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Originally Posted by Botnst
I imagine more folks in the west are concerned about "squandering" then the owners of the oil. All of the tinpot dictators and kings serve our purposes or they don't. As long as they don't f**k with the oil supply we tolerate them. Step out of line and it's a new relationship.
This is what we call, 'statecraft." Is it moral? I think that is what you are arguing about. Good question. If it is immoral for our country to behave as it does then that means it is immoral for us as individuals to support it and also immoral for us as individuals to put the gov in a position that it behaves as it does.
So if we have a moral problem with the current model we should each one of us individually, act NOW to reduce our use of petroleum products. Failing to do so is immoral. Waiting for the gov to issue an edict forcing national compliance is simply cowardice--blaming our failure on somebody else.
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I read now and then where educated Arabs believe that we ran through our own supply while gearing up for industrialization and now want to run through their supply before they can use it to advance their own culture.
I agree that individual action is a good route to go and I pursue that, using biodiesel most of the time and biking when possible. But, strong and wise leadership can help this process. We’ve structured our society to revolve around the stuff.
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Originally Posted by mikemover
What exactly is "collective individual liberty"?.... Is that not an oxymoron?...
Regardless... I don't agree.
The ruling class in the Middle East isn't worried about our "squandering", because they are making billions and billions off of our "squandering".
The uneducated masses from which the radicals and extremists tend to spring up certainly aren't worried about it, because most of them are too uneducated and unworldly to even COMPREHEND the issues related to global oil suppy, etc...
And besides, they are too busy with more important concerns, such as brutally subjugating their women, killing all infidels, and eventually finding their way to heaven, where their 72 virgins await them.  |
A bit of an oxymoron but not entirely. Pardo-moise but they be some clichés here. Yes the ruling class is making $Billions off of our profligacy. The masses who hate the ruling class are not as ignorant as you think they are. In S. Arabia, the Saud family is hated in many sectors because of the iron fist (western supplied iron) they rule with and the opulent lifestyle they lead.
Regardless, the fact that we pull the strings is not lost on many of them and they resent it, just as we would.
I have little fondness for a lot of this crowd. However, if we continue to treat them in a manner we would in no way tolerate, we’re likely to encounter serious friction.