America Now Exports 'Freedom Gas,' Apparently

Given our president’s love of nationalistic rhetoric, it would seem to follow that his underlings have adopted the same pure, unleaded America-first jargon.

On Tuesday, reporters were greeted with a press release from the Department of Energy. But instead of producing glazed eyes scanning another bland document about how happy some millionaires are to be fracking or otherwise depleting our natural resources, the department peppered in a little something special for the real heads (emphasis mine):

“Increasing export capacity from the Freeport LNG project is critical to spreading freedom gas throughout the world by giving America’s allies a diverse and affordable source of clean energy. Further, more exports of U.S. LNG to the world means more U.S. jobs and more domestic economic growth and cleaner air here at home and around the globe,” said U.S. Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes, who highlighted the approval at the Clean Energy Ministerial in Vancouver, Canada.

Yep. Mark W. Menezes, the under-secretary at Energy, really used the phrase “freedom gas” to describe “gas.” But the department didn’t stop there (again, emphasis mine):

“I am pleased that the Department of Energy is doing what it can to promote an efficient regulatory system that allows for molecules of U.S. freedom to be exported to the world,” wrote Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steven Winber

This has actually been going on for at least a month. Its origins seem to come from earlier this month, when Energy Secretary Rick Perry—who is reportedly considering leaving the position—spoke with reporters in Brussels and dropped this gem: “The United States is again delivering a form of freedom to the European continent… And rather than in the form of young American soldiers, it’s in the form of liquefied natural gas.”

Everything about our hellworld is stupid, yes, but this, this is something else entirely.