Would you consider rising oil prices an Act of War?

reply to post by Pinktip


Amen! It's coming very shortly, watch your news!

what we need to do in order for oil prices to stabilize is start selling them our grain for higher than $17 a bushel. match grain prices with their oil!!

quote In purely academic terms, you are right. If I had the only source of a needed resource, why would I not maximize the price I could get for it? quote

mmm, could this example be linked to the govt. stepping in when we have had hurricanes, and people have horrifically gouged the price for a bottle of water?

I don't know, just a thought.

reply to post by chiponbothshoulders


Despite your name and attitude, I'll try civility.

Personally, I think the OP was a perfectly valid question.

Please could you share your opinion in a more civil way?

Originally posted by jsobecky

This is definitely a clear and present danger to our nation's security. I don't think you can argue that point. Even though bullets aren't being fired, the act of aggression is obvious.


The amount of wealth leaving our country every day because of these high prices is astronomical. It is bleeding us dry; we cannot afford to let it continue.

I think that you bring up a very good point here.

Most wars do start due to economic reasons. I see war as imminent. It's just a matter of time.

This administration has already set the time frame in motion. Look at all of the sublte press releases and then the really big one's that really grab our attention. It's all leading to the same place...Iran and the massive oil fields that they have.

All that's left now is for Bush & Co. to sell another war to the American people. The scared, ignorant and not well informed.

The people here on ATS are not stupid and will not believe the next set of lies!!!!

reply to post by budski


It is a "Clear & Present Danger" to the Sovereignty of the United States of America and it's Allies. An act of aggression will be needed to secure the product, market, supply, and the integrity of a nation. It is an "act of terrorism" through the financial greediness of the speculators overseas WHO are setting prices above and beyond what is fair in a free market. Price controls will need to be reintroduced by the Congress to slow the inflationary pricing. The "greenies" who are really to blame for their inflammatory global warming propaganda bullsh** that fossil fuel is the cause, and why Oil Companies will not build refineries in the USA. Since they are a major why reasons prices are up, we need to bill them for the headaches they have created in this world. They need to secure & create ways in replacing fossil fuel & oil...but they have no clue, and all they have is their BIG MOUTHS & the Chicken Little mentality....I feel better NOW!

Open ANWR and the coasts to drilling.

Tap the strategic reserve until ANWR and the coasts are producing.

Stop selling north slope oil to other countries.

Get the Navy to run China's oil drilling rig off the coast of Florida and have them take their gear home.


I realize this may not be enough oil right now, but I think we could do it.
Self rationing will be in effect as it is now with the high prices.

If we could get gasoline prices back down toward $3. per gallon it would be a doable deal until ANWR and the new rigs on the coasts start producing.


Other countries could buy their oil from the Middle East.
I'm sure OPEC would sell to them.

We should start an organization like OPEC for wheat and other grains for selling our food products elsewhere.

Since the Middle East imports most of their food from what I understand it may show them that the shoe on the other foot bit ain't so great.

I understand as well that the Middle East doesn't have very much in the way of refinery capacity, stop selling gasoline and other petroleum derived products to them.

If they insist on calling us the Great Satan, maybe we ought to turn the heat up a little and let them suffer economically....

reply to post by wolf241e


Are you aware that ISRAEL is training up their pilots in IRAQ at a secret location which is only 15 minutes to their targets in IRAN? Oops! Its is a matter of either weeks or a short month or two, before they strike the nuke plants! There will be a orange glow in the horizon which will simmer for a while as it cooks the targets and vaporizes the inhabitants. Like the Russians-Koreans-Syrians-Germans-French, Tech/Specialist, who have been supporting the IRANIANS cause since day 1. Hopefully G.E. will go up also. Since they won't boycott IRAN's plans, knowing what there intentions are against ISRAEL. The countdown has begun.....

I like the responses that suggest we raise the price of a bushel of grain in response. Right now, its about $17. But $147/bushel seems much more reasonable.

