To All,

I think one of the biggest problems that people don't realize is there is no one replacement source of fuel. Right now the situation is analogized to computers where everyone runs Windows. Small minorities run Linux or Mac or Solaris. Now imagine Microsoft only has so many copies to sell (wouldn't that be nice). Computer use is ever growing. So the alternatives have to increase production. So, in the (not-too-distant) future, not every car will be powered in the same way. Some could be bio-diesel, some could be hybrids, others could be hydrogen.

Of course, the other aspect of that problem is that multiple infrastructures must be built to accomodate all of those car types. I try to remain confident that we can handle the complexity, but really (frighteningly - and I'm with the military) the easier thing to do is to just take everyone else's supply, whether they agree or not.

Politicians these days aren't thinking that far down the road. They, like the rest of us, are frogs in slowly boiling water. We want results now, and we place huge amounts of pressure on them. No sane politician would advocate conservation, because consumption is the basis of our economy. So that's the essence of our problem. To be successful, we must consume. However, finite resources (and soldiers fighting and dying) dictate conservation.

The big (possibly the hugest) question is how does the U.S. survive? I promise you (as a private citizen) that the war in Iraq isn't the last one we'll fight over oil. If politicians went to war in Iraq for the reasons it did, I believe they will use force in other occasions (when all you have is a hammer (military), you will tend to see all problems as nails (force). Will people stop being greedy, or will they continue buying 9mpg Hummers?

Last thing: US oil production has been declining for the last 25 years. That ought to tell everybody something. The oil industry is exploring ever more isolated places for less and less oil. Yet our consumption increases every year. For every barrel discovered, we consume five. We are running out. We need to find replacement(s) soon (and peacefully).

Regards,
Jim