America's forever gasoline wars continue

Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern this Nation. This difficult effort will be the “moral equivalent of war,” except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not to destroy. —President Jimmy Carter (April, 18, 1977)

Were the decisions about energy at the time related to the economy, politics and war, the environment, or were the decisions all about just plain oil?

Was the focus of that war fuel-efficiency for American cars, or was it about the maintenance and growth of America’s coal, oil, and automobile industries?

What did Carter want to build and what was it that he wanted to protect from destruction?

More than 50 years later nothing has changed for Americans who know their history.

In 1973, the Arab world set off an economic war by stopping sales of oil to countries they deemed aligned with Israel and the United States in the wars they were waging.

The resulting embargo left Americans with long lines at the gas stations—if they were open at all. Prices doubled quickly and then doubled again.

President Richard Nixon called on the nation to conserve fuel by not driving their cars and the people were not happy.

Then Governor Jimmy Carter urged citizens of Georgia to turn down their thermostats to 65 degrees.