Gary Jackson's premise ("President's policy is sound," June 1),
that we will be able to afford better schools, good-paying jobs,
affordable health care, a cleaner environment and so much more by
stirring up the hornet's nest in the Middle East is laughable at
best.
By unilaterally invading Iraq on a lie and giving Ariel Sharon
full encouragement to destroy what's left of the Palestinian people,
George W. Bush has single-handedly shredded any hope of cooperation
on the war on terror with the entire Arab world. Control the Middle
East? Drop by my neighborhood for a clearer perspective on this
issue. The general population is against the terror perpetrated
against us as Westerners, but simultaneously livid at the inequity
of U.S. policy in this region.
Better yet, with his insistence on continuing our nation's
dependence on hydrocarbons and discouraging responsible national
conservationist behavior, Bush has cemented our dependence on this
part of the world for years to come. (Are you enjoying the price of
gasoline yet?) If they were to blow up the Abqaiq plant here - where
over 6 million barrels of crude flow through every day - $40/barrel
will look cheap.
We are just at the beginning of dealing with this debacle - and
it will take the concerted efforts of future U.S. administrations to
repair. If your perspective is from Poplarville, I can guarantee it
does not consider the full vulnerability you and I face.
Tonight, I am going out with a Canadian colleague to time the
frequency of our security force along the perimeter fence. If we are
wrong, you could be paying an extra 20-cents/gal at the pump, and we
could be dead. If we are right, you will continue paying the new
norm, and we will have wasted a weekend evening (being that our
weekend is from Wednesday evening to Saturday morning).
