Now, I usually avoid stopping at a gas station on the way to work because the neighborhood I drive through to the office is dodgy.
But this was a desperate situation. The needle dropped below E and the gas light was on. So I figured that I'd rather stop at the gas station for a minute than spend a half hour walking through the neighborhood.
With one eye over my shoulder I quickly gazed up at the prices to see how bad I was getting screwed. This morning I paid $2.36 per gallon. But then I got to thinking -- how much would I be willing to shell out for a gallon of gas?
Would I pay $5 a gallon? Probably. How about $10? Maybe. Would I buy gas if today's decimal point budged over to the right one place?
Would I pay $23.60 a gallon?
$23.60 for gas sounds outrageous. But as we've learned from the Gulf hurricane sisters, even the slightest disruption in oil and gas supplies can have a drastic effect on gasoline prices, as well as the economy.
At this point there is no amount of hurricanes that could drive gasoline prices over $20. However, if for some reason OPEC decided to halt oil exportation to the U.S., then the vision of $20 or even $30 gasoline would become a stark reality.
Now think about this for a minute. One out of every two barrels of oil, imported to the United States, comes from OPEC. If the cartel decided to halt oil sales to the U.S., gasoline prices could easily increase tenfold
In one fell swoop, OPEC could crush the American economy and bring us to our knees.
The fact that our way of life is dependent on these 11 countries is downright scary. What's even scarier is that these countries aren't exactly buddies with the U.S. In fact, some, if not most, are openly hostile to the good ol' USA.
Let's quickly run through how these countries pose a threat to energy security in the United States.
Iran
This theocratic Islamic nation is openly hostile towards the U.S. Iran continues to defy requests by the U.S. and EU to halt its uranium enrichment program. Furthermore, Iranian clerics recently issued a Fatwa (religious legal pronouncement) saying it is a-ok to use nuclear weapons against its enemies.
Iraq
Despite coalition attempts to secure the Mesopotamian oil supply, Iraq has flipped from relative dictatorial stability to borderline anarchy, where terrorists stop and start the black gold flow at their whim. These anti-western fighters control a large portion of the country and lock the rest in a fearful grip.
Kuwait
Out of all OPEC countries, Kuwait is the least threatening. At the same time, the country is still teeming with Islamic fundamentalists.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is indirectly behind the radical Islamist war on the United States. The country is known to fund terror organizations that attack western nations. It is the homeland of Osama Bin Laden and the majority of the men who flew planes into the Twin Towers. Saudi Arabia is also home to the world's largest oil field.
Venezuela
It's well documented that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is extremely antagonistic toward the United States. Chavez has cast himself and his country as a bulwark against American hegemony and recently pledged to raise an army of 1,000,000 soldiers to fight the U.S.
Qatar
Qatar is another country that isn't really on Washington's threat monitoring system. Coalition Central Command was located in Doha during the 2003 Iraq invasion, but like other Gulf states, virulent fundamentalism simmers not far beneath the surface.
Indonesia
Islamic militants recently stormed the U.S. embassy in Jakarta. The country is so hostile towards the west that during tsunami relief, they delayed food and supply shipments to the needy people until they could change the labeling the packages, which originally said they were from the U.S. Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim population.
Libya
Libya has a long history of outright hatred for the U.S. and active history of terror attacks, though the country has agreed to relinquish its weapons of mass destruction in the wake of U.S. action against the Saddam Hussein regime.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates is the money front man for the world Islamic movement. They just bought the companies that control six major U.S. ports. They are also apologists for Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic movement listed on EU and U.S. terrorist rosters.
Algeria
Algeria is a longtime partner with Libya and many terror organizations. Many elements in the country are openly hostile towards the U.S., and Algeria was embroiled in civil war between Islamic and government forces until 2002.
Nigeria
Ethnic Ijaw militants are currently threatening to use rockets to attack oil tankers heading for the U.S. and have taken several western hostages. Just this week, the infamous cartoon controversy led to widespread sectarian violence in mixed regions of the country.
As one unit, OPEC could easily shut down oil exports to the United Sates and bring our economy to a grinding halt.
Overnight gasoline prices would skyrocket, supplies would disappear in a couple weeks, and the proverbial feces would hit the fan.
After a few weeks of increased oil and gasoline prices the stock market would probably crash to make the crash of the 30s look like an easy Sunday stroll in the park.
Gasoline and diesel fuel are needed to move products ranging from dishwashers to bubblegum along US highways. Prices on every consumer product on the shelf would go up in price by factors of 10.
People would lose their jobs right and left. You live in the suburbs? Have to commute to your job? Imagine going to work with gas costing $20 a gallon. People would save money by NOT going to work. Welcome welfare!
Companies would be closing right and left. They could not afford to buy raw materials or ship finished products. They may not even be able to afford to pay employees.
It would be complete economic chaos. A total shut-down.
By the President's admission, our fossil fuel addiction is the Achilles' heel of the U.S. It is also OPEC's greatest weapon against us.
Energy security should be the number one concern for the United States.
- Luke Burgess
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