Friday, September 3, 2010

The Peak Of The Oil Wars - 2

A while back Dredd Blog had a post The Peak of The Oil Wars which indicated, among other things, that some professionals think that Iraq will be the number one oil producer in a short while.

Recently the German government has completed a study concerning the issue of "peak oil", which was leaked to the internet.

The study contains statements that resemble what peak oil scientists have been saying for decades, while being castigated as "doomers" for so saying.

The reality of peak oil, combined with global warming and global climate change, is a clear and present danger, a sure threat to the continuation of civilization as we know it:
Relapse into planned economy: Since virtually all economic sectors rely heavily on oil, peak oil could lead to a "partial or complete failure of markets," says the study. "A conceivable alternative would be government rationing and the allocation of important goods or the setting of production schedules and other short-term coercive measures to replace market-based mechanisms in times of crisis."

Global chain reaction: "A restructuring of oil supplies will not be equally possible in all regions before the onset of peak oil," says the study. "It is likely that a large number of states will not be in a position to make the necessary investments in time," or with "sufficient magnitude." If there were economic crashes in some regions of the world, Germany could be affected. Germany would not escape the crises of other countries, because it's so tightly integrated into the global economy.

Crisis of political legitimacy: The Bundeswehr study also raises fears for the survival of democracy itself. Parts of the population could perceive the upheaval triggered by peak oil "as a general systemic crisis." This would create "room for ideological and extremist alternatives to existing forms of government." Fragmentation of the affected population is likely and could "in extreme cases lead to open conflict."
(Der Speigel, emphasis added). As oil becomes more scarce the national security of various nations will become more and more threatened.

Like addicts fighting for a fix of heroin, nations will drift closer and closer to war as desperation sets in.

In the face of such catastrophe, our Senate could not even pass legislation that would increase the fuel mileage of automobiles, rushing headlong toward oblivion instead.

After all, we have now entered into the age of criminal insanity, a time when more and more insane people get elected into government.

Whether you follow George Oilwell or George Orwell, things are getting curiouser and curiouser are they not?

The next post in this series is here, the previous post in this series is here.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Another One Bites The Dust

The Miami Herald is reporting that as of about two hours ago another offshore rig has exploded.

The oil platform or rig is reportedly owned by Mariner Energy, Inc. of Houston, Texas.

Dredd Blog has been pointing out the dangers of that area of the Gulf of Mexico, and the history of catastrophe in that area going back millions of years.

Long ago the bottom of the Gulf in that area was fractured to varying degrees, and a decade ago much research was done concerning hydrates on the bottom and under the bottom.

Those studies concluded, based upon exploratory drilling in the vicinity of this current explosion, and in the vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, that hydrates would be dangerous to drilling operations there.

UPDATE: The blog Sky Truth has an update, and they will be watching from on high to determine if oil is leaking in the days ahead.

Stay tuned.

Markos Speaks Out On Commission


The Dredd,

President Obama has appointed a bipartisan commission to develop recommendations to balance the budget. For whatever reason, the commission is loaded with Blue Dogs and Republican opponents of Social Security. For example, the Republican co-chair of the commission, Alan Simpson, recently insulted an advocate for women's rights by saying Social Security is like a welfare "milk cow with 310 million tits." Seriously.

And that's not all Simpson has said. The Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) has put together a website with Simpson's most offensive quotes. The website has a game where you try and tell Simpson's real quotes from fake ones. Play the game, and join the fight to protect Social Security, here:

Click here to see what Alan Simpson said about Americans who depend on Social Security.

Many members of the deficit commission are multi-millionaires and corporate CEOs who are out of touch with America. Some members of the commission have suggested cutting health care for veterans in order to preserve expensive weapons deals for defense contractors. A majority of the members of the commission favor gambling some, or all, Social Security funds on Wall Street.

In November, the commission will make its recommendations. In December, Congress is expected to vote on the recommendation without allowing any amendments. Before the commission releases its recommendations, we need to defend Social Security recipients from Wall Street, and veterans from defense contractors, by discrediting Alan Simpson's campaign to cut those vital programs.

To do this, click here to learn more about Alan Simpson, share his quotes with your friends, and join the fight to protect Social Security.

Thanks for all you do,

Markos Moulitsas

Founder, Daily Kos

Senator Nelson & DeepWater Horizon

September 1, 2010

Dear [Dredd],

I heard from nearly 18,000 Floridians who responded to my recent survey stemming from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The action wanted by the most people was getting Congress to act quickly on measures designed to ease our dependence on oil.

