Americans Are Patriotic, But Sadly Misled Regarding Energy

A reader from the U.K., Derek Deighton, writes:

I’m sorry, am I missing something?  Does it matter what America thinks and does? Assuming no doomsday, America is not going to be more than at best an equal partner in a world centered on Asia.

Speaking from the UK, you seem to have an inflated sense of your importance as a society, as we did with the Empire, and are still wont to do on occasion.

I reply:

Touche! You make an excellent point in that we in the U.S. overestimate our importance in the world, and are generally blind to how completely we have abdicated our position as technology leaders. You may notice that I go to great effort attempting to awaken America to this very fact.

However, I would say yes, it most certainly does matter what America thinks and does, in that I believe Americans will eventually open their eyes and call for an end to this lethargy, this “stuck in neutral” condition. In particular, Americans are patriotic, and I believe it’s only a matter of time until they realize how badly they’ve been conned regarding energy. There is nothing more patriotic the typical American can do than cut his use of oil, which is currently driving the country further into debt each day, while empowering our sworn enemies.