Have you forgotten what real leadership -- and real straight talk -- look and sound like? Well here's a refresher course. Back in 1977 much maligned, President Jimmy Carter, showed genuine leadership and political courage. Following the Arab oil boycott of 1973 Carter took a cold look at world oil supplies and declared them an emergency just waiting to happen. He laid out his vision and his proposed solutions in a prime time television address.
I was only going to include snippets from that speech, until I began reading it. Carter was prophetic and, like most prophets, ignored. Read this thing and try if can to tell me where Carter got it wrong in 1977. Send it to all the smug conservatives you know who like to use Carter as the quintessential liberal boogieman.. you know, the guy who "gave away the Panama Canal." (Which, we all know now, turned out to be precisely the international disaster conservatives predicted -- ah, not.)
Anyway at the end of this 31-year old speech I include a link to a brand new study on this precise subject. As you will see Carter nailed it in every regard. And now we are paying the price for listening to the reassurances of all those "just drill more holes in the earth" simpletons who dismissed Carter's warnings as just so much liberal hand-wringing:
(President Jimmy Carter delivered this televised speech on April 18, 1977.)
Tonight I want to have an unpleasant talk with you about a problem unprecedented in our history. With the exception of preventing war, this is the greatest challenge our country will face during our lifetimes. The energy crisis has not yet overwhelmed us, but it will if we do not act quickly.
It is a problem we will not solve in the next few years, and it is likely to get progressively worse through the rest of this century.
We must not be selfish or timid if we hope to have a decent world for our children and grandchildren.
We simply must balance our demand for energy with our rapidly shrinking resources. By acting now, we can control our future instead of letting the future control us.
Two days from now, I will present my energy proposals to the Congress. Its members will be my partners and they have already given me a great deal of valuable advice. Many of these proposals will be unpopular. Some will cause you to put up with inconveniences and to make sacrifices.
The most important thing about these proposals is that the alternative may be a national catastrophe. Further delay can affect our strength and our power as a nation.
Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. This difficult effort will be the "moral equivalent of war" -- except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy.
I know that some of you may doubt that we face real energy shortages. The 1973 gasoline lines are gone, and our homes are warm again. But our energy problem is worse tonight than it was in 1973 or a few weeks ago in the dead of winter. It is worse because more waste has occurred, and more time has passed by without our planning for the future. And it will get worse every day until we act.
The oil and natural gas we rely on for 75 percent of our energy are running out. In spite of increased effort, domestic production has been dropping steadily at about six percent a year. Imports have doubled in the last five years. Our nation's independence of economic and political action is becoming increasingly constrained. Unless profound changes are made to lower oil consumption, we now believe that early in the 1980s the world will be demanding more oil that it can produce.
The world now uses about 60 million barrels of oil a day and demand increases each year about 5 percent. (Today it's 87 million barrels a day) This means that just to stay even we need the production of a new Texas every year, an Alaskan North Slope every nine months, or a new Saudi Arabia every three years. Obviously, this cannot continue.
We must look back in history to understand our energy problem. Twice in the last several hundred years there has been a transition in the way people use energy.
The first was about 200 years ago, away from wood -- which had provided about 90 percent of all fuel -- to coal, which was more efficient. This change became the basis of the Industrial Revolution.
Stephen Pizzo has been published everywhere from The New York Times to Mother Jones magazine. His book, Inside Job: The Looting of America's Savings and Loans, was nominated for a Pulitzer.
proposed during his administration was far more viable than the energy policy's of the succeeding administrations. Much time and energy has been wasted in not developing the infrastructure required of public mass transit.
The idea all along though is not to supply the masses with cheap travel choices, but to keep them in debited through the cost of owning, maintaining and insuring a vehicle, with little left over to afford a more quality lifestyle.
True the previous blogger stated about Carter's support of the mujaheddin, but it was under Reagan and his "Freedom Fighter's" Osma Bin Laden, and the AL-CIAda network set-up by the USA in response to the USSR's occupation of Afghanistan in the 80's that was provided with billions in aid.
Which in turn has after ridding the Soviet's from Afghanistan just as the stated goal of ridding the USA from Saudi Arabia and the rest of the ME.
Which can all go back to having a sound, secure energy policy like Carter proposed, and the USA not so beholden to the puppet regimes they have installed or supported in the ME recent past. That have failed like the Shah of Iran and another former Ronald Reagan "Freedom Fighter", republicans now have re-labeled a "Terrorist" Saddam Hussein.
