From Jones:
Former CIA director James Woolsey made this insightful observation in this month's "Futurist" magazine http://www.wfs.org/futintervja07.htm
... Good article! There is a lot of irony in the James Woosley article. It reminds me of an obscure film I once saw back around 1980, titled "The Formula" starring George C. Scott and Marlin Brando. See: http://www.amazon.com/Formula-George-Scott-Marlon-Brando/dp/B000KHME7U http://tinyurl.com/3bbzvg and Ebert's take: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19801223/REVIEWS/12230301/1023 http://tinyurl.com/2ybpul The film revolved around a murder espionage mystery associated with the deliberate suppression of a chemical formula, a cheap and easy to implement catalyst that could be used to convert ample supplies of coal into a liquid petroleum base making (as it had been theorized over twenty years ago) cheap and abundant oil. I won't go into the rational of making abundant oil from coal, nor had the specter of "global warming" become a hot topic of discussion. Suffice it is to say I gather that these days there actually are a few in the industry working on this process, and with some limited success. But I'm getting off topic. Getting back to this obscure little film. G. C. Scott is an investigator hot on the trail of a murder victim, a famous chemist. He quickly discovers that the chemist had been murdered because of his unique knowledge of a special chemical catalyst, the "formula". Scott's investigation eventually lands him in the mansion of a major petroleum CEO tycoon where he confronts the legendary (as well as physically large) Marlin Brando, where we get to hear Scott regurgitate a patriotic speech, something to the effect that "...you are the reason we have people foraging for food out of garbage cans these days..." Before this confrontation occurs there is a scene where the CEO is meticulously tending the garden in the back of his lavish mansion. A subordinate arrives with another routine report on changes in the supply and demand of their petroleum product. At the end of the report the subordinate smugly states that due to the complexities of how the their extracted crude will be bought & sold through various supply chains it will be easy to hoodwink everyone, especially the America public, into blaming the Arabs for what is anticipated to be a another round of price hikes. Brando straightens up from his flower bed and releases a heavy sigh matching his heavy girth. He turns to face his subordinate and with an exasperated expression states matter-of-factly, "You continue to forget the fact that WE are the Arabs." Fast forwarding to the racy present, I find incredible irony in the premise that in order to assist our nation's vulnerable and fledgling synfuels industry the petroleum industry must in turn continue to play the role of "...the Arabs." Whether such conspiracies are the result of deliberate design or, more likely, due to the way the raw egg is rolling precariously across the kitchen counter top we the general public are probably never likely to know the nitty-gritty of it all. I am, however, willing to entertain the notion that there may be a few brave souls within the petroleum industry who have figured out this dirty little secret, as well as the irony of it all. It would seem that the most patriotic action they can continue to pursue would be to remain the greedy little bastards that they are. Perhaps under the circumstances it's easy to play the role of the unsung hero. Regards, Steven Vincent Johnson www.OrionWorks.com
