Posted on 05/05/2006 5:37:05 AM PDT by SJackson
We as American citizens can actually boycott Mid East oil. And the way you do that is you go to a gas station whose company doesn’t import the oil.”
-Bob Bevelacqua, former U.S. Army Green Beret, August 23, 2005, Fox News Channel.
In December of 2001, an e-mail was widely distributed across the internet calling for a boycott of all gas stations that purchase crude oil from the Middle East*. While the e-mail consisted of much emotionally charged language – understandably so, given the proximity to 9/11 – and while some of the information provided was faulty, the point that was being made was a valid one and should be revisited.
The e-mail began: “Nothing is more frustrating to me than the feeling that every time I fill-up the tank, I am sending my money to people who are trying to kill me, my family, and my friends. It turns out that some oil companies import a lot of middle eastern oil and others do not import any. I thought it might be interesting for Americans to know which oil companies are the best to buy their gas from.”
The piece then proceeded to list major gasoline companies that import Middle Eastern oil and those that do not or “do not import much.” Included on the list of importers were Shell, Chevron, ExxonMobil and Marathon. As stated in the e-mail, for the period of September 1, 2000 through August 31, 2001, the companies ranged from importing just under 118,000,000 barrels to just under 206,000,000.
Included on the list of non-importers were Citgo, Sunoco, Conoco, Sinclair and Phillips (which merged with Conoco in 2002). BP Amoco made the bottom of the list (as a “not much”) with just over 62,000,000 barrels. [In later versions of the e-mail, further companies would be listed.]
According to the United States Energy Information Administration (EIA), in its ‘Crude Oil Imports From Persian Gulf** 2001’ report, Middle Eastern oil was indeed purchased by all of the companies listed in the e-mail as importers. However, many of the “non-importers” were listed as importers, as well. In fact, the only two that did not make the official government list for 2001 were Sunoco and Sinclair. And Chevron, which was listed on the e-mail as “not much,” made the top three!
But that was then. With the advent of the War on Terrorism, surely the gasoline companies, especially American-based ones, would begin to recognize and work to rectify this all too important matter. Surely something would be done to curb the amount of Mid East oil these companies import. That’s only common sense, but that never happened.
Nearly five years after the tragedy of September 11th, little has changed. The companies that were importing Middle Eastern oil still are, and the companies that weren’t still are not. This is according to the latest information available from the EIA. And it should be noted that, of the companies that are, BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Marathon and Shell get crude straight from Saudi Arabia – the same Saudi Arabia that produced 15 of the 19 hijackers – the same Saudi Arabia which gives millions to Hamas – the same Saudi Arabia that actively spreads its radical jihadist/Wahhabist ideology throughout the world, including the United States.
Besides Saudi Arabia, a number of other Middle Eastern nations, where oil is imported from, have dubious track records. Information derived from the U.S. State Department’s ‘22nd annual Report to the Congress on Voting Practices at the United Nations,’ underscores the antipathy towards the United States these nations harbor. The following are facts found within the report:
· Algeria (where Citgo and Shell get crude oil from), in 2004, out of 79 possible U.N. votes, voted against the United States 63 times.
· Iraq (BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Marathon and Shell) voted against the U.S. 51 times [and that was even after liberation].
· Kuwait (ExxonMobil and Marathon) voted against the U.S. 63 times.
· Libya (Shell) voted against the U.S. 65 times.
· Oman (BP and ConocoPhillips) voted against the U.S. 64 times.
· Tunisia (Shell) voted against the U.S. 63 times.
On average these countries voted against the United States, in the year 2004, nearly 78 percent of the time. In the case of Saudi Arabia, it was 81 percent against.
The countries that have been discussed here are more in line ideologically with Iran, which shouts “Death to America,” than they are with the United States. In fact, five of the countries mentioned, along with Iran, make up the majority of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which sets the price of crude for the rest of the world, which tells us how much more money we have to spend on gas any given day.
In October of 1973, our dependence on Mid East oil brought us an embargo from the Arab world. The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), which, at the time, consisted of the Arab members of OPEC plus Bahrain, Egypt and Syria, called for an oil embargo against the West to coincide with the war they were preparing for Israel. This had a devastating effect on the economy, as America was held hostage to the whim of our “friends.” Why wait for a repeat performance, embargo or otherwise?
Of course, this money, at least in part, goes to fund our terrorist enemies, as well, both locally and abroad. It is this never-ending cycle – gasoline for money, money for terrorism – that could ultimately lead to our undoing, if nothing is done to stop it. And this problem is multiplied every second of the day, as we sink more and more of our hard earned dollars into our gas tanks. The question we all have to ask ourselves, when we go to the pumps, is are we willing to fund our own demise? And if we’re not, then we have to ask ourselves are we willing to work towards a solution to the problem.
