Blood For Oil
Tim Arango and Clifford Krauss of the New York Times report that “despite sectarian bombings and political gridlock, Iraq’s crude oil production is soaring, providing a singular bright spot for the nation’s future and relief for global oil markets as the West tightens sanctions on Iranian exports.” The sky’s the limit apparently. “Foreign executives express cautious optimism that Iraq can eventually produce oil in amounts that could put it in an elite group of exporters with Saudi Arabia and Russia sometime in the 2020s.”
Wait a minute. Surely if America fought a war for oil, then Iraq’s oil resources would be in the hands of evil Republicans? But apparently not. Rather they are in the hands of the Russians and the Chinese. “Exxon Mobil has by far the largest stake of any American company in Iraq, but most of the major players are European and Asian, like Lukoil and Gazprom from Russia, and Chinese companies like China National Petroleum and China National Offshore Oil Corporation.” So there you have it. American blood, Russian and Chinese oil. Funny how that worked out.
From the outset it was clear that Americans were not going get the lion’s share of Iraqi oil. In 2009 “contracts on the first of Iraq’s two-day bidding round went to European and Asian oil companies eager to get back into the market and unafraid of assuming the risk of investing in Iraq. The traditionally less aggressive US oil majors were present but did not submit bids for the five fields on offer.”
The US firms tried going north to Kurdistan where they were welcome. But that made them anathema in the south. American oil companies are now being punished by Baghdad for daring to develop oil resources in the Kurdish regions. Reuters writes that “in the weeks before Iraqi Kurdistan revealed that Exxon Mobil had signed up to explore for oil there, executives at rival Shell faced a dilemma over whether or not to join the U.S. oil major in its foray north and risk angering Baghdad … but at the 11th hour, industry sources say, Royal Dutch Shell backed out and decided to focus on a $17 billion gas deal in the south rather than sign exploration contracts with the Kurdish Regional Government, which the central government could dismiss as illegal and could prompt reprisals.”
The reprisals were not long in coming.
Baghdad has since barred Exxon from bidding in the next round of oil deals, although it says the decision is not final. Exxon was also removed from its lead role in a water injection project in the south, although Iraqi officials denied the move was linked to the Kurdish deal.
If Iraq were fought for “oil” the evidence for it is extremely thin. In 2009 Time sheepishly wrote:
Those who claim that the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 to get control of the country’s giant oil reserves will be left scratching their heads by the results of last weekend’s auction of Iraqi oil contracts: Not a single U.S. company secured a deal in the auction of contracts that will shape the Iraqi oil industry for the next couple of decades. Two of the most lucrative of the multi-billion-dollar oil contracts went to two countries which bitterly opposed the U.S. invasion — Russia and China — while even Total Oil of France, which led the charge to deny international approval for the war at the U.N. Security Council in 2003, won a bigger stake than the Americans in the most recent auction.
What gave the European, Russian and Chinese companies the edge? Why ‘other considerations’. “The bidding was extremely tough,” said one official in Baghdad, in an email. “My guess is that [the U.S. companies] could not match the offers from others.” There’s a moral in there somewhere, or perhaps a lack of it. There may even be traces of a monstrous calumny laid upon those who it now turns out, deserved none of it. But if anyone’s waiting for an apology from that paragon of virtue, the Left, they shouldn’t hold their breath now that Russia and China have the money.
But it’s not really the Left’s fault. It’s everyone else’s fault for taking them seriously. For actually believing they sincerely mean it when they say they are the unselfish defenders of the downtrodden; the guys who care nothing for money and everything about principle. Consider the correct attitude towards capitalism. Making a profit is immoral right? Well tell the Obama campaign.
If anyone is wearing any item sporting the “O” logo created by the Obama campaign, the campaign wants that money from the sale going straight to their coffers, reports the Associated Press. So the Obama campaign is suing Demstore.com.
“We have always cooperatively worked with Democratic campaigns,” he said. Schwat said his company, which is based in Washington, has been providing Democrats with political materials since 1985 and worked with the presidential campaigns of Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Al Gore and Howard Dean, among others. He said state and county groups rely on his site, which supports only Democrats, to get materials. And he said those groups don’t want to go to Obama’s website and pay more. For example, a white T-shirt with the Obama logo is $30 at the campaign’s site, but a group that wants to buy in bulk can get 500 from Demstore.com at $5.49 each.
Can’t have people saving money can we? In the end the Left gets both the money and the moral high ground. Why? We believed them.
