America’s insane compulsion loop over oil
Exactly how many times does a nation need to repeat the same mistake of over-relying on oil before it is deemed to be insane? Right now we are at nine (9) oil crises and counting since 1950.
This ninth venture into petroleum idiocy is one entirely of America’s own making. And to make matters worse, the current administration literally shot the whole country in the foot by its dumping of successful green energy programs and EV vehicle incentives in 2025. Having those in place today could have helped make the current crisis less impactful. But no. We’d rather release 400 million barrels of oil from the strategic reserve – about 20 days supply. Exactly how “strategic” is something that is nothing more than a temporary bandaid????
Meanwhile, the country already had/has major successful investments in wind, solar, EVs, hybrids, fuel cells, and geothermal infrastructure that have been kicked to the sidelines by an administration that’s solely hung up on fossil fuels…thanks in large part to their big-money donors.
Source: energyhistory.yale.edu
It’s like the administration wants to relive the 1970s. Reliving that tedious decade of oil embargos, Watergate, high inflation, and disco duck hardly makes America great again. Frankly, it makes us sad, pathetic, and vulnerable.
The old adage says, “insanity is when you keep making the same mistake expecting different results.” Sound familiar? How about the list of oil shocks below for a reminder (Source – gemini.google.ai).
- Abadan Crisis (1951–1954): Triggered by the nationalization of the Iranian oil industry.
- Suez Crisis (1956–1957): Closure of the Suez Canal led to a 10% supply disruption.
- Arab Oil Embargo (1973–1974): Triggered by the Yom Kippur War, causing oil prices to nearly quadruple.
- Iranian Revolution (1978–1979): Iranian oil production dropped, resulting in panic buying and high prices.
- Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988): Further impacted global oil supply following the 1979 shock.
- Gulf War (1990–1991): Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait caused a temporary, sharp, oil price spike.
- 2000s Energy Crisis (2003–2008): Influenced by the U.S. invasion of Iraq, peaking at $145 per barrel in 2008.
- COVID-19 Oil Price War (2020): A disagreement between Russia and Saudi Arabia led to a massive, short-term price collapse.
- 2026 Middle East War/Disruption: War with Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused a major, immediate supply disruption.
By the way, 78% of these oil shocks took place under Republican administrations.
Rather than regressing further into the cesspool of the bad old days, how about the United States return to a sustainable path forward towards a far less oil-dependent future? It’s time to jettison those fuddy-duddies with their warped oil fetishes from positions of power and let those with a vision towards a saner future take the helm. Fully 75 years of repetitive oil-driven compulsion loops is quite enough.
Peace!
#1970s #advocacy #compulsionLoops #compulsions #energy #environment #government #history #Iran #oil #oilCrises #opinion #peace #renewables #sanity #solar #war #wind
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