Getting off the Petroleum tit

[CarlSheeler4U]

If we're in Iraq for the oil, are American's really ready to do something about it?

Walk the talk.

Carl
Sheeler for US Senate
www.carlsheeler.com

[brainshrub]

1. Prove it.

Prove that we are in Iraq for the oil.

Not that I disagree with you, but the title of this post is the pat answer I've been getting from conservatives when I bring this up on other forums.

I have an answer, but I'm curious how you handle it.

[flobee1]

2. All other reasons have been lies

What did we secure first when this war started?
it wasn't the weapons!


The fact that we secured the oil fields before we did anything eles tells me all I need to know

[lectrobyte]

4. I always thought this one speech gave it all away

And all Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen carefully to this warning. In any conflict, your fate will depend on your action. Do not destroy oil wells.

-- G.W. Bush, 03/17/2003

There was a recent Palast article about it not being for the oil, but control of the oil. And the PNAC take on this is available on their web site. When folks say prove it, I usually just start laughing and try some of these on them: What's Bush's background? Cheney's? Did you notice anything in the news about oil company record profits? Would we be killing thousands of our soldiers if they didn't have oil there?

[RufusEarl]

5. Nuance, it's not that simple!

My thinking is, We're there because of oil, but we attacked them because Saddam was going to start trading oil in Euros instead of Greenbacks. The same thing is happening in Iran, and it was going to happen in Iran on the 28th of this month.

Something happened to stop Iran from switching to Euros, i haven't been able to find out what that something was but i'm still searching. Anyway thats my take on the oil field of Iraq, our oil under their sand.

[Javaman]

7. Ding! Ding! Ding! we have a winner!! nt

[MadHound]

9. Tell your conservatives to read two things

First off, tell them to go to <http://www.newamericancentury.org/publicationsreports.htm> and read "Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources For a New Century"

Also have them read Kevin Phillip's new book American Theocracy. It is a great book, laying out how the oil industry has combined with the religious right and the Republican party to take this country straight over the cliff. If it helps get them to read this book, tell them that Phillips is a former member of the Nixon cabinet.

[CarlSheeler4U]

10. Happily.

Bush&Co. met with oil industry execs well before 9/11. This is common knowledge. It is common knowledge the Bush family and Cheney are heavily invested into oil.

The strategic importance of Iraq's "Jumbo" Reserves untapped in the Kurd controlled region of N. Iraq is also well known. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanstan for its petroleum/gas and pipeline. The region sits on a commodity that will make few very rich, but does nothing to benefit American's dependence or our future without fossil fuels.

It's a sure thing future battles will be fought for this resource and will create more, not less regional destabilization. This means the draft.

China and the rest of the world will not just let their growth wither. This was the tactic used by Japan under the guise of nationalism.

Your thoughts?

Carl

[brokensymmetry]

3. No - neither Americans nor anyone else

is ready to "do something about it."

We hear the term "addiction to oil." We might as well say that we're addicted to breathing, or to eating.

Just how does the world grow enough to feed 6.5 billion people? Largely through energy intense strategies such as farm mechanization, irrigation, and the application of artificial fertilizers and pesticides. Those are all oil based. And what happens if the oil gets really expensive, or gets taken away? Bad things happen to food price and availability.

Iraq is the first battle of the oil wars; it will not be the last, nor the most bloody.

After the wars...it will get worse.

[CarlSheeler4U]

6. Then aren't we bound to start thinking out of the box?

Consider if we had spent $1 trillion (if we really needed to to develop an alternative source. There would still be tons of money to be made, but a likely better alternative to a resource that becomes more valuable only because it is in limited supply. Vision and leadership ought to have us heading in another direction.

[Javaman]

8. Ahhh, but you are thinking logically. stop that!

There will be no thinking around here!
:sarcasm: