Useful Idiots, True Believers, Opportunists, and Cowards

by Andy Caldwell

Have you ever wondered how so many people have become convinced that it is a good idea to eliminate our ability to produce reliable energy and maintain food security?

Regarding energy, activists are opposed to generating both electricity and fuel from oil, gas, coal, hydro, and nuclear. Their concerns about the use of fossil fuels (oil, gas, and coal) have to do with the generation of greenhouse gases and climate change. Their concern about hydro-electric has to do with their disdain for dams (which offer a double benefit for flood control and drought buffers) that block fish habitats and spawning runs on rivers.

What is completely lost on these people? Oil isn’t used to make electricity, and upwards of one-half of every barrel of oil isn’t used to make fuel. It is used to make thousands of products that we can’t live without. If our government is successful in shutting down oil production, how shall we live? Most everything we use – from aspirin to heart valves – is made from oil and gas derivatives, and so is asphalt. Green cars need asphalt roads too.

With respect to food, activists want farmers to do without fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, (made from fossil fuels), which would severely threaten our ability to grow enough food to feed ourselves. Fertilizers help plants grow healthier and faster. Pesticides kill the pests that ravage crops. Herbicides kill weeds that would choke out the crop.

Whereas organic farming has come a long way but the yields on organic farms don’t match the productivity of traditional farming methods, which is why organic produce costs more money. It has been estimated that more than half the world’s population would starve to death if we banned fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides. Moreover, some pesticides used in fields are also used to control pests in other places, such as water ways and structures.

Do we want malaria and dengue fever to make a comeback? 

Let There Be Meat

Then there is the battle against cows and pigs raised for meat. They’re on activists’ list because of the methane generated from the animals’ flatulence and waste streams. Honestly, the activists’ solution to this war on agriculture?

They want us to eat bugs for our sources of protein.

This global war against energy and food supplies is producing compound problems.  The war against fossil fuels by President Biden and Governor Newsom are one of the reasons we have so much inflation because it takes fuel to produce, deliver, and prepare food. Food prices have gone up 20%. Sri Lanka, one of the poorest countries in the world, was the first to ban synthetic fertilizers made from fossil-fuel derivatives. What happened? Food shortages and prices went up 80%. People rioted, the president was forced to resign, and he fled the country.

Why are California gas prices the highest in the continental USA? It is called the law of supply and demand. In 1982, we had 43 oil refineries serving a population of 25 million people.  Today, we have 11 refineries (with a few of those slated to close soon) serving some 38 million people. 

The Four Groups of “Believers”

One of my radio guests (The Andy Caldwell Show, “A Voice for Reason” 3 pm to 5 pm, Monday through Friday: KSMA 1240AM/99.5FM & KZSB 1290AM/96.9FM) divided the people who are trying to reverse the industrial revolution and sabotage our food security into four groups:

1. Useful idiots, true believers, opportunists, and cowards. Useful idiots don’t know better. They are lemming-like, ready to go off a cliff.

2. True believers really believe the elimination of energy and food is a good idea.

3. Opportunists are making money from all the above via green energy subsidies and mandates.

4. And the cowards?  They are the people who realize none of this makes any sense but are too afraid to say or do anything.

Which one are you?

Hopefully, none of the above.