#1
NOKOR's current ability to deter or forestall a de facto Chinese takeover for ANY REASON may be much weaker or precarious than the US-West/Allies think - NOKOR MAY NOT BE ABLE ANYMORE TO WAIT MANY YEARS OR DECADES. Moreover, it is happening at a time when overlord mainland China = CPC, PRC is more interested in FORCIBLY resolving the issue of strategic access for the PLA into WESTPAC + SOPAC vee the "First Island Chain" than continue wid ineffective Regional Diplomacy.
IOW ...
> NOKOR = wants Reunification wid SOKOR N-O-W, NOT YEARS OR DECADES FROM NOW.
> Ditto "MAHANIST" MAINLAND CHINA = wants TAIWAN N-O-W! Beijing wants to see concrete, substantive steps towards formal PRC-ROC Reunification, NOT LONGER ANYMORE BENIGN OR MINOR SUJECTIVE STEPS.
CHINA SEES MAJOR US MILBASES NEAR CHINA'S SHORES -IT DOES NOT SEE ANY MAJOR CHINESE MILBASES NEAR CONUS' SHORES, NOR EVEN IN MID-PACIFIC/CENTPAC.
> CHINA SEES US ALLIES, I.E. ASEAN = "FIRST ISLAND CHAIN", + ESPEC HISTORIC RIVAL JAPAN DESIRING TO HAVE NUCWEAPS, + SETTING UP GMD-TMD WID THE US.
> VIETNAM HAD INVITED MANY MAJOR POWERS INCLUD VIETNAM WAR NEMESIS US TO SET UP AT CAM RANH BAY + OTHER - VIETNAM, HOWEVER, DID NOT INVITE VIETNAM WAR ALLY CHINA.
The above is the difference from several years ago for both the DPRK + Mainland China.
Lest we fergit, MSM-NET > PRC Govt-Military Officials have called on Beijing to change its historical "soft power/diplomacy" approach to one that is more MilPol or Geopol "aggressive".
* TOPIX > [SCMP] US CAN INTERCEPT NORTH KOREAN MISSLE, BUT MAY OPT NOT TO.
WTF???
My Bad Vibe meter just went up - again.
ADM. LOCKLEAR = stated or denoted that the DPRK's LRBMS as known are a threat to GUAM, BUT NOT HAWAII OR CONUS. Just because Hawaii is a de facto US State, NOT a Territory like Guam, etal. is a reason that US Citizens-Residents on Guam are more expendable than those in Hawaii + CONUS???
Just because DPRK's missle is mostly untested + more likely to blow-up on the launch pad as land in the WESTPAC Sea somewhere between the Koreas + Guam is a reason to NOT shot it down iff fired at Guam???
I can understand PACOM Chief ADM. Locklear's desire to be PCorrect + not say anything that may worsen the situation, BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN ONE HAS TO PUT THEIR FOOT DOWN + NOT CARE IFF THE ENEMY'S FEELINGS GET HURT.
ALL THINGS HAVE THEIR PLACE - THERES A TIME FOR PCORRECTNESS + A TIME FOR GUMPTION, + THIS IS NO TIME FOR CORRECTNESS.
China gets to say times overtly that they wanna take over from the US while the US has to delude itself + pretend China is foolin'???
HOW IS DIFFERENT THAN THE US-WEST = JUDEOCHRISTIANS HAVING TO VALIDATE HARDLINE SHARIA + ISLAM FOR THE MUSLIMS BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT TO HURT THEIR FEELINGS???
THE WARNING FROM MY ANCESTORS = GUAM TAOTAMONAS DECADES AGO IN THE 1960S + 1970'S, I.E. THAT AS THE US PULLS BACK ACROSS THE PACIFIC IT MAY DESTROY = SINK GUAM + OTHER STRATEGIC ISLANDS WID UNDERGROUND/BURIED NUCWEAPS OR NUCBOMBS TO DENY USAGE TO ENEMIES, MAY YET PROVE TRUE.
Vietnam war + Cold War-era "stategic denial" = "A2/Area-Denial" [Anti-Access/Area-Denial] in 2013 + post-Cold war, post-9-11 era of GWCC + OWG-NWO.
WELCOME TO "GLOBALISM".
Personally I blame MADONNA + JAMES-BOND-007-VS-NORTH-KOREA.
* ION TOPIX > JAPAN FOREIGN MINISTRY: ASIA-PACIFIC SECURITY SITUATION GETTING TOO SEVERE.
* FREEREPUBLIC > [Yahoo News] IS THE US TRYING TO DE-ESCALATE A NORTH KOREAN STANDOFF? (USN Warships may not sail, Missle Tests postponed...)
