The "Nightmare Scenario": Thank You Saudi Arabia for Looking After our Future
Saudi Arabia has such concern and respect for the United States and the perceptiveness of its citizenry that they feel compelled to ply us with instruction and advice. The very same nation that through its loquacious Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi regaled us back in December that it was Saudi Arabia's "Noble Cause" to see to it that the price of oil be clawed back to at least $75 a barrel as soon as possible (please see "OPEC's Noble Cause" 12.17.08). You see, anything less will discourage investment in new production according to our friend in Riyadh, not to speak of curtailing the purchase of yachts, palatial residencies and Ferraris, and billions upon billions to Wahhabi schools, madrassasas, mosques, social centers and charitable organizations throughout the world, teaching civility and good citizenship.
All this came about almost concurrently this week as our new president's Secretary of Energy Steven Chu postulated that a "revolution" in science and technology would be required if the world is to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and curb the emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat gases linked to global warming (NYTimes 2.12.2009). He thereby set forth a key goal of the new administration, this, while our friends in Saudi Arabia were instructing us otherwise.
At an oil industry conference in Houston earlier this week Mr. Ali al-Naimi, whose full title is Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources for Saudi Arabia, ran roughshod over our concerns about global warming and energy independence, with feigned lack of self interest, cautioning us, according to his clearly self serving tenets, that we were veering toward a "nightmare scenario" if we sought to speed up development of alternative fuels. Thank you so much, Oil Minister al-Naimi.
This wisdom coming from the world's largest oil exporter: "...we must be mindful that efforts to rapidly promote alternatives could have a chilling effect on investment in the oil sector." And then of course a litany of projects that have been or may be canceled. Fasten your seat belts, it will be a reprise that will be heard over and over again from the OPEC and the oil patch boys in the days, months, years to come.
The true "nightmare scenario" would be if we let Saudi Arabia and the oil industry flacks sway us one iota from the course our new president has set, to turn us away from fossil fuels for once and forever!
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Actually, a boost in oil prices would be the best thing to happen to the alternative energy market. Go Saudi Arabia, go! Raise those prices! Yeah!
We all need to remember last summer. The price of gas is creeping up, even as the price of oil hovers between $36 and $41 a barrel. We're being played and we're going to continue to be played. We must keep our eye on the ball. Food prices and food sold in smaller amounts at higher prices in light of high fuel prices has not reverted back and prices actually are still going up. Supposedly temporary high fuel-cost surcharges for trucking or, indeed, storage spaces, has also not retreated (indeed, I was informed of a new $3-per-month fuel surcharge on my storage space this month). So what do you suppose it will be like when gas skyrockets again?
When fifteen of the 9/11 terrorist were from Saudia Arabia and Bush with all his wisdom goes and jumps on Iraq, what's wrong with this picture?
We should have immediately took over their country, placed all the potentates on several oil barrages and set them to sea. We could have dropped toothpaste and sheets to wear on their heads while their a float. Then taken over their country and oil fields. As it is, our military is there protecting them and our engineer's make their oil fields produce, all we get is the bill for the petroleum, but we had a full blown idiot for a president at the time and it's not looking any better for the American People at this time.
We've taken care of the world thru out our history and all we have gotten for it, is bent over. It's about time we called in our chips.
we all know the true cause of the global economic collapse..
Well, the US is asking the Arab countries from the Gulf to arm themselves against the threat from Iran. And guess who is the largest importer of US ARMS who actually pay for it? Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE. Enough accusing others when your hands are dirty of worse deeds.
We don't need a revolution. The answer is Nuclear Power and it is here now.
Are you volunteering to store the spent reactor rods at your house?
Also, a vehicle-sized Nuc is hard to engineer.
take a look at this
http://www
will reduce nuclear waste by 99%.
just pass the cost and health hazards of the waste onto future generation
nah, we need a revolution.
I live in France, where we get over 80% of our electricity from nuclear plants. I don't share the knee-jerk nucleophobia of most of the American left, but it should be pointed out that nuclear power is a good (well, let's say "least bad") solution for BASE LOAD ELECTRICAL GENERATION. You can't turn on and off easily to cope with peaks in demand, and while it's good for powering high speed electric trains (such as we have in France), there's a big efficiency gap to be bridged before we can run cars and (above all) trucks from the main power grid.
Weren't most of the hijackers on 09/11 Saudi?
Sssshhh - you shut your mouth!!!
Yes! So clearly, the appropriate response was to invade Irag.
bingo.
The article illustrates why we need to speed up the research and development of alternate fuels. It should also be a warning to our finacial institutions and our govenment that the Saudi's should NOT be allowed to invest heavily in our financial institutions.
They will sabotage and black mail us as the aticle suggests..
The least versatile, least flexible, most dependent consumer in America on fossil fuel is the US Military. And while the average US consumer may eventually dump cooking grease in their gas tanks for daily commutes, as long as America has over 1100 military installations throughout the world, it will be dependent and relying on fossil fuels regardless of new DoE agendas and global warming.
And not only the Saudis will be there for America, the Canucks, the Mexicans, and Africa. Im not sure about what Learsey was surprised. And it has been pointed out that OPEC is serving America quite well, not the other way around.
The DoD has been active, since 2006, in implementing a viable alternative to fossil fuels, with tests and purchases of synthetic fuels for aircrafts, the installation of flex-fuel pumps throughout its installations and new flex-fuel vehicles. While there is a lot of work to be done, it is inaccurate to assume that the DoD is unaware or being passive in tackling the problem. I actually think that convincing individuals to change their preferences form gas guzzlers to more economical cars will be just as much of a challenge, especially now, that gas prices seems to have stabilized at a lower level.
the Germans, in WW2 did alot of research and development and production of synthetic fuels. nothing new.
OPEC is a red herring
Show me an OPEC country and I will show you a dictator who relies on United States aid to stay in power.
They don't do things that we don't support
I think Mr. Chavez might resent you comment.
Probably the only exception.
brilliant . the royal families are also protected from US firms , and the US embassies gather intelligence and inform the saudis , kuwaitis , etc.. in case there is a problem. they also sell them billions worth of arms , and even Torture tools (according to amnesty . Both Britain and US sells the saudis torture tools (that they dont make )
Quote:Saudi Arabia has such concern and respect for the United States
well , they Invest so much in the US banks in the carlyle group , in Arbusto , in Citygroup , in disney , you name it .
Americans are considered the "WHITE SLAVES " of the Saudi's because they keep them rich and provide Military Protection at ZERO COST to the Saudi's.
The U.S. Taxpayers pay out both ends !!!!!
Substitute "Canucks" for "Saudi's" and your argument is strengthened. The USA imports more oil from Canada than from Saudi Arabia. Our missile shield protects them from attack by Greenland,
No Canadians attacked us on 911 though.
Energy dependency could be reduced by conservation. Examples: reducing suburban sprawl, improving mass transit, using rail instead of long distance trucking, reducing the bloated non-productive military that has to be engaged in imperial ventures to justify itself, designing more efficient autos, curtailing plastic packaging, taxing corporate jets, taxes on having more than two kids.
...."teach
ROTFLMAO. Ray, you kill me.
I hope we come up with something else to put in cars.
I live in the smog shadow of an interstate highway. Its a half mile away but when the wind is a slow drift from the east you can get a headache just standing in the back yard.
IMHO, raising the price of oil IS a noble cause! It'll stop global warming and reduce deaths on the highways.
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