A "Dune" theory of Bin Laden's "Petro-Aramegedon."

Personal Opinion | 02-19-03 | Richard Axtell

[Paul Atreides]

Not to mention that the biggest monopoly in the Duniverse was The Spacing Guild. Without the Spice, the Guild Navigators would become blind, making space travel either dangerous or at a snail's pace.

Another thing that could have resulted from the destruction of the Spice would have been the price of the Spice stockpiled by the Emperor and other Great Houses.

[Britton J Wingfield]

A dirty bomb in the gulf wouldn't shut it down for very long at all. Currents would sweep away the crud in short order.

[Mamzelle]

Herbert's Dune was a great read, but he took his story from Bedouin and Muslim traditions, so you're kind of presenting this cart before the horse. Even the planet sounds like Irag, and Paul's new name sounds like Mujahaddin. But now that you mention it, I had read Dune long before I started reading about Islam, and much of the resonance of recent events *has* come from the novel. Especially since the Harkonnens look so much like the French.

[Paul Atreides]

Like everyone has said, there is more than one source of oil. However, we need to examine the use of the Spice. A large bulk of the Spice goes to the Spacing Guild, holders of a monopoly on space travel. Now, look at oil. Is there anyone who has a monopoly on cars, airplanes, ships, etc. requiring specific permission of use? Also, we have to examine the fact that oil is not consumed bodily. To be deprived of the Spice was to be condemned to an agonzing death. The economy of the imperium would have been brought to a standstill.

[Britton J Wingfield]

Ixian machines made the navigators obsolete at some point, anyway. I forget which book that was, though. Similarly, we'd just build more nukes and get serious about making hydrogen.

[Paul Atreides]

Also, at some point, the Tleilaxu created artificial spice.

[jayef]

Yes. I was thinking the same. This is very apt. You must be reading the new books. I just started reading Corrino yesterday.

[Britton J Wingfield]

They reproduced it in an axlotl (sp?) chamber, and you know what those turned out to be.

[Paul Atreides]

Yep. There was a reason why no one ever saw a Tleilaxu female. Also, the Tleilaxu were VERY religiously fanatic.