September 6, 2005

Dear Hal,

Thank you for sending me the above articles.  The Peak Oil phenomena is a topic of extremely immense concern to many including me.  It's amazing how the news media and the know-nothing crappy politicians still don't understand that we are soon approaching the twilight of the American Dream.

I was discussing this with one of my friends, a retired Navy commander and an F-15 pilot.  As a former airline pilot and top executive myself, I understand all too well what the implications are going to be in terms of fuel.  Frankly, I'm frightened by what I've learned over the past few years. Our complex interdependencies of goods, services and resources may one day be our undoing as our people completely lack the skills necessary for survival in a post petroleum world.

During polite conversation people tell me about their teenage and young adult children and what they hope for their future.  Some have asked what fields they should study to become successful.  I find it interesting to look the parent straight into the eye and say without flinching, your children should be encouraged to study agriculture, hydrology and animal husbandry.  The parents typically look at me in an rather odd fashion and usually reply, why not law, accounting or finance?

Those professions in due course will not be necessary at all.  The world is about to change in a big way that will no doubt affect your children's prospects for survival.  I continue that medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and blacksmithing would be good additions to my list of excellent career prospects as their expertise will no doubt be necessary in the future.  The parents ask me, why?

I explain to them the realities of petroleum, banking and the madcap moronicy of energy dependent globalism.  Sadly, wars will be fought over dwindling resources.  Everything in due course will become local again just like it was in the 1700-1800's.  Big cities will be in ruins, suburbs decayed.  All the result of too many people consuming too few resources. Anyone who would advocate allowing more people into this country should get their head examined.  The carnage of New Orleans today is the Los Angeles of tomorrow.  We'd better prepare ourselves for a less than wonderful future.

It would be a great idea to start looking for farm land with water such as in Kentucky.  Those who work toward a personal solution now may just survive. the rest not.

A little prayer would not hurt.

Take care.

Name Withheld

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Dear Withheld:

Your sobering words will be received by many who read this page, as a kook's sadistic doomsday message. Those people are the same ones who would have called you crazy had you predicted (as I did) a future 9/11 style attack based on the 1993 attack on the Twin Towers.

Hal Netkin

P.S. When WW II broke out, America was an oil exporting nation -- not depending on any nation for its energy.