteful if we actually had to pay what the Europeans and Asians pay for gas. I'm betting those SUV's would go the way of the dinosaur and all of a sudden the old train system would get a serious over haul.



I wouldn't go and cancel anything at this stage of the game. The situation isn't that out of control. (yet!?)



Jenn

I say it's long past time to we came up with affordable transportation that uses "alternative" energy sources. We've been stalled in the area of amazing new developments in automobiles in particular for quite a while. Let's just completely cut the oil umbilical cord which would take us out of a lot of Middle Eastern politics and it might actually lead to a few revolutions for the better in that area (ie loss of oil revenue = loss of power for the few in power = people getting uppity enough to topple said few in power?)



Jennifer