Why is it, that when American Corporations (for example) make a product or service available to the citizens and raise the price ... because they can, it's considered the American Way... Supply and Demand. If you can't afford it, then don't buy it.

But when it is another country who is supplying a product and we in the US are the consumer, all of a sudden, raising the price is an act of war?

Isn't it just Supply and Demand on a larger scale?

We are dependent on the oil from other nations. We either pay the price they ask or stop driving the SUVs, the Hummers, the big pick-ups... using the product like it's water. We should be conserving, we should have been conserving for years now, but we, the American people said, "Ill drive my Hummer if I want to"!

I mean, we have an addiction problem. And if they want to charge $500 a barrel, that's their prerogative.

People pay millions of dollars for a little piece of clear rock. Supply and demand.
People pay $2500 for a pound of white truffles. Supply and Demand.
People pay over $500 for an ounce of "beauty cream". Supply and Demand.

Originally posted by jsobecky
Given that, what action do you think we as a nation should to solve this problem?

We should conserve what we have. And I mean absolutely NO frivolous car trips. If we all didn't just go jump in the car at the first desire to have something or go somewhere; If we didn't insist on driving our gas guzzlers because it's some sort of American right; If we walked or biked or took public transportation and made a concerted effort to conserve this precious commodity, we'd put a huge dent in our usage.

Are we justified in securing what oil we need if prices do not fall to reasonable levels?

I'm not sure what this means... You mean stealing it? Absolutely not.

The amount of wealth leaving our country every day because of these high prices is astronomical. It is bleeding us dry; we cannot afford to let it continue.

I agree. We need to do something different. We need to break our addiction. But being addicted to something is NOT a reason or justification to steal it from the supplier...

It seems to me to be a combination of threats of war with Iran, speculators and the falling dollar that is driving the price of oil through the roof. I have no doubt that the other part of our economy has something to do with the price of oil as well.

I say its distract us from the financial crisis that is happening before everyone’s eyes with the high price of oil and the threat of a nucular Iran. Then in the middle of the night (Maybe tonight) Fannie and Freddie are taken over by Washington and the largest amount of private investment is whipped out. You have to wonder how many 401k's are in what make up those two companies.

The point here is we are all jumping up and down about oil prices and in my opinion the oil price should be the least of our worries... I see some real trouble coming that will make the oil crisis look like a picnic.

I do think we will come out of it alright but a lot of baby boomers are going to take a big hit and the rest of us will be paying for it through higher taxes. Or maybe we start over with the Amero?

So to sum up I am unsure who we send our guys after if we do need to go to war over oil. Before we do any of that I say we need to send our guys into Washington and remove those fat cats and start over with real America and re-plant the American flag. Then we can figure everything else out...

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic

I'm not sure what this means... You mean stealing it? Absolutely not.

Someones going to steal it anyways. Might as well be us.

If the US falls, do you think the World will sit pretty, hold hands and sing lovely campfire songs while hitting the bong and praising all the Gods that America fell?

It will be more like raising the glass wall the separates the fish from the sharks, the Middle East would be consumed within years..

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


History has shown that US prices are driven down by competition and technological advances. Cell phones are practically free these days. Electronics, medicine, etc., all benefit.

Why is oil different?

These oil price rises in such a short amount of time are an aggressive move. It is not a matter of supply and demand; I can buy all the gas I want, unlike Jimmy Carter days, when there were gas shortages.

i would consider manipulating oil prices as an act of war !
as it finaly may lead to war(s) ...
If you kill someone with a gun, you get punished.
If you make big money from people getting killed, after your
money interrests started a war, you get nice blonde girls surrounding you ....


[edit on 11-7-2008 by antibyte]

Originally posted by jsobecky
Cell phones are practically free these days. Electronics, medicine, etc., all benefit.

Why is oil different?