I couldn’t agree more. Our government must enact a national program to transition us from petroleum to alternative and synthetic fuels--and we need to act with the same urgency that led us to reach the moon within the 1960s. We also need more solar, wind and thermal energy, and safer nuclear power.

The next most important thing for respondents was lifting the cap on damages companies owe when an oil spill happens. I’ve already proposed legislation to raise the cap from its current $75 million level to at least $10 billion. I’ve also called for a congressional inquiry into BP’s plans to use steep losses from the oil spill to cut its U.S. tax bill by $10 billion, which would amount to about half what they have pledged to aid Gulf coast victims of the catastrophe.

Investigating and evaluating the long-term effects of oil beneath the surface of the Gulf was a priority for 18 percent of the respondents. I introduced the Subsea Hydrocarbon Imagery and Planning Act of 2010 to require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to come up with a comprehensive plan to find and assess the environmental and health risks posed by submerged oil, gas, and other toxic substances. I’ve called for a federal investigation on the widespread use of dispersants, because the toxic brew they’ve created could result in greater environmental troubles than if the oil had been allowed to sit on the surface until it was collected. And, I’ve met with marine scientists at our state universities who are conducting research to find out if the oil and dispersants are affecting tiny micro-organisms that are the foundation of the food chain. I will press BP to pay for more of that research.

Fifteen percent of those who answered the survey emphasized the importance of tax breaks for small businesses hurt by the spill and workers displaced by it. Another 15 percent want to keep oil companies away from states like Florida that rely on tourism, fishing, and beach-front economies, and cannot afford the risk that accompanies drilling close to the coast. And 11 percent are in favor of a criminal investigation that would put those most responsible for the spill behind bars.

Of course, not everyone agreed about keeping oil drilling away from Florida. For instance, one person wrote, “I just got your survey regarding the oil spill and my priority isn't listed. My priority is to drill, drill, drill.” Another wrote, “I'm all in favor of drilling anywhere and everywhere there is oil to be had. That includes in ANWAR and off the coast of Florida.”

No one is advocating we cease all domestic drilling. In fact, our government already has leased 68 million new acres to the oil companies – but, they haven't even sunk the first well. No matter what anybody says, the U.S. has only three percent of the world’s reserves, while it uses nearly one-fourth of the world’s supply. In other words, we cannot drill our way out of the energy problem. That’s why the answer lies in alternatives to oil.

Your feedback is important and helpful to me as we continue to deal with the effects of the Deepwater explosion and spill. Thank you for sharing your opinions with me.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Open Thread



Open thread ...




Back from NOLA now ... will get back into the saddle soon.
Been here in New Orleans for the 5th Anniversary of Katrina. Rainy. The people are resilient. Still lots to do to recover. The population dropped 40% right after Katrina, but is back up to 80% of what it once was.
Your government can track poor or middle class citizens with GPS devices, but not the rich elite, says a "liberal" court ...
If you are wondering where your tax money went that was to rebuild New Orleans, look to the oil companies who got the lion's share ... MOMCOM hath tentacles everywhere but no integrity anywhere (except in the eyes of her child/sister/mouth, the media) ...
disaffected mentioned the case that has put a halt to stem cell research pending appeal ...
Global weirding is a child of global warming which is a child of green house gases which are the children of toxic oil ... Pakistan's suffering is a child of global weirding ... and all of it is a child of toxic oil addiction ...

Iran's President is a fake Islamic leader if he wants drones to be ambassadors of death, but according to the BBC that is not what he indicated ... U.S. drones show that these weapons are ambassadors of the death of innocent bystanders all too often ...
Feds not testing for certain toxins so they can say the seafood is clean then put the liability on the Gulf of Mexico fishermen ... Dredd Blog warned of this in a recent post ... Mother Jones has an article in the Sep-Oct paper version (I subscribe) titled "The BP Cover-Up" subtitled "The truth is down there" ...

Iran & Russia start up nuclear power generating plant.
Pakistan's Floods Signal "Global Weirding"
Wikileaks founder all of a sudden is a suspect in a rape case now - he says it is a frame up ********* UPDATE ********* Swedish authorities reversed themselves and withdrew the accusations: Wikileaks founder not a suspect any more

Another snag has developed in Humanity's trek to outer space so as to avoid extinction ...
Hackers bring down airliner ... AND easily put Pac-Man on YOUR voting machine ...

Scientists say the Big One could hit Los Angeles much sooner than previously thought ...