Submitted by edward brandwein, Aug 21, 2008 11:43

I am a fan of John Stossel's writing but he misses the mark in his editorial about energy independence. The fact the both the buyer and seller benefit fro the oil trade is irrelevant. The issue is what the sellers are doing with their benefit. The answer, unfortunately with respect to the Middle East and Russia, is to cause trouble. Whether it is Iran's funding of military operations in Iraq or its disturbing pursuit of atomic energy or Russia's military adventurism in Georgia, oil dollars are being used in ways that are harmful to our interests as well as global security. Nor is this a recent development. Saudi Arabia has used its oil wealth to radicalize Islam all over the world for years. The bottom line when it comes to energy independence is that it will not just keep dollars at home or, possibly, help the environment. It will also go a long way toward de-funding certain actors who are working against us. Buying oil from people who hate us is not beneficial. It just prolongs the hate.

Note: Comments are screened, and in some cases edited, before posting. We reserve the right to reject anything we find objectionable.