Congratulations all around. We’ve finally done it. With dead-eye blindness, studied ignorance, and Herculean laziness we have fulfilled one of Osama bin Laden’s fondest dreams. On July 2, oil hit $144 a barrel, the “just price” he advocated a decade ago in order to “punish the West.” Well, are we feeling it yet?

Nobody knows where gas prices will go next, but the source of Bin Laden’s glee — other than still being free and unpunished seven years aftåer murdering 3,000 Americans on American soil — runs deeper. It’s that so much of the profit is going to countries like Saudi Arabia, which remains the world’s primary ideological sponsor and financier of Islamic extremism. Every time we bite the bullet at the pump, we’re indirectly buying bullets for the very people we claim to be fighting. The higher the price, the greater the subsidy for America-hatred. Now, are we feeling it? Our troops sure are. For them, the pain isn’t in the pocketbook either. Our casual betrayal of their sacrifice is breathtaking.

The solution? Some stress more domestic drilling, offshore and in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge.

Oh, really? Here are some sobering stats from the U.S. Department of Energy. We produce about 7 million barrels of petroleum per day, behind only Saudi Arabia (10.5 million bpd) and Russia (9.5 million bpd). That’s down from our peak, but for a “mature” producer, not bad. So, the problem is not so much in the supply. Rather, it’s in our insatiable consumption. While we pump seven, we use almost 21 million barrels per day, triple that of any other country, and up 18 percent since 1990. Note that even if we were to annex Saudi Arabia, we would still have a large deficit. Also, world demand is rising far faster than supply.

Now, we can surely find more oil here in the United States. But can we find enough to triple our current output, match supply to still sky-rocketing demand, end our dependence, and significantly lower gas prices? What a farce are those who say we are selling oil. Snake oil.

This is worse than a mere non-solution however. It’s a non-solution to one problem that compounds another. With it, we will continue to subsidize Islamic fanaticism. With it, we’re begging for more punishment. “Thank you, Mr. Bin Laden, sir, may we have another?” Be assured, he will oblige.

What’s the answer? Drop the illusion that the drill-bit will save us. Reduce demand for oil. That must be our highest priority. It’s shameful that we ignored this situation for so long, but our negligence since 2001 is absolutely scandalous. Here on Independence Day weekend, let’s display a patriotism that requires more energy than wearing a flag pin. Let’s commit ourselves to energy independence through fuel efficiency, plug-in hybrids, biofuels, etc. Maybe even, coal gasification with CO² sequestration, la Rentech of Natchez. Now that would punish Bin Laden and truly “support our troops” for a change. What a novel idea.

Jim Wiggins is an Adams County resident.