Belmont Commenters
How to Publish on Amazon’s Kindle for $2.99
The Three Conjectures at Amazon Kindle for $1.99
Storming the Castle at Amazon Kindle for $3.99
No Way In at Amazon Kindle $8.95, print $9.99
Kickbackastan
Yeah, and the whole “anti-war” movement seems to be DUSTWUN since about 20 Jan 2009 too. I guess they weren’t really “anti-war” after all, they just wanted their boy running things. Disgusting. Of course I always had some trouble swallowing anti-war bonifides of the party who signed us up for the 4 major wars of the 20th century, with casualty numbers that made George Bush look like Ghandi. I wonder when Michael Moore will do up a mosaic of the Messiah’s face made up of pictures of dead soldiers. Probably when he loses some weight.
Sorry for the crude rant which hardly reaches the level of discourse on BC, but these people make me sick.
Its wonders what a little Russian and Chinese “Hardpower” (boot to the neck)can get flowing without interruptions… Where American “Softpower” struggled at great cost to do. Islam (Muslim’s) only understand brutality.
2. Vanguard of the Commentariat—
”DUSTWUN”?? Kindly translate.
Is that on the official approved list?
Why are my posts being suppressed here?
It doesn’t matter who gets the oil contracts since we know — right? — that oil is a fungible asset and a barrel sold to Russia just means they didn’t buy it from somewhere else the US is buying it. US firms may well be in the bidding just to make sure the price isn’t too low.
The British, French, and Chinese amicably signed an oil deal with Uganda back in February, after the Americans abandoned all pretense of a crisis and appropriately confined the story itself to a mental hospital.
If (like me) you don’t trust the BBC, then here is a more reliable source which I believe even if you don’t: Uganda refinery bid mulled.
No blood, just oil… If you must credit “hard power”, a controlled media, or some OODA-Voodoo doo-doo, then please see Jason Russell for a referral.
Increasingly I’m finding my posts ignored at this site. This is now occurring with some frequency in Wretchard’s comment section too. Is there a bug, or is some PJM editor suppressing my posts??? – Morton Doodslag hoping to bypass the censor.
DUSTWUN = “duty status — whereabouts unknown”
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DUSTWUN
If you do a little back of the envelope calculating of new sources of oil and gas coming on stream in the next 5-10 years from not just the US and Iraq but all over the world as a result of fracking–it should be evident that the world is headed for a serious oil and gas glut…and much lower oil prices. This is hugely positive for the world economy.
I would argue a somewhat contrary point. We should believe what the Left says and take its arguments, such as they are, seriously. When the No to War (no matter the reason) protestors mindlessly put forth the “No Blood for Oil” argument, they meant exactly that. To their way of thinking, it seemed such a smart thing to say back when… (And who of us is to say they aren’t entirely happy with the way this oil business in Iraq has turned out?)
Of course the Left now has refined its message: No Fracking for Gas – or Oil too, for that matter. No Piplelines from Canada, No Drilling in the Gulf…
The Left continues to have a whole laundry list of things its members confront with a resounding No! But yet, exceptions also abound. They would never say No to Food Stamps, to Abortions, to Gun Control… So in many respects, by their reckoning, they are really quite positive and progressive. After all, it isn’t they who reside within the Party of No. No, that isn’t them. Nope, not at all.
I STILL WANT TO KNOW where the *income* from oil production in Iraq has gone, since 2002. I’m less concerned about which oil companies run the rigs.
Once upon a time we thought that income could compensate the US – not the oil companies – for our expenditures there. THAT was the origin of the grain of truth in “blood for oil”, even if the truth was that it was really oil for blood.
Anyway, it appears to me that a trillion dollars or two (on the order of $200b per year for ten years) has vanished, AFAIK it was not ever paid to the US for services rendered. Maybe it was half that. Maybe a tenth. But that’s still rather a lot of moolah to disappear from sight.
Vanguard of the Commentariat @ 2. The Left will only say No to War when it’s not being conducted by one of their own??? I’m shocked – shocked – to hear you make such a snide and malign assertion!
A couple posts ago there was a woman lying on a mattress looking at a computer. behind her is the casket of her husband and an honor guard at attention.
the suggestion of the picture was that in looking at the internet she was looking for a reason for her husband’s death because everything behind her looks so abstract.
and indeed the reasons for her husband’s death do seem to be abstract.
