Energy crisis or terrorism a bigger threat?
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/images/07/17/art.five.dollar.gas.gi.jpg caption="Regular unleaded gasoline remains at its record high price of $4.12 a gallon, according to AAA."]
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
This country's energy crisis is "more important and threatening to America's future than terrorism"
So says Republican Congressman John Peterson. He's one of the lawmakers heading up the bipartisan "energy working group" in the House, which is trying to bring back stalled energy legislation.
Peterson insists that energy legislation should be the top priority for Congress, even though there's no sense of urgency in Washington about energy prices. He says that leaders will have a hard time refusing to address this issue adding "This is the issue of the year. This is the issue of the decade."
The Pennsylvania Congressman says the energy crisis is destroying the middle class that made this country strong, and even calls for a "war on energy” – much like our war on terror.
He says that expanding offshore drilling is the most important thing Congress can do to boost domestic supply, something many Democrats have opposed. But Peterson also calls for conservation, tax breaks and tax credits for people to get rid of their old cars, and more funding for renewable energy sources.
There's also a bipartisan group working in the Senate on an energy bill. It's believed eventual compromises would include new domestic drilling to satisfy Republicans, while promoting conservation and alternative energy sources to make Democrats happy.
Here’s my question to you: Is the energy crisis a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
B. from Truckee, Calif. writes:
This "war on terror" has always been a sham. Bush and the oil thugs hijacked 9-11 and went after the oil. They have bungled their war, the real enemy is still loose in Afghanistan, and the energy situation is worse than ever - for the taxpayer, not the oil thugs.
Dan from Maryland writes:
Jack, You know better, the two are related. If we didn't need the oil, we wouldn't have such a strong presence in the Middle East which would mean people wouldn't be upset that we're in their backyard all the time and resort to terrorism. It's a cycle, Jack, everything's connected.
Jose writes:
Obviously it’s energy. Just ask the millions of middle class families, in a struggle to survive, how much have they are being affected by terrorism.
Tom from Tennessee writes:
The energy crisis is a self-created, self-imposed form of terrorism that is far greater, and potentially much more damaging, than any threat created by the Islamic extremists. If America doesn't get a grasp on its energy needs, the harm will be greater than anything done by any radical group, including bin Laden.
A. from Naples, Florida writes:
Energy crisis definitely. It is a subtle form of terrorism; big business and corporate interests are killing us. Remember this when you vote and vote out all incumbents. Our do-nothing Congress and pathetic president have really run this country into the ground.
Dave from Oskaloosa, Kansas writes:
I believe the terrorist threat is extremely important in the long run, but right now I'm staring at a gas pump, credit card in hand, wondering how in the hell I'm going to pay it off at the end of the month.
@jackcafferty on Twitter
It's the energy crisis hands down! The terrorist threat was overblown for political advantage. They don't have missiles or submarines. The people who attacked us on 9/11 were a small group of criminals who got lucky because the Bush Administration was asleep on guard duty.
Ed from Texas
Your chances of being killed by a terrorist are about the same as being struck by lightning on a full moon at exactly midnight. Your chances of suffering economic hardship due to the Bush recession are probably one in two.
The energy crisis most likely to bring th US down.
Terrorism is big but they seems to realize that we are doing the worst to ourselves in Iraq and don't need to expend effort on us.
The energy crisis is a much bigger problem. We can always go out and kicj terrorist butt (if we can find them). If we can't get to the terrorists becuase we don't have the petrol to reach them we won't be kicking any butt.
Energy is what keeps us alive. We use it to heat our homes, transport our food and take us to our jobs. The current situation may actually cause people to die from lack of heat next winter. Only the wealthy can afford heating oil at $5.00 a gallon. Of course it's a bigger worry than a terrorist threat.
tampa, fl when will we realize that every country we buy oil from is a terrorist nation and that we are funding them. same for illegal drugs, we keep them in business with easy access into our country, paid off politicians, and enough stupid people with cash to keep the demand going. they are all terrorists and we are our own worst enemy.
As long as our main source of energy is coming from the same place our main source of terrorism is located, the two are irrevocably tied.
However, I personally feel the average American should be more worried about energy than a terrorist attack, just based on sheer numbers. The chances of being harmed in an attack versus the guaranteed constant harm of rising energy prices and oil dependence is enough for me to be more worried about the energy crisis.
Jack: Of course it is the energy crisis......there is more money to made with the energy crisis than terrorism....which cost money.
We have been fighting the wrong war since Bush turned his back on Afghanistan. This was an economic war from the beginning and we are loosing badly. Apparently, the attack on the symbol of economic power in the heart of our nation’s financial capitol was completely missed. OBL played Bush like a fiddle. Now all the strings are broken.
Hi Jack,
The answer is neither is bigger than the other because they are two sides of the same coin. Why do we consistently treat these as two separate issues? Really, as Mr. Gore so eloquently said today (as he always does), the economy, the energy crisis, and terrorism are really all related. What drives (literally) the American economy is oil, and since we have gone into the Middle East, where most of our oil comes from (guns blasting) the price of oil has only skyrocketed. Thus, it seems, again, that OIL and our dependence on it, PERIOD, are the real causes for all of these interrelated problems
Of course it is. This "War on Terror" has always been a sham. Bush and the oil thugs hijacked 911 and went after the oil. They have bungled their war and the real enemy is still loose in Afghanistan, and the energy situation is worse than ever....for the tax payer, not the oil thugs.
First of all there isn't a real energy crisis other than what has been man made. Oil was priced at about $28.00 a barrel prior to Bush being elected. For there to be an energy crisis the demand would have to gone right out of sight to justify the current prices and that just isn't the case.
Many civilized countries have terrorist threats and activities but the U.S. seems to be the only country to be terrified and to gear there whole existence and political futures around this issue.
There has to be more to life than killing, invading and sabre rattling but it seems to consume your country day in and day out.
Jack, the engery crisis will affect us for at least 15 years if we start today and eliminate our dependence on foreign oil in 5 years but terrorism will always be a part of humanity. Then again the effect on our planet for using these type of fuels will eventually destroy the world as we know it.
Jack, the energy crisis, manufactured in America on paper through hedge fund operators, is the new terrorist bought home to the American people through the failed foreign policy of the Bush administration. The supply from Iraq has dwindled as the country continues to be occupied for no apparent valid reason, leaving speculators in the commodities market to have a field day calling the shots on energy prices.
