Comments on: Do as we say, not as we do: gasoline edition

By: Bill K.

Bill K. — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:40:43 +0000

The Romans had a saying:
“Si vis pacem, para bellum” – if you want peace prepare for war. That is something the US Generals say they believe in.

But that is only half of it. The Romans prepared for war, and then waged war for centuries non-stop and even against their own, until they began encountering enemies that also prepared for war. And then all their warmongering led to defeat and collapse.

If you only prepare for war, then you will see potential enemies around you all the time. If you are the hammer then everything else is a nail from your point of view. That is all you hear from the Pentagon “enhanced warfighting in the future battlefield” et cetera. They seem to fantasize more about bombs blasting orphanages to rubble than little boys playing war. The US Department of “Defense” no longer remembers what that last word means. Wars of Aggression against weak foes are not called “defense”.

I agree with the first poster. War will only contribute to the problem and make more war for fewer resources “necessary”.

By: justaguy

justaguy — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:10:56 +0000

But, but, but Timmy, those nasty Saudis (the Bin Ladens in particular) are the Bush family’s best buddies and long term business partners.

By: liberranter

liberranter — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:19:59 +0000

And of course the fact that this is being done by the enforcement arm of the Amerikan State while attempting to expand the Empire’s power exempts these polluters from scrutiny by or sanction from Leviathan’s enviro-nannycops.

By: richard vajs

richard vajs — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 02:27:45 +0000

Tim R,
The majority of our oil doesn’t come from Saudi Arabia – it comes from Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. So why this hatred towards the Saudis. I guess it just some more of your Zionist anti-Arab racism. That is what Zionism is – Jewish racism. Listening to it reminds me of when I briefly lived in Mississippi 50 years ago. The same language to describe blacks and deny them civil rights, we now hear from folks like you spoken to justify stealing land from the Palestinians. The proceeding of AIPAC might as well be from a convention of White Citizens Councils of some 50 years ago. Israel is (or should be) an embrrassment to fair minded Jews.
As to what to do about oil, we need to move on now from oil. As an electrical engineer, I keep up with solar power advancements. Every year, the cost to generate a killowatt of electrical power by solar declines about 20 %. In 5 years, there could be a cross-over. Several months ago Scientific American presented a working plan to convert America’s power generation from fossil fuels to wind/solar. Nuclear power has so many problems with disposal as to be a non-contender. Anyway, it was estimated that for a $400 B investment, generation and distribution to adequately meet America’s energy needs could be built. Will it happen? Not as long as big oil can hold things up until they liquidate their investments and gain control of the new energy it won’t. Big oil won’t sit there like IBM while guys like Gates and Jobs eats their lunch. And which side will our government be on. Well POTUS and McInsane are touting more oil exploration and nuclear power. Several weeks ago, an electrical engineering trade journal reported that the BLM announced a moratorium on solar research on BLM land until “the environmental impact can be studied for the next two years”. The levels of scientific outrage were so loud that now BLM denies their own announcement. But expect more of this Luddite stalling.

By: Lear K

Lear K — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:30:44 +0000

Oil and Racism

http://www.counterpunch.org/fiyouzat06132008.html

By: Lear K

Lear K — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:24:47 +0000

What’s Really Driving the High Price of Oil?

http://www.counterpunch.org/nader05282008.html

Why Oil Prices Are So High
the two biggest factors in oil’s high price are the weakness in the US dollar’s exchange value and the liquidity that the Federal Reserve is pumping out.”

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts06112008.html

“

By: Lear K

Lear K — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:22:25 +0000

Why Oil Prices Are So High :

“How to explain the oil price? Why is it so high? Are we running out? Are supplies disrupted, or is the high price a reflection of oil company greed or OPEC greed. Are Chavez and the Saudis conspiring against us?
In my opinion, the two biggest factors in oil’s high price are the weakness in the US dollar’s exchange value and the liquidity that the Federal Reserve is pumping out…
The run up in oil price coincides with a period of heightened US and Israeli military aggression in the Middle East. However, the biggest jump has been in the last 18 months.”

http://www.counterpunch.org/roberts06112008.html

“In an ironic twist, the major price determinant has moved from OPEC (having only 40% of the world production) and the oil companies to the speculators in the commodities markets. What goes on in the essentially unregulated New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX)—without Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) enforced margin requirements, and, unlike your personal purchases, untaxed—is now the place that leads to your skyrocketing gasoline bills. OPEC and the Big Oil companies reap the benefits and say that it’s not their doing, but that of the speculators. Gives new meaning to “passing the buck.”

http://www.counterpunch.org/nader05282008.html

By: anti-neocon/anti-neolib

anti-neocon/anti-neolib — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:18:51 +0000

Thanks to Tim Swanson in this piece pointing out what those awful so-called reporers and journalists at Bush’s press conference failed to do, although they had ample opportunity to do so and the attention of the whold world. Gosh, I despise them!

By: Lear K

Lear K — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 01:13:23 +0000

Hadn’t been for those disgusting Suadi Arabians who continue to prop up the worthless dollar the US economy would have collapssed by now.They are the ones who have prevented the OPEC from using other currencies to price the oil.The problem is not the suuply of oil ,but the collapsing value of the dollar due to the US government polcies.Stop looking for scaprgoats for every problems that are mostly of your own doing.

By: darryl

darryl — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:18:35 +0000

there is no peak oil we have more oil in alaska than saudi arabia and iraq combined the oil companies discovered the mother of all lodes when the alaska pipeline was being built but the us government prevented them from accessing it they were only allowed to drill on a tiny part of this enormous find they also prevented the oil companies from reporting this discovery to the american public the reason oil from alaska could be delivered to the us for less than a dollar per gallon

By: Will Blalock

Will Blalock — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:06:28 +0000

Ok, it’s expensive, but it’s cool being the world’s badasses, right?
So my kids grow up stupid and underweight, who cares when you can
literally blow up the whole f***ing world, ten times over!
That’s what matters, in the end, when it’s over, ten times over, right?

By: andy

andy — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:45:54 +0000

More drilling won’t do any good Tim. Oil is a finite resource and declining. Oil production in the U.S. has been declining since 1970 just as Hubbard predicted (and was mocked for saying so) in 1956. I wouldn’ t count on our “friends” the Saudis doing us any favours. With “friends” like Saudia Arabia we don’t need any enemies. It is also in their interests to have oil prices as high as possible. Only a prolonged sustained effort to wean America from oil and unto alternative energy resources holds out any promise but I see no political will there at all to bring about such a sea-change. Nothing will happen until we hit rock bottom.