Cradled in their mother's arms, the two youngest victims of the Lockerbie bombing were probablysleeping peacefully as the catastrophic break-up of Pan Am Flight 103 began in the skies above Lockerbie.  As the excited chatter of passengers traveling home for Christmas died away, tiny Jonathan Thomas and Brittany Williams, both just two months old, would have been unaware of the tragedy befalling them.

The youngsters were among 14 babies and children traveling with their parents on the doomed New York-bound plane just before Christmas in 1988.  Whole families, who had barely settled into their seats for the long journey across the Atlantic, were wiped out as a bomb ripped the Boeing 747 apart. The bodies of some victims were never found. On the other side of the Atlantic, parents, friends, and partners were preparing to leave for JFK airport in New York to pick up loved ones who would never arrive. (Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk)

Dear Friends:

I believe foreign policy is influenced by the dependence on foreign oil. Lives lost, principles abandoned.  A recent episode was covered by Brett Stephen's, a Wall Street Journal foreign affairs columnist. It is called,"A Better Reason To Hate BP". The column details how an oil lease between British Petroleum  and the Libyan government coincided with the release of convicted terrorist Al Megrahi. This saddens me. But it strengthens my resolve to convince others to switch from oil dependent vehicles to cleaner, domestically-fueled vehicles.

In December, the market will offer two, oil-free, vehicle options that have lower total cost of ownership than many of the vehicles we drive today. More choices are to come. But if we want to change Lockerbie or the Gulf Spill or the $70 billion we spend annually to keep maritime straits open for oil, we need leaders. Not politicians but individuals willing to lead. We need you.

Chevy Volt Three Year Lease 

• $2,500 down, $350 a month
• Extended Range Electric Vehicle
• Range:  No range limitation
• SC Availability:  TBD but no later than 12 months from December 2010

Nissan Leaf Three Year Lease

• $1,999 down, $349 a month
• All electric vehicle
• Range:  100 miles
• SC Availability:  March 2011.  (Unofficial, purely my speculation)

Can you please help me with the following.

1. Call me to discuss how you can lease or purchase an extended range electric Chevy Volt or the all electric Nissan Leaf. I have no connection with the auto makers and make no money with this effort. But we all have reasons and excuses not to pull the trigger. Let's talk to see if there is a way for you to seriously consider a Volt or Leaf. We can schedule a time on my toll free line, (800) 503-9381 or my cell phone (843) 743-6736. Plug In Carolina is deploying 60 - 100 charging stations across SC. It would be nice to identify and promote the individuals, businesses, and municipalities looking to purchase these vehicles.

2. Invite a sympathetic Councilman or Councilwoman to lunch for both of us. Schedule permitting, I'll drive to your locale and meet with both of you. The goal is to get the City Councilperson to take ownership on how their municipality can integrate a (some) EV / PHEV / EREV's into their municipal fleet. Same with business leaders. With cost objections mostly addressed, some may not feel comfortable with leasing. City staff may rough up vehicles. What can we do to change that? Let's figure out what it will take to get these cleaner, domestically-fueled vehicles on the road.

As a father of two young boys, I wonder what the families of those killed think of Al Megrahi's release. After serving only eight years of jail time for their relatives murder, Al Megrahi received a hero's welcome at Tripoli airport. Though we can't stop what has happened, in four months we begin the end of foreign oil for local trips. And in my lifetime, we can end the use of foreign oil for all trips. I hope you'll call and help make a difference.

Sincerely,

James R. Poch, Executive Director