Jack the energy crisis is the biggest threat to our survival. Most of the money that we send overseas to buy foreign oil ends up in the terrorists pockets. We need to move quickly to end our dependence on oil. If other countries can do it so can we.
Energy crises is the bigger threat to the united states. Winter is just around the corner and many older adults and children will be feeling the effects of the high energy price which will hit us nation wide. Terrorism is a great fear but usually effect a smaller population. Both are being used as fear tactics to gain votes.
gwinn oregon
Energy crisis come and go, and people do not die from the cost of gasoline. Terrorists can actually do real damage...
Hey Jack
At first I thought, Flip a coin, but I think Energy is the biggest threat we face, after that unchecked GREED!
Cinti, Ohio
The energy crisis by far. He can't run much military equipment without fuel. With the proper Homeland Secutity policies, we would not have much to worry about in the form of terrorism. We are living in a new world. Terrorism is a way of life in most of the world and it is spreading. As long as we focus on the wrong wars (like Iraq instead of Afghanistan) and we turn our backs on terrorist funding from countries like Saudi Arabia and Yemen, there will be Islamic terrorists.
How do you know that the energy crisis hits home more than terrorism?
When the TSA is singling out individuals who speak out against the FAA....
When Pilots are told to abandon their 10-15 minutes of safety fuel to save money....
When the average American watches gas prices more than speed limits....
When our gravest international adversary threatens us by saying no more oil if there is an attack and we reverse our executive position on neogotiation within 72 hours.....
When gas/utilities becomes the third highest expense on most American's budget behind Mortgage (that's another story) and Food....
They're about the same,but it would surely be a shame to destory ourselves by a bad economy.It might be more honorable to let the terrorist do the destoying.
Jack; The energy crisis is already a bigger threat but it can get worse if survival becomes an issue via competition for supply at a low price. You know control natural resources with power, control, wealth and greed!
Without a doubt in my mind, the energy crisis is a bigger threat; it is absolutely the underpinning of our way of life. All this "terrorism hyperbole" was/is a Bush Administration and media created distraction to keep Americans from looking at what Big Oil – and Big Pharma, and Big Healthcare, Big Media and Big Business – was/is doing to our country.
Susan, Culver City CA
Mr. Al Gore is right. Just some politicians aren't listening.
Terrorism! Let's give President Bush some credit for keeping this country safe since 9/11. We are the biggest target in the world and the fact we have not been hit again is amazing. I hope it will not take another attack to wake people back up.
They are both part of the same complex problem because we import over 70 percent of all of our oil from other countries. If any of those countries become unstable because of terrorists that will drive oil future prices up and as long as we are 70 percent dependant on that oil then what goes on in the rest of the world will hold us all hostage to the terrorists. Jack we are not the only ones suffering from terrorism. Terrorists know no borders and no one is safe if terrorists are hell bent on attacking them or their oil supply. The more self sufficient America becomes on energy the better off we will all be. Sending 700 billion dollars each year to other countries to buy oil is just dumb when we have oil in our own back yard that we can better protect with our own soldiers on our own soil instead of on someone else's soil who doesn't give a damn about us after the fact.
The biggest threat to the USA is the economy. We can always go back to horse and buggy but if we have no money to live on what is the point?
Jack, the biggest threat is from politicians that are too out of touch or too corrupt to recognize that both are threats and both are linked. It is not one or the other. Our taste for oil fills the coffers of those who support terrorist organizations such as AQ and the bank accounts of oil executives that pump money to Washington. Throw out the special interests, prosecute corrupt congressmen, end foreign oil imports, and make America power itself on its own steam…now that is the solution.
I think they are all intermingled, the price of oil, the terrorists, and our economy. Right now, the energy crisis is looking worse, but since most of our money goes to the terrorist countries, we are basically paying all of them to keep terrorizing.
We really need to bite the bullet and get a MAJOR energy policy going, with Obama as President, H. Clinton as AG, and Al Gore as the Secretary of Energy. We need to spend that 150 Billion dollars on developing cellulosic and algae ethanol, flex fuel cars, plug ins, CNG, LPG and solar and wind. We can do it, but its going to take a major MAJOR effort. There are a few countries that have done that and they are doing great, are completely energy independent. We need to do that NOW.
They run hand in hand Jack. They're getting us and getting us good. George has made Americans look like bully's and anyone with both oars in the water knows why there's an oil crisis. Pretty sure most republicans are still hanging this on Bill Clinton. Guess Republicans only run with one oar in the water.
I think the energy crisis is far more of a serious threat to our everyday survival than a terrorist threat. Bush would have us think that there is a terrorist on every corner. Personally, I'm more worried about having to take out a second mortgage the next time I need to fill up my car.
In WWII the United States was the "Arsenal of Democracy". Today we are the 'Beggars of Energy". America is strong when it's economy is strong. Until we get back to the point where we can produce our own energy and products, we will always be at risk.
Dear Jack,
If you're starving to death and out of gas on the side of the road because you can no longer afford to eat or drive, the possibiliy of being obliterated by a roadside bomb may no longer be a threat. It's a Godsend to put you out of your misery!
The energy crisis is a far greater threat. I think the whole terrorism threat has been overstated although it is out there. At the same time, the Bush Administration policies have increased the threat of terrorism. Saddam was never a threat to us and all those young kids are dead because of the misguided foreign policy of Bush/Cheney.
If something isn't done soon, people will not be able to get to work and what will that do to our already failing economy. Also, many more people will go hungry in America. I think many American businesses are also taking advantage of the energy crisis and tremendously increasing prices on ordinary items. A lot of this is unwarranted. Everytime I shop at K-Mart, simple things have risen in price.
It's time to vote OBAMA so he can straighten out this country!
The energy crisis (which is well short of being a crisis at the moment) is a much larger threat to this country than anything a terrorist could do if only for the fact that people always want to take action against terrorists, but no one wants to do anything about our energy problem. The warning signs have existed for decades, but even now proponents of alternative energies are considered "elitist liberal hippies". Everyone just wants to keep passing the energy problem on until the day when all the oil wells go dry and the world plunges into chaos. Then maybe we'll think about investing in solar power research. It seems the only ideas that people come up with to fix the energy crisis are inane at best. "Price of gas is going up because we're too dependent on oil? I know, let's drill for more oil! Oh, and we're not going to drill on land we already own, we're going to rewrite some laws so that we can drill on different land." And besides, when terrorists attack it brings us together as a nation. When the power goes out, we're only going to turn on each other.
