U.S. House passes bill to sue OPEC over oil prices

Boston Globe ^ | 5/20/08 | Tom Doggett

[ksen]

The House overwhelmingly approved legislation Tuesday allowing the Justice Department to sue OPEC members for limiting oil supplies and working together to set crude prices, but the White House threatened to veto the measure.

[ksen]

Why do I feel like they are just trying to make it look like they are doing something worthwhile?

Would the US courts even accept such a case?

[boomop1]

They are pissing in the wind.

[pnh102]

Would the US courts even accept such a case?

Absolutely.

Of course, it is pretty futile to sue a foreign organization with no US assets in a US court. They'll just laugh even more than are already.

[Cementjungle]

Why do I feel like they are just trying to make it look like they are doing something worthwhile?

It's just a way for them to funnel taxpayer money in the form of filing fees, case work and so on to their 500 closest lawyer friends and campaign donors.

[SlowBoat407]

Can we sue the US for intentionally limiting production of our own oil?

[NRA2BFree]

What a bunch of morons. I worry about their sanity. OPEC is going to laugh their butts off at them! We don't belong to the ICC yet, or have the traitors signed our sovereignty away? IF they really want to do something good, why don't they allow drilling in ANWAR?

[Man50D]

What a bunch of nitwits. Instead of passing a bill to drill in ANWR and off our shores Congress wastes time whining and moaning OPEC isn't playing fair. This couldn't be more pathetic.

[NRA2BFree]

Can we sue the US for intentionally limiting production of our own oil?

Now THAT would be something I'd be interested in. A class action law suit against the traitors.

[massgopguy]

Nope, “Sovereign Immunity”.

[Pit1]

Let me know if this works.

[philled]

This is absolutely ridiculous. They do realize that OPEC isn’t a man with a tophat and monocle who lives in a highrise in Dallas?

[Melinda]

And why do we allow speculative trading on a commodity that is not governed by the free market?

[Zathras]

Maybe they should send OPEC to the corner for a "time out".
What color is the sky on the planet I live on?

[Cobra64]

These people are lunatics. Sue an entity because you perceive that they are charging too much?!

What a bunch of friggin' cry baby... idiots.

"Oil prices are too high..."

[netmilsmom]

[mtnwmn]

Anything but the obvious!

[ClubCaved]

I joined the Antitrust Division in 1979, when we were trying to get documents and testimony from 7 US oil companies and Aramco (the Saudi oil company). Compelling testimony didn’t work 30 years ago and suing won’t work today.

[Martin Tell]

It's been tried before. International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers v. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. 649 F.2d 1354. Court threw out the antitrust action against OPEC based on the "act of state" doctrine. Congress now wants to strip the defense from the Sherman Act. I suppose it is possible, but probably not wise from a foreign relations standpoint. There is a certain appeal, however, in unleashing our lawyers on the rest of the world.

Look upon this, you mighty, and despair!

[RWB Patriot]

Anyone else willing to bet that they’re doing this to intentionally make the price go higher?

For all their complaining, it’s no secret that the RATs love oil prices being high. It lets them rail against the Iraq war and Bush while at the same time helping them push for alternative energy.

[RJL]

This has to be among the absolute dumbest political actions ever taken.

I wonder how the US Congress is going to like being sued by other countries worldwide because we won't sell, at a price they like, our stealth technology, nuclear weapon technology, coal, corn, and ironically, oil, as the US is actually pretty rich in oil resources.

Picking members of Congress randomly out of the phone book would be an improvement over what we have today.