The tragedy in the Gulf, due to Hurricane Katrina, is going to bring to us an early version of the Peak Oil Crisis. Katrina seriously damaged a great deal of our oil infrastructure, and given the speculative nature of the oil markets (something completely unnecessary economically) gas prices in the United States are going to rise for some time. Even Bush's releasing of strategic reserves will not be able to stop this.
At the same time Bush is releasing tiny amounts of our oil reserves, he (and his cronies) are beginning to come up with one of the chief true justifications for the Iraq war, but instead of admitting this has been on their minds all along, they are going to spin it as a present necessity - we need to control Iraqi Oil in order to maintain our economy given what Katrina did to us.
This will then be the nature of the temptation: Will we be so addicted to our life style (or at least the ones above the poverty line, who actually have health insurance etc.) that we passively stand behind not only Bush and Company, but the fools the Democrats will put in office as their turn comes around during the next presidential election cycle. Because, truth to tell, both parties will not want to rock the fragile economic boat in the light of the coming Peak Oil Crisis, and Katrina will be used to justify a fully conscious imperialistic foreign policy - all in the name of: We have the right to live better than the rest of the world, because we have the might and the power.
Will any of our politicians, leaders or potential statesman (or women) even notice this moral crisis? Will the Peace movement wake up enough to realize that there are even deeper problems that need to be addressed by "We the People"? Will those who want to play in the big political game in America, such as Move-on.org, actually realize what needs to come from the American People today, as an expression of our brotherhood with the whole world?
Or will we continue to sleep, and risk as little as possible, so that our computers still work, we can get to the movies, go out to eat as much as we want, and all the other life-style toys to which we are currently addicted, while the rest of the world is more and more like the Gulf Coast - life on the edge, with the daily need just for food, water and shelter ruling every other concern?
