Thinking About Oil

Published over 4 years ago

National Public Radio had a guest speaker on their programming yesterday, you may have heard of him before, Ted Koppel, formerly an anchorman host on ABC's Nightline.

On NPR, Mr. Koppel read aloud some interesting thoughts about cars, our American interests, and the war in Iraq. What struck me most was the figure of Americans who are killed each year on our motor ways: approximately 40,000. Think about that for a moment, forty thousand people die due to motor vehicle accidents each year.

To put it in perspective, cancer.org states that 1 in 5 deaths in the United States is caused by cigarettes:

Smoking is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States. Because cigarette smoking and tobacco use are acquired behaviors -- activities that individuals choose to do -- smoking is the most preventable cause of premature death in our society

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And Kidshealth.org reports that smoking kills 1,200 people per day^[2].

But we're not about to stop driving, or smoking, or smoking while driving, even though the combination of the two may be even more dangerous. If I recall correctly (its been about 5 years since I quit - thank goodness!), it can be quite distracting to fish around for your butts, light one, and even more distracting if you drop a lit cigarette while driving.

But anyway, why was Ted Koppell on NRP talking about deaths related to automobile accidents? He was referring to the war in Iraq, and how over a four year period, approximately 4,000 US soldiers have died. He mentioned how this war is important for many reasons, one of which is oil. He also mentioned that the "blood for oil" is never a good one, but what about "blood for mobility" or "blood for freedom of travel"?

Please understand I'm not advocating or denouncing anything here. I'm only raising these ideas because I found Mr. Koppell's words thought provoking. If anything, they really made me think about vehicular travel in general, and how slowing down, using alternative fuels, and raising taxes extraordinarily high might be a better strategy than fighting overseas.

What do you think? I just searched for Ted Koppell NPR and realized he's now a journalist for them. Way to go Ted!

For the original text of his broadcast, visit the NRP.org website:

Seeking Perspective on the U.S. Death Toll in Iraq, by Ted Koppell

If you are interested in politics, check out the 2008 Presidential Election Blog.