The Coming Oil War

The Nigerian Oil War?
Opponents of the War In Iraq have long stated that they believe the conflict to be about oil, the government contends otherwise. Well, a real war for oil is looming in the Nigerian Delta and it is slipping under the radar, even as things escalate in the region. Nigerian militant actions have already caused the price of oil to jump by $1 a barrel, as of Fridays close and further action will obviously cause even greater jumps if they carry through on their threats of escalation.

While the forces involved in the Delta are said to be small groups, when you combine their attacks with the unrest and violence in other parts of Nigeria you find that there's a well fueled powder keg waiting the right spark to go off and when it does foreign powers will see no reason not to step in. The US already has contingency plans to send in US troops to protect their oil interests in the Delta region. There is no reason not to assume that other interested nations also have plans on the table. All of this, plus the Muslim unrest in other parts of Nigeria and the presence of Avian Influenza should be drawing the attention of the American public.

When you combine this with the Iranian situation, the international unrest over the Mohammed cartoons and America's current global military "strategy", the U.S. could well be looking at a multi layered recipe for disaster, economic and political. It's well past time that the U.S. stepped back from their current policies and reassessed things. Interventionism isn't working too well.

There's a rather interesting blog from an oil worker on the ground in Nigeria here, take a look for a view from the ground.

OutSource This...
In the continuing saga of selling off our ports to Middle Eastern concerns the Crypt Keeper hit the Sunday news circuit defending the decision to put our port facilities under the control of a United Arab Emirates company. Something tells me that Crypt Keeper Chertoff and the Bush Administration aren't paying attention. As I have said before, the mental instability in D.C. is amazing. Given the governments penchant for "security at any cost", (usually our liberties) you would think that turning over operations of our nations port facilities to people from a region that really doesn't like us, would be a no-brainer. Apparently it IS a no-brainer....when you have leftist Democrats pointing out the obvious to socialist Republicans something is seriously askew.

From The Libertarian Front
Wally Conger has posted some intriguing Murray Rothbard "masterworks" at "out of step". Now, I have a readin' assignment this week. Thanks, Wally! (If only Natasha Henstridge was a brunette!)