The supply of cell phones, etc is HUGE! Practically unlimited. If there were a limited amount of cell phones being produced, the prices would not be what they are.

These oil price rises in such a short amount of time are an aggressive move.

Who is raising these prices? Who specifically?

It is not a matter of supply and demand; I can buy all the gas I want, unlike Jimmy Carter days, when there were gas shortages.

If you can buy all the gas you want, then what's the problem?

Do you know where we get our oil?

In May 2007, the United States imported 439 million barrels of oil and oil products from more than 70 countries. North American sources dominated, with Canada and Mexico providing more than a quarter of U.S. imports. Mexico provides about the same amount of oil as Saudi Arabia. Elsewhere in the Western hemisphere, despite thorny relations, Hugo Chavez's Venezuela is the United States' fourth largest oil supplier. In Africa, Nigeria, Algeria and Angola are the biggest U.S. source countries.

Source

THESE are the top ten countries that the U.S. imports from:

1. Canada
2. Mexico
3. Saudi Arabia
4. Venezuela
5. Nigeria
6. Angola
7. Iraq
8. Algeria
9. United Kingdom
10. Brazil

Source

Are you talking about stealing oil from Canada and Mexico?

reply to post by jsobecky


You have a good point but who are the aggressors? Is it the western Oil tycoons driving up the prices to break the whacky environmentalists to let us drill in and around the US? Is it the speculators? Is it the threat of war with Iran? I say its a combination of all of them.

I am all for drilling the hell out of anywhere there is oil in and around our Nation. We need to do it now and we need to do it fast. I also like the idea of raising food prices on exports to oil producing nations. Food in my opinion is just as valuable as oil if not more so...

I still say it may be a giant distraction of things to come……

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


The government doesn't make the citizens of our country purchase those gas guzzlers; H2's, Hummers, SUV's Rolls Royces, etc. The power of (fantasyland) Hollywood, CA and the advertisers whose job is to intice you to spend for style... Plus, money is power. When you reach a certain income level, prices don't matter anymore. It only affects the worker-bees who many will never obtain that status.

I'm enjoying the picture, the giants of GM-FORD-DODGE- etc., are sweating bullets and possibly filing bankruptcy, because of the black-gold called oil is forcing them out of business. (Isn't that an irony) because the vehicles need it to operate. Their short term vision of profits today, and don't worry about fuel efficient vehicles in the future, is finally hitting home. It always takes Congress to force them to comply every time. Even the Japanese are feeling the pinch with their pick-ups and SUV's slow to none-existent sales.

War is coming to those who are creating the pinch. The threshold is about here and the breaking point will happen shortly. Somebody will pay the price with there lives. Because it is an addictions, and addicts will do what it takes to relive the pain. This is no game and lives are at stake.....just watch and wait.

Originally posted by jsobecky
The economy is on wobbly legs right now. Whether or not it is technically a recession is irrelevant. The main reason is the cost of oil keeps rising. Theretically, the cost could be at or over $200/barrel by the end of the year.

This is definitely a clear and present danger to our nation's security. I don't think you can argue that point. Even though bullets aren't being fired, the act of aggression is obvious.

Given that, what action do you think we as a nation should to solve this problem? Are we justified in securing what oil we need if prices do not fall to reasonable levels?

The amount of wealth leaving our country every day because of these high prices is astronomical. It is bleeding us dry; we cannot afford to let it continue.

Yes...it is an act of War, Bomb the Oil Speculators housed at their Wall St Temple, and see how the Oil Price Drops Dead

I'm not sure it would be an act of war unless you could prove without a doubt that one particular country or regime was artificially inflating oil prices with the specific intent to do our country harm.

As for the question of "What has Bush done about Oil", that's a rather stupid comeback to a perfectly valid point someone else made. What could ANYONE in the White House do about the price of oil? Sure, we can start drilling but the payoffs will take years to muster. We can start researching renewable energy, but again the payoffs will take a while to come about.