There is another thing to consider also. If we don’t buy up all the oil we need in the middle east, someone else will. As long as we are a big customer of middle eastern oil, we have some control over the middle east economy, and therefore can influence their governments. The threat of drilling our own oil gives us that influence. But once we follow through with that threat, there is no longer anything to barter with.
You have to look at the bright side of things. Yes, gas is expensive, but have you seen all the “dollar” menus at the fast food chain?
Dang, most of the places are within a block of each other, you can just pick and choose, build a sensational meal with value, for like 3 bucks. Full meal deal, cheaper than a gallon of gas, who’d a thunk that 30 years ago huh?
Actually, we have been DIVERSIFYING our oil purchases for sometime now, to places like Mexico, Sweden, and Nigeria, but most especially RUSSIA....
Our Achilles heel is that 10-12% of our REFINED GASOLINE is imported from Venezuela...
You mean like the headline today about the 19 year old rape victim in Saudi Arabia that a Court sentenced to 200 lashes plus time in jail ?
Yes. Victim. A Shiite girl gang-raped by six Sunnis, and she is punished. Punished more harshly than the rapists, since they only got jail time and no flogging.
Her lawyer has had his license pulled and is up for reprimand for talking to the press about the sentence. And her sentence was originally 90 lashes, upped to 200 because she talked to the press.
Doesn’t sound like we are having much of an influence to me.