Are boycotts the answer? No, of course not, but they make us feel better

My last related post, was in support of a boycott of Citgo and Venezuelan oil. And don't get me wrong I still support it. But are boycotts the answer? No, don't be silly, they just make us feel better. If you've been following the Citgo situation, you've learned that Citgo was selling their retail operations off months ago, and that 7-11 stores were already seeking new partners for their retail fuel sales. Even if we in the US refused to buy Venezuelan Oil, don't think for a minute that it would actually hurt Chavez or the sale of the oil. There are enough buyers globally that every barrel would sell, and the only suffering would be short lived and local. The same goes for Iranian and Saudi Oil. Oil is like Heroin or Cocain, we and the rest of the world are hooked.
We can't hurt our "enemies" in the short term. It's going to take a generation to reduce our dependance on foreign oil. What we can do, is support alternative fuel initiatives and demand that our government and corporations accelerate the process. We need to push not only for Bio-Fuels, but the infrastructure and vehicles. It's not enough to have "Flex-Fuel" vehicles that can burn E-85. We need to have vehicles that burn e-85 more efficiently. 27% poorer efficiency is not acceptable.

If Ethanol, Bio Diesel or Hydrogen are going to be effective we need to demand real progress.