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Asset Protection From Oil.

By Rob Lambert - Email Editor

Date : Aug 15, 2006

The Middle East is a complicated place. I do not envy the powers that be in Washington trying to sort out an amenable solution. I doubt historians will be kind when describing these past several years. Stepping back and looking at the big picture, it seems to me we should handle one issue before all others: OIL!.

History

On May 12, 1961, President Kennedy went before congress and expressed a concern that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in technology and prestige. He challenged the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade.

Kennedy Speech Excerpt:

"I believe we possess all the resources and talents necessary. But the facts of the matter are that we have never made the national decisions or marshaled the national resources required for such leadership. We have never specified long-range goals on an urgent time schedule, or managed our resources and our time so as to insure their fulfillment." (Click here for full speech.)

On July 20, 1969, five months ahead of President Kennedy's target date, Commander Neil Armstrong became the first man on the moon. He uttered these historic words, "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

In 1961 technology was far from a moon landing; many engineers by their own admission, didn't even know where to begin, let alone land a manned spacecraft on the moon. In that same 1961 speech, President Kennedy asked congress for $531 million dollars and $7 to $9 billion in the next five years.

Go ahead and calculate those numbers in today's money. You could argue it was foolish and unwise to throw money at what many considered to be a pipe dream. Just consider what technology you would not have today without Kennedy's mandate. Would NASA even exist today? (Click here to view Kennedy's speech at Rice University in 1962.)

Present Day

What would happen if President Bush got up on his hind legs and proclaimed (as Kennedy before him) that the U.S. will be energy independent by (you pick the date)? The date should be far enough out to give the oil companies enough time to reposition themselves. (Although, it may take Exxon a fair amount of time to move their massive hordes of cash on hand.) Alternative fuel sources are available, and it will only get better.

New fuel sources will be just one of the many incredible inventions that will come with full White House backing. Take a look at another section of President Kennedy's 1961 speech:

"Secondly, an additional $23 million dollars, together with $7 million dollars already available, will accelerate development of the Rover nuclear rocket. This gives promise of some day providing a means for even more exciting and ambitious exploration of space, perhaps beyond the Moon, perhaps to the very end of the solar system itself."

"Third, an additional $50 million dollars will make the most of our present leadership, by accelerating the use of space satellites for world-wide communications."

"Fourth, an additional $75 million dollars--of which $53 million dollars is for the Weather Bureau--will help give us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for world-wide weather observation."

Maybe, we as a nation have too many strings attached to the Middle East? But consider that Brazil's government gave an edict to be energy impendent by the end of this year. From the looks of it, they are ahead of schedule. It may not be 100% sugar cane to ethanol, but they will not be beholden to anyone else for their energy needs.

Here is the amazing part: Many governments around the world are looking at Brazil. The Philippines just recently declared a war of independence from oil and aspires to be like Brazil. It's somewhat ironic that the U.S. has been busy with a War on Drugs through Bush Sr., and a War on Terror through George W. Maybe its time for a new slogan.

If you take into consideration the technology available for fuel and compare that with the technology available in 1961 to go to the moon, Kennedy had a much tougher road to travel.

I am compelled to ask President Bush to go ahead and reuse the 1961 Kennedy speech with some modifications for fuel independence at his earliest convenience. And I would kindly ask him to give the American public the directive to become energy independent so we can Asset Protect our pocket books from the gas pumps!

Until next time,

John

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