Veterans rally for domestic energy sources

Group calls reliance on foreign oil a threat to national security

Kathryn Prater • kprater@lsj.com • October 18, 2009 • From Lansing State Journal

A group of veterans spoke Saturday at the Capitol to promote clean energy and emphasize the need for the United States to lessen its dependence on foreign oil.

As part of the Operation Free Veterans for American Power Tour, veterans and activists are speaking in 21 states Oct. 12 through Oct. 25 to raise awareness about national security threats that climate change and foreign oil can create.

“We believe climate change is a serious threat to our national security,” said Maine state Rep. Alexander Cornell du Houx, 26, who is in the Marine Reserves and served in Fallujah, Iraq, in 2006.

“We need to take control of our energy future to make America more secure,” du Houx said.

Royal Oak resident Aaron Bailey, 32, a former Army infantry officer and Airborne Ranger who served in Afghanistan in 2007, said the U.S. sends billions of dollars overseas for oil, providing some nations money to fund terrorist activity.

Bailey, a Detroit business consultant, added that climate change is leading to unrest in many countries, which can fuel the growth of terrorism and make it easier for terrorist groups to recruit new members.

“When you have people who are unable to grow crops because of famine, they are desperate for any kind of assistance,” he said.