Iran, Venezuela discuss oil embargo

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.vermontguardian.com/dailies/0904/0819.shtml

TEHRAN — "Oil is the lifeline of the West, and most of the West's military industries are dependent on it,” the Tehran Times suggested in an editorial last week. Irritated by a recent resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that called for a halt to Iran’s uranium conversion program, the newspaper suggested that oil-rich states form a united front and use oil as a tool to confront "western neocolonialist countries."

In Venezuela, Pres. Hugo Chavez has taken the idea a step further, threatening to halt oil exports if alleged attacks on his country continue, according to Agence France Press. Appearing last week as a witness at a symbolic “anti-imperialist court” in Caracas, Chavez said, “Washington’s molestation may cause more serious problems; our two oil tankers going to the U.S. everyday may go to another country.” He added that the “Northern America market is not compulsory for us.” Venezuela exports 1.5 million barrels of oil to the United States daily.

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the Iranian newspaper’s editorial described oil as “the most potent economic weapon for settling scores,” and suggested an embargo on oil sales to the United States and European countries that are pressuring Iran to end its nuclear program. It also criticized what it sees as a double standard, noting that Israel, Pakistan and India have nuclear weapons, and that most of them have conducted tests.

In an interview with an Israeli TV station from his Texas ranch, Pres. Bush expressed doubts that the European Union’s diplomatic initiative to defuse the crisis over Iran’s nuclear activities would succeed, and refused to rule out the use of force. "All options are on the table," he said.

[phantom power]

1. If they embargo us, we deserve it.

We never took the damned hint from the OPEC embargo of the 70s. The percentage of oil we import today is more than twice the percentage we imported 30 years ago.

[IA_Seth]

2. Uh oh....

Not that I would enjoy the effects of this type of embargo, but it sure would help open the eyes of the sheep.

It's about time we have some sort of jolt to our system.

[bearfan454]

4. You are right.

The sheeple will wake up if they can't get gas.

[pauldavid]

3. Just an editorial

so it is only an opinion piece, But if Ritter is right, and air strikes happen, get yourself a bus pass, because it could get pricey driving to work.

[BrotherBuzz]

17. It's not an editorial, it's a report...

that includes quotes from an editorial. The piece gives us a few facts, or dots, to work with. We read the report and connect the dots and come to our own opinions.

My opinion is not much different from yours; we will see increased use of busses and bicycles in the near future. Furthermore, an oil embargo is a real possibility because anything is possible with Commander Coo-Coo Bananas in charge.

[HadItUpToHere]

27. if the captain insists on running the ship of state onto the rocks-

at which point does mutiny become the moral choice?

[BrotherBuzz]

32. Sometimes things have to get blowed up before a mutiny will occur

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq80-1.htm

[HadItUpToHere]

26. it could get pricey riding the bus as well-

they all drink dinosaur-juice too.

[leesa]

39. I live in Southern California...hardly ANY mass transit. People will need

to seriously consider relocating (how will they sell their homes) or quitting their jobs (how will they find a new one).

[goforit]

5. Hmmm...Karma we deserve for keeping the crooks in office.

[wli]

6. I guess Chavez & Ahmedinezhad will say "All options are on the table." n/t

[flyarm]

41. what worries me , rumsfeld had secret meetings this week

in Paraguay, and recently with peru...are we still attempting a coup of Venezuela??

I worry for Venezuela...

not that chevez is such a nice guy..but i lived there for 3 winters while my husband worked there in the late 70's..and at that time the government screwed the people and catered to the american oil companies and our governemtn at the detrement of the people of Venezuela..

I just worry about those wonderful people i knew while living there...

and i don't trust the criminal in our White House one bit!
look what * did to Haiti..he did thatfor our corporations to have cheap labor!

[cliss]

7. If there is an embargo, look first to Hugo Chavez.

This man has been working steadily on his own agendas for the past few years. He's been a constant thorn in Washington's side, and has called them on their actions on many occasions.

The fact is, they know who really holds the power in these escalating situations. The end user, or the supplier? Hint: the one who has the stuff. And they know it.

