Peak Oil and 9/11

This class will examine several of the most pressing issues facing humanity in the new century, peak oil and the "war on terrorism". While the "war on terror" is well known and discussed in the mainstream (from an obviously biased, corporate point of view), peak oil is a marginal issue in comparison. Although the corporate and mainstream press are giving it more attention now (with record prices at the pumps people start to ask questions), the majority are still unaware of the desperate nature of our current oil economy, and the vuneriability billions face due to our dependency on it (especially for our food production). Peak oil is what happens when it takes more energy to extract oil (or natural gas) then you get from the well itself, making it an energy sink. The world is either now peaking, already has or soon will. Intertwined with the issue of depleating oil reserves is the "war on terror", a US led war which has thousands of their troops in the Middle East, an area of the world that has the most known oil reserves left, with the war coming into existence following the events of September 11th. Much has been written on the possible government involvement or foreknowledge of the attacks, and how the Bush administration at the very least were criminally neglegent in preventing the attacks, and possible purposefully allowed them to happen. The class will also examine the history between the Bush family and the bin Ladens, two families whose history goes much farther back then just September 11th. We will also look at how the global drug trade (the "war on drugs", that other war that will never end), and the deep politics involved with it (i.e.the CIA and other governmental agencies involvment in it), and the laundering of billions of drug dollars through Wall St. every year, is another central piller in the realpolitik of the "war on terror".

week one : peak oil; what is it? how will it effect industrial society and cities which are dependent upon oil for survival (in their current oil infrastructure)? will renewable resources be able to continue to run society as it presently operates? has oil allowed humans to out strip our resource base and dangerlously overpopulate (and over consume) the planet to the point where we our now facing severe environmental problems, stressing the natural processes which enable life (human and other) to exist?

week two : the global drug trade. the history of the drug trade and the US involvement in it, and the billions of dollars that are still laundered through Wall St. and US banks every year. the connection between oil and drugs.

week three : the creation of al Queda and the Taliban. CIA and Pakistan's ISI's involvement in their creation during the Soviet Afghan war, and the US history of support for fundementalist islamic militants. the history of the relationship between the Bushs and bin Ladens. the FBI's "mishandling" of the 19 hijackers and the interference by higher ups in various levels of government in investigation into terrorist cases.

week four : historical precedents for government involvement: the maine which was a ship sunk by the US to start the Spanish-American war; the Reichstag, the German parliment was burned down by Hitler who then cracked down against opposition; the Gulf of Tonkin which was used by the US to escalate the Vietnam war; the Northwoods documents, which was a document approved by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, it outlined plans to have intelligence assets create terrorist attacks, including downing a commerical airplane in an American city, and blame it on Cuban terrorists as a pretext for war.

week five : September 11th, a breakdown of what happened minute by minute, well documented by mainstream media but never put in any context. including what happened at wtc7 and the pentagon.

week six : discussion on the various theories surronding 9/11, including Noam Chomsky's blowback theory (because of US geo-political imperialist actions, 9/11 was retaliation by an oppressed group against a better armed enemy), the allowed it to happen theory (persons in the US government purposefully ignore warnings to allow the attack, and thus have justifacation for moving troups into the Mid East in large numbers), the active involvement in the attacks theory (strange events on the day like the collapse of WTC7 have led some to speculate a deeper involvement by the US authorities in the attacks of that day), and the "official" version of 9/11 (19 hijackers bi-pass US security and are able to hit one of the most well guarded buildings in the world).

week seven : the patriot act and homeland security, and the international incroachment on civil liberties in the name of security against terrorists.

week eight : FEMA and it's implications for resistence against the US corporate empire.

week nine: movie the end of surburbia, great documentary about peak oil and it's implications for human survival.

week ten: open