And in real world news... Iran halts oil exports to France, Britain.

POSTED BY: AURaptor
UPDATED: Monday, March 30, 2026 17:55
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ANTHONYT

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 9:49 PM

Quote:
I would have thought that was made apparent "not all Americans are warmongers" by many people in the US during Iraq, but we were hated and still are to a large extent I think around the globe, as part of that war mongering nation - I don't think people are interested if you say you aren't, the focus is the negative. I traveled a little outside the US during W's reign and I could feel the hate like waves of heat coming off people. It made me defensive - I agreed with them but I didn't think it was fair to single me out for their scorn, I thought Iraq was a damned stupid idea. O-well.

Hello,

I have friends and acquaintences overseas. When George Bush got elected to a second term, a lot of them threw up their hands in frustration. They were like, "You can say you don't support XYZ all you want, but when Americans choose this man to lead them, it leads many to wonder how you can possibly be against it." I found it remarkable how quickly we burned our goodwill after 9/11. I wish we'd had someone politically savvy at the time to take advantage of that brief surge of sympathy and good feelings.

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

ANTHONYT

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 9:53 PM

Quote:
Sounds really very cool - do you do a silver tree or more traditional?

Hello,

A plastic/processed tree from Walmart in green. About 5 feet tall. I think there's more wood in the ornaments than in the tree proper. ;-)

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

SIGNYM

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:08 PM

I'm surprised it took 3/4 of a thread to get to Israel, because Israel is driving this mess. The US intelligence assessment is that Iran tabled its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and hasn't restarted it. The heavy-duty sanctions are all about appeasing Israel. Too bad the Israelis don't have nuclear weapons.

Oh, wait- they do. And we gave them away as gifts.

Israel has become internally like a paranoid fascist state... a theocracy just as intolerant as Afghanistan, but militarized to the teeth. The present members of the Israeli army are going to their Rabbis for advice on which orders are "illegal" (ie conflict with militant Judaism). So soldiers are now deciding that it is "illegal" to remove Jewish settlers who have illegally taken over Palestinian farms, stores and houses!

It's a nightmare. The Jewish state of Israel has completely gone off the rails. If I were Iran, I'd want nukes.

CAVETROLL

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:54 PM

Does anybody here know what percentage of oil is purchased from Iran by European states?

Spain 14.6%
Greece 13.8%
Italy 13%
Austria 10%
Belgium 7%
Netherlands 4%
France 2.8%
Czech republic 2%
Germany 1.6%
Portugal 1.6%
United Kingdom 0.2%
All 27 EU Countries 5%

And the six countries that Iran shut off? The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Greece and Portugal.

I don't think that this is as big a deal as the news is making it out to be. In fact, I'd be suspicious of market manipulation in advance of an election.

KWICKO

Wednesday, February 22, 2012 11:58 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by CaveTroll:
Does anybody here know what percentage of oil is purchased from Iran by European states?

Spain 14.6%
Greece 13.8%
Italy 13%
Austria 10%
Belgium 7%
Netherlands 4%
France 2.8%
Czech republic 2%
Germany 1.6%
Portugal 1.6%
United Kingdom 0.2%
All 27 EU Countries 5%

And the six countries that Iran shut off? The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, France, Greece and Portugal.

I don't think that this is as big a deal as the news is making it out to be. In fact, I'd be suspicious of market manipulation in advance of an election.

Which would also explain the spike in speculator money in oil & gas right now, as well as the current price spike despite near-record lows in demand and highs in supply.

Yup, we're being played, folks, and we're being played by people who've rigged the game so they make money either way. Heads they win, tails they win. Either way, you lose.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

ANTHONYT

Thursday, February 23, 2012 1:44 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Quote:

Which would also explain the spike in speculator money in oil & gas right now, as well as the current price spike despite near-record lows in demand and highs in supply.

Yup, we're being played, folks, and we're being played by people who've rigged the game so they make money either way. Heads they win, tails they win. Either way, you lose.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

Hello,

My father used to say, when he had a penchant for saying instructional things:

"Every time anything happens in the middle east, gas prices go up. And they go up right away, even though the gas in the station is the same gas that was there moments before."

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

KWICKO

Thursday, February 23, 2012 2:16 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:
Quote:
Originally posted by Kwicko:
Quote:

Which would also explain the spike in speculator money in oil & gas right now, as well as the current price spike despite near-record lows in demand and highs in supply.

Yup, we're being played, folks, and we're being played by people who've rigged the game so they make money either way. Heads they win, tails they win. Either way, you lose.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

Hello,

My father used to say, when he had a penchant for saying instructional things:

"Every time anything happens in the middle east, gas prices go up. And they go up right away, even though the gas in the station is the same gas that was there moments before."

--Anthony

_______________________________________________

"In every war, the state enacts a tax of freedom upon the citizenry. The unspoken promise is that the tax shall be revoked at war's end. Endless war holds no such promise. Hence, Eternal War is Eternal Slavery." --Admiral Robert J. Henner

Your father is a wise man, Anthony. And if you haven't told him so lately, do so now.

But yes - anything happens in the mid-east, gas goes up. Anything happens in the mid-WEST, gas goes up. Gulf of Mexico? Up. Mexico? Sí. Alaska? You betcha. California? Fer sher, dood.

The rise is indeed immediate, but the price takes months to fall once said crisis is averted or solved. And even after it falls, the price tends to be *just a little higher* than it was before.

"Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservatives." - John Stuart Mill

FREMDFIRMA

Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:03 AM

And lets not forget the absolutely predictable flood of really suspicious springtime petroleum "accidents" which cause little or even zero actual loss/damage, but justify price increases when that price would normally slump.

Oh, and regarding trees - I had a 4ft silver aluminum xmas tree, this was not the family tree, this was MINE, personally, bought at a yard sale for next to nothing, and with the spinny wheel and the lights it was one of the damn prettiest things ever, despite being an epic disaster waiting to happen according to those with nothing better to do than try to protect us from ourselves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminum_Christmas_tree
(said disaster never, of course happened)
I used to set that up and run an N-scale train set underneath it, with bubble lights, plastic icicles and snowflakes, all out awesome, the very few times in my life xmas wasn't a life-wrecking disaster that is...

-Frem

I do not serve the Blind God.

GEEZER

Thursday, February 23, 2012 2:09 PM

Seems like, whichever official or semi-official source threatened to keep IAEA inspectors from visiting Iran's nuclear sites, the threat has come true.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17122738

Looks like someone is rolling out North Korea's patented "We have nothing to hide, but we're not going to let you see it anyway" routine. Hope the new Kim is getting royalties.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

PIZMOBEACH

Thursday, February 23, 2012 2:26 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by AnthonyT:

Hello,

I have friends and acquaintences overseas. When George Bush got elected to a second term, a lot of them threw up their hands in frustration. They were like, "You can say you don't support XYZ all you want, but when Americans choose this man to lead them, it leads many to wonder how you can possibly be against it." I found it remarkable how quickly we burned our goodwill after 9/11. I wish we'd had someone politically savvy at the time to take advantage of that brief surge of sympathy and good feelings.

That's it in a nutshell.

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.com

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