They can see our desperation; our helpless dependence on foreign oil. Even though the US might act tough; like we're actually the ones who are calling the shots (you give me my fix, or else), it's actually them.

Venezuela can hold out if they were to cut us off. They can always sell to someone else, even though their crude is high in sulfur and harder to refine. Our fragile economy will be shot to shit if that happens, though.

Now if Hugo was smart, he would sabotage his refineries for a week or two, just as an "accident". It wouldn't be done on purpose so Washington can't drop bombs on him. But he'd surely make them go crazy.

[marbuc]

9. Venezuela has a deal with China

They'll get along just fine with or without us. We fail to realize that oil producers have us by the sack, and we cannot be beggars and bullies at the same time.

[formerrepuke]

8. Uh, Oh... we just caaaan't allow THAT!...Time to liberate the oppressed

peoples of Iran and Venezuela, I guess.

[killbotfactory]

10. we might have to threaten them with nukes...

Cheney must be having wet dreams about it, already.

[IndianaGreen]

22. Who would buy radioactive oil?

We might as well put a gun to our heads and pull the trigger!

[HadItUpToHere]

29. most of the oil is pretty deep in the ground-

It doesn't seem like it should be affected much at all, if any.

[IndianaGreen]

38. The refineries and pumping stations would become the new Bikini Atoll

a nuclear wasteland that none would dare approach for decades to come.

[HadItUpToHere]

43. ????

how come they didn't take decades to re-inhabit hiroshima and nagasaki?

[IndianaGreen]

44. The number and type of bombs were the difference

The bombs we dropped on Japan were firecrackers compared to the ones we tested in the Pacific. In addition, thousands have died and continue to die from the effects of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. Genetic damage was carried into future generations of survivors.

[HadItUpToHere]

48. but if we were the ones using the nukes-

we'd most likely avoid hitting the refineries and pumping stations.

saddaam had all of the wellheads on the southern oil-fields booby-trapped with explosives. fifth columnists and special forces troops got them 'disconnected' before the invasion began...and once we went into Baghdad, the Oil Ministry was the only building we protected against looters.

since the oil is/was/will be the main objective, we'll take great care in seeing to the safety of that infrastructure.

[1932]

11. We'll have to put more Americans in incredible debt to raise the armies

needed to fight wars for oil against all of these countries we tried to control through development debt and subterfuge, but failed.

[sintax]

12. says it all

"Oil is the lifeline of the West, and most of the West's military industries are dependent on it,”

Without copious amounts of oil the US military shrivels up.
The Pentagon is its own nation-state and only knows to feed itself and lay waste to everything in its path.

[killbotfactory]

13. must be why they aren't opening up the reserves...

1. gas prices are high, and it give money to his oil buddies
2. they'll need it for their military adventures if an embargo happens

[sintax]

14. You are exactly right

those reserves aren't meant for the likes of you and me their specific intent is and has always been for the military. That is who controls them. Oh wait no Congress controls them. Which brings us back to who really controls those Congress critters and those reserves-Pentagon.
From Petrodollar Warfare: I lost the link it can be googled
In 2003 the global community witnessed a combination of petrodollar warfare and oil depletion warfare. The majority of the world's governments – especially the E.U., Russia and China – were not amused – and neither are the U.S. soldiers who are currently stationed inside a hostile Iraq. In 2002 I wrote an award-winning online essay that asserted Saddam Hussein sealed his fate when he announced on September 2000 that Iraq was no longer going to accept dollars for oil being sold under the UN's Oil-for-Food program, and decided to switch to the euro as Iraq's oil export currency.<4> Indeed, my original pre-war hypothesis was validated in a Financial Times article dated June 5, 2003, which confirmed Iraqi oil sales returning to the international markets were once again denominated in U.S. dollars – not euros.

