Terrorist don't need oil money

Terrence Jeffrey:

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A cheaper, cleaner, more secure source of fuel for America would be good in its own right. But if some entrepreneur discovered tomorrow a fuel that could be manufactured within the United States, wholly replace our petroleum consumption and give U.S. producers a commanding position in the global energy market -- thus beggaring the Persian Gulf -- would that choke off funding for al-Qaida and other terrorist groups and end their war against us?

Would it stop Iran from building a nuke? Would it spur positive political change in the Middle East?

The most reasonable answers to these questions are: no, no and no.

Terrorism, unfortunately, is inexpensive. "Al-Qaida," said the 9-11 commission staff report on terrorist financing, "funded a number of terrorist operations, including the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings in East Africa (which cost approximately $10,000), the 9-11 attacks (approximately $400,000 to $500,000), the Oct. 18, 2002, Bali bombings (approximately $20,000) and potential maritime operations against oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz (approximately $130,000)."

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Mugabe has been terrorizing his people without a penny of oil money. In fact most of his money comes from the printing press. Starving people is genocide on the cheap. What oil profits have done is bring modernity to the Persian Gulf region and that is what really scares the religious bigots.