Josh, as I recall, the idea of using oil money as compensation for our expenditures in Iraq originally came from the Left. Maybe it was floated as a trial balloon to give credence to the claim that oil was what the war was really all about. I don’t really know for certain, except that it was the Evil George Bush who (no doubt seeing it for a sucker-bluff) put the kibosh on that plan.
s @ 15: as I recall, the idea of using oil money as compensation for our expenditures in Iraq originally came from the Left.
I don’t know that it was a left or right thing, the left’s rant is just dogma, “money bad”, “war bad”, blah blah blah.
Also I believe that the Saudis and Kuwaitis had managed to compensate the US in various ways during and after the first Gulf War in 1991.
I’m pretty sure you could find mentions of the idea by Colin Powell as SoS, in at least an informal, off-hand way, not that it was ever policy. I also doubt that we ever turned it down, as policy – I *hope* we never turned it down! What I would *expect* is that private bribes would be offered to allow the bulk to be stolen, and I would guess that Powell would have turned down a personal bribe, even of a purported billion dollars or six.
But it’s not really the Left’s fault. It’s everyone else’s fault for taking them seriously.
And for ‘taking them seriously’, that comes courtesy of the MSM, who have touted the misleading ‘antiwar’ label free of charge at maximum strength, fully knowing that the left only uses it against Republican administrations, and dearly loves armed struggles under all circumstances.
Charles – ‘A couple posts ago there was a woman lying on a mattress looking at a computer.’
In view of the entire photoset, the arrangement of a mattress plunked between iTunes and a casket has a far more offensive meaning than most people are willing to consider. Sadly, my uncareful comments about it were taken as disdain for the marines… all the more tragedy of a media gone haywire.
Josh – ‘What I would *expect* is that private bribes would be offered to allow the bulk to be stolen, and I would guess that Powell would have turned down a personal bribe, even of a purported billion dollars or six.’
I could never find an “Iraq conspiracy” worth worrying about. I’m inclined to think that the history of both Gulf Wars is reasonably accurate (except for the ‘Scott Ritter’ type of sideshows that are ubiquitous in the news).
Josh, your memories of the events are no doubt better than mine. The Saudis/Kuwaitis did a good and decent thing if they compensated us willingly and voluntarily and I should think the Iraqis would at least offer to do the same, eventually. It would be a nice gesture – in the spirit of peace and understanding and all that. I know, I know… it’s probably a ‘pipe’ dream, and we’d probably have to decline in the same spirit. Anyway, I’m over my comment limit. Apologies to the site administrator.
I have commented repeatedly about the aggravating fact that America has not taken economic advantage where they have shed American blood. I do wish we would be more “imperial” in this regard. That we have allowed such a travesty to take place is an example of “exceptionalism” taken a step too far. The next outrage will be over the apparently huge rare and strategic mineral reserves discovered in Afghanistan. Russia and China will, again, be the chief beneficiaries. These facts are the kind of thing that spurs islotionist sentiment — and who can blame those who feel that way?
To top it all off, we are governed by reckless imbeciles who — in addition to not defending and helping American energy interests overseas — are also preventing a hydrocarbon boom here at home. To me this is criminal.
“5. Morton Doodslag
Why are my posts being suppressed here?”
A FBI drone caught you picking your nose and wiping it on the bottom of the bus stop bench.
No, seriously, Lots can happen as your post travels the world. Most browsers have the ability to examine the header on a post. Do you realise your post is part of a program? Find your ‘view source’ button.
The practical way to avoid ‘drops is to copy your post before hitting the send button (or what ever your browser uses). You internet host also keeps a copy of your sent post. Then if it doesn’t get through, you can resend it with a paste. Add something to the text so it doesn’t autodrop as a duplicate.
Celer, Silens, Mortalis is pretty good.
Now look at your header. Copy it if you can. Some browsers will not allow you to cut ‘n paste their internals. There are ways around that but I don’t want to lead you down the path of binary conversion. What you need is a list of where your post went on it’s way to Wretchard. You need this list because everytime you get dropped, you compare lists to see if there is a common node. If you think there is, you let ICANN know. Sometimes they give rewards, or they used to. It’s been decades since I had anything to do with ICANN (Internet Committee for Assigning Names and Numbers).
The ‘net works by looking for the best set of nodes to get your message to it’s destination. There is a LOT to go wrong and Murphy gets to participate.
