Yesterday I was having a discussion with someone about the imperative of Energy Independence. To me, one of the worst threats we face is that Extreme Islamic Fundamentalism could take control of the Nation States sitting on the oil reserves of the world. Were that to happen the extortion we would face for energy costs would make today's costs look cheap by comparison.

In addition, we are funding unrest. The money we pay for oil funds missile purchases and hate schools. What we don't want to fund is the purchase of ships and arms to sail soldiers to our shores, land and take us over. If we continue on the track we are on, then such a possibility becomes real.

In one sense, this is a simple exercise in economic theory. If supply goes up or stays constant, and demand goes down, then so will price. Apply that to oil and suddenly there are no funds available for missiles, other arms, or hate schools, much less ships. The nations sitting on the oil reserves take care of themselves and so do we.

Then we get whip sawed by the thought of Global Warming and whether the effort to gain the additional energy needed for Independence will result in the shore landed on being 20-50 miles inland of where it is now. Choose your poison, as the saying goes.

I'm going to provide a link to an article as a focal point of discussion. If anyone knows of a source for a reasoned dispassionate discussion of the twin concerns of Energy Independence and Global Warming, please point it out for the benefit of the rest of us.

Here's the link.

http://archive.patriotpost.us/pub/08-14_Digest/index.php#continued