Oil, U.S. Auto Industry, Jihad, and Islamic Supremacism

So what happened after 9/11 to Saudi Arabia? Did American leadership cut off its flow of petrodollars from the U.S.? Did American leadership view Saudi Arabia's Islamic supremacist ideology to be an enemy of America? In fact, Saudi Arabia became wealthier, got more American petrodollars after 9/11, and incredibly, was named as an "ally" of America in a "war on terror" that refused to define the enemy or its ideology.

How did American industry react to the 9/11 Islamic supremacist act of war against America? Did U.S. oil industries shun Saudi Arabia and other Islamic supremacist providers, and promote alternative energy sources? Did U.S. automakers aggressively promote fuel-efficient vehicles to minimize the petrodollars continuing to flow to Islamic supremacist nations? None of these happened. Neither the U.S. oil nor the automobile industries have recognized that America is at war with Islamic supremacism.

As American taxpayer dollars are being asked to bailout the U.S. automobile industry without strings, a history lesson of the U.S. automobile industry's response to the 9/11 attacks would be valuable.

In 2002, an example of General Motors' (GM) offer of "innovation" in response to acts of war by Islamic supremacists on America was to have "AM General... assembling the HUMMER H2, a new 'next generation' sport utility vehicle designed by GM, at a new factory in Mishawaka" - for American consumer use at approximately 10 mpg. In 2001, GM also had an electric automobile known as the EV1, which you might have never heard about. I know about this because, after the 9/11 attacks, I repeatedly contacted GM about trying to purchase or lease an EV1 or even get on the waiting list for a future version ("GenII") of the EV1. In fact, what GM told me was that the EV1s were not available to anyone outside of California, and I am on the East Coast. No matter who I contacted in GM Sales, the answer was the same - they did not want to sell me a GM EV1 electric automobile at any price, under any condition. (You can see from this September 11, 2002 EV1 white paper that I was not only one who could not obtain an EV1 from GM.) GM was more concerned with California's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate than it was with acts of war against America. Just over two months after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, GM was already collecting EV1 electric automobiles to take them off the market and crush them. By 2003, GM had officially ended the EV1 electric automobile program; GM donated one to the Smithsonian museum. Where is GM's progress for fuel-efficient vehicles at today? Among GM's 2009 vehicles, GM offers a hybrid SUV (offering "an astounding EPA estimated MPG 21 city"), hybrid truck ("limited availability early 2009"), and states that it will offer "very limited availability" for its 2009 Malibu Hybrid. In 2010, nine years after the 9/11 attacks, GM claims that it will also offer another electric vehicle, the Volt. In the meantime, GM continues to predominantly manufacture and market vehicles that will ensure the maximum petrodollars go to Islamic supremacist nations.

In early 2002, a division of Ford Motor Company's TH!NK announced that it was going to produce a series of small electric automobiles for use in California and New York City. However, later that year, Ford announced that it was going to halt production of such electric automobiles, and in 2003, Ford abandoned its nascent efforts to counter America's oil dependence on Islamic supremacist nations, and sold the company to a European company for production overseas. A year later in 2004, Ford announced plans to crush its remaining TH!NK electric automobiles, later deciding to send 300 of them to Norway. Concerns about ending America's oil dependence on Islamic supremacist nations was the furthest thing from Ford's mind.  Later in 2004, Ford developed a "hybrid SUV" (now that's a "hybrid" for certain) called the Ford Escape hybrid SUV. U.S. Senator John Kerry was famous for promising that he was going to buy and promote one; needless to say after the 2004 election, we have never heard about that subject again from Senator Kerry. The 2009 Ford Hybrid Escape states that it gets an estimated 34 mpg city, significantly less fuel-efficiency than hybrid vehicles offered by Honda or Toyota. Ford continues to predominantly manufacture and market vehicles that will ensure the maximum petrodollars go to Islamic supremacist nations.

When it comes to fuel-efficient vehicles to cut off petrodollars to Islamic supremacist nations, we have had nothing but counterproductive products, half-measures, and endless promises from GM and Ford. In the meantime, Islamic supremacism has continued to grow in America and around the world.

What did I do about it? Since both GM and Ford refused to take my money and sell me a fuel-efficient vehicle that would limit petrodollars to our Islamic supremacist enemies, I had to go elsewhere. In early 2002, with the remains of the World Trade Center still nothing but a pit and a wing of the Pentagon still in shambles, there was no American leadership or business focus on stopping the flow of petrodollars to our enemies, nor was it a priority. In our nation's capital, there was virtually no interest in hybrid automobiles. But in early 2002, I started driving a hybrid automobile as a strike against Jihad and Islamic supremacism. We started by selling our old automobile and getting a Honda Insight hybrid automobile. When we went to the automobile dealer 10 miles from the White House, it was a real battle to get such a hybrid automobile. The DC area Honda sales person tried to persuade me not to buy a Honda Insight hybrid automobile. They were hidden in a back lot and literally covered with dust; they had to wash one off to show it to me. That's how unimportant fuel-efficient vehicles were in the Washington DC area after the 9/11 attacks. I was personally uncomfortable with buying a foreign-made automobile, and it was the first I had owned. But I felt that I had no other option, if I was to focus the war of ideas against Islamic supremacism, I had to do what I could personally to stop their funding through petrodollars. We still drive our 2002 Honda Insight hybrid today, as well as a 2005 Toyota Prius hybrid. As a result of GM's and Ford's unwillingness to recognize the need to modify its products to deal with the Islamic supremacist war on America, we have been unable to purchase a GM or Ford automobile since the 9/11 attacks on America.