The energy crisis is a self-created, self-imposed form of terrorism that is far greater, and potentially much more damaging, than any threat created by the Islamic extremists. If America doesn't get a grasp on its energy needs the harm will be greater than anything done by any radical group including Bin Ladens.
The energy "crises" be sold by the media hacks is not a real crises...gas prices are where they should be...and will only go as high as the market will bare. However, the terrorist will soon try to disrupt and drive the price of oil higher than the market can bare...but that will only work for a short time unless the media hacks help the terrorist create a panic on CNN and NBC.
Jack
while it is true that Terrorism and the energy crisis are thoroughly entangled I am far less afraid of the bomb throwing nut jobs who pretend to be Islamists than I am of the Seven Sisters. I say lets kill the internal combustion engine and the sooner the better. If we can drop the price of oil in the toilet, that will go a long way toward drying up the financial resources of Al Qaeda and its affiliates.
Pablo in Arlington Tejas
Jack
The energy crisis has become the driving force behind our economy and we will sink or swim depending on whether or not we start to conserve and develope new sources of fuel.
Jack,
Perhaps they are one in the same.
By far, I fear Bush and his money hungry oil and defense contractors more than the terrorist. At least we can guard against the terrorist, but Bush and his thugs use their power, money and the worthless jerks in congress to rob the average person of what little means that they might have. I'm for sending all of them to Iraq and let them fight for the oil they so desperately want, instead of getting our young men killed for their benefit.
Jack the only reason I would say yes the energy crisis is a larger threat than terrorism is because we don't take it seriously. We spend billions of dollars a month fighting terrorism how much a month do we spend on the energy crisis??? With gas well over $4/gall we are putting our focus on drilling for more oil instead of using other energy sources. We just don’t get it and I hope it doesn’t take some terrible energy disaster for us to do something like it took 911 for us to do something about terrorism.
Cleaning up Washington, the infrastructure, health care, and education is more important than the current threat of terrorism or the price of oil.
Jack, so-called threats don't exist in a vaccuum. Everything is interconnected, and all behavior has consequenses. Our gluttonous consumption of the world's reosources – including energy – is ravaging the earth and turning its peoples against us. Hence terrorism and energy crises result from the same threat – ourselves.
Can't watch you while I'm in Costa Rica, The satellite only gets the international & Spanish versions, but I will say that the energy situation is more of a concern. After all, without fuel and food, the terrorists would get what they want, an America on it's knees. When regular people can't afford to get to work or put anything but rice & beans on their kids plates then I say that is the more serious of the two. We are doing to ourselves what the terrorists have not been able to do, which is making us a second rate power who are no longer respected in the world and with people too scared of tomorrow to dream about the future anymore.
The energy crisis Jack. It actually contributes to the terrorist threat. If we didn't spend so much on Mideast oil, there would be less funding for terrorists. If we were energy independent we could tell the whole Mideast to stick it. They'd be back to raising camels and living in tents.
Americans having no long term vision is the greatest threat to this country – not oil, not terrorism.
Americans bought SUVs for the past ten years, after we all knew better – all the while knowing larger vehicles increase demand for oil and oil funds terrorism.
Americans bought Chinese products for the past ten years, all the while knowing doing so is putting their neighbors out of work and shipping jobs overseas and creating whole cities of the unemployed here at home – aka "mortgage meltdown crisis".
In short, Americans thinking that what is immediately gratifying for the individual is therefore "free market capitalistic American Democracy Good For All in the Long Run" have sunk this ship.
Neither energy nor terrorists have anything to do with the selfishness that is the crux of the current dilemma.
The U.S. is the wealthiest country in the world yet your government does less for it's citizens than any other modern society in the world.
Most modern countries provide their citizens with the basics a human being should be able to count on. Universal health care and some form of pension in their golden years.
It is about time your country took stock of how many deaths are caused each year because people don't have health coverage or inadequate health coverage compared to how many deaths are due to terrorists. You can also throw in how many deaths are attributed to murders with guns.
It might be worth thinking about looking after yourselves at home and forget about world domination.
Trick question, Jack – they're the same thing, The Islamic Arab world can shut off our oil like a pusher can cut-off a broke junkie. There are daily reminders that terrorism is always imminent. Add to that a nagging, unsettling suspicion that some greedy American elements have gotten obscenely rich through all this, and we seem to be up to our elbows in pirahnas.
Jack
The oil companies are the terrorists. They claim to invest their profits into new energy sources, however where are those new sources? There are cleaner ways to make bio-fuels, such as fuel made from sugar cane. The problem is the oil companies are in bed with congress and this administration that there is zero incentive for anyone to produce another other than gasoline from oil! America is slowly becoming a 3rd world nation and its time to wake up. 9/11 was a farce created by this President. What do the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon have in common? NOTHING!!!!
Energy definitely! Never mind outside terrorist threat! Just look at the Home Grown Terrorists in the White House!?ECK!
There is no terror threat except the threat of a terror threat. And the threat of a terror threat created the energy crisis. So if deal with the threat of the terror threat so it doesn't threaten us anymore then the terror threat will disappear and the energy crisis with no longer be a threat to any of us.
Religious zealots with agendas of hate and death for the rest of the world should never be taken lightly and our guard should be constant using a broad array of diverse techniques that are tempered by common sense not political correctness.
This being said, the energy crisis is attacking ALL of us in a more severe and disastrous way. It has the potential to bring our great country down to her knees in short order if we don’t move more swiftly. I disagree with the Democrats not wanting to drill for our own oil. We do need alternatives, but they (Democrats) offer nothing more than money incentives for hopeful solutions. This is a longer term proposition than getting our own oil out of the ground. We need to be capable of retrieving and refining our own oil as soon as we can in order to prevent an even greater situation than what we’re going through at the moment.