As best I can figure out PJM doesn’t censor. Some members of the Co-Op DO. Every now and then one of the posters here at the club goes Gestapo (Geheime Staatspolizei Secret State Police) Most of us, yawn, ignore them and just go on. After a while, what ever they took to get Gestapo wears off and things go on. Leeden has me banned by IPN, or thinks he does. I have several computers, a couple of them mobile. If I really wanted to work the rings on his two cylinder brain, I could throw a lap in my back pack, jump on my FZ-1 and go down to the warehouse district. Run a Wi-Fi connect until he banned me, then move 50 feet down the street and start another. Do that until he fills up his banned IPN slots. I’ve never done that to anybody although I was tempted to do Huffy Po.
I agree with 6. Undertoad and somewhat with 20. Don Rodrigo. The net increase in oil production caused by the modernization of production in Iraq will be of benefit to everyone. But Don Rodrigo has a larger point here. If a country or territory is doing something to us to motivate a state of war, then not only is it in our interest to assume total control of that area upon victory but, especially in the mideast, it is in the locals interests for us to do so. The only way to change a culture that instigates a war with us is to plant our flag there for a long period of time. And the only way to pay for that is to exploit the local resources. The standard of living in said place would rise exponentially and when we eventually left a stable and western culture would remain.
But this should only happen if we are actually pushed into war. We must be very wary of a T. Rossevelt type casting a lustful eye towards foreign resources.
stoi – You’ve got a little ganster blood in you.
The Iraqi side (quite rightly) drove a very hard bargain with the foreign companies they invited to bid on developing their fields — by some estimates, the Iraq government will end up with 98-99% of the net economic value of those fields, and the foreign companies with very little. There were also some difficult international law issues about the validity (or otherwise) of contracts awarded earlier to Russian companies by the Saddam Hussein regime, which were finessed by new awards to those companies.
Not really surprising that the companies which agreed to the tough Iraqi terms for their oil fields were either shakily desperate (BP) or not concerned with economics (China).
Yes, it would have been nice if the Iraqis had followed the earlier Kuwaiti example and compensated the US for the military action which relieved them of their Baathist (i.e., socialist) dictator. But the prior example of decades of post-WWII European antipathy to the United States should have altered the American side not to expect gratitude.
Setting aside all the lamestream media/Leftist misdirection, Saddam Hussein had been tramping down the same path as earlier Left-wing dictators like Hitler & Stalin. He had unsuccessfully invaded Iran, successfully overrun Kuwait, and was in the process of fighting his way into Saudi Arabia when he was stopped. The world is a better place without Saddam. Just don’t expect any gratitude — not from Leftists, EUnuchs, or Iraqis.
Once the Obumbler is out of the oval office, the USA will get started on producing enough hydrocarbons to dominate the market place. Just think, if the Iraqi’s took their bribes in Euros, they will soon have a suitable substitute for toilet paper. Then all they need is lessons in arse wiping. Even if the Krauts come to the rescue of club Med, the Euro will collapse. Nothing anybody can do to change that. I doubt that it will fall to the Euros per penny level but one never knows.
Charles@14:
You just skimmed that post didn’t you??
http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/as-memorial-day-nears-a-single-image-that-continues-to-haunt/
“She’s staring at her laptop, listening to songs that remind her of Jim. Her expression is vacant, her grief almost palpable.”
All politics aside, it is pretty remarkable that Iraqi production is up to 3mm barrels per day. I’m sure that the Iranians have taken notice.
What are the distinctions between: 1. a shill, 2. an unregistered foriegn agent, 3. a traitor, and 4. a useful idiot?
We can hope that in 10 years so much cheap energy is available that the Russians Chinese and Elf choke on their contracts.
“The only way to change a culture that instigates a war with us is to plant our flag there for a long period of time.”
Spot on Bart. Not gonna happen though. Democracies have short attention spans. The MSM has an even shorter one. Politicians shortest of all. A politician isn’t flip-floping, they just don’t remember what they promised yesterday, an hour ago or even 5 minutes ago. Why should they? They are professional politicians and know that they cannot be believed.
The entire Muslim problem is blowback from WW2. Islam got pushed back to it’s current borders because of a series of wars. Wars started by Muslims looking to expand into Europe. It was mostly the English, French and Spanish although most of the smaller European nation practiced colonialism ( the technical term for the systematic looting of weaker nations). Germany had a few also. They lost them post WW1. The Germans in WW2 looked to stir up the natives with the idea of keeping the allies occupied elsewhere. The Germans introduced the concept of nationalism to Islam. Not sure what they were trying to do. Islam by the Koran divides the world into Muslims ( The House of Islam) and non-Muslims (The House of War). So maybe the Nazi’s were looking to the future and trying to divide Islam into bite sized chunks.
