Saudi Arabia Takes Terrorism Seriously - Kind of

Saudi Arabia has moved, albeit slowly, to taking terrorists a wee bit more seriously. 9-11 didn't convince them and they kept up their support of radical mosques which preached hate and called for jihad.

So where has this somewhat perceptible change of heart come from? From violent attacks hitting closer to home. For example, in December 2004, a suicide bomber detonated his car at the Saudi's main counterterrorism training center.

Nothing like hitting close to home to make you say, "Whoa... maybe we should back off being so touchy-feely with Wahhabism. "

So what are the visible changes that the royal ruling family have instituted? Well, they've built up their SWAT teams and increased anti-terrorism training.

In a country of high unemployment, the government finds jobs for those who renounce jihad.

Still, the patience of the jihadists is long. And they have found a warm welcome in Yemen, with whom the Saudis share a long and porous border. They can strike at their leisure, much like the Mexican drug cartels on our own border.

And our government is still turning a blind eye to our border problem. Maybe we share more with the Saudis than first meet the eye.

Is it Time to Return to Nuclear Energy?

There seems to be a resurgence of interest in nuclear energy here in the United States. Some are calling the movement a "nuclear revival". But what's fueling all the momentum? In a nutshell, petroleum prices.

But the U.S. isn't the only country embracing the atom. Finland already has four plants in operation and has a new one coming out of the ground. Egypt has plants on the drawing board and guess who's slated to build them? Russia. Anyone recall Chernobyl?

The UK's string of nuclear power plants are responsible for lighting up one sixth of the island nation already. Understandably, they're looking to build more.

Of course, in the U.S. we have options to look at. We've still got huge coal reserves. Last week it was announced that a massive oil reserve was discovered under a lake out west - more than all the oil in Saudi Arabia. If the environmentalists can be brought on board, perhaps we can finally loosen the strangle grip the Middle East has on us.