* Also from FREEREPUBLIC > [Jet Careers] REDUCED FLYING HOURS FORCES GROUNDING OFF 17 USAF COMBAT AIR SQUADRONS.
versus
* CHINA DAILY FORUM > US "REBALANCE" NOT AFFECTED BY [sequester-led] BUDGET CUTS.
The proof will be the US response iff-n-when a Sino-Nippon Shooting war over the disputed Senkakus/Diaoyus in ECS breaks out, andor iff the DPRK makes good on its threats.
* CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [Itar-Tass = KBS.co.kor] KIM JONG-UN WANTS PHONE CALL FROM OBAMA - REPORT, to discuss tensions on the Korean Peninsula as per the curren Crisis.
A taste of what will turn those jihad-financing, nouveau riche oil sheikhs back into the sheikhs of the burning sands:
[IBD] In spite of the Obama Administration's hostility to carbon-rich energy, private actors with private capital deployed on private (and state) land have launched a game-changing revolution in domestic oil and natural gas production.
A scarcely reported milestone conveys the magnitude of this turnaround in the global energy landscape.
The U.S. passed Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in their national face... as the world's largest petroleum producer in November 2012, according to recently released data of the federal Energy Information Administration.
Over the last five years, domestic oil output has risen 40% and continually outpaces projections. Last year, domestic output increased by 800,000 barrels per day. This is the largest increase in annual production since the first oil well was drilled in 1859 in Pennsylvania.
The U.S. is primed to become the world's dominating energy powerhouse for decades to come unless President B.O. elects to quash this private sector stimulus of enormous proportion.
That domestic production would now surpass that of Saudi Arabia was unthinkable in 2005 when the U.S. imported 60% of crude oil and the gloomy Malthusians declared the irreversible decline of this "finite" resource.
Imports of foreign oil will fall from 60% in 2008 to likely 30% in 2013.
Importing or exporting oil is becoming more a question of geography and price rather than scarcity. But homegrown oil carries advantages. The U.S. typically reaps 10 cents on every dollar of imported oil vs. 80-90 cents on a dollar of domestic oil.
#1
OTOH BHARAT RAKSHAK > GAZPROM CEO: "SHALE GAS" INDUSTRY IS A BUBBLE.
I have lingering doubts myself - goes back to what I've said times before about how our future OWG-NWO concensus as per the issues of GWCC + "Peak Oil/Resources" is that there is no Consensus. BASICALLY ITS IN FREE-FALL UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE - EVERY GOVT, PERT IS CROSSING/TWIDDLING THEIR FINGERS HOPING THAT THEIR MATH IS THE CORRECT ONE, + THAT NOTHING GOES "BOOM" THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO.
#3
The U.S. is primed to become the world's dominating energy powerhouse for decades to come unless President B.O. elects to quash this private sector stimulus of enormous proportion.
#4
If it's so cheap and plentiful then why is it still a back-breaking $4.00 a gallon at the pump?
US corporations are not much better to us than the Big Turbans in Soddy.
#8
If it's so cheap and plentiful then why is it still a back-breaking $4.00 a gallon at the pump?
Take that up with Bernanke not the oil companies. When you print a butt load of money [or press the computer keys to 'create' money] without backing or comparative increases in national productivity, then you get money worth a lot less. In 2005 the Treasury could mint a hundred pennies [that's the already debased zinc slug with a copper cladding] for a dollar. Today a dollar buys about 42 pennies in mint production. Commodities generally stay relative to each other outside of gross market speculation. It's the paper thingy used in commercial transactions that fluctuates as your government lies to itself and everyone else that "it's for your own good".
If it's so cheap and plentiful then why is it still a back-breaking $4.00 a gallon at the pump?
Besides inflation, it's still priced at the international market, because if France wants to pay more for the oil than we do, the producers will sell to France.
Also, how many refineries are there? Do you think there's that much competition between them?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/09/2013 10:58 Comments ||
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#10
Besides inflation, it's still priced at the international market, because if France wants to pay more for the oil than we do, the producers will sell to France.
Well, not exactly. There's a significant split between WTI and Brent - looks to be about 10% higher for Brent today. That's down a bit from 2012, but still damn significant, and reflects the difficulties in distributing crude from some of the new midland American oil sources.
Also, how many refineries are there? Do you think there's that much competition between them?
