In this wonderfully informative article by Greg Palast, he examines The Brilliantly Profitable Timing of the Alaska Oil Pipeline Shutdown. My favorite part?
In one case, BP’s CEO of Alaskan operations hired a former CIA expert to break into the home of a whistleblower, Chuck Hamel, who had complained of conditions at the pipe’s tanker facility. BP tapped his phone calls with a US congressman and ran a surveillance and smear campaign against him. When caught, a US federal judge said BP’s acts were “reminiscent of Nazi Germany.”
This was not an isolated case.
Reminiscent of Nazi Germany. Because some things never change.
Now my own take on the suspiciously timed Alaskan oil pipeline shutdown is two-fold.
1) The most obvious benefit is strangulation of supply to force price hikes hence profits. As if it weren’t enough. The timing is because they know there will be no real investigations or problem with market manipulation while bush is in office. They have free reign to rape and pillage as they see fit, as the last six years have proven. This is also why they must do it now, before Bush leaves office. There are only two years left and they are hell bent for leather to try and reach for the holy grail on gas prices, something like $5 per gallon. So count on seeing much more of this type of thing, just like the hurricance excused but bogus pipeline problems in the southeastern United States following Katrina.
2) The second reason is legislation. My good mindmeld in California reminded me of this. The oil industry is currently pushing three major expansions in regional drilling via the Bush administration. They are trying to open the rest of Alaska and end the popular drilling blockade in ANWR. Second they are largely succeeding in opening up the remaining federal lands and national parks to “environmentally friendly” drilling. Third, they are currently attempting to remove the ban on rampant drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
What better way to effect change and ensure profits than by supply manipulations and artificial strangulation of the market?
It might seem outlandish to suggest that corporations would be so manipulative, so wantonly evil and destructive, so greedy and self-serving. But look at the facts. The record speaks for itself. I repeat, in even the minor case cited above, “When caught, a US federal judge said BP’s acts were ‘reminiscent of Nazi Germany.'” What more need be said?
This is not a random event. This is not a small, one-time problem. Research and read through what Enron, Exxon, BP and all the others have been doing worldwide in the past few decades. Everything from market manipulation to lies and theft, legal evasions and non-compliancy to environmental disasters, from hiring mercenaries to start wars to assassinations of resistance leaders.
It is horrific and evil. We’re witnessing the largest profiteering exercise in corporate history and you must remember the dictum, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Add to that the Law of Gecco: “Greed is good.” Then it is easy to see where we are and why we got here.
The oil industry is sitting inside the White House. There is no oversight. They are waging wars, manipulating markets, and hauling away mountains in profits. It is a free for all and the American people are bearing the brunt of these profit wars. What else do we expect?
Until there is a regime change and the rule of law is reestablished, the situation probably will not improve. But I warn the oil industry: There is always a day of reckoning. Sooner or later your actions will be held to account and there will be no defense. Also, any good will or reputation you may have had you have burned up faster than excess oil off the top of a derrick. Witness Enron. Even when on top, falls can be fast and furious.
How’s that gas-guzzling analogy strike you?