The True Price of Gas
The saga of the U.S.'s love/hate relationship with oil/gasoline has hit an all time low. With our growing fear of the rising cost of gas, it seems as if some of us are willing to do anything to get our hands on it by any means we deem necessary. On Friday, August 19, 2005, a station owner in Alabama was killed while trying to stop the theft of $52 of gasoline. An article published by the Associated Press today (August 24) states that station owner, Husain "Tony" Caddi was killed after "...he grabbed onto the vehicle and the driver dragged him across the parking lot and onto a highway....Caddi fell from the vehicle and was run over by the vehicle's rear wheel."
Not to put any blame onto the victim, but what were the victim and the murderer thinking. It is understandable the Mr. Caddi wanted to stop the theft of something that belonged to him, but you have to wonder if in his last moments if he thought that it was worth it.
Now, as for the murderer, did he/she think that their actions were justifiable? It is obvious that, as a nation, we have been shown by our government that we have no compulsion about using force on others to maintain our access to oil and ergo gasoline. Also, we have seen that there is no hesitation of said government to kill and maim others so that we can continue our ability to drive our SUV's and luxury cars.
The question to ask though is if this person thought this man's life was worth the price of a tank of gas? Which leads to the next question: Did this person think that the price of Mr. Caddi's life (obviously not more than $52) was worth it so that he/she would be able to drive their "...gold ot tan Jeep-style SUV..." to the local shopping mall or the video store? The answer to this is blatantly clear.
Ultimately, it becomes very obvious where this person's values lie. The picture that forms is of some one who would pay much money to buy a gas-guzzling status symbol but is unwilling to pay for the gasoline needed to run it. Rather than down-grade to a less expensive, more fuel efficient vehicle, the decision was made to kill a fellow human being for the love of the SUV.
This is what we have sunk to. This is what we have fought wars over. This is what has turns us against others without a second thought. For some of us, these thoughts have kept us awake at night, wondering what viscious and inhuman course of action will be taken next. What we need to ask ourselves: Is the price really worth it?
Not to put any blame onto the victim, but what were the victim and the murderer thinking. It is understandable the Mr. Caddi wanted to stop the theft of something that belonged to him, but you have to wonder if in his last moments if he thought that it was worth it.
Now, as for the murderer, did he/she think that their actions were justifiable? It is obvious that, as a nation, we have been shown by our government that we have no compulsion about using force on others to maintain our access to oil and ergo gasoline. Also, we have seen that there is no hesitation of said government to kill and maim others so that we can continue our ability to drive our SUV's and luxury cars.
The question to ask though is if this person thought this man's life was worth the price of a tank of gas? Which leads to the next question: Did this person think that the price of Mr. Caddi's life (obviously not more than $52) was worth it so that he/she would be able to drive their "...gold ot tan Jeep-style SUV..." to the local shopping mall or the video store? The answer to this is blatantly clear.
Ultimately, it becomes very obvious where this person's values lie. The picture that forms is of some one who would pay much money to buy a gas-guzzling status symbol but is unwilling to pay for the gasoline needed to run it. Rather than down-grade to a less expensive, more fuel efficient vehicle, the decision was made to kill a fellow human being for the love of the SUV.
This is what we have sunk to. This is what we have fought wars over. This is what has turns us against others without a second thought. For some of us, these thoughts have kept us awake at night, wondering what viscious and inhuman course of action will be taken next. What we need to ask ourselves: Is the price really worth it?
posted by Anna (Koop) Dedrick | 4:03 PM
2 Comments:
Have you noticed that most of the fuel effcient vehicles are really ugly. Now how hard is it to design a small car that gets good gas mileage? They can design all the big cars with big engines and make them very attractive to the buying public. Big business and big government have never been there to help the regular 9 to 5 person. Big corporations are there to make a profit, our government right now is made up an Autocratic dictatorship, and heading for fascism real fast. I think we first have to change as individuals and then as a group to get anything done. The Democratic Party is mostly dead, with a few exceptions.
We agree. Think they are getting better on the designs of the hybrids. On the other side, look how ugly the Hummer is~yuck!
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