In answer to your question, these two critical problems go hand in hand….I’m sure the “terrorists” are (or have already) figuring out a way of increasing the oil crisis as another tool in their arsenal.
kerry diehl
grosse ile, mi
The energy crisis is a much bigger threat than terrorism. We created the threat of terrorism ourselves when we made a big show of being a bully with Desert Storm. That crisis could have been avoided with diplomacy instead of Cowboy escapades (like father, like son). And the response to Desert Storm was 9-11. Why can't we understand that? And so we continue to up the ante with meaningless wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, costing thousands of American lives and billions of dollars. When are we going to figure out what's going on? Neither McCain nor Obama seem to have a clue either.
What terrorism? We are in little danger of a serious terrorist attack. They don’t need to do anything to us, we are destroying ourselves and they know they can just sit back and watch.
You should have seen the look on my face Jack when I filled up my gas tank yesterday. It was the look of shear terror! Now I know what it's like to get robbed on a weekly basis. Forget Osama Bin Laden, the filthy rich executives at the Big 6 oil companies are the real terrorists.
The economy is a huge problem. Protecting ourselves from Terrorists
is also another huge problem. But the most threatening problem of all is knowing that we have politicians, Congress and the president
who are corrupt and do not hear or respect all Americans or the safety of Americans.
Attacks against America can take many forms. Wouldn't the easiest way for an enemy to bring our country down a few levels be to find our weakness, which is oil and greed, and then tighten the rope to pull us down into the slick.
Energy is definately the greater of the two evils. One of the only profound things to come from the pundits in the 90's was Carvil's saying, "it's the money, stupid." Money may not buy happiness, but it sure buys choices. The strength of the economy is directly linked to our ability to live the way we want to live. The energy crisis is bleeding us dry. We are refinancing our economy every day to pay for oil. And someday, like a lot of homeowners, we'll run out of equity to refinance. If we're lucky, we can hang onto mediocrity through the next millenium.
The terrorist threat is more immediate, and the global warming threat is more insidious and its effects will show up more later as we continue to ruin our planet. Both are heavy-duty, critical issues.
The republicans are the terrorist . They have starved the people into submission no gas , no food, no home.
The energy crisis is a far bigger threat than terrorism. One can imagine millions of vehicles parked alongside the highway with spaces empty at every workplace even ar government offices. Not only would products not be getting to the grocery store, no one would have enough fuel to even farm or produce crops. Just think of the waterwaste treatment plants not being attended to or a sudden violent storm taking out an electircal grid and the repair guys not having any gasoline to get to the problem area so they could repair the grid, thus producing one grid failure after another. Terrorism can't quite accomplish these things unless they attacked on many fronts at one time.
Geri – Mead, OK
Jack,
The energy crisis is definitely the problem. The more we depend on foreigh power for oil the higher the prices of things will be. There need to be more ways of getting power to us and our government needs to find it.
After watching what Bush and co. did to our democracy and our good name, using terrorism as an excuse, the energy crisis can't hold a candle to that. We'll figure out a way to deal with higher gas prices. How do we take back our democracy?
Neither should be considered a crisis or crisis level threat. For years we have enjoyed oil at discount prices. What we pay today is just slightly above inflation adjusted amounts. Terrorism is less a threat than it is a notion. A notion exploited by fear mongering politicians whose agendas have less to do with the best interest off all Americans and more to do supporting certain misplaced foreign policies. Although 9-11 was real, but can anyone document a single successful initiative that punished its perpetrators. .
Jack didn't you know that the energy crisis is terrorism? When are we going to wake up and see the light?
I believe that we should work to eliminate the cause of a problem and so I think the energy problem is the one that presents the greater problem.
If we were to work toward eliminating the dependence on oil and lead the other countries in that effort we would also reduce the amount of funds that are financing a large segment of the terrorists.
Terrorism has already proven it's got the best of your country with all your resources going into National Defence whether it's needed or not and very little being spent on basics like education, health care for all and infastructure.
The smart money says the Republicans will once again be successful in stampeding the voters off the cliff like lemmings, in November, and you'll continue on the same path for the next 4 years.
Jack, you know better, the two are related. If we didn't need the oil, we wouldn't have such a strong presance in the middle east which would mean people wouldn't be uspet that we're in their back yard all the time and resort to terrorism. It's a cycle Jack, everything's connected.
It is neither...the biggest threat to our country is our own government and their ineffectual policies. Blaming the energy crisis (which is definitely a crisis) or fear of terrorists (which truly exist) for being the biggest threat is to avoid the truth. Every other industrialized nation in the world faces those same issues without falling into a panic.
We started Bush's reign of terror with a balanced budget, a fair amount of respect from other countries and a stable economy. Now, after 7 1/2 years of Bush and an incompetent Congress, we are billions in debt to one of our biggest economic competitors, we've lost too many lives in a win-less conflict (not a war - that requires a formal declaration!) on two fronts, and are now viewed as a third-rate power in the international scene.
But we have to look in the mirror to see the true culprits - ourselves. We elected these folks, or at least the Supreme Court says we did.
Jack I feel that they are connected, every time the news is related to Iran or other areas of the middle east the market has overeacted. The hard line is as free nation we have to try make it as important as it was to be the first man on the moon in the 1960's. We have the smart people and the will to change the way we live on this earth. The first president that is able to sell this to the america will absolutely blow every other canidate away.
The oil alarm clock has been going off for almost 40 years and we kept hitting the snooze button. Our money, estimated to be 700 Billion annually, for imported oil goes to the very people who support terrorists who want us dead. I hope oil goes to $200 a barrel. Watch how fast we get off foreign oil. We have had the last wake-up call.
the energy crisis IS terrorism for many working poor and middle class Americans. how many families now have to make the choice of filling up the car so they can get to work OR buying food OR paying the mortgage?
my nephew is a second generation independent over-the-road trucker and I know HE'S sure terrorised that the high cost of diesel fuel just may put him out of business.
It's a harsh way to look at it, but over time the energy crisis could cripple the whole nation and lead us to another Great Depression. A terrorist attack, especially with the post 9/11 awareness of the law enforcement community, would affect far fewer Americans. By no means should we let our gaurd down, but we need to get on this energy issue sooner rather than later.
It depends. If terrorism gets out of hand, there won't be anyone to use the oil. If the Energy Crisis gets out of hand, there will be nothing to bomb, because nobody can get to work. If they both go out of control, I'm getting a job at NASA and hitching the first rocket out of here I can find.
Its the same thing, just different sides of the same coin.
