There's oil in them thar hills -- not!

The US division of British Petroleum announced they're shutting down, indefinitely, their production facility at America's largest oil field -- Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, owing to ongoing corrosion problems with two pipelines. This has reduced oil supply by about 400,000 barrels per day -- and explains why oil is trading about two bucks a barrel higher than on Friday. Meanwhile, White House officials have conceded that America is now preparing itself for a civil war to break out in Iraq -- like a civil war hasn't happened already -- and if that happens the US will stage a massive pullout of US troops.

Call me cynical, but wasn't the whole point of the Iraq war to drive oil prices down to six dollars a barrel; and thus to make alternate fuel options as well as relatively new sources of traditional supplies like the Alberta tar sands not worth exploring at all? Now it's at seventy six and climbing, natural gas prices are out of sight (which affects most people, like me, who use gas to heat homes) and far from securing the West's safety, we've only gotten more vulnerable to attacks. All of a sudden alternate sources look appealling except for the fact the infrastructure is still limited and our policies have generally discouraged people from switching to other fuel supplies.

We've seen the commercials promoting cars that run 85% ethanol fuel -- E85. How many gas stations in Ontario and Québec sell E85? Not any I've seen. Many people spent thousands converting their cars to natural gas in the 90s, only to find that now all the filling stations are gone. And of course, the One Tonne Challenge is now toast in Canada because Stephen Harper's blood bleeds oil only slightly less than the Bush (read al Saud) family.

The cabal at 1600 has gotten the world backed into a corner. And they figure out the only way to save face is to bring home the troops and make the announcement just before the November mid-terms -- another October surprise, as it were. Muslims have very long memories -- but so do Christians and Jews. I don't think they'll let the Karl and Rummy show get away with it yet again. People were pissed off in 1994, and I think they're about to let loose in 2006.

For once, I'd like to see someone create an energy policy that both promotes real independence and ties foreign oil purchases to human rights reforms.

Don't hold your breath. Not as long as they can still find some oil and natural gas here, even if they have to drill three kilometres down to reach it.

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