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70 comments on "Energy Resources and Our Future" - Speech by Admiral Hyman Rickover in 1957

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islandboy on August 10, 2008 - 10:03am Permalink | Subthread | Comments top

Congressman Roscoe Bartlett quotes from this speech every time he does one of his special order speeches. Problem is, he seems to be making those speeches to a largely empty room, as can be seen if you watch his most recent long enough. At Energy Policy TV a list of some of his most recent speeches can be found here. In the description of his most recent speech on the Energy Policy TV web site there is a link to Rep. Roscoe Bartlett's web site, where he links to the Rickover speech.

It is sad that this gentleman, whatever his motives, has been trying to raise awareness of these issues for over three years and you still need to make a key post containing this speech. Maybe you could link to this speech in your overview?

Alan from the islands

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Dryki on August 10, 2008 - 11:05am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Maybe you could link to this speech in your overview?

It belongs in the sidebar, defcon 4.

I've read this speech several times and always find myself wondering about Rickover's background and education. Excepting climate change, I don't have any better understanding of Peak Oil and resource depletion now in 2008 than he did 50 years ago. He's clearly made of different stuff than Petraeus or Colin Powell. Probably the times trained and demanded different stuff.

cfm in Gray, ME

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ccpo on August 10, 2008 - 11:23am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

Being father of the nuclear navy, he must have had some wits. He is one of those people about whom the term genius actually applies. My definition of a genius is one with extreme intelligence, excellent memory (I console myself with the thought that but for a weak memory... ha-ha...) and the insight to apply them effectively.

I've no doubt of his genius.

Cheers

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joule on August 10, 2008 - 12:33pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

ccpo -

There is no doubt that Admiral Rickover was a brilliant and highly perceptive man. But he was no angel, either.

He was a master at ruthless bureaucratic in-fighting, was extreme adept at shamelessly cultivating powerful congressmen to ensure generous funding for the Navy's nuclear program. He also had a well-deserved reputation as a vindictive SOB and a real tyrant to work for.

He certainly didn't get to the position he did by being a nice guy. Being a small, scrawny little fellow, and a Jew to boot, must have made for very tough going when he was a midshipman at Annapolis in those less enlightened days.

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ccpo on August 10, 2008 - 9:52pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

OK. Does personality have anything to do with genius?

Cheers

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cjwirth on August 10, 2008 - 2:56pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The first problem is convincing people that Peak Oil is real.

Then, they must understand that alternative energies will help little and will actually makes matter worse by accelerating oil depletion.

Then, you have to change national policy, but that is determined by constituent and interest group pressures.

Then you have to change international policy. Because the demand for oil is so high, it will always be higher than production; thus the depletion rate will continue until all recoverable oil is extracted. Thus the U.S. cannot conserve its way out of this catastrophe even if every car was permanently parked starting today. The U.S. is 1/4th of the consumption of oil.

A good, decent, and credible member of Congress can only get 15 colleagues to join his Peak Oil caucus. So Bartlett can't even get policymakers to step one.

So goes the Titanic.

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FiniteQuantity on August 10, 2008 - 5:47pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

The first problem is convincing people that Peak Oil is real.

Once oil production begins to decline it seems that people will be convinced very quickly, albeit belatedly. With a production decline, talk of speculators causing the problem immediately stops. I guess that "above ground factors" can still continue in various forms, but will have to become much more specific and come with an "expiration date" if they are going to continue to promulgate a "late peak oil".

Of course, most everyone has been late to the party including myself and most of the posters on this site. The time to start talking about Peak Oil and solutions was decades ago. I am amazed that Rickover did so so long ago. The economists and financial pundits of the day must laughed at him.

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70 comments on "Energy Resources and Our Future" - Speech by Admiral Hyman Rickover in 1957

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