Putting Out Fire With Napalm

Okay, I didn't exactly plagarize Bowie, and of course, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

This weekend, I finally had to turn on the heat. The temperature got down into the forties overnight, and my niece Colleeny Beenie Weenie (that's what I called her when she was two, and it seems really hard to stop even though she's now 25. I sometimes shorten it to just Beenie) came to town for the weekend, and I figured that her Mom would not be pleased if she left my house hungry and with a runny nose. So I bought some orange juice, and bananas and cereal. I turned the thermostat all the way up to 68. My partner A hasn't minded the cold autumn chill in the house, she is on the verge of the change, and she always seems over-heated. The insulation that I put in the attic has made the house comfortable for sweaters and a blanket on the couch, and at night I fall into a dead sleep, so I don't even notice that my toes are freezing.

As the war drags on with no real signs of stability, I wonder whether we will be facing future winters waiting for the bus in the cold morning of declining oil supplies. Instead of warming up our vehicles in the driveway, will we even be able to afford to drive them? The war in Iraq seems to me to be creating more uncertainty and chaos in a region that the world depends on for more than just warmth and comfort in the winter. The oil supplies that are in extreme peril just now keep the world economy moving, without it, the transport of life's essentials will stop, things like food, medicine, all goods that we buy and sell, our very incomes depend on our ability to move products from one market to another.

To me, it seems like the fire in Iraq is spreading. You can see the sparks of violence in places like Jordon and Egypt, both victims of terrorist violence in the past several months. Real news out of Saudi Arabia is often scarce, but there have been incidents of violence there, and many speculate that the Kingdom is on shaky ground. Our occupation of Iraq, and our inept job of securing the country has had the effect of creating religious fundamentalism where before none existed. We have created an Islamic Republic in Iraq, when really we only wanted cheap oil. When you throw in a radicalized Iran, just look at the map of our most precious resource and do the math.

George Bush has pledged that we will not leave until the mission is complete. Just yesterday, he claimed that we will not surrender, we will not retreat. But before the middle East goes up in flames, I hope I can lay my hands on an electric vehicle. And maybe several space heaters?

It's really cold in February.

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