A nuanced look at the world shows there is such a thing as "soft power" and economic clout. I completely agree that consumers (and by extension governments) have great power to influence change. If one supplier is guilty of abuses, and this becomes known through watchdog organizations, the pressure is on that supplier to change or lose business to a competitor who is willing to conform to norms.
peacefulpete
JoinedPosts by peacefulpete
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36
I got robbed this morning!
by Iamallcool infirst of all… i am ok. i was robbed at the gas station this morning.
after my hands stopped trembling, i managed to call the police.
they were quick to respond and calmed me down, but all my money is gone.
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36
I got robbed this morning!
by Iamallcool infirst of all… i am ok. i was robbed at the gas station this morning.
after my hands stopped trembling, i managed to call the police.
they were quick to respond and calmed me down, but all my money is gone.
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peacefulpete
"money can be exchanged for goods and services".
It's the same with oil and gas - the US wants it because the US needs it because the US uses it.That isn't changing anytime soon. The only question is who do you buy it from, and instead of buying ethically sourced oil from the closest ally, Biden ensured that the US instead has to buy it from dictators and has to compete with other idiots who also made themselves dependent on them.Canadian oil exports to the US have increased since Biden took office. And, while still a small percentage, Candian oil companies are increasingly shipping through the US to the Gulf and reexporting it to China and India. Presently about 3 million barrels a day. Canadian oil barrels head out of the U.S. Gulf in record numbers | Reuters Remember two things, the world of international commerce is far more complex than Homer understands, and the US government DOES NOT dictate how oil brokers do business within the limits of sanctions and such matters. Brokers are the ones who decide who to buy from. These decisions are determined by corporate profits and oil purity needs of refineries. Again to assume the President is making these decisions is to assume a nationalization of the oil industry.
Presently the US has oil sanctions on Iran, Venezuela and Russia. These are on this short list precisely because they are dictatorships with bad human rights records.
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36
I got robbed this morning!
by Iamallcool infirst of all… i am ok. i was robbed at the gas station this morning.
after my hands stopped trembling, i managed to call the police.
they were quick to respond and calmed me down, but all my money is gone.
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peacefulpete
That pic of the kids is rough to see 😭
Careful you're sounding like a bleeding heart liberal.
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36
I got robbed this morning!
by Iamallcool infirst of all… i am ok. i was robbed at the gas station this morning.
after my hands stopped trembling, i managed to call the police.
they were quick to respond and calmed me down, but all my money is gone.
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peacefulpete
I think I will just walk
Always a good option when possible.
Change is always awkward and generally met with hundreds of excuses why not to change. If the supply chain of lithium or cobalt presently involves human rights abuses, get involved in human rights defense. Support organizations that seek change and expose abuses. These efforts do make a difference.
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36
I got robbed this morning!
by Iamallcool infirst of all… i am ok. i was robbed at the gas station this morning.
after my hands stopped trembling, i managed to call the police.
they were quick to respond and calmed me down, but all my money is gone.
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peacefulpete
Reality check. When a lease to drill is auctioned there is an expectation but not requirement that the winner will drill. In the real world 2/3-3/4 of these leases are purchased without intention to drill, it is done for accounting reasons (lower loan rates and attractive to investors based upon lease assets) and to basically have the ability to control the market somewhat. Many are shocked to learn just how cheap these leases go for. Somewhere around $6k an acre for the lease and an annual fee of $1.50-$3 per acre per year to just hold. The oil industry predictably denies this and, as they always have, claims government red tape is what is holding up production.
As to the temporary pause in new leases by the Biden admin. it was to give time for determining the social cost of greenhouse gas formula being resolved in court. When a Fed Judge blocked the pause claiming only Congress can modify the sale of leases the administration resumed sales of leases at a pace exceeding even Trump's. As to permits for existing leases, the Biden admin issued more than 3,500 drilling permits it's first year, 900 more than Trump's first year. Biden also put 80 million acres in the Gulf of Mexico up for auction in the largest lease sale in history.