Right now, its energy. After almost three decades of class warfare waged from the right, most Americans are reaching a breaking point. The sudden spike in price coupled with our other economic woes has made it a crisis. If we weren't already suffering in the housing and credit markets, if wages had not been stagnant for the last seven years, if all the tax breaks had not gone to you-know-who, and if we had not squandered billions on a war for profit, the gas prices would be an annoying problem instead of a national crisis.
Jack,
I am not sure but it seems that terrorism is going on every time I fill my car up. The BIG OIL companies and OPEC have assumed this role in my life instead of Osama Bin Laden.
The Middle Eastern Terrorists also realize that our Achilles Heel is our dependence of the foreign oil.. They can demand what ever price they want and we will pay. Thats is terrorism to me.
Actually aren't they related? I mean, after all, the Arabs can hold us hostage simply by turning off the spigot. I don't think this means that we should allow offshore drilling in the hopes that the oil it will produce in 10 years will magically make the oil crisis go away now. The oil companies are reaping windfall profits , what incentive do they have to build refineries? Life is very good for the oil companies and their ilk. It's the rest of us that are suffering. How about a concise energy plan with an emphasis on conservation and alternative fuels?
We would be much farther along on both these problems if Bush and the Grand OIL Party were not in charge these last 8 years. Nothing was done about new fuels under Bush. All they did was go to war in the wrong place which increased the number of terrorists in the world.
All in order to get OIL. Which they didn't get.
Until this country reduces our dependency on foriegn oil, terrorism and the energy crisis will be consistently tied together and equally important, the past 30+ years have shown us that. Unfortunately, while bush and all of his oil buddies have gotten richer, the American people have less discretionary funds, and our troops are having to fight multiple wars.
Hi Jack
they both go hand in hand,we give money to countries that dont like us for oil,and then we sell them missles and military equipment to fight us with,then we bomb other countries and help build them up better than we build our own country up.and we owe every country that hate us,
clearwater fl
The energy crisis. If you think it's bad now, just wait five years.
Jack, what a no brainer!
Look at the choices given in your question and I think even you can see that terrorism is the bigger threat.
If we defeat terrorism, but have higher oil prices, we can survive.
If we have gas at a dollar a gallon but our cities are leveled we won't survive.
And your answer?
Equal I think because they BOTH are a threat to our way of life.
Does one affect the other? Certainly so you can't really seperate the two.
Even Obama says terrorism is the biggest threat. If he gets it right how hard can it be?
I don't see the terror and energy crises as separate issues. Under the guise of terrorism we went to Iraq, and it's all spun out of control from there. Our biggest threat right now is another Republican administration.
Boise, ID
Jack,
Isn't Big Oil terrorists. They terrorize my wallet everytime I go to the pump.
PC
Atlanta
The energy crisis! Terrorism isn't even number two, that would be the Bush administration.
The "energy crisis" IS terrorism, or should I call it "Oil-ism". China practices "Trade-ism" against us. Mexico is a master at 'Invade-ism", and Bush is the hero of "Corrupt-ism". It is all terrorism to me if it causes us to be re-active instead of pro-active.
Of course it is. Terrorist look at how Bush has terrorized the American public since 911 and realize they can't top that. Why kill a few more thousand when you can make 90% of the population financially destitute. That's worse then death. They are safe in Afghanistan and Pakistan while we waste out time, lives and money in Iraq. Once we are worn out and broke, what's to stop them from coming in and doing as they please?
The energy crisis is a much bigger problem. The energy crisis is having a major negative impact on everybody and terrorism may have an impact on a few people someday. Unfortunately, our governments knee jerk reaction to possible terrorism has become a minor annoyance to everyone.
Nothing works without oil and we have darn few alterntives. We will not even be able to defend ourselves without some alternative fuel solutions soon. That should strike more terror in us than the terrorists do.
George W. Bush is the bigger threat. The sooner we get rid of him and his war-mongering 'neocon' Republicans , the terrorism will vanish and the high price of oil will subside.
Bernie
Lowell, MA
Hell yes it’s more important than terrorism. How does one protect one’s self with no energy to do so? Has anyone in any position of power given a look at Swift Fuel? If the creators of this fuel are trustworthy then this stuff is a miracle. We would need no modifications of vehicles, pumps, or storage facilities to disseminate it. Why is this not the biggest news out there?
Bin laden once said when oil was $9.00 a barrel if it was to go up to $146 a barrel it would destroy the American economy. If you are able to destroy a nation's economy you render them useless no matter how strong their military is.
The energy crisis is terrorism by the Saudi's and Big Oil against the rest of the world. II's tantamount to being robbed at gunpoint The people that support their agenda are just as bad. They are only interested in one thing.....their stock portfolios
I have never been worried about a terrorist attack. Maybe because I do not live near anything that would be of interest to terrorists. I am very worried about the economy. It will affect everyone irregardless of where we live and what we do.
The larger crisis has to be energy. We need to reduce the demand for oil to the point where we can extricate ourselves from the Middle East. Because we have never understood their complex culture, beliefs, and world view, we inadvertently drew terrorists to our shores. Were it not for oil, we would be ignoring them like we do the rest of the third world. Let them sell their oil to somebody else.
Yes, the energy crisis is bigger than the terrorism threat. Bush and Cheney are both oilmen and so are their friends. Why would anyone think there would be any oversight of the oil industry? It still amazes me that Cheney's energy group was allowed to go on in secret.
My community has never been threatened by a terrorist attack but I am being raped by the oil companies and the Saudis everytime I go to the gas pump. Our energy policy fuels our foreign policy. If we weren't so involved in the Middle East because of our dependence on their oil we wouldn't be targets of Middle Eastern terrorists. This is not a fight for democracy, it's a fight over oil pure and simple.
Energy is the ultimate terrorism anyway. We wouldn't be in Iraq if not for oil. We wouldn't be afraid of offending our "friends" if not for oil. We wouldn't be worried about free trade and deficits, if not for oil.
Cut the cord. Let's get oil-free within 10 years. It CAN be done and would already be done, if not for the oil-suckup Republicans who derailed the Carter administration's steps in the right direction.
McCain is just another Bush. Unless we elect Obama and implement T.Boone's plans (and Gore's), we will all be forced to endure another Great Depression while corporatists (of all nations) rape and plunder whatever is left.
I'm looking for a NEW DEAL.