Regardless, The Soviets thought it was a good policy and ramped up their efforts. That gave modern terrorism it’s chance to become the weapon of choice for nations that had no hope of military parity.
Notice that the Soviets didn’t really turn their terrorists loose on Europe until AFTER JFK Jill slapped them over Cuba. That is when the Politburo, or Presidium as it was named then, figured out that a land power surrounded by air and sea power was hosed. Well and truely with a big one. By ’89 EVERYONE had figured it out. So the hardcore went underground to plan the next revolution, while the Muslims were left to carry on with the tactic of terrorism.
The USA should have nuked Moscow in ’46 when it became obvious that Stalin was planning to keep eastern Europe. Truman didn’t because he was both a moral coward and his attention span didn’t go back to pre-WW2 to what Stalin thought about the USA before we sent him billions in war materiel.
Europe is about to find out what it’s like meeting the people you walked over on the way up on your way down. I suspect by this time next year million Euro notes will start printing. You will need several to buy a loaf of bread.
We needed to stay in Iraq until at least 2024. I pointed that out on ITM back in ’04. One of the PIO’s challenged me on it and I pointed out that NO pacification campaign in history has succeeded in less then a generation. Two is better. Three to be certain. When there is no grand-pa to tell his grandchildren about the glory of fighting Americans, then we have won. By 2080 we will be back in Iraq. IF we fail to produce a POTUS with the nads to nuke a new city every other day for about 6 months.
Another way to look at the photo.
Like most of us now our keepsake photos, letters, songs, video, all of that is kept on something like a laptop computer. That is the same as the cardboard box when I was young.
The reasons for going to war in Iraq in the first place mystified people. Conventional wisdom at the time was that it had something to do with Al queda, wmd’s, oil and israel. Plus probably once Sadaam once tried to assassinate W’s dad. W didn’t like that. Plus the USA probably needed a place to fight the half of the sons of the saudi (& libyan)establishment who found it too inconvenient to travel to Afghanistan to fight Americans.
AQ did not draw their fighters from the lower classes. their fighters were all the sons of the middle classes and upper classes.
My own view is that the current iteration of the mahdi business is based on the events of the 1970′s. the arabs jacked up the price of oil. At the same time the religious arab sunni salafists and the religious persian shia khommenists came to power in Saudi Arabia and Iran respectively. Was this a coincidence? I think not. Why not? Because the west did not stomp either the weak persians or helpless saudis. this was a huge mystery to these people.why weren’t they crushed for stealing from the west–and everyone else for that matter. Why didn’t the USA or anyone else go to war? this was more puzzling than the reason the USA went to war in Iraq. If not for oil, then what?
They had to conclude it was their God that protected them. Therefor his representatives demanded protection money and power as their reward.
(Same reasoning hold true in the south china sea. heaven protect china if the PLA brings home the bacon there. why? because the PLA like the salafist & khoemenist will want their tribute in money and power for their success. that only means more war as happened with the Japanese army and navy in the early decades of the 20th century. its better for China that success accrues to the party and people.)
in the 1990′s the sons of the protection racket wanted more power than their dads. they never understood where actual power came from. for that matter, neither did their dads. I’m not making any blanket statement. Every establishment has its stupid side. And time and circumstance can make fools of the conventionally wise and geniuses. There were many reports of Saudis scrambling to keep their sons from going to Iraq.
The saudi king these days has him minions attend water desalination conferences all around the world. He buys into a lot of research. He tells his people that they should trust him because he has the vision which will make saudi arabia green one day. the saudis expect graft out of their royals but when they hear that many of their royals have 20 billion stashed in the bank–there is much teeth gnashing.
In the USA these days oil interests are adding a full percentage point to growth. Where all the US oil companies used to invest over seas– these days — most of their investments are in the USA. They are hated by the left. Companies like apple that have 100 billion stashed overseas with no intent or interest in investing in the USA are loved by the left.
and so it goes.
29. stoicheion
You correctly describe “Colonialism” and I hope I made clear that is not I policy that I suscribe to. My hope is that we never have to engage in a foreign war ever again. But if we do the moral option would be for it to be as brutal as necessary to make it as short as possible. More like Sands of Iwo Jima as opposed to Paths of Glory. Brutal, but short of nuclear war. Frankly there is no need to go nuclear. So, I disagree with you on that. And then the moral peace would be for us to remain there and yes, exploit the area until such time as we decide to leave. For that we need moral leaders. So, you are right about the likelyhood of that happening.
