The Iranian job

On monday the seventh of January, a very controversial incident took place in the strategic Strait of Hormouz and left the world holding its breath for a few moments. The western papers reported: "The Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats have threatened three US NAvy ships in what is being called a 'serious provocation'. American forces were on the verge of firing on the vessels after being harassed and provoked, according