To the Editor:

An absence of vision and leadership in Washington is threatening the very existence of our nation. Our national defense, economy and our entire way of life is based upon the availability of economical energy. Special interests have kept us from developing our own resources and made us dependent upon nations that do not have our best interests at heart.

It is appalling that our elected leaders sit by and allow us to be held hostage by foreign powers and show such a dismal lack of vision. Vision seems to be only as far as the next election cycle. Even now, with the Middle East in severe turmoil, we do not interpret this as a serious threat to our national security and use it as a wakeup call to take action within our own borders.

The primary responsibility of the President of The United States is to take timely and appropriate action to protect the nation and our constitution from all threats, both foreign and domestic. To this end, I call upon the President to immediately convene a joint session of Congress and declare a National Emergency. By Executive Order, all barriers to energy exploration must be suspended and an immediate national priority established to fast track every step in the licensing and permitting processes to allow for the exploration and extraction of energy resources and the construction of nuclear power generation facilities. The results would be staggering in the investment by private industry, massive job creation, international respect and the confidence of the American people. This action alone would cause the international price of petroleum to plummet.

Without decisive action taken now, our country will soon be at the mercy of unstable nations who have no history of having ever shown mercy to anyone including their own people. Is this what we will leave our children? Is this what our soldiers in uniform gave their lives for?

Please call or email your U. S. senator and sepresentative and urge them to bring this issue forward. We are staring at an oncoming national emergency, frozen in place, with “deer in the headlights” expressions while watching the TV coverage of turmoil in the Middle East. Wake up, we do not have time to waste.

Bruce Gardner

Waynesville