Is the environmental movement all talk and no action?
Essentially fossil fuels are too cheap and renewable energy sources cannot compete economically.
When I proposed a blockade of Iranian oil exports I received a large number of objections from my environmental friends that would drive up the price of oil!
These are the same people who complain that oil is too cheap and that is the reason that we cannot make significant headway with renewable energy sources.
Or they say we do not have the right to blockade Iran.
President John Kennedy blockaded Cuba in the 1960's to prevent Cuba from installing nuclear missiles.
Cuba had never commmitted a terrorist act.
Iran is the largest funder of terrorist acts in the world.
Iraninan terrorism is a large number of acts of war.
A blockade is a minimal response.
Answer:
I think that it is interesting that many environmentalists will tell you that Global Warming is worse than nuclear war because Global Warming will kill every one on this planet while nuclear war will only kill hundreds of millions of people.
Taking the environmentalists at their word that Global Warming will kill everyone on this planet then it seems to me that we should stop all use of fossil fuel by everyone in the world immediately.
Yet these same environmentalist will tell you that is not fair to China.
The way I see it you can't have it both ways. Yet that seems to be what the environmentalists really want is to have it both ways.
You will not stop Global Warming that way.
The environmentalists are just wasting our time if they are not willing to support a policy to stop all use of fossil fuels today by everyone in the world.
Another person said that blockading Iran is an act of war.
My response is that is an absolutely ridiculous statement!
Iran has funded most of the terrorist activity in the world for the last twenty years. Now that is an act of war! In fact that is a large number of acts of war!
A blockade of Iran is a legitimate and necessary non violent response to Iranian terrorism.
It will also stop their acquisition of nuclear weapons which they will give to terrorists to smuggle into the United States and detonate.
Osama Bin Laden is on record that he favors smuggling a number of nuclear weapons into U.S. cities and detonating them simultaneously.
If Osama Bin Laden succeeds at this that will make 9/11 look like a small insignificant event in comparison.
Iran has stated publicly many times that eventually they are going to attack us.
If they are going to attack at least we can be prepared for an attack following a blockade of Iran. If an enemy is going to attack you , it is better to provke them into attacking you when you are ready for an attack rather than to be surprised by an attack.
The attack on 9/11 is a good example of an attack that we were not expecting.
If the environmentalists are really serious about stopping Global Warming that will cause a depression anyway because we will have to drastically cut back the economy to stop Global Warming.
If you are going to have a depression why not solve a very serious and dangerous problem with Iran at the same time? that is what a blockade of Iran will do.
Also a blockade of Iran will drastically cut back the use of fossil fuels world wide and will promote a transition to sustainable and renewable energy sources.
It's not that it wouldn't have some good effects or that we don't have the right. It's that it would hurt us very badly.
The resulting rise in the price of oil would destroy our economy. Millions would lose their jobs. People would be going hungry.
Do you want that?
EDIT Jugheaduga88 is right that the real answer is to work to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I disagree with him over whether the small amounts in Alaska and the Gulf will make a difference, but agree we need to develop other sources of energy. I would include nuclear, solar, and wind. Private enterprise should do that, but possibly the government can provide incentives, and/or do some research.
First of all, in most cases, a blockade of a country is usually an act of war. If we were to take that kind of drastic action against Iran, we better be ready for an attack. (We took similar actions against Japan and Pearl Harbor was the result.) We blockaded Cuba because Castro was building missile launching sites under Soviet direction. We essentially thwarted the terrorist attack before it could occur.
Iran only has one refinery to supply its own oil needs. I suggest that we destroy the refinery with a missile attack, and then threaten to methodically destroy the power grid, key transportation (bridges, railroad, etc.), water treatment facilities, etc.
We need to free ourselves from dependence on foreign oil. This strategy would include renewable sources of energy, drilling for more oil and gas in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico, building new refineries, and building new Nuclear plants. Nobody (private sector) wants to take most of these actions because they are either too expensive & risky (renewable energy) or not politically feasible in our current politically correct environment.
To cut the head off the snake, we've got to cut off the food supply. The longer we are dependent on the Middle East and other anti-U.S. governments (Venezuela), the more we we help fund their anti-American activities, including but not limited to acts of terrorism.
Sadly environmental change or rather changing attitudes of people reagrding the changes needed are very hard. We have developed a socitey that is totally dependant on the "tradional" energy sources. To make sudden changes would as has been mentioned creat economic chaos. To blockade a major oil exproter would increase the rise of fuel. This in turn would be passed over to the consumer as well. It is sad to say that those that have the power to create change, have a vested interest in keeping the status quo. The change must be sublte and at grass roots level. People have to start making their voices count. Boycott the big companies that aren't environmentally friendly. Vote against the politician who stalls proposed legislation. By peaceful and lawful means, will change be bought in. But it will require all the people of the earth to recognise the urgent need for change.
And I would suggest you keep the environmentl problem and the terrorist porblems seperate as they require different courses to be taken. Keep up the good fight though. Mother earth needs friends like you
Presently it may look like a talk and no action but every one are realising its importance by facing the problems with the effects caused by environmental changes.so we can hope they will start to action soon.
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