Simon Says: Fight Terror With Renewable Energy
by Karin Kloosterman, Jerusalem, Israel on 11.17.06
Wake up world! Was the message Israel’s Vice Prime Minister Shimon Peres sent to hundreds of foreign visitors last week at the annual Prime Minister’s Conference, a very fancy business shindig where foreign dignitaries, Israeli government officials and businesses such as General Electric strutted their stuff—and looked for ways to develop global businesses and alliances. Peres gave a keynote that would kick off a smaller conference in an adjoining hall—the Conference on Renewable and Alternative Energy. Since this TreeHugger often works incognito, she was there to report on it. ::Israel21c
"What feeds terrorism is oil," said Shimon Peres, making the connection between a peaceful world and the responsibility of Western countries to curb its dependence on foreign petroleum. Peres' opening was both an invitation and warning to democratic nations, which must be ready to form a tight coalition to decrease dependence on fossil fuels, he said, and stop a "nuclear" Iran.
According to Israel21c, Peres said that we can stop terrorism by being less dependant on foreign oil. Alternative sources of energy are the key. Peres also highlighted Israel's strengths and position on renewable energy.
"The only way to cut [terrorism] down is by creating alternatives," he said. In Israel, "We prefer solar energy - it is more permanent, more fair and does not affect the ecology."
Highlighted at the one-day event were about 50 renewable and energy saving companies from Israel (or started by Israelis) such as alternative energy company Ormat; Metrolight poised to save the City of New York about $90 million per year on street lighting; Solel, which has built the largest solar energy plant in the world in California's Mojave Desert; solar shingles company PowerLight Corporation; GreenFuel which converts smokestack pollution into biofuel; and Genova, which makes fuel from olive pits.
At the back of the room, on the bleachers hiding out among the newspaper reporters and television crews, we happened to sit beside Peres’ charming spokeswoman Ayelet Frish who probably hoped we were working for the New York Times or The Washington Post…we do have her phone number and email though if anyone needs it. ::Israel21c
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It seems like paying less money to regimes that hate us would be a no-brainer. But for some reason our government can't come up with something as straeight forward as fuel economy regulations. We need leadership that makes alternative energy, and conserving energy, as the top strategic initiatives.
It seems like paying less money to regimes that hate us would be a no-brainer. But for some reason our government can't come up with something as straeight forward as fuel economy regulations. We need leadership that makes alternative energy, and conserving energy, as the top strategic initiatives.
Do you even know where our oil comes from? Out of the top four suppliers one hates us, Venezuela. The others are Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the number one Canada.
ok Anon2 lets look at that again, Saudi Arabia?? only what, 17 of 19 WTC hijackers were Saudis, i wouldn't say they're big on the USA Fanclub. Venezuela that's probably the one you say hates you, but they actually don't hate USA, they hate the administration from hell.. and mexico, sure they must love the daily bashing of mexicans on fox & cnn and the power skimishes that seem to happen now regularly (like that plane with marijuana two days ago) not a big fan of the US of A, just afraid of the bullies... lastly, Canada? Again, we don't hate America but do hate the (mis)administration... and are scared of you as if we're in an apartment with thin walls and listening to our neighbour (who happens to be twice our size and weight) beat up his wife. We're no hater, but not your #1 fan.. so out of your top 4 suppliers, I would say one hates you, one hates the adminsitration, one is afraid of you and will do whatever you ask, and one is your bitch. Hardly fine bedfellows.
all that being said, what also feeds terrorism, which Shimon forgot to mention, is when people have theirland annexed and are treated worse than second class citizens and forcedto be mistreated for 50 years... same as the Banda Ache, Same as the Tamil Tigers, same old same old... of course we couldn't expect Peres to talk about that one now could we? No, it's the oil...
....and just out of curiosity, i log into Typekey, I am signed in, but yet i still am told that my comments will have to wait 24 hours before they are available... what gives? I think this may be the last time i make a comment on TH-- if any bozo can write their nonsense and then I can't comment for 24 hours i don't think i really want to play here anymore = (
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editor note: It doesn't take 24 hours, sometimes comments are approved quite fast. It depends on how busy we are.
But now we're "trusted" your typekey account so your comments will appeark immediately.
When typekey works you mean.
And littlecatalyst, I'm glad you can speak for all those countries. You are probably right about Saudi Arabia, but only one country's leadership speaks out passionately against the US. Saying oil is the cause of terror is complete BS.
I would suggest that small-scale solar would be a good place to start. Manufacture solar LED lights that are as available and affordable as "disposable" cigarette lighters so that every child who wants to can read after sundown. Couple that with an open source, all media secular literacy program so that anyone who wants to can become literate without the need for madrassahs of any flavor and you will go a long way to cutting the roots of terrorism.
I wrote more about this at http://solarray.blogspot.com/2005_01_01_solarray_archive.html
"Asked about the biggest threat to their groups' survival, a militant says that 'free secular education for all' leading to an 'increase in the literacy rate' is the gravest threat to the survival of the jihadi groups in Pakistan."
_Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill_ by Jessica Stern (NY: HarperCollins, 2003), page 230
"Saying oil is the cause of terror is complete BS."
Complete BS? Hmm. It certainly is a huge factor.
Many countries (USA, Western Europe, some in Asia, etc) support certain regimes in exchange for their oil, and these regimes are certainly not democratic or using the money from the oil to improve the lives of their citizens (guess why the Saudi monarchs are kept in power and why the US has all these military bases in Saudi Arabia?).
So in part the oil money goes to hostile government, but in part it also keeps these governments in place who then in turn oppress their population and it is these populations that then want to strike western countries for the role they play in their countries.
It's certainly not complete bullshit (and I didn't even mention all the oil wars in the past century that would probably never have happened if these countries didn't have oil). Clean, decentralized energy certainly has the potential to make the world more peaceful and fair.
And littlecatalyst, I'm glad you can speak for all those countries.
Wow - you have no sense of irony, do you? You were the one who first thought you could properly speak for other countries, then when shown that it wasn't so simple as you characterize it (in your FOX News way), you just use the old "repeat" technique, as if somehow that would make your shredded argument rematerialize.
Saying oil is the cause of terror is complete BS.
It's because they hate our freedoms, right?
LittleCatalyst, your lopsided view of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict doesn't clarify anything. I sympathize fully with the plight of the Palestinians, but no matter what Israel does, they will continue to be used by their Arab brothers as pawns to destroy the only Jewish state in the world. Why do you think it is that Arafat's family lived a posh life in a foreign land while his people suffered without basic amenities? Not because the Israelis swiped the cash - he did. I submit that this is no isolated case; without the poverty, without the desperation, the PA wouldn't have the power to encourage suicide bombs and rocket attacks against civilians.