by Francis Jock

Created on: December 05, 2008   Last Updated: May 02, 2012

More than any other political group in the world today, American conservatives are obsessed with the election of Barack Obama as a sign of the horrific, prophesied Second Coming of Christ. Some prophets have even gone so far as referring to the President's core political base as a cult. The Internet and the media constantly barrage us with Second Coming predictions and imagined proof of it near-term arrival, all for the self-serving purpose of undermining the nation's confidence in the President while trying to preserve the conservative power base despite having been rebuked by millions.

What are some of the reasons for this nonsense? Certainly, the world has changed dramatically since we entered the new millennium. Our nation's misdirected adventurism in the Middle East, foisted upon a bewildered and frightened nation after the barbaric outrage of 9/11, has mired our military in civil inter-faith warfare in Iraq and Afganistan that cannot be resolved through military power alone. The ensuing revelations about our nation's leaders, modus operandi, and "truthiness" have led to a fundamental shift in our national consciousness and resolve. As a result, the nation overwhelmingly broke free of decades of neo-conservative misdirection in November, 2008.

Also among the root causes of the problems we are experiencing globally is the clash between fundamentalist Islamic cultural values and the pluralism of American society, mimicked by a number of newly affluent Islamic nations. Further scrutiny reveals that that declining environment and increasing resource scarcity also lie at the root of the problem. So often, as history has repeatedly shown, societies turn to religious fundamentalism when either nature or politicians refuse to nourish the masses. Moreover, when religion and leadership fail, society turns upon itself in the most unpleasant manner. Some believe, and espouse, that the unavoidable and prophetic outcome will be the final, apocalyptic war, the rise of the anit-Christ and the eventual Second Coming of Christ.

As we have witnessed, but perhaps not learned, oil, a basic element of ever dwindling quantities, is an indispensable resource and essential ingredient in countless numbers of technological creations. Oil is the essential resource necessary for humanity's survival and future prosperity. Today, the control of large portions of the world's oil supply rests within the borders of the very nations that we have been at religious and political odds with for

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>