This passage in the Globe-Republican's post-SOTU Bush Worship caught my eye:
While alternative energy sources may be a homegrown option, the president maintained that a nation of freedom did not become that way by limiting its potential in the world.The Ghostly Voice of the Globe-Republican is a big fan of patriotic platitudes, just like Dear Leader. "Liberty this..." and "freedom that..." At first glance, this quote appears to be more of the same. If we look at it again, however, it seems an odd pairing of concepts: "alternative energy" at home vs. our "freedom", which is apparently dependent on our "potential in the world." Like so many things in Bush's America, the truth is hidden behind pretty words. Replace "freedom" with "hyper-consumerism", "potential in the world" with "military strength" and we get a better understanding of what the Ghost is getting at, that our way of life is dependent on our ability to subjugate other countries. Ponder the Ghost's words awhile longer and another problem becomes apparent. Dependency is the opposite of freedom, so in terms of our energy sources we'd be much better off producing at home rather than importing. Of course, when Exxon Mobil is pulling down $36 billion a year in profits there will be little motivation to invest in alternative energy. The American economy is an insatiable beast, and some
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