Casey in Tecumseh, Missouri
Unlike Iraq, the energy crisis IS a central front on the "War on Terror". Al Qaeda is funded indirectly by the money we send overseas to pay for our oil. We are paying for our own destruction and the sooner we shift that money to alternative, home grown, forms of energy the better.
The current energy crisis is just another form of terrorism. It has been forced on the American people, by forces both foreign and domestic. Maybe we should stop sending food and aid to the middle east, and see how much food they can grow in their sand. Why can they hold us hostage with oil while we hold the food? Let's see if they can eat crude!
They are both intertwined.You really have to wonder.We buy oil from shiekdoms,i.e.the money goes directly to the rulers,and the price stays high because of the constant threat of terrorism,i.e.those sheikdoms have a vested interest in keeping terrorism alive because it means more revenues.We need to buy oil from countries that don't use those revenues to kill us.Say what you will about Korea,Venezuela,Cuba and even Canada and Mexico,they can sell us enough oil and they have never committed a terrorist act against the USA.
Energy has become terrorism. They literally have us over a barrel. They will try to destroy us in the pocket now and however later. We need to look to other forms of energy wind, solar, geothermal,and sea currents. We need to start on a new road and tell the oil terrorist to hit the other road.
Paul
Texas
Jack,
By far it has to be the energy crisis, the higher the prices go up for it the more we have to pay for everything making daily life difficult to live, what would we all do if your Cafferty File disappeared due to the energy crisis...
C.I., New York
Energy!
We ended the cold war by outspending the Soviets, though I suspect it came at the cost of derailing alternate energy plans put in place by the Carter administration.
Bin Laden said (when oil was about $30 a barrel) that when oil went to $140 or so, it would destroy the American economy.
I guess bin Laden was paying more attention to American history than our government was.
Oil-free by 2018!
Donna | Sebastopol, CA.
The Energy Crisis defeats terrorism as its solution would prevent terrorism by delivering comfort and voice to most pronounce terrorist, this when they are children and before they learn to be terrorist.
Terrorism exists in our own system, serial killers and hostage situations happen in domestic disturbance all to often. The Standard of Living defeats terrorism. Energy is a current backbone of society, but society still falls short of civilization.
Responding to terrorism only perpetuates terror somewhere else. Punishment in the prison system of School.
Is there a difference?
Both the energy situation and the threat of terror have roughly the same standing on the American landscape in that we pay no attention to either during times when unthreatened, and when a threat re-cycles, we go back into hand-wringing mode, ask solution-benign questions such as this one, and try to get to a short term stall so that we can proceed the doing of nothing in terms of long term solutions. In that, both of these problems are pretty much equal sisters.
The biggest threat to America is our Government.
For me, the energy crisis is of greater concern than a terrorist threat.
I still can't believe how ultimately, 19 men with razor blades changed the alleged "Home of the Brave" forever. Bin Laden achieved everything he was after.
Absolutely! We need to get a handle on this, because a single oil supply disruption, given that our energy situation is on the brink of disaster, will bring this country to it's knees (We're halfway there already!)
We will no longer be vulnerable to terrorists when we don't need the oil their countries produce. Then we can stick our tongues out at them as we drive our solar or fuel-cell cars to work every day produced by an economy that is strong because we are no longer shipping billions of dollars overseas to pay for the thick, black goo.
Both of them are and someone better get a grip on them sooner than later or all hell is going to break loose.
energy crisis definitely....it is a subtle form of terrorism...big business and corporate interests are killing us...remember this when you vote and vote out ALL incumbents...our do nothing Congress and pathetic president have really run this country into the ground
Yes. But it might be a good thing-eventually no planes flying and no security lines to stand in.
Of course the energy crises is a more serious threat. It is real and with us now getting worse. We are experiencing the energy crises every day at the pump and through escalating prices of everything we buy. Meanwhile the threat of terrorism is largly fear based by the bush administration.
i think it much bigger! the fear mongering about attacks is just a tactic to brain wash you into doing and thinking the way someone wants you to perform the cost of things you need to survive is very real so instead of laying down when the bully scorned you do things to change your ways of surving. i buy much less gas now, and iam felling much better since i dug out that 1958 schwinn bicycle out of storage, should have done this 5 years...ago......
Considering how much a massive failure the War on Terror has been, I don't want any part of a War on Energy... But I do applaud the Congressmen looking toward raising awareness of our trouble with oil. Offshore drilling may not be the answer, but if no one brings up the topic, I'm afraid our neglectful president will further shove matters important to the Middle Class further under the rug.
If we can't afford gas, we won't be able to get to work (unless you can walk or bike there) and if we are unable to get to work, we will lose our jobs. Food prices are just as bad. A gallon of milk costs as much as a gallon of gas. The whole economy is in trouble!!!!
Jack, Everything is a big thing today, it gets worse every day, everybody thinks that he has the answer nobody has it right yet, not the war ,not the oil ,not the economy , nothing if the people had the answer we wouldn't be where we are today.
B West
Skowhegan Me.
Energy... hands down. I live everyday wondering if I will be able to buy gas and food next week, I am not worry about terrorist attacks. The last attack was on the republican watch, in fact they had had Congress for years before they got the white house, and while President Bush was on vacation AGAIN, they attacked. Now he wants to act like Republicans will keep you safe. Well, they have done a bang up job so far.
One in the same, pick your poison. We must break our dependence and we must stop the speculators. Demand is going down and stockpiles are going up, so why is oil still high? China should be using less because we the people who buy their product will not be buying, and they sure aren't eating their own products.The people in the US will respond if our leaders will just act. Someone needs to take the lead and the people will eventually make sacrifices.
What's the difference...don't you get terrified every time you go to fill up your tank?
We've always had terrorism, and it hasn't always come from the Middle East (think Tim McVeigh – White, registered Republican and an Army Vet to boot).
But maybe Reagan shouldn't have taken Jmmy Carter's solar panels off of the White House. If we would have built on Pres. Carter's policies, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.
Teri
Palm Coast FL
THEY ARE INTERLINKED!
It's obvious that energy is a bigger threat than terrorism. Every American is harmed by our current energy model. The world climate suffers, our bank accounts suffer, our strategic positioning is hurt, and we fight wars because of the energy crisis. Terrorism does nothing to the climate, hurts mine but not my grandparent's bank accounts, hurts our strategic positioning, and has caused us to fight wars.