The tender, for which bids are due by June 10, switches the transaction back to dollars -- the international currency of oil sales - despite the greenback's recent fall in value. Saddam Hussein in 2000 insisted Iraq's oil be sold for euros, a political move, but one that improved Iraq's recent earnings thanks to the rise in the value of the euro against the dollar. <5>

[HadItUpToHere]

30. Does * really think that his god has chosen him to 'lead' at this time?

...and at this point in history?
if so, that's a VERY dangerous thing- especially if there are those around him who realize that they can use it to influence his actions.

He may see this as an opportunity/task that has been laid at his feet by god- and that the longer we put off the war that 'ultimately must be fought', the harder it's going to be to prevail.

i'm getting scared-
REAL fuckin' scared...:scared:

[David__77]

15. Now, if Saudi Arabia can be knocked out the US grip...

...then there's a real basis for using oil as a bargaining chip in geopolitics. Chavez needs to help convince the Arab oligarchy that they have more to gain by standing firm against US hegemony rather than selling their countries on the cheap.

[reprobate]

20. Prediction: the Sauds will not be in control much longer.

I've seen reports that there are daily firefights between the Saudi government forces and the rebels. That is a harbinger of regime change if anything is.

I think it won't be long before Saudi Arabia is no longer under control of the Sauds and the Bushes. At that point it will become a nation of Islamic radicals and will do nothing to help us and whatever they can to hurt us.

That will mean that we will no longer depend on S.A. as a supplier of our addiction to petroleum.

It will mean the tripping point that will end the lifestyle so many of us have gotten used to.

[nyrnyr1994]

34. He who controls the spice controls the universe eom

[RethugAssKicker]

16. Hugo better watch his back..

The CIA jackals might try to assasinate him like they did to Orijjos!

[pretzel4gore]

18. these lunatics need lotsa stuff to preoccupy them

anything that confounds and confuses and concerns the bushpigs is good: viva hugo!
somehow, it's too much, even for them greedy fools. the 'housing bubble' has been going longer then common sense indicates is possible, the dow is somehow staying put when real world factors should drive it way down (thanks, plunge protection team?)...the bush admin is like the titanic, after it got iced, and even bill frist is being called a 'goddam traitor' by the bush bimbo...maybe such a deed (murdering chavez) is too risky for the wimpy assholes who've got away with lotsa murder thus far (if they got caught trying to kill hugo, maybe their whole house of cards would fall in on them). they would die, the whole stinking lot (and that's not an option) thus their inaction(?)
all thieves are petty, and bush and company are nothing but thieves
btw, are you referring to omar torrijos, former panama president? who was killed in plane crash (noriega supposedly put bomb on board)
graham green's book 'getting to know the general' was about torrijos, who was very popular among the people; noriega was a cia asset (just like saddam is)

[halsaxby]

19. I predict a fiery plane crash.....

is in Hugo's immediate future.

[niallmac]

23. I can see the headlines now

Chavez 'Wellstoned'...er dies in plane akident.

[IndianaGreen]

21. All Iran has to do is block the Strait of Hormuz

and panic in the West will ensue as all Persian Gulf oil shipments come to an end. How much do you think gas will be per gallon then?

[NNN0LHI]

36. There won't be any gas for us peons if that were to happen

Think Mad Max.

Don

[IndianaGreen]

37. Which is why the Bush regime is so reckless by threatening Iran

easy to do when their asses are not on the line, and when they are not the ones that suffer with high gasoline prices.

[flyarm]

42. from what all i have read is all irans oil is in the south..

we are putting 700 of the 82nd airborne into iraq to ..so called guard the prisons..yeah right our most elite paratroopers guarding prisons in iraq?? i have swamp land for you if you believe that...they are there to jump into iran and secure the oil fields in iran...and we can bomb the bee gee bees out of northern iran and it won't matter the * because he will have secured the oil in iran!..for us..or i should say for his oil buddies!

[IndianaGreen]

46. There is oil in the Kurdish regions as well

This page on the Judicial Watch website has maps of Iraqi oil fields posted that were used by Cheney's energy task force in the spring of 2001.

http://www.judicialwatch.org/071703.c_.shtml

Why was Cheney looking at maps of Iraqi oil fields before 9/11?

