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Behold the Rise of Energy-Based Fascism: The Pentagon as the Global Oil Protection Service

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Octafish Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-20-07 04:58 PM
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Behold the Rise of Energy-Based Fascism: The Pentagon as the Global Oil Protection Service
Here's why Kissinger finally stated the obvious the other day: We're in Iraq to control the oil, our source of global power.



Behold the Rise of Energy-Based Fascism

The Pentagon is helping to create a grim future for all of us: a struggle for energy primacy abroad and Big Brother at home.


By Michael T. Klare, Tomdispatch.com. Posted January 20, 2007.

It has once again become fashionable for the dwindling supporters of President Bush's futile war in Iraq to stress the danger of "Islamo-fascism" and the supposed drive by followers of Osama bin Laden to establish a monolithic, Taliban-like regime -- a "Caliphate" -- stretching from Gibraltar to Indonesia. The President himself has employed this term on occasion over the years, using it to describe efforts by Muslim extremists to create "a totalitarian empire that denies all political and religious freedom." While there may indeed be hundreds, even thousands, of disturbed and suicidal individuals who share this delusional vision, the world actually faces a far more substantial and universal threat, which might be dubbed: Energo-fascism, or the militarization of the global struggle over ever-diminishing supplies of energy.

Unlike Islamo-fascism, Energo-fascism will, in time, affect nearly every person on the planet. Either we will be compelled to participate in or finance foreign wars to secure vital supplies of energy, such as the current conflict in Iraq; or we will be at the mercy of those who control the energy spigot, like the customers of the Russian energy juggernaut Gazprom in Ukraine, Belarus, and Georgia; or sooner or later we may find ourselves under constant state surveillance, lest we consume more than our allotted share of fuel or engage in illicit energy transactions. This is not simply some future dystopian nightmare, but a potentially all-encompassing reality whose basic features, largely unnoticed, are developing today.

These include:
    • The transformation of the U.S. military into a global oil protection service whose primary mission is to defend America's overseas sources of oil and natural gas, while patrolling the world's major pipelines and supply routes.

    • The transformation of Russia into an energy superpower with control over Eurasia's largest supplies of oil and natural gas and the resolve to convert these assets into ever increasing political influence over neighboring states.

    • A ruthless scramble among the great powers for the remaining oil, natural gas, and uranium reserves of Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia, accompanied by recurring military interventions, the constant installation and replacement of client regimes, systemic corruption and repression, and the continued impoverishment of the great majority of those who have the misfortune to inhabit such energy-rich regions.

    • Increased state intrusion into, and surveillance of, public and private life as reliance on nuclear power grows, bringing with it an increased threat of sabotage, accident, and the diversion of fissionable materials into the hands of illicit nuclear proliferators.


Together, these and related phenomena constitute the basic characteristics of an emerging global Energo-fascism. Disparate as they may seem, they all share a common feature: increasing state involvement in the procurement, transportation, and allocation of energy supplies, accompanied by a greater inclination to employ force against those who resist the state's priorities in these areas. As in classical twentieth century fascism, the state will assume ever greater control over all aspects of public and private life in pursuit of what is said to be an essential national interest: the acquisition of sufficient energy to keep the economy functioning and public services (including the military) running.

CONTINUED...



Bush lied America into war for oil.



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bonito Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-20-07 05:37 PM
Response to Original message
1. Bookmarked, thank you n/t
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malaise Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-20-07 06:44 PM
Response to Reply #1
4. K & R for
Truth will out
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heidler1 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-20-07 05:53 PM
Response to Original message
2. The one thing that will upset this struggle is if Global Warming
gets so obviously drastic that globally people in very large numbers will began to reject contributing to the problem. A new hate could emerge wherein those who do contribute will be ridiculed severly. This has happened to smokers recently, as an example of this power. The first to catch hell will be the speeders. Then a lowering of the speed limit. Then, "Is this trip necessary?" Then rationing of all fuel that contributes.
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kimmerspixelated Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-20-07 05:57 PM
Response to Reply #2
3. Agreed.
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Bruce McAuley Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-20-07 07:50 PM
Response to Original message
5. PetroFascism is the word...
Right now Google has only 63 hits for the word, some from here on DU.
I'm wondering how many Google hits it will register next year at this time?
It brings images of Saudi Kings, and Exxon CEO's, and George Bush junior and senior.
Nasty word, as bad as IslamoFascism in it's own way, but them fascists aren't working for you and me, it's the MONEY and OIL.
Henry Kissinger at least had the guts to spit it out: It IS for the oil and the industrialized countries energy supplies.
PetroDollars supporting PetroFascists.
You heard it here second or third...:hi:

Bruce
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Octafish Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-20-07 08:44 PM
Response to Reply #5
6. Dumb Octafish forgot the LINKS...
It's a two-parter:

http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/46838/

http://www.alternet.org/story/46839

Thanks, Bruce. Hope we are still around then and down the road when these petroturd warmongers are rotting in the federal pen.
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bonito Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sat Jan-20-07 09:09 PM
Response to Reply #6
7.  I was going to ask, but I can search for it.
Edited on Sat Jan-20-07 09:13 PM by bonito
Really got me rethinking since I read your post, not throughly digested the implications or able to face it yet though.
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Bruce McAuley Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-21-07 11:42 AM
Response to Reply #6
8. Thanks for the links...
That's pretty much the way it's headed, all right.
It ignores alternative, renewable sources of energy, though, now and in the future.
I'm not saying there's a Magic Bullet for energy independence, but I have lived with solar panels before, and can see how they would cut my energy use a bunch if I could afford to buy and install them. Sorry now I sold them, but that's in the past.
If the incentives were right, I could get off of oil completely without much hassle, especially if public transport expanded here in the rural areas.
Screw them petrofascists, the only way to stop them is to make oil an energy curiosity, and not worth the effort to take it out of the ground.
The epiphany is coming, give it 10 years, IMO.
It would be nice to see the Saudis reduced to poverty because of no demand for their product.
They epitomize petrofascists most of any other culture, I think. Too much money has spoiled them.
Good read!

Bruce
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Karenina Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Jan-22-07 06:00 PM
Response to Reply #8
10. You think we have 10 years?
:evilgrin:
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eppur_se_muova Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Jan-21-07 05:37 PM
Response to Original message
9. Global Oil Protection ? GOP ? coincidence ? nt
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