As long ago commented: Iraq will be out producing KSA by mid 2020s. It’s the water.
BTW, I read that someone thinks that you can filter salt water and use it effectively for oil recovery.
The truth is that sea water is HARSH on the equipment, brutally so.
Absolutely no one is going to use sea water when the Shatt al-Arab is to hand.
It’s KSA that’s without water. Hence, she can’t cheaply generate secondary recoveries. Hence, her production curve will decline more severely than those of Texas and California.
At some point, I’d expect that Iraqi crude is transshipped down the Gulf via sub-sea pipe until it hits deep water — and a LOOP style moorage. ( LOOP = Louisiana Offshore Oil Port = a deep sea moorage for ULCCs delivering to Louisiana. )
While the crude pipeline is being laid — KSA ought to install a run-of-the-river brackish water line so that she can avail herself of enhanced secondary recoveries.
( With secondary recovery, KSA could keep up her exports for additional generations. It’s a must-do project. )
=======
Red China is sure to dash the hopes of many, for she’s bound and determined to stock up at least 100 days of crude imports. To do so will cause her to soak up any real slack in the system for years to come.
Canada and Iraq are the rising powers. Canada can increase syn-crude exports 200% and hold them their for centuries.
Fungi can and will remediate their excavations. This will have to be carefully done, lest the beasties eat up, literally, the entire deposit before we can exploit it.
“The reasons for going to war in Iraq in the first place mystified people.”
Only those unable to look at a map.
34. RichardCranium
“The reasons for going to war in Iraq in the first place mystified people.”
Only those unable to look at a map.
………….
and those unable to tell the difference between saddaam hussein and osama bin laden.
33. blert
As long ago commented: Iraq will be out producing KSA by mid 2020s. It’s the water.
BTW, I read that someone thinks that you can filter salt water and use it effectively for oil recovery.
…………
Yeah, in the last couple months, I’ve interviewed two of them who work out in west texas where the aquifer is saline . I mention them in my upcoming ebook entitled “How Bill Gates [or you] can collapse the cost of energy and water and thereby spark the next industrial and agricultural revolution.”
What ever happened to good old fashioned colonialism?
When Roman legions came to Spain
The silver mines were theirs
Where legions went Rome kept the gain
There were no lefty stares
Accusing them of being rude
And profiting from blood
Spilled in the cause of something crude
And running red stained mud
Assyrians were buyers of
Fine goods from overseas
And so they courted Tyre’s love
Allowing, if you please
The citizens of the Levant
To live as pampered slaves
So long as never the word ‘can’t’
Was uttered on the waves
When England absent mindedly
Set up the British Raj
They ruled so very kindedly
Guns almost a mirage
Yet ships set sail most every day
For England’s cool green shore
With riches taken from Bombay
As well as Bangalore
And so I ask why recently
We don’t keep what we seize
So long as we act decently
And always saying ‘Please’
32. Black Bart
I first got involved with nukes in the mid 60′s. My Dad double hatted as a FSO and CIA. That meant I was born with a file cabinet full of security clearances. The first SLBM’s didn’t work. They would not ignite. It was thought to be the Radar Fuse. Because of re-entry forces, a tried and true design couldn’t be used. Important people were embarrassed. So a task force was assembled. I got the position of go-for and coffee maker.
That led to a 6 month TDY on a boomer. To me they are just weapons.
AFAIK, the main Mazda factory is built on ground zero of the Nagasaki bomb. The long term effects are vastly exacerbated. It’s almost like the AGW crowd. Lots of doom and gloom but NO facts.
Here is the URL to an article about a guy that lived through BOTH atomic bombs;
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/25/hiroshima-nagasaki-survivor-japan
Lucky? Maybe except getting nuked twice doesn’t match my idea of luck.
I think that Exxon is shareholding european oil companies, at least through big banks like Morgan, so no need for Exxon being on the ground, if it is benefitting from the companies that operate in Irak.
I know that Exxon is associated with Total for digging, though not necessarily in Irak
It’s globalisation !
From the best band in Austin Texas, “Reckless Kelly,” is the perfect anthem for this mess-”American Blood”
http://youtu.be/oosw_nOoKmM