OIL = WMD

Its no secret that Osama Bin Laden is from Saudi Arabia. Its no secret that the Saudi Government has nascent ties to the Bin Laden family. It's also no secret that al Qaida has made it perfectly clear that while it would enjoy killing massive numbers of Americans in terrorist attacks, it would also like to take down the American way of life and our economic power. Recent reports from U.S. intelligence highlight the very real possibility of a terror attack on our financial system. In fact, experts believe that in the future al-Qaida, or other radical groups bent on terrorism, will deploy weapons of mass economic disruption rather than weapons of mass destruction.

I believe that the current Oil crisis is the beginning of a concerted effort by the al Qaida organization, with the help of OPEC...knowingly or unknowingly, to take down the American economy in a stealth attack that will only be realized once its too late to defend against it. Slowly, for the last 2 years oil prices have risen in the face of OPEC and non-OPEC countries trying to keep oil prices within a band of $22-28/barrel. Why then is oil now $58/barrel? OPEC says it has lost control of the pricing and its due to speculators and hedge funds. OPEC has dropped the stated price band. Saudi Arabia has pledged to keep the market well supplied. Other OPEC countries have also committed to helping with supply and have made statements regarding the price of oil being too high. So why then is oil $58/barrel and setting its sights on higher prices? Why hasn't any of the mechanisms put in place to control the flow and pricing of oil worked? I contend that OPEC doesn't really want to control it and in fact is being motivated by either their own self interests or by Al Qaida pressure to continue to squeeze the U.S. economy. The benefits for OPEC is huge profits from the high price of their oil as well as maintaining a certain control over the U.S. which is flexing its military power in their part of the world. It also hurts the U.S. economy and American consumers, which deep down inside, most outside the U.S. do not care for in the least, and in fact feel as though we deserve to suffer for the ills we cause others around the world...namely in Iraq and our policies towards the Israeli/Palestinian conflict...to name just a few. Oil could very well be the terrorists best and easiest weapon of mass distruction...and we can't do a thing about it.