So finally, after I thought it was too late, the good guys got together and decided maybe they wouldn’t let Mummar Q. just go right ahead and kill everyone in Libya anyway. Thanks, guys - but why did it take you so long??? Geesh.
Okay, so now Libya is more of a police action. Not a war, exactly. It was a civil war, but now some other countries have decided to help keep the rebels from being totally decimated, so what have we got here? A skirmish? A hot bed? Whatever it is, it ain’t Viet Nam in a cat box. It will be over and done and soon. I hope. All concerned have promised air support, but not boots on the ground. Again: I hope.
Right now, 7 p.m. Sunday night, March 20, 2010, oil is at $102.87. That’s about where it’s been for awhile, dancing all around the $100 mark for weeks. I guess if it goes really badly in Libya we might see the price of oil climb, but then again, if the future of Libya involves the development of a stable democracy, that might not be so bad for the price of oil in the long run. And I’m all for that.
Contrary to popular opinion, I am not rooting for the end of the world. I don’t want to see the price of oil go through the roof. I drive a pickup truck. A big one. I don’t mow my yard with a goat. I’m currently paying $3.51 a gallon for gas, and that’s quite high enough, thank you very much.
Now here’s hoping Libya gets new management, and the new guys are smarter than the last guy. “Arab democracy” . . . man, there’s a new phrase. I like it. Could the Middle East be the new hotbed of democracy, with Egypt and Libya leading the way? Whooo-eeeee. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.
Like I said: Here’s hoping.
Showing posts with label Libya. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Libya. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2011
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Oil prices up, gas prices up - What can you do?
So here we have Libya and Saudi Arabia, two very different countries that both produce enough oil for each to export a fair amount, and both are in the news these days. Libya, the lesser of the two when it comes to oil production, has been run for some 40 years by a raving lunatic with serious fashion (and reality) issues. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is run by a very large royal family that I’d swear all look exactly alike.
Libya is in the midst of a rebellion/civil war these days that has caused the price of oil to rise. Libya is beset by what is termed, in the oil game, “above ground factors” – that is to say, people. Personally, I’m all for rebellion in Libya. It’s high time they boosted ol’ Mummar right off the longest dock in Tripoli. Do NOT make us send in the Marines. Again. But above ground factors are just that: Stuff we cause – and can fix – ourselves.
The Saudis are up against a far more solid wall: Below ground factors. As their production falls, they might do everything they can and still they may not be able to maintain their current level of oil production in the years ahead, let alone increase production to make up for the shortfall in Libya, or anywhere else. They day they admit that publicly, if they ever do, will be a red-letter day for oil. And a bad day for the rest of us.
I saw a wonderful quote today about the price of gasoline. The writer said the price of gasoline is not set by what it cost to produce, but what it will cost to replace. Wow. Great quote there. So look for the price of gas to go up. Maybe a lot. A friend of mine that owns a gas station said today that he expects to see four-dollar gas by the end of March. And that’s a full two months before the traditional start of the North American Driving Season that starts on Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day weekend. Will we see five-dollar gas across the US this year? My Magic 8 Ball says “OUTLOOK GOOD”.
So what are you going to do about it? Don’t bother with any sort of boycott or “gas out” you may hear about. They don’t work. Even if you don’t buy the gas, someone else will. It’s a global commodity. And please don’t go and protest the price of gas at your local gas station. It’s not their fault. Often, it’s not even their gas. They just sell it on consignment, and make very little, if anything on it.
Do you really want to protest the high price of gas? Then you’re going to have to get proactive and seriously radical. You’re going to have to think outside the box, break all the rules and answer to no one. You’re gonna have to be a loner, march to your own drum and make a statement.
You’re gonna have to ride a bicycle.
Libya is in the midst of a rebellion/civil war these days that has caused the price of oil to rise. Libya is beset by what is termed, in the oil game, “above ground factors” – that is to say, people. Personally, I’m all for rebellion in Libya. It’s high time they boosted ol’ Mummar right off the longest dock in Tripoli. Do NOT make us send in the Marines. Again. But above ground factors are just that: Stuff we cause – and can fix – ourselves.
The Saudis are up against a far more solid wall: Below ground factors. As their production falls, they might do everything they can and still they may not be able to maintain their current level of oil production in the years ahead, let alone increase production to make up for the shortfall in Libya, or anywhere else. They day they admit that publicly, if they ever do, will be a red-letter day for oil. And a bad day for the rest of us.
I saw a wonderful quote today about the price of gasoline. The writer said the price of gasoline is not set by what it cost to produce, but what it will cost to replace. Wow. Great quote there. So look for the price of gas to go up. Maybe a lot. A friend of mine that owns a gas station said today that he expects to see four-dollar gas by the end of March. And that’s a full two months before the traditional start of the North American Driving Season that starts on Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day weekend. Will we see five-dollar gas across the US this year? My Magic 8 Ball says “OUTLOOK GOOD”.