:eyes:

[barb162]

45. and no food because how will that get to the stores

[burrowowl]

24. Will buses be running in

the likes of ABQ, whose bus system is paltry (both in service and number of buses), no late night for workers who get off at 10 pm.
Peaceful, 11 mile bike ride to work in the morning. The 1200 foot (from the valley to mid-heights (BTW ABQs airport is higher than Denver's) or so ride uphill in the evening might take awhile before this 58 year-old could hack it, I know I know, this is piddlely-dink for Lance. I'll ride the bike down and walk it back up.

[loudsue]

25. The U.S. is currently positioning for the attack on Iran this fall/early

winter.

he 82nd Airborne is supposedly being called to Iraq to "guard the newly constructed prisons" .... but you don't send those specially trained forces in to "guard prisons". They're being deployed to position themselves for a sneak-attack into Iran.

Is Israel going to launch the first rocket? It's a likely scenario. But the plans are already in motion, and it's going to take a frikkin' MIRACLE to turn this boat around.

The Iranian bourse opens in March 2006.... just 7 months and 3 days from now. At that time, the entire world will be able to trade oil contracts in Euro-based denominations, and there has been talk of opening up a "basket of currencies" for trading those contracts later on. This is going to leave the U.S. dollar out there hanging, flapping in the wind. Our economy will be hit INCREDIBLY hard.

That's why you can rest assured that we WILL be going into Iran within the next 7 months. And, because our troops are already stretched so thin, either the draft will be implemented, or they will use nukes and level the place.

Either way, if the neocons pull off going to war with Iran, the rest of the world is going to go ballistic toward us. China and Russia aren't just doing these joint military exercises right now because the weather is nice.

In the next 2 to 3 years, short of a MIRACLE, nobody will be able to recognize the United States anymore, so profound will be the changes in our everyday lives.

:kick:

[HadItUpToHere]

28. Katherine Harris-

if this shit goes down, she will succeed in being rightfully seen as one of the most evil women in the history of humankind.

[Gyre]

31. Bush is setting up the 82nd to be slaughtered.

Don't think the military chiefs in the field are unaware of that.:(

[hunter]

33. We haven't been terribly successful getting oil out of Iraq.

What's the cost of Iraqi oil? I mean, counting the cost of the war and everything...

Iranian and/or Venezualian oil would cost us even more than Iraqi oil.

We simply can't afford to fight for it. We'll have to stand in line at the faucet like everyone else.

I figure it's our turn for a Soviet Style economic collapse. Let's pray for a soft landing, even though our pilot looks pretty shakey. (We should have grounded him a long time ago.)

[drduffy]

35. sad to say

I bet you are right on all counts. Still looking for that farm and an ox to buy. Found some souces for non-monsanto seeds.

[davsand]

40. We are gonna need to take a bus back.

If they decide to embargo the US we are all gonna be so far past fucked we will need to take bus back to fucked...

Let's see, the idjit in charge had the CIA try and take Chavez out earlier this year. Chavez survived to tell the story. And now OPEC (headed up by Venezuela, BTW) is ready to go for paybacks for the world bully. When you couple that with all the saber rattling that the Idiot in Chief has been doing regarding Iran, it is no real surprise that the two countries are tired of screwing around.

Time after time, I have told my kid to try and get along with everyone--that life is easier and much more fun when you have friends and supporters. I think Bar must have neglected that particular lesson with her progeny. Maybe she didn't want to trouble her beautiful mind with that kind of stuff--I dunno.

How much more will it take before the people here in the US finally stand up? WHAT will it take? Our kids are dying in some sand dune over oil, our nation is running deeper in debt over oil, and now our entire economy is probably gonna spiral down in one big flush.

Gawd, what will it take?


Laura

[pfitz59]

47. Blood in the streets of USA!

I remember the '73 embargo...tempers flaring, violence, etc. Do you you really think some a-hole in a Hummer is gonna wait in line to get his gas ENTITLEMENT? Better stock up now....