"Although the apparent crisis is about terrorism, the real one is about energy scarcity....an incisive account of the energy issue also explains the real functioning of the world's economy – and who controls it, and how this shapes so much of our daily lives."

Knowing the history of Bush and Cheney in entering into the war in Iraq, Ruppert states "no one can rationally say that the Bush administration is incapable of lying." From that he asks "can we afford to not question the multitude of contradictions, lies, falsehoods, and cover-ups surrounding the events of 9/11?" Good question and the writing that follows from it is well documented and covers most topics about 9/11 with equally discriminating questions.

What is significant for my perspective here is his starting position on "limits on the one resource that has propelled the human race to over expand and upon which the species is now dependent: hydrocarbon energy....an increasingly rapid stream of data and experience is ushering in what may be the most significant event in human history; the end of the age of oil."

He touches on the topic of economic growth within the capitalist system "which is really something else...predicated on debt" and other poorly understood financial systems, requiring that "there must be limitless growth into infinity for it to survive. Growth is not possible without energy....There is nothing on our horizon – other than wishful thinking – that can completely replace hydrocarbon energy."

He touches upon common themes on oil supply, that "if demand remains unchanged...the world will run out of conventional oil within thirty-five years." Given that demand is increasing, "conventional oil is limited to perhaps 20 years." His statements are succinct:

"Oil pervades our civilization; it is all around you."

"Oil is critical for our food supply."

"...currently committed to endless growth...One way or another, the have-nots must become customers [consumers]."

"Peak Oil will likely turn human civilization inside out long before global warming does..."

"The catastrophe made inevitable by these limits is beginning now."

"Whoever controls the oil in the Eurasian continent, which includes the Middle East, the Caspian Basin, and Central Asia, will determine who lives and who dies, who eats and who starves."

Ruppert discusses the lack of alternatives, recognizing as the others do that new technology may help but cannot fully replace the facility with which oil has energized our society. His main example is electricity, beginning with the basic idea that "electricity is not a primary energy source, but merely a carrier of energy produced by some other source," and ending with the idea that "Electric vehicles are an illusory solution."

America's production of oil peaked in 1970. Global production has or will peak, by most best estimates, sometime between 2005 and 2010, but we won't know for sure until it has already passed. The per capita production of oil peaked in 1979.

As seen by Ruppert, the future is now, the end of cheap oil is upon us as well as the resource wars that will determine who is to be the last to turn out the lights on our oil based civilization.

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