"End the Occupation Of Iraq" Committee- Message Board

First, I think a good, better alternative to going to E/M headquarters is to have people visit the offices of Hutchison, Cronyn and Sessions to raise their E/M and other oil connections. They are strong supporters of the Iraq War and they have strong self-interest in getting E/M, Shell and BP planted for a long time in Iraq. This can draw attention also to war profiteering, the need to channel war profits to the victims; Texas has many war dead and wounded.

Second, a good argument can be made that a major reason, if not the main reason, we have a system that uses so much oil is because our government decided after WW II to use military force and military “aid” to ensure that huge supplies of relatively cheap oil would continue to flow out of the Middle East. This was to replace dwindling oil supplies from Texas and elsewhere within the country.

The decision after World War II to use military power to secure oil was arguably not only immoral and unethical, it was a disasterous choice that led to a failure to apply our imaginations to developing our cities, suburbs, transportation and food systems, indeed our entire economy, in a sustainable way, an environmentally kinder way. The level of oil consumption that we “need” and demand can be traced to the decision to kill for oil if necessary.

A key, possibly the most important, point that the U.S. public can make to government and to the oil companies in order to get on with creating a minimal-oil-use society is that WE WILL NO LONGER GO TO WAR FOR OIL. Regardless of the chant “No Blood for Oil,” the peace movement can usefully frame this as a policy goal within the historic context of our development of oil use. This is a message that the government and the oil companies must hear. This is not only about ending the Iraq occupation; this is something that politicians and oil executives must understand about their futures as they relate to rest of the world.

To make this policy change, we must end the occupation, and in doing this we need to understand that our politicians have taken the military route in dealing with our energy needs in consultation with and at the behest of major oil companies. “The Prize”, an outstanding Pulitizer Prize-winning history of Big Oil, makes this very clear, as does recent history of the involvement of E/M, Shell, BP and others in Iraq policy.

U.S. energy policy extending back to the early 1900s has been a formed by a two-headed team of politicians and oil executives. There has been virtually no public involvement because the oil has largely kept flowing and because the oil system is a bit complex. Robert Caro, in his biography of Lyndon Johnson, describes how Johnson introduced oil money into the U.S. political system in a major way for the first time. Since then one can argue that big money from big oil has been an extremely powerful force in the development of U.S. energy policy and U.S. foreign/military policy as it relates to oil.

The situation we find ourselves in working for peace in Iraq is that we have attempted in a series of elections, to move the politicians to vote to end the war and to pass key legislation to dramatically reduce our oil consumption. The political system has failed, much as the political system in South Africa failed to end apartheid. Therefore, we come to addressing big oil directly with a boycott, focusing on the three largest, most politically influential oil companies. This is bringing the largest, most politically influential oil companies to account for their role not only in Iraq but in the formation of our military-based energy policy.

We are also calling attention to their financial influence in politics and the failure of politicians to capture the wind-fall war profits of the oil companies related to the war. War-profiteering was politically unacceptable during W.W. II.

Michael Klare argues in “Blood and Oil” that the first step in developing an alternative less oil-dependent society, “is to detach our pursuit of energy from any commitments to foreign governments for military protection and security assistance.” The next step, he says, is “to practice energy-self restraint.”

I think that peace organizations can advance ideas and take action in both changing US foreign/military energy policy and in domestic consumption policy and that doing this together makes a coherent, powerful argument to the public. The oil boycott is a powerful tool for education, not only about politics. It has raised already more discussion about the need to cut consumption.

The boycott does have adverse economic effects for gasoline retailers, and this is very hard. But these retailers can influence their suppliers and will.

Nick Mottren
Director
Consumers For Peace

Our economy is not in "dire straights"

And please remember that those locations you are going to rally in front of may be independantly owned and all they are doing is giving us what we want.

I hope none of you are going to drive to these places. But if you do please fill up at one of them.

The reason why the make a lot of money is because they are really big companies and they are filling a need. And they will need that money for exploration as oil gets harder to find, extract, and refine.

The only thing that you could hope to accomplish by boycotting the "Big 3" is an increase in prices at the pump. All of the other gas stations buy from these and if people were really to boycott the other stations would just buy more. There are only a few refiners.

The world is more complicated than you think.

I'm planning on being at the 30 and Jim Miller location on 2/23. I'd like to hear from the person that chose this location before then, please contact me killelea@earthlink.net , I can't make the Friday night session. Party City has lots of Pirate stuff if people are looking for costume stuff at reasonable prices. $10. buys a bandana/wig, eye patch and earring. If we need to bring signs, please let me know ASAP. Thanks, joan

I have to add my voice to this debate in support of the comments brought forward by Artie.

I also question the strategy of "biting the hand that feeds you" in blaming the oil companies for the tragedy unfolding in the middle east. If we are to hold "big oil" accountable for the Iraq war then we all share in the responsibility for the invasion and occupation because we demand, cheap gasoline.

Would not a better strategy be found in our demanding that unreasonable profits generated by rising oil prices be used to develop more fuel efficiency and cheap, clean (non nuclear),alternative energy sources?

Walt Harrison

The " End the Occupation of Iraq" Committee of the Dallas Peace Center is joining hands with Consumers for Peace (NY) and Hands of Iraqi Oil (London) in a transatlantic campaign aimed at the three big oil companies, ExxonMobil, Shell and BP. The DPC board has approved the action.

Named " Wanna End the Iraq War? Boycott Big 3 Oil" the campaign will be launched in Dallas Texas on Feb 23 2008.

We need to start brainstorming how to have an effective action.

In the meantime here are some ideas to consider:

1.What if as part of our action on Feb. 23 we go to a Dallas post office with a representative of Iraqi families and the member of an American family that
has lost a brother or sister in the war or has had a sister or brother
injured and videotape them sending registered letters to the Big Three. We would certainly hope the press would be there to report on it too.

2. We have the funds to hire an aerial advertising company to fly a banner over Dallas on Feb 23 with the message:

"END THE WAR BOYCOTT EXXON SHELL BP CONSUMERS FOR PEACE.ORG"

3.Go to the US headquarters of ExxonMobil in Irving with signs and present a bill for profits from the Iraq War.

We would ask that the war profits be paid into a fund that would make
direct grants to the families of Iraqi, US and other "coalition" victims of
the war. The vast amount of this money would clearly go to Iraqis. Or, we
could ask that the money go to other needs.

For ExxonMobil, based on the estimating standard mentioned in a recent article,
war profits could amount to nearly $50 billion over the five years of the
war. The amounts for Shell and BP would be less. We can also calculate
this for Chevron, Conoco and Valero if we want.

Please let us know your thoughts and idea

www.consumersforpeace.org

www.handsoffiraqioil.org

Please post to other lists.

-Hadi Jawad.
"End the Occupation" Committee.
Dallas Peace Center.
214-392-2939

Thanks indeed to Daniel.
I am very impressed with his computer skills but more with his willingness and attitude towards helping
us create this fantastic new and innovative way to communicate and ORGANIZE!

Soon we will be posting details of a FEB 23 action, "Wanna End the Iraq War? Boycott Big 3 Oil!. Dallas will be the lauching site for this campaign that inshallah (God Willing!) go national! We are collaborating with www.consumersforpeace.org from New York and Hands Off Iraqi Oil, a group based in London, England.

-Hadi

Kuddos to Daniel Williams - Office Manager for creating this format and bringing the Iraq Committee into the new Millenium!