Two Birds - One Stone

This is the first of two entries on the same topic. The other is entitled "Invading a Crack House." Originally, they both comprised a single entry, but they grew apart during development. Each one deals with the same topic using different analogies. I like both equally. How about you?

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Two birds: 1.) President Bush and 2.) wealthy oil businessmen (both American and Middle Eastern).

One stone: 1.) alternative fuels.

We are an extremely advanced, highly technological nation. I find it simply amazing that we have been unable (and completely unwilling, in the case of our government) to come up with completely reliable alternative fuels long before now. We have gotten close in recent years (no thanks to our government), but the automobile industry is receiving practically no incentive to mass produce such vehicles. Imagine that. And it has only gotten worse since we now have an oil executive as president.

If every one of my readers (especially those who aren't too keen on either of the two aforementioned birds) would make a pledge to buy a hybrid or hydrogen-powered vehicle at some point in the next four years, we could begin to put an end to our addiction to Middle Eastern oil much sooner than Bush and the oil industry would prefer. If you are incapable of making such a purchase at this time (I am certainly incapable right now), then maybe those of you with some spare dimes might make small contributions to colleges, universities and/or any other non-profit research organizations that are experimenting with vehicles that run on alternative fuels. I don't know how this is done; I've never done it myself, but there is almost certainly a way.

Petty Gratification, Too
Supporting America's conversion to alternative-fuel powered vehicles would eventually cut off all profits to a region of the world (the Middle East) that desperately deserves to face the consequences of biting the hands that have fed it for so many decades now (not that we didn't horribly mistreat that dog to begin with and turn it into what it has become). The Middle East would eventually become the irrelevant backwater that it so richly deserves (and desires) to be. Wouldn't it be extremely gratifying to watch Middle Easterners (both the despotic leaders and the terrorists) living with profound regrets a year or five down the road? "Hmmm," says Abdul Doe, "so overcharging/killing the infidel customers that bought our product wasn't too swift after all? Who came up with that stupid plan?"

No, I am not holding the citizens of the Middle East accountable, just the leaders and the terrorists. There are effective ways to protest without becoming evil. Those of limited vision and intelligence chose the path of evil.

And Another
Supporting America's conversion to vehicles that run on alternative fuels would eventually provide us with two other gratifying results also:

1.) George W. Bush and his accomplices at the top of the oil industry would get to watch their profit margins dry up significantly -- and maybe even permanently in some cases. I would definitely enjoy watching that sort of documentary on the History Channel five years from now.

2.) Bush would have fewer excuses to take his favorite Hollywood-cowboy/white knight approach to problem solving. You know the one I mean: Just leap heroically, yet blindly, into the fray -- all alone -- with fists flying, even if that is the worst possible solution to an extremely complicated problem. George W. Bush believes (thanks to his religious beliefs) that good should attack evil, no matter how dire the consequences to the attacker. Just be thankful that he wasn't in power when we were fighting the cold war with the Soviet Union.