So what are you going to do about it? Don’t bother with any sort of boycott or “gas out” you may hear about. They don’t work. Even if you don’t buy the gas, someone else will. It’s a global commodity. And please don’t go and protest the price of gas at your local gas station. It’s not their fault. Often, it’s not even their gas. They just sell it on consignment, and make very little, if anything on it.
Do you really want to protest the high price of gas? Then you’re going to have to get proactive and seriously radical. You’re going to have to think outside the box, break all the rules and answer to no one. You’re gonna have to be a loner, march to your own drum and make a statement.
You’re gonna have to ride a bicycle.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The gloves come off. The claws come out.
You know me. I’m a nice guy, more than willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. But if there is no doubt? Watch out.
On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103, from London to New York, blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland. Two hundred and seventy people lost their lives. In January of 2001, Abdelbaset Ali Mohaned Al Megrahi, a Libyan, was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to life in prison for the event. He was serving that sentence when a doctor examined him, proclaimed that he had advanced prostate cancer, and should be released on humanitarian grounds and returned to Libya to live his last days. He was released in August 2009 and returned to a hero's welcome. As of July of 2010, Megrahi is alive and well.
Now, as it turns out, Megrahi’s examination, diagnosis and repatriation were all arranged by British Petroleum in return for some consideration by Libya for a deal with BP for oil rights in that country. And that subtle shaking noise you just heard beneath your feet? That would be the Devil himself, shuddering in disgust. Even the Prince of Darkness, it seems, has higher moral standards than British Petroleum.
It’s one thing to screw up out of greed and laziness and corner-cutting and have your oil rig blow up. It’s quite another to go considerably out of your way to aid a convicted terrorist and a very unpleasant regime that quite honestly hates you anyway, just because you think you can make some money off the deal. Money made over two hundred and seventy dead bodies. Money made because you freed their murderer, and you didn’t even agree with him or his ideology. You just wanted the chance to make the money, with no concern for honor, pride, ethics or morals. This takes it to a whole new level. British Petroleum is neither lazy nor greedy. British Petroleum is pure evil.
Now it’s true that various elected officials here in the United States are looking into BP’s actions, but we are talking about things that happened in other countries, so there was really no crime committed here on US soil – unless you count the very presence of BP itself, and I do. And by now, you know merely boycotting your local BP station will have no impact whatsoever on BP the corporation. In a perfect world, which this is obviously not, BP would be removed from the US and all of its upper management, world-wide, required to finish the terms of Megrahi’s life sentence. Every last one of them. But that’s not going to happen, either. The Scottish Government will “look in to it,” as will ours, and, in the end, it comes down to this: They got away with it. BP got the guy out of prison and got him sent home, where he lives to this day. At some point, BP will quietly begin its oil operation in Libya, and at some point, someone’s going to be driving around with gasoline that should be dyed very blood red to reflect its true source.
And when it comes to British Petroleum, even the Devil has to step back in awe.
On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103, from London to New York, blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland. Two hundred and seventy people lost their lives. In January of 2001, Abdelbaset Ali Mohaned Al Megrahi, a Libyan, was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to life in prison for the event. He was serving that sentence when a doctor examined him, proclaimed that he had advanced prostate cancer, and should be released on humanitarian grounds and returned to Libya to live his last days. He was released in August 2009 and returned to a hero's welcome. As of July of 2010, Megrahi is alive and well.
Now, as it turns out, Megrahi’s examination, diagnosis and repatriation were all arranged by British Petroleum in return for some consideration by Libya for a deal with BP for oil rights in that country. And that subtle shaking noise you just heard beneath your feet? That would be the Devil himself, shuddering in disgust. Even the Prince of Darkness, it seems, has higher moral standards than British Petroleum.
It’s one thing to screw up out of greed and laziness and corner-cutting and have your oil rig blow up. It’s quite another to go considerably out of your way to aid a convicted terrorist and a very unpleasant regime that quite honestly hates you anyway, just because you think you can make some money off the deal. Money made over two hundred and seventy dead bodies. Money made because you freed their murderer, and you didn’t even agree with him or his ideology. You just wanted the chance to make the money, with no concern for honor, pride, ethics or morals. This takes it to a whole new level. British Petroleum is neither lazy nor greedy. British Petroleum is pure evil.
Now it’s true that various elected officials here in the United States are looking into BP’s actions, but we are talking about things that happened in other countries, so there was really no crime committed here on US soil – unless you count the very presence of BP itself, and I do. And by now, you know merely boycotting your local BP station will have no impact whatsoever on BP the corporation. In a perfect world, which this is obviously not, BP would be removed from the US and all of its upper management, world-wide, required to finish the terms of Megrahi’s life sentence. Every last one of them. But that’s not going to happen, either. The Scottish Government will “look in to it,” as will ours, and, in the end, it comes down to this: They got away with it. BP got the guy out of prison and got him sent home, where he lives to this day. At some point, BP will quietly begin its oil operation in Libya, and at some point, someone’s going to be driving around with gasoline that should be dyed very blood red to reflect its true source.
And when it comes to British Petroleum, even the Devil has to step back in awe.
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