C. GATSBY'S Weblog: "you will learn the truth and the truth will make you free. John 8:32

USA Today’s article Our view on energy prices: Soaring fuel costs spawn clamor for quick fixes failed to mention a program killed by the Republicans years ago that would have made us less dependent on the Middle East for oil.

The Synthetic Fuels Corporation was a U.S. government-funded corporation founded in 1980 to create alternatives to imported fuels (e.g. coal gasification). President Carter's program would have produced 2 million bbl. of oil per day, 40% of current petroleum imports in 1981, from plentiful American supplies of shale and coal The corporation was eliminated in 1985 by the Republican administration of Ronald Reagan.

In the early 1980s the price per barrel of oil was 35 dollars. When OPEC heard of America’s interest in developing synthetic fuel, the price per barrel of oil dropped to under $10, thus encouraging Reagan to kill the Synthetic Fuel program. Reagan was thinking short term and not long term and consequently made a naive, tragic mistake.

If Reagan had not killed the Synthetic Fuel Corporation, America, today, would not be as dependent upon the turbulent Middle East for oil, and the price per barrel of synthetic oil would be about $50 or about 55 per cent cheaper then the current price per barrel of Middle Eastern oil.

G. W. Bush should have immediately launched a similar program to that of Carter’s and challenged industry experts to create alternative fuel. Kennedy challenged America to place a man on the moon in a decade, achieving it in just over 8 yrs. Likewise, America should be contested to eliminate our dependency on foreign oils in less than a decade.

By Christian Gatsby

THE WASHINGTON TIMES…APRIL 30^TH, 2008

The Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., Sen. Barack Obama's inflammatory former pastor, tried recently to defend his anti-American and baseless comments made from the pulpit ("Wright denies political ambition," Page 1, Monday). When confronted with questions, he tried to embarrass his questioners by asking when they last attended church. Well, not only do I attend church, I studied theology and graduated from a Catholic university.

Contrary to Mr. Wright's anti-American sermons, Jesus never preached the destruction of the Roman Empire, nor did he condemn it. Jesus never encouraged an attitude of rebellion against the Roman government. The separation of church and state is mentioned in the Bible. For example, Matthew 22:21: "Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's." A Christian's work is spiritual, not political. His responsibility is to assist the people of this world to offer their faithfulness to the heavenly kingdom.

Mr. Wright still claims, without offering a shred of proof, that the U.S. government invented AIDS to kill black people. "Based on what has happened to Africans in this country, I believe our government is capable of doing anything," he said.

Mr. Wright, now that he is in retirement, needs to read the Bible and not just misinterpret it. He needs to embrace Jesus' teachings of love, to not hate and to ask for forgiveness.

CHRISTIAN GATSBY

Sen. Barack Obama may boast in speeches that he never supported President Bush's Iraq war, yet he neglects his senatorial duties when it comes to hearings on the war.

For someone who bases his entire campaign on his nonsupport of Bush's war, why did Obama place money, his fundraisers, over fully attending the April 8 hearing with Gen. David Petraeus about the war? Obama left the hearing early to attend two campaign fundraisers. He obviously has confused priorities.

Last year, Obama was the only senator terribly late when Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker appeared on Capitol Hill for the second day of questioning on the war.

Obama's stance against the war appears to be just campaign rhetoric. He voted against a troop withdrawal proposal in 2006, contrary to his new campaign promise of withdrawing troops. Obama only advocated reduced troop levels after he entered the presidential contest because polls showed a majority of voters' support.

America needs a strong, decisive, responsible president and not a lazy, careless person like Obama, who is concerned only with fundraising and polls.

Christian Gatsby