What you are hearing from oil company lobbyists and political pundits is a mix of half truths and distortions. The simple supply and demand claim is only a small part of the puzzle.
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36
I got robbed this morning!
by Iamallcool infirst of all… i am ok. i was robbed at the gas station this morning.
after my hands stopped trembling, i managed to call the police.
they were quick to respond and calmed me down, but all my money is gone.
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peacefulpete
Research that Simon. The XL pipeline has nothing to do with the current oil price. All the oil it would have carried is currently carried by rail and existing Keystone pipeline already in place that is not near capacity. Never mind it would not be near completion yet anyway. The new pipeline was not cancelled because of concern about green energy (tho it might get a few votes to say so), it was because it was unpopular, illegally permitted and ultimately unnecessary. It was about profits for the Candian oil company TC energy Corp vs. the legitimate concerns of US citizens.
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36
I got robbed this morning!
by Iamallcool infirst of all… i am ok. i was robbed at the gas station this morning.
after my hands stopped trembling, i managed to call the police.
they were quick to respond and calmed me down, but all my money is gone.
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peacefulpete
People quick to blame sitting Presidents for rising prices of commodities like gasoline would do well to learn about how these markets work. World oil prices are determined by trading much like stocks are. Not only are issues like hurricanes and war real factors in supply chains but we also must factor in profiteering and panic selling. The President whoever he/she is has no significant influence on these markets. When the market drove oil prices high under Bush Jr there were those who claimed it was because of his oil connections. It wasn't. Same under Obama and Trump. The US and Canada are both energy exporters. We sell oil and nat gas to other countries even when the price goes up. Canada and US brokers simultaneously export oil and import oil following profits. It's capitalism nothing nefarious. There are also great differences in oil quality. Sweet crude vs the high sulfur shale sludge from Canada. You do more and more economically with better quality oil.
The only alternative to the above is the nationalization of oil/gas production and pricing.
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Billions to die at Armageddon?
by BoogerMan innot according to this verse:.
(mark 3:28, 29) truly i say to you that all things will be forgiven the sons of men, no matter what sins they commit and what blasphemies they speak.
but whoever blasphemes against the holy spirit has no forgiveness forever but is guilty of everlasting sin.”.
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peacefulpete
Ok, I'm sure you meant the original post tongue in cheek. Clearly the author was using those words contextually to mean anything could potentially be forgiven but something he calls "sin against the spirit". He never explained what he meant but likely it had to do with disagreeing with the author's take on Christianity in some way.
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Subliminal POMO image at JW.org
by Smiles inpomo-c. physically-out-mentally-out... of cult .
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https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/ukraine/update-4-brotherly-love-prevails-amid-ongoing-crisis-in-ukraine/.
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peacefulpete
Today in fact I just received a call inviting me back to the university to discuss the JW religion in a religious studies class. I had to decline due to health, but I was invited to join in a podcast which I might just yet do. I've twice before spoke at that class and one previous in another setting. I discussed the history and basic tenets and how the religion affects the lives of people. I pull no punches regarding the hurt it has caused mine and millions of other families. The students listen surprisingly intently. Questions afterward were usually about the abusive aspects of the religion. I feel I'm only being invited back because of my controlled demeaner and tone. Had I approached the topic with words like "abusive cult" I doubt I would have been received well but be seen as a disgruntled crackpot. Sometimes the "speak softly but carry a big stick" approach is more effective.
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Subliminal POMO image at JW.org
by Smiles inpomo-c. physically-out-mentally-out... of cult .
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https://www.jw.org/en/news/jw/region/ukraine/update-4-brotherly-love-prevails-amid-ongoing-crisis-in-ukraine/.
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peacefulpete
BTW Smiles I liked your first thread 19 years ago.
You "apostates" encourage me!