by seahorse2 » Wed 23 Feb 2005, 17:06:42
I've read that article before, and it is full of assumptions, mistatements, and wrong on his predictions. Here's a few:
(1) article assumes PO is a "conspiracy" to drive up the price of oil and secure the oil markets. Okay, who makes up this conspiracy, where's the proof, and why? Other than saying Ruppert is involved with the conspiracy of the PO agenda, he doesn't list anyone else. He's nuts to think that Ruppert has any ties to big oil, Simmons, Cheney??? I guess he forgets that Ruppert has accused Cheney of plotting the 9-11 tragedy. So, I find it hard to believe that secretly Ruppert is a part of a PO conspiracy with Cheney. This is the problem with any conspiracy. If people don't believe in an idea, they dismiss it as a conspiracy, without any proof of a conspiracy. The fact is, Ruppert hates Cheney, and vice versa I'm sure, yet they both believe in PO. Sometimes, even with enemies, there is some area of agreement, but not a conspiracy.
(2) article admits the importance of oil, and that the wars and our military is in all oil areas. Thus, he admits the basic premise of "Resource Wars" by Klare (is Klare part of this conspiracy too?) Interestingly, the article doesn't mention Klare, Campbell, or others who obviously don't have a peak oil conspiracy and have the expertise to back up their PO belief. Keep in mind this article is written by a guy like Ruppert, who has no particular expertise, he just writes editorials.
(3) this guys does little to address the theory of peak oil, he constantly attacks the credibility of Ruppert. So, he does little to actually debunk the PO theory. Reading him and Ruppert go at each others like watching to siamese fighting fish, but, like watching two siamese fighting fish, it provides entertainment but adds nothing substantive to the PO issue.
(4) Some things the author says are flat out wrong. Take the big find in Mexico. Even Oil and Gas Journal questions the validity of the find, but even if it is accurate, it doesn't address the claims by Simmons of immediate PO problems. The supposed deep water finds are not being developed, at all, and Mexico doesn't have the resources or expertise to do it, and, they aren't opening it up to private development. So, oil untapped does nothing to ward against the PO problem. Further, he doesn't address the fact that Mexico admits the 2nd largest field in the world, its own Canterral field, is in decline, and that Mexican oil production as a whole will go into decline in 2006. So, the writer is either overlooking very serious facts or is completely ignorant of them. Doesn't matter which, he doesn't know what he's talking about.
(5) Further, the writer says the PO conspiracy has to "recruit" Saudi Arabia and Russia. We'll, this isn't happening. In fact, the opposite is happening, both SA and Russia are becoming more hostile to the U.S., and the U.S. is being more hostile with them. For example, Bush State of the Union Address, saying SA needs to be more democratic, was not well received by the Saudi family. SA is selling more and more oil to the Chinese, our enemy. Further, SA is openly saying it wants to open its avenues to the east, but assures it will still have enough oil for the west, while at the same time, our own oil companies warn of a bidding war between east and west, calling for American strategy to resolve the problem. So, far from recruiting SA, we are falling apart, all over oil. Also, Russia. We haven't recruited Russia, its the cold/oil war all over again. We have serious difference in Ukraine, with selling weapons to Syria, building Irans nuclear facilities and proposed shipments of uranium to them. This guys a nut if he thinks that somehow the PO conspiracy has recruited SA and Russia into the conspiracy. He needs to turn on the t.v. once in awhile. In fact, rather than evidencing any kind of conspiracy, the truth shows that resource wars are brewing, as written by Klare.
(6) He also predicts Russia, as part of this conspiracy, destroyed Yukos to sell it to western oil interest. We know this isn't true, its going to either China or India, maybe both, and just recently, Putin said no foriegn ownership of any oil interest.
This guy is wrong on every point of his PO conspiracy.
This article shows that people who dismiss PO theory do it for one of two reasons: either their belief faith "god" will come save us all or their belief that the "devil" is out to get you. Some people, like traditional economist, reject PO bc their faith that "god" will miraculuosly save us someday somehow, in the meantime, don't worry, business as usual. Others, like this guy, reject PO on their belief in that its just the "devil" out there spreading lies and deceit. No proof of that, but if there's evil afoot, its the devil, so poor on the faith, reject him at all costs.