How much longer will the royal family of Saud hold out against the forces aligned to bring down its corrupt illegitimate power driven group of hooligans remains to be seen.
When it does go the way of former US friendly ME pillars of military bases, so too will follow American hegemony in the not to distant future. With the energy dependence the USA will face in utter chaos.
by
Stanimal (0 articles, 4 quicklinks, 26 diaries, 702 comments)
on Monday, July 7, 2008 at 7:57:19 PM
Wasn't Carter the "Bozo" that de-regulated gas pricing during his term in office, leading the way to this current "smoke and mirrors" mess we're in? Now we all get to sit around and watch a buncha bureaucratic "Yayhoos" pretend like they don't know why gas prices are skyrocketing...DUUUHHH!! Looks like greed-driven global ass-rape to me.
by
Galen (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 35 comments)
on Monday, July 7, 2008 at 8:03:11 PM
First of all, I am not sure Carter was a big proponent of Coal (as your article suggested); and secondly as a former Nuclear Submarine Officer (Carter) really did not get too many new nuclear plants permitted for construction during his 4 years in office. The solution to the emerging energy crisis is clearly Nuclear Power and to some extent biofuels....at least in the immediate future...not long-term. The French produce 80% of their power using Nuclear energy - its definitely viable, and safe (as they have shown) and sustainable. Several hundred plants should be planned within the next 10 years; adn that will have a dramatic effect on the economy, the environment and the energy markets (the three E's).
There is substantial opportunity for Biofuels especially using switchgrass, and it is definitely possible to reduce dependency on imported oil with a combination of nuclear plants and biofuels.
Carter was and by the way still is a big bullshitter who did nothing positive for the country or the world. In addition to supporting the rise of militant islam, he persuaded Saddam Hussein to invade Iran and caused the deaths of some 1 Million Iranians and Iraqis. The war in Iraq today is the direct result of his ruthlessness. His peace between Israel and Egypt really did nothing except nuetralize Egypt for the Israeli's and delay the path of Peace. Israel now fears no-one, and has continued its one sided brutal behaviour.
Like the other commentator said, Carter will never come clean with his crimes against humanity. He is so good and masking his evil.
by
Jalil Bahar (19 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 30 comments)
on Monday, July 7, 2008 at 10:01:39 PM
On the one hand it is easy to praise, Carter over Bush. Had W. been a one-term president, we might be in a full-fledged progressive renaissance in America by now--and have lot less troops in the Middle East due to pull outs and due to the need to get our debt and economy in line.
However, Carter was not as big on alternatives as he could have been--but neither were the last other 4 president.
Where I disagree is with you is on your overemphasis on bio fuels. Unless you mean usage of weeds, algae, sugar beets, or other second and third generation biofuels, I find it a lot cheaper to put solar power onto 50 million American homes than to fight wars for oil or to use up terrain for biofuel-- or Carter's favored nuclear power.
by
ALONE (162 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 420 comments)
on Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at 1:48:21 AM
Nuclear energy is not at all a reasonable option and it has not been shown to be economically viable. Building of nuclear plants is slow and costly and there are huge subsidies that the industry depends on for its survival. These subsidies include insurance and waste disposal as well as protection from terrorist attack. Nuclear energy is very, very expensive.
It should be given a fair chance, however. Eliminate all subsidies of oil, gas and nuclear. These are surely mature industries that don't need subsidies. By the way, the free insurance subsidy of nuclear energy (the Price-Anderson act) needs to be eliminated and nuclear power plants need to be taxed to support the protective forces they require. Without these subsidies, nuclear cannot survive.
With the money saved, funds can be provided to solar, wind bio-fuels and other renewable sources to help these nacent industries get a foot-hold.
by
PrMaine (13 articles, 12 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 417 comments)
on Tuesday, July 8, 2008 at 10:11:54 AM
Smear away, me Republican Hearties. Disparage Mr. Carter all you can--his legacy is not nearly as black as Reagan's and the Bush Reptiles, but vilify to your tiny heart's content. Take note that in post presidency, there is only one man using his influence to broker international peace and help the unfortunate obtain houses--and it ain't anybody in the GOP. I'd vote for Carter again if he were to run--the only ex-prez with a functional heart.
by
Randje Mitchell (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 77 comments)
on Monday, July 7, 2008 at 10:41:46 PM
Must Read (
Well Said (
News (
Touching (
Funny (
Supported (
Interesting (
Inspiring (
Valuable (
