Saudis Blackmailing U.S.?

[Nuzzolese]

Saudi Arabia has rigged its entire oil infrastructure with explosives, including "dirty bombs," in an effort to blackmail the U.S. and others...
or so claims a new book by Gerald Posner that I just heard about.

According to Mr. Posner, National Security Agency [NSA] intercepts have indicated that Saudi Arabia has rigged explosives to its oil infrastructure to control the United States. "Dirty bombs," nuclear material tied to conventional bombs, would turn much of the country into a nuclear wasteland for decades. Oil pipelines, refineries, storage facilities, offshore rigs and other petroleum facilities have reportedly been rigged.

Reasons for setting up a self-destruct system? The Kingdom is scared that if there is a serious internal revolt, the U.S. would drop them like a fly as it has in other countries in the past. By holding the long-lasting destruction of the entire oil infrastructure as its ace, and therefore the dramatic rise in oil prices, Saudi Arabia could force the West to keep the House of Saud in power. Then again, the Saudis know that everyone is listening. So the real extent of the self-destruction grid really is up for speculation.

(The book is "Secrets of the Kingdom: The Inside Story of the Saudi-US Connection" and is scheduled for May 17 release.)

* * *

This sounds off. The Saudi's already own about 1/5 of the U.S. economy anyways, they've got all the pull they need. Especially with a Bush in the White House. They've got ties going back 40 years. I thought that was the best and most compelling part of Fahrenheit 9/11.

If anything, the Saud family rigging oil lines to blow sounds like a fairly pro-American action. If the fundamentalists were able to topple the monarchy and take control of the oil fields, America would be well and truly fucked. But the explosion of the entire infrastructure weakens the insurgents position and sounds tailor made for U.S. intervention. Just a theory.

[Nuzzolese]

In this kind of situation, here's the way to handle it from what I've learned playing Civilization III (http://www.civ3.com/) .

We have oil reserves in Texas and Alaska. So we follow six simple steps:

1) drop the bottom out of our scientific research except in Chicago (which we focus on developing a cure for Cancer)

2) Revamp government agencies. Turn the tax collectors and beaurcrats into entertainers. That way instead of actually practicing politics our government officals will become an entertaining side show for with which to distract the public.

3)Secure Rights of Passage agreement with the Middleeast nations, and then station a shit load of troops there

4) With the money we save on scientific research start aggressively trying to manipulate the politics of the region.

5) Wait. Wait until one of the cultures gets so pissed off by our constant interfence that they attack us. Then take the nations down via convential warfare while we still have the oil in Texas and Alaska.

6) Garrison the region strongly and send in bunch of engineers to clean up the region (that should take 50 to 100 years)

Trust me I have played many games of civilization. If you are the most powerful nation in the world, this is the only way win.

[Qdrop]

This sounds off. The Saudi's already own about 1/5 of the U.S. economy anyways, they've got all the pull they need. Especially with a Bush in the White House. They've got ties going back 40 years. I thought that was the best and most compelling part of Fahrenheit 9/11.

If anything, the Saud family rigging oil lines to blow sounds like a fairly pro-American action. If the fundamentalists were able to topple the monarchy and take control of the oil fields, America would be well and truly fucked. But the explosion of the entire infrastructure weakens the insurgents position and sounds tailor made for U.S. intervention. Just a theory.

yeah...just alot of conspiracy theory hoopla.

the saudi's already have an ace in the whole: the GOP

[Qdrop]

2) Revamp government agencies. Turn the tax collectors and beaurcrats into entertainers. That way instead of actually practicing politics our government officals will become an entertaining side show for with which to distract the public. we call that "the media".

3)Secure Rights of Passage agreement with the Middleeast nations, and then station a shit load of troops there

4) With the money we save [from cutting medicaid and public schooling] start aggressively trying to manipulate the politics of the region.

5) Wait. Wait until one of the cultures gets so pissed off by our constant interfence that they attack us. Then take the nations down via convential warfare while we still have the oil in Texas and Alaska. worked for afganastan and iraq! cool!

[Nuzzolese]

yeah...just alot of conspiracy theory hoopla.

the saudi's already have an ace in the whole: the GOP

These books get published all the time and people buy them up first release date hardcover! They talk about them with wide eyes and anxious tones. They talk to me with authority. Morons.

[Funkaloyd]

In this kind of situation, here's the way to handle it from what I've learned playing Civilization III .
We have oil reserves in Texas and Alaska. So we follow six simple steps:
1) drop the bottom out of our scientific research except in Chicago (which we focus on developing a cure for Cancer)
2) Revamp government agencies. Turn the tax collectors and beaurcrats into entertainers. That way instead of actually practicing politics our government officals will become an entertaining side show for with which to distract the public.
3)Secure Rights of Passage agreement with the Middleeast nations, and then station a shit load of troops there
4) With the money we save on scientific research start aggressively trying to manipulate the politics of the region.
5) Wait. Wait until one of the cultures gets so pissed off by our constant interfence that they attack us. Then take the nations down via convential warfare while we still have the oil in Texas and Alaska.

6) Garrison the region strongly and send in bunch of engineers to clean up the region (that should take 50 to 100 years)
Trust me I have played many games of civilization. If you are the most powerful nation in the world, this is the only way win.
Wouldn't reforming to fundamentalism be a simpler way to achieve the same? You'll get more money by firing both scientists and entertainers and hiring tax collectors, and though there's a research penalty, you can keep scientists in more cities than just the one, or increase the % of government spending that goes to science.

[ericg]

Prettizzl funizzl my Nizzl.
Funk, there you go thinkin' again.
Where are stinky, assface, and dropped a load a shit on both sides of the fence at?
Oh, don't breath your waste.

[Funkaloyd]

The above goes to show that a player should build a library in every city as early as possible. Don't put it off until you've got SDI defences and there's nothing left to build. If you do, you're failing the children.

[Nuzzolese]

Prettizzl funizzl my Nizzl.
Funk, there you go thinkin' again.
Where are stinky, assface, and dropped a load a shit on both sides of the fence at?
Oh, don't breath your waste.

Is this a poem?