Afterwards, I continued to try to promote fuel-efficient vehicles as part of a campaign against Islamic supremacism and Jihad. I soon learned that there was very little interest in this tactic. I went to political events, campaign events, public affairs events, and tried to get the public to cut off the petrodollars to Islamic supremacists. My efforts on this have been met, on every level, with a resounding silence and disinterest. I am well aware that this is not a popular issue to discuss. I am also not suggesting that fuel-efficient automobiles alone will solve our energy independence from Islamic supremacist nations. But when will America decide that this is a necessary issue to address? The fact remains that not only has GM and Ford been unwilling to do anything about this issue, our government and much of the American public has been unwilling to do anything as well.

In the meantime, what has grown is this tacit acceptance among the American governmental leadership, the American automobile industry, and the American public that we won't talk about the need for fuel-efficient vehicles to help in cutting back petrodollars to Islamic supremacist nations. Glittering generalities are fine; everyone is for someone else to do something about it. But calling for accountability and actually doing anything about it, well, that isn't polite discussion.

But as American taxpayers get ready to hand over (either by a bailout or a bankruptcy - we pay) tax dollars to GM and Ford, when exactly will it be the right time to talk about the need for fuel-efficient vehicles in reducing petrodollars to Islamic supremacist nations? Why not now when we have GM's and Ford's attention? Isn't it about time that these companies with a very checkered history when America has been at war to step up and prove that if they want American taxpayer dollars that they recognize and will support America's national security priorities?

Did Americans all have to read Robert Baer's book in 2003 "Sleeping with the Devil" to understand how petrodollars had further empowered Saudi Arabia to spread Islamic supremacism around the world? Did America really need to wait until the 2005 Freedom House report on how Saudi Arabia was spreading Islamic supremacism in the United States to act on energy independence? Even so, wasn't that 3 to 5 years ago? We need American leadership that can define the war against Islamic supremacism clearly enough to the American people that they don't have to wait until gasoline is $4.00/gallon to seek to drive fuel-efficient vehicles. Moreover, they need the U.S. automobile industries to deliver products in line with America's national security interests during war.

Four years ago, President Bush stated during his campaign for re-election that America's energy independence was going to be a key national security issue and priority. Such false promises have resulted in petrodollars continuing to flow from the U.S. to Islamic supremacist nations as much, if not greater, than before. Islamic supremacist Sharia finance has expanded and grown over the past four years. On November 6, 2008, the U.S. Treasury held a training session on Islamic supremacist Sharia finance and a week later, on November 10, the U.S. Federal Reserve Board announced that it was purchasing $40 billion of AIG preferred shares of stock, while AIG has continued to own divisions that promote and sell Islamic supremacist Sharia finance investment and insurance products. As a result, American taxpayers now own part of a Sharia finance business. Are American taxpayers next going to support automobile manufacturers selling products to ensure our Islamic supremacist enemies get the maximum amount of petrodollars?

The failure to have accountability in national business and economic decisions that support and embolden the Islamic supremacist enemy remains a national disgrace. The root of this problem can be found in the failure to define the enemy and the enemy's ideology in Islamic supremacism and to declare unequivocal total war on Islamic supremacism, using every tactic, including economic measures.

On November 13, 2008, at a Saudi-sponsored "interfaith conference," Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz told world leaders that Islamic supremacism practiced in Saudi Arabia supports peace, justice and tolerance, while President Bush replied that freedom includes "the right to choose or change religions and the right to worship in private or public." Those are noble sentiments by President Bush, but what has he done in terms of Saudi Arabia or any other Islamic supremacist nation to defend those rights? Has he sought to constrain Islamic supremacist Sharia finance? Has he sought to stop petrodollars to Saudi Arabia and other nations? Has he accomplished any significant initiatives to gain our energy independence from Islamic supremacist nations? Has he made all Islamic supremacist nations a pariah? Has he identified Islamic supremacism as an enemy ideology? The answer to all of these questions, of course, is no.

Believing in the need to defend equality and liberty should be a fundamental part of each American's identity. But the real test of this American virtue is deciding to actually do more than just talk about it.

In fighting the culture wars for America, we need to stay focused on fighting for what America's culture is truly all about, and not view our culture as only based on consumer goods and recreational activities. America is not merely about baseball, apple pie, and Chevrolets. We are at war, and the Islamic supremacist enemy continues to gain power every day. Remembering what we are fighting for is essential for us to win this war.

America's culture war is about living and defending the inalienable human rights of equality and liberty. America is about the idea that all men and women are created equal. Equality and liberty are the basis of our culture war for America against Islamic supremacism, not gas-guzzling vehicles that give endless petrodollars to our Islamic supremacist enemies, and not businesses that refuse to put America's interests first during war-time.

If GM and Ford want a hand out from American taxpayers (either via bailout or bankruptcy protection), they need to commit to business practices that recognize American values and recognize that Islamic supremacists continue to be at war with America. Energy independence will not be gained from fuel-efficient automobiles alone. It is a much greater and complex issue than that. But if American leadership, American business, and the American public can't even start to address such a basic step in energy independence through improved fuel-efficient automobiles, we can't hope to stop handing money to our Islamic supremacist enemies that seek to destroy us, and who seek to destroy every hope there is for defending equality and liberty.

We can't let that happen. Too many hopeless, helpless people are counting on us to act.

Fear No Evil.