The energy crisis is more important than terrorism. Bush has been elected twice because of Fear tactics! His policies haven't made us any safer.In fact you can argue the fact we're more at risk now. He has consistently under funded programs that would make us safer.As far as energy goes,Bush's Failed policies have gotten us we we are today.
The energy crisis is a form of economic terrorism brought on by our own gluttony for oil and our poor economic policies that have diluted the power of the dollar on the world market.
Our engery problems are fueling terrorism.We only have ourselfs to blame.
Funny how the very terrorists we're at war with are also in religious solidarity with those who provide us with most of the oil which lubricates the economy of Western civilization.
Both are big. They are related. Terrorism was not handled properly. Iraq was not cause for terrorism. Bigger war was started there and it is not ending even in more than five years. Billions of dollars are being spent there every month. American companies having at least one person with big power in the administration are bringing Iraqi oil to the United States. It is irony that prices are going up. Experience in the oil companies did not help to foresee the prices of oil skyrocketing. Amazing! In politics we all talk of experience. This is what we get! If a single person in the administration could have prophesized today’s oil prices, actions could been taken much earlier. We didn’t have to go through all the problems of this nation. Politics of fear were practiced way too much too long.
The energy crisis is a direct result of our fear-driven international policies.
Which country will we invade next?
Will Iran cut off our oil because we blow up their nuclear power plants under the same false – 'Saddam has WMD' – type hype that they're making bombs?
Will the financial system of the United States collapse because of its 'we can pay for the war with plastic' fiscal policy that will decimate our currency?
Bernie
Lowell, MA
Jack, although both are big problems, I'd have to say the energy crisis is a bigger threat than terrorism. The U.S. relies on energy, much of it from foreign countries that are not too friendly, to maintain its huge economic engine roaring. If the supply of energy cannot keep up with demand, we could find it very difficult to perform activities like heating our homes, taking kids to school, going to work, flying from New York to L.A., and many other actions we perform every day. However, if the energy crisis makes it almost impossible to go to work, we would have more time to watch the Situation Room and post comments on the Cafferty File! Oh wait, I'm assuming the energy crisis will not have strained our sources of electricity.
Rod
Miami, FL
It's a form of financial terrorism, except the White House is too full of itself to figure that out.
Yes. In fact an energy independent America would deal most of our enemies an economic blow so crippling, law enforcement agencies could do the mopping up.
yes. the 9/11 attacks were designed to destroy the american economy and so far osama bin laden is winning, the surge failed in iraq and sucker bush can't see it. all it did was disperse the terrorists to pakistan and afghanistan. see what happens when we leave. if you have a bad neighborhood and you put 100 more cops in to patrol it, (duh) crime goes down, in that neighborhood. short term solution for long term problem is all you have!
The economy is the biggest threat,but since the inability to pay bills is largely due to the rising cost of energy,that ,between energy and the terrorists,I'd have to say energy is going to have the greatest impact on American lives.
Jack...
The terrorist threat is just that... the biggest threat is the FEAR that terrorist acts create. It basically calls for better quality law enforcement and awareness.
The energy crisis is a problem that can actually create world-wide hardship and serious disruption of world and national economies.
The energy crisis has been a long time coming and calls for entirely new paradigms if we wish to prevent wars, starvation and economic collapse of governments.
Now is the time for strong, creative GLOBAL leadership and determined efforts to examine every possible solution to the problem of energy production.
Now is the time to create an ENERGY REVOLUTION.
It's the energy crisis brought on by President Bush doing whatever it is he is doing with terrorism.
Energy is a bigger problem due to the last 7 years of leadership in this country. Its hard not to think back at how different things would be if Gore had been given the presidency he rightfully deserved. Nobody believed a president would ignore growing energy issues as much as bush actually did. Bush has set a new level of anti-environmental policies to even put past Republicans to shame..
But actually, the biggest problem facing us is OVER-POPULATION on this planet. Too many people and not enough resources to sustain the population will result in more wars and death over the next 50 years, than ever before in human history!!! Global warming will do it's part to reduce population, but that won't be enough to stop all the under-developed nation's population booms.
Actually...they go hand in hand. Its the biggest transfer of national wealth in human history and our leaders seem to like giving it to those who also want to kill us.
The oil crisis makes terrorism even a bigger threat than ever.
If we don't solve the energy crisis now, we will definitely be a terrorist target while we have a dramatically weakened economy.
Not only do the terrorists know this, so does China and Russia...duh
I'd like to hear the guarantee from the oil companies that American-drilled oil will not be exported and sold abroad. That should be fair since they only want to drill offshore to ease the price at the pump, right? They wouldn't sell it to China or anything, right?
Jack, you can arrest or kill terrorists. I don't think there's anyway in hell we can kill these gas prices no matter what weapon we use!
Lack of Energy at an acceptable cost, that is our biggest problem. Stagflation-and as John Mc Cain himself proclaimed to the whole world, "Economics is not my strong suit." George Bush has destroyed a strong American Economy in just 8 years. All American's need to stand up and take it back from the 'Have and have more Republicans'.
Energy. It is tied to our economy and we all know where that has led us.
Scottsdale, AZ
At the beginning of the Bush administration Cheney brought in all the oil people behind closed doors for a energy summit to this day no one outside of the White House inner circle knows what was said at that summit. What we do know is we started a war with Iraq,we have $4 a gallon gas,and record oil profits. Just do the math.
Terrorism is something that was invented by bush/cheney to start their illegal fiasco in Iraq. The energy crisis was created in cheney's office during his secret meetings with the energy companies. If you don't believe this,why has it come to a head at the end of the bush/cheney regime and nothing was done to try and solve the problem during the intervening years. This is all about the oil companies draining the U.S. Treasury.
Can terrorists shut down businesses and put large numbers of Americans out of work? Can terrorists hire the vice president of the United States to carry out their bidding? Can terrorists cause inflation to spike? Can terrorists cause global warming? Do oil companies kill large numbers of people? Do oil companies hold governments hostage to their demands? Hmmm. I guess it's a wash. cy gardner arlington va.
Jack, terrorism is part of the energy crisis, so, I am not sure which is more important, but we can sure tell it is an election year when the Republicans are coming out and talking about how worried they are about the middle class. Where were they for the last 7 1/2 years?