Refineries in Blue State America have been closing at a disturbing clip. Folks are citing their gas prices further up in the thread - mine is $3.55 here in central PA, and that's significantly down from three weeks ago. We've much higher prices here in the MidAtlantic because they've shut down or are shutting down a number of old refineries in the Philly area and aren't replacing them, well that and higher gas taxes. We also don't get much of an electric price relief from all that Marcellus Shale gas we're pumping - Pennsylvania utilities mostly use coal plants.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/09/2013 11:42 Comments ||
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#11
If it's so cheap and plentiful then why is it still a back-breaking $4.00 a gallon at the pump?
US corporations are not much better to us than the Big Turbans in Soddy.
Well, there's the fact that you have to ship all the oil from North Dakota to the refineries via rail.
#12
"Imports of foreign oil will fall from 60% in 2008 to likely 30% in 2013."
This is by far the most significant line. My entire life politicians have been promising energy independence. Well, here it is and what is the response? Full out war on fracking by politicians and the Left.
#13
"If it's so cheap and plentiful then why is it still a back-breaking $4.00 a gallon at the pump?"
Federal and state theft taxes. Don't have time to look it up right now, but IIRC the oil companies' profit from a gallon of gas is frighteningly low compared to the taxes on that same gallon.
Posted by: Barbara ||
04/09/2013 12:37 Comments ||
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#14
Equivalent of $9 a gallon in the UK - about 55% on that goes to the treasury in tax- for them to use as incompetently as possible !
The scandalous amount of tax on petrol and diesel is one of the major reasons our economy is remaining stagnant. It effects us all. Directly or indirectly.
#15
That little sticker on every gas pump that states how much tax is on a gallon of gasoline is a scandalous lie.
At each stage of the process of turning crude oil into fuel, the federal government collects a tax. At the pump, the feds collect a percentage as do the states.
The year everyone was bagging on Exxon over their 10 billion in profit, they made approximately 6% profit on sales. The federal government collected 10.75% on the final sale, ergo, the feds made more money from Exxon selling gas than Exxon did.
Finally, the gas prices are artificially inflated by rules regulations taxes etc., the latest gimmick that jacked up prices was a series of regulations on transport of gasoline issued by the EPA, which forced most gasoline distributors to buy new equipment.
AND if all taxes on US gasoline were cancelled, even those on the production and transportation (yes the oil companies pay a fee on gasoline to use their own pipelines) the price of a gallon of gas would be approximately $0.92 per gallon.
Taking the UK as an example with their $6 to $9 dollar gas, if all of their taxes were cancelled gas would cost a brit about $1.00.
Its all about tax revenue.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
04/09/2013 13:30 Comments ||
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#17
I'm thinking this total is with refinery gains. I doubt we've equaled the Sauds in crude production. We might in a few years tho and it will be sweet indeed.
#18
At each stage of the process of turning crude oil into fuel, the federal government collects a tax. At the pump, the feds collect a percentage as do the states.
Note the pump jack and add a few more tax "stages":
1. Tax on the lease income [from the producer to the land owner]. If gov't own land or offshore, ALL the lease money goes to the gov't.
2. Tax on operating expenses, ie; purchase of pump and materials, electricity to run the pump, income tax on the pumper [fellow that looks after the well], pipeline, well servicing, truck transport, tank battery, refinery and employees, wholesale distribution and delivery.
#19
I was raised in the oil business and I can remember my dad complaining about federal taxes on oil etc., as far back as the mid 1950s.
So I can remember gasoline at $0.25 per gallon at the pump. Most of the increases in the cost of gasoline (which by the way due to its being a high volatile, i.e., easy to evaporate from crude, is very easy to refine, it will do it at room temperature) is due to federal rules on refineries, added fees on leases on federal land, additional fees for environmental concerns about pipelines, gimmick fees and regulations on transport vehicles and fees and taxes on everything from drill bits to inspection of valves and fittings on refining units.
If you take the raw $0.92 per gallon and work backwards through the annual inflation rate to 1963, when gas was $0.25 per gallon, you would find that gasoline is actually cheaper now than 1963. Thanks to the crappy monetary policy of the federal government and the lack of a coherent energy policy.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
04/09/2013 19:07 Comments ||
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#20
Errr...I meant to say NO thanks to the crappy monetary policy and lack of a coherent energy policy.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
04/09/2013 19:08 Comments ||
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#1
I would bet good money, that if we gave a bunch of drones to the Shia and the Sunnis, they would use them on each other instead of us.
What do you think?
The 1300 year old interfraticidinal squabble over Ali, et al., holds precedence over a few billion infidels huh?
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
04/09/2013 13:40 Comments ||
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#2
I think what happens is that if they can't kill Jews, Christians, Hindus or Buddhists they will kill each other. That moon god of theirs requires blood and he's not all that picky about whose blood.
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