Fast Food Theocracy

Reading about the history of oil production, (dating back to when oil really hit markets for illumination purposes etc by way of Sperm Whale oil, etc) and the present looming crisis laid out in 'American Theocracy' reminded me of something else.

I remember reading about how the United States began to grow in suburban regions and interstate based towns in the book 'Fast Food Nation'. (Ones my friends and I called just Gas towns. They seem to only exist to help motorists along their way to nicer locales. But somehow always have enough local teens to man the necessary stations...) That our present planning motifs all centre around the automobile. If a gas shortage hit like the sort that has been predicted to come in the next 10 - 30 years then the 2 northern countries in our continent are in for a big shock. Although alternatives are around, they are not being explored fast enough so that if a shortage did hit, then these small towns and huge suburban sections are going to feel that gas drain or at least super high prices more and faster than others. And might literally physically suffer for this lack of planning and foresight.

As far as the cries of gas shortages being just a two sided political debate, this book is showing more and more evidence that politics be damned..this is coming.