Lets hope it remains the energy issues. If terrorism becomes issue #1 it would likely be on the heels of an attack. None of us should want that.
Alexandria, VA
Energy Crisis is today right now and this will bring this country to its knees quicker than anything we can imagine. We will be paralyzed and the world as we know it today will exsist no more. That is as scarry as it gets!!!!!!
I'd like to know what part of the cost of the war is in fuel. Diesel for aircraft carriers, cargo and transport ships, going to and fro. Personnel carriers, semi-tractor trailers, tanks running 24/7. Jets, helicopters, cargo and transport planes shooting across the skies. Fuel for training, fuel for transport, fuel for in the field and fuel for Air Force One. I imagine it has to be a significant drain and a significant demand. End the war. End the fuel demand.
C'mon Jack, the biggest threat is the American government.
They are one in the same. We spend billions maybe trillions in oil and send it to the Middle East. The same bastards spend our money on terrorism against us. It's like double indemnity and a vicious circle! My suggestion is to get off of oil and reduce them all to the sand where they came from.
Wildwood Crest, NJ
Jack,
That's a tough one. We feel the energy crisis right now. (In the wallet.) However, so far, a lack of energy hasn't cost us any lives.
I think lives trumps energy.
is there an energy crisis? or an economic crisis? there seems to be no shortage of energy, just higher cost for it. as for the threat of terror... that is so serious that bush has had the miltary fighting an enemy that never had any weapons to begin with, for eight years!! you tell me.THREATS ARE ILLOGICAL!!!!!
Actually, they're tied together. What better way to destroy us than through our wallets.
I would say that it is the energy crisis. Of course you can't hardly seperate the two.We owe the energy crisis too the democrats. First with Jimmy Carter , then with Bill Clintons veto of the drilling off of the coast and Anwr that the republicans push through the house and senate in the 90's. The drilling for oil and the use of coal and nuclear has been blocked by the democrats since the 70's. They keep claiming that it would have took 10 years for the oil that we would drill now to lower the cost at the pump. Well if Clinton had not vetoed that bill in the 90's guess what , that energy would be available now.
It's all about ENERGY!!!
I think anyone who has lost their home, job and can't afford to buy food, gas or go to the doctor the last thing they are worried about is being killed by a terrorist.
Jack terrorism and greed are responsible for this countries woes.If this country wants to right itself then the people should request that all contractors in Iraq to be out in 16 months, the troops will be right behind them.
If it is a choice between the energy crisis or terrorism, I'd be inclinded to say that the Energy Crisis is the biggest threat to the US. However, since both problems have a Middle East theme, maybe these are actually related?
From a global or strategic perspective, I'd probably say that the biggest threat is Congress and the Republican administration that has allowed all of these problems, including boarder insecurity, American de-industrialization, the projected $60 Trillion National Deficit, and the destruction of the middle class, to get worse, and worse, and worse, and worse...
Of course it is!!! Think about what happens if the lights go out?
The energy crisis is a much bigger threat to the life that we as Americans are privledged to lead. Although a terrorist attack would be horrible at any level, the entire economy going into the dumpster is catastrophic. We as a nation can come back from any attack but I'm not sure we can survive the value of the dollar going down the tubes.
terrorist are the main threat
if the terrorist take over the encomy is destoryed
well that happens with Congress anyone – guess we are are trouble either way
When I go to the gas pump, I am filled with fear. The fear of paying so much for so little. So it seems taht the oil crisis has caused some terrorism at the gas pump.
Terrorism grabs the headlines every time. It scares the hell out of everyone, even though the act directly effects relatively few. Terrorism, however, a symptom of several much larger problems. The energy crisis, on the other hand, is by far more important and threatens not just us but every industrial or developing country across the world. The production of energy effects climate, food crops, the sea level, every living thing on our planet. Global warming is just the beginning. Civilization world-wide doesn't have much time to get it right.
It's worse because we have brought it on ourselves. I'm glad we allowed food prices to soar thanks to the abysmal failure called Ethanol. Now our economy is suffering not only from high gas prices but skyrocketing food prices too. Our government has been asleep at the wheel.
Russell Cohen
New York, NY
The energy crisis should scare us more then the threat of a terrorist attack, simply because the energy we are using now is killing our planet and releasing so much carbon dioxide that we are permently altering our planet. If we don't have a planet to live on, terrorism won't be a problem at all.
We tend to think the bigger crisis is the one that is hitting home at the present time. Right now the prices at the oil pumps makes one feel that they are being robbed. Robbery is a pretty big deal and makes you feel like you have been molested or violated. So energy prices has to be "Enemy Number 1" today.
The "terrorist threat" was always an overblown lie created by the bush administration. The energy crisis is a deliberate strategy of the same administration to enrich bush's oil baron friends. All of our current problems can be traced to bush and the idiots who voted for him.
Of course, the energy crisis a bigger threat to the U.S. than terrorism. We are allowing BIG OIL to drive this country into Great Depression II. Just ask any middle or lower economic class American: "Do you lose more sleep over the price of gasoline or over fear of a terrorist killing you or your family?" While you are at it ask them how many people favor nationalizing the criminal oil industry as a solution to high gas prices.
Brownwood, Texas
No question about it, energy crisis. The world will end by fire according to scripture and global climate change just might be that catalyst.
Jack,
I think this energy problem is an act of terrorism. It terrorizes me everytime I pull up to the pump. What is it going to cost me this time?
Tracy
Jack
Yes to your question.
Just imagine, No fuel for motor vehicles. A large number of workers will not be able to get to work, Food stuffs will not be delivered to stores,police and fire departments can't respond to emergencys, students will not be able to go to school. Freight would not be moved from point to point. Remember what happened in the early 70s.All the oil and gas powered construction equipment could not be used. Air travel would bestopped. While terriorism is unthihkable, the stoppage of oil flow is much worse.
The Energy Crisis is obviously more important as it affects everyone, but if we stopped fighting the wasteful war on terror and this new war on energy, by taxing the middle class. We could let them keep their money so they could pay for the energy.
We've been fighting a war on terror for 7 years, thankfully without another attack on our soil, yet my wallet gets bombarded every single day due to the high cost of gas, food, and overall living.
The abysmal ignorance of the readers, watchers and answerers is truly astonishing. Misinformed haters. I hope they are insulted by this response, that is my intent.