Terror-Free Oil Initiative
The American Center for Democracy (ACD) has developed a new program called the Terror-Free Oil Initiative (TFOI). The purpose of the program is twofold: 1. to cut off the flow of money that goes to terrorists and 2. to decrease America’s dependency on foreign oil. As stated on the ACD website, “This project is dedicated to encouraging Americans to buy only gasoline that originated from countries that do not export or finance terrorism.”
While gasoline companies won’t shift their loyalties from Mid East oil overnight, Americans have to start somewhere. Americans must, once and for all, take a stand and support companies like Sunoco and Sinclair that don’t get their crude from ‘the crude.’
So which gas station will you fill up at?
Notes:
*Middle East, as used in this article, includes Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
**Persian Gulf, as used in this article, includes Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Hess, too, is not an importer I believe.
I DO NOT go to CITGO stations, as they are controlled by Communist Hugo Chavez.
Citgo= Venezuelan. Right you are.
The yearly dividends paid to the parent Co., of US GITCO dividends, in 2005, was Approx. One Billion dollars. All to Hugo Chavez, to wage war against the US and disrupt So. America.
Why would anyone buy CITGO?
Bump.
There is a rolling inventory that is not being put to good use. We are inveted in our gas tanks and not earning interest on our investments.
This grammer is something up with which I will not put.
Hugo Chavez may die at any time. My car will still need fuel. If it's cheap, I'll buy it.
Any language which spells fone as phone, tells us to park in a driveway and drive in a parkway, etc. deserves to be mangled and in the grand scheme of things who cares what we place at the end of a sentence other than ?!.
The sole purpose of language is to convey our thoughts and with or without a post sentence preposition the thought is conveyed. Awkward sounding yes, but that is about it.
14 gallons * $3/gallon * 4.5% = $1.89 / year cost keeping my tank full all the time as opposed to running it dry and buying just enough to get to work in the morning and just enough again to get home in the evening.
After 9/11 I bought a few gas cans (22 gallons total) that I keep filled in my garage for my "tactical petroleum reserve" just in case gas becomes hard to buy for a short time for some reason. After hurricane Katrina I learned my lesson to never let my tank get below half so I can drive about 200 miles without worrying about where I'll get gas if I have to leave town right now.
(And don't tell me about stale gas in my extra cans. I fill my car with them and refill the cans with fresh gas regularly.)
Correct. In fact you have most likely increased demand since you burn some amount of gas just driving into the station
This has become a issue of national security. the strategic oil reserves would run the domestic military for only a short period of time. If they would start now a pipeline would come on line 5- 7 hears from now -- it is not something that could be whipped together since our state has a pipe line and is working on a gas pipeline I will drop you guys a few tidbits. The gas pipeline pipe is of a different size and guage of metal than anything thta is made -- the steel industry hast to custome make the pipe --- the equipment as discussed here locally to assemble this pipeline does not exist caterpilar or whoever has to make the yeavely equipment to work with said pipe the digging and prep for the pipe has to be done through permafrost ground that becomes unstable every spring and the weight of the oil or gasline is emmense. they have to build heating and monitoring stations and the have something called a pig that is sent though the il line to clean and inspect it. so to build such a thing involives a lot of cormpanies involving equipment and technology that is does not exist. congress and the senate are dealing with destroying this nation by blocking the nation getting its energy needs in order towards that day.
Done baby!
See greasecar.com
Boom and bust is the name of the game in commodities.
Everyone keeps saying that has changed because of the demand from China and India but I am not so sure.
Oil can still go higher just because it is priced in falling US dollars which China (and Japan) hold a lot of.
People can invest in Canadian oil & gas company stock through owning NA energy and resource mutual funds.
Suncor, Encana, Enbridge and of course, Exxon and Shell, are all in the Alberta fields.
But in the market, pigs get slaughtered and these mutual funds are way up and to make a profit one has to take a profit, i.e., sell.
On the other hand, IMO, there is always one really good reason to invest in NA energy funds and that is, energy independence from the ME and OPEC would be a bargain at almost any price.
Like every other part of this discussion, it seems like chicken feed until you multiply it by 100 million or more drivers. I see no need for me to hoard gas. I do think many people respond by panicking and hoarding and topping off. That does produce inactive reserves and boosts demand and prices some. It is a factor. That's all. Everyone has to respond according to his own situation.
Figures!
You're carping at the wrong guy. Tell all of the enviro-nuts and knuckle-dragging union apes we need abundant supplies of reasonably priced domestic oil. It's available, but mostly, these guys are in the way.
bttt
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