John's Blog

Wasting oil is unpatriotic?

As noted in the Times yesterday:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/24/politics/24troops.html

From bases in Iraq and across the United States to the Pentagon and the military's war colleges, officers and enlisted personnel quietly raise a question for political leaders: if America is truly on a war footing, why is so little sacrifice asked of the nation at large?

and

While officers and enlisted personnel say they enjoy symbolic signs of support, and the high ratings the military now enjoys in public opinion polls, "that's just not enough," said a one-star officer who served in Iraq. "There has to be more," he added, saying that the absence of a call for broader national sacrifice in a time of war has become a near constant topic of discussion among officers and enlisted personnel.

Regardless of your opinion as to the motivation behind this war, the traditional response in this country to war is to at least give lip service to conservation.



Yet, as the Times noted:

There are not even concerted efforts like the savings-bond drives or gasoline rationing that helped to unite the country behind its fighting forces in wars past.

"Nobody in America is asked to sacrifice, except us," said one officer just back from a yearlong tour in Iraq

Perhaps the disconnect results of an all volunteer force that isolates the typical American a personal connection with the war?

Only 135,000 men and women in American uniform are fighting - volunteers, members of the National Guard, reservists. There is no draft. No threat of a uniform hangs over the citizens of a nation of nearly 300 million who, in polls, support the invasion of a remote country

Is it too much to ask the average American to turn down the AC, ditch their 6000 lbs grocery getter and maybe walk or carpool once in a while. And no, opting for the V-6 instead of the V-8 and slapping a yellow ribbon on the back doesn't count.

Sadly, Jimmy Carter and his cardigan showed that Americans don't want to conserve. Worse yet, with an Oilman in the White House and Detriot heavily dependent on SUV profits, rather that being asked to sacrifice a little, we've been encouraged to consume as part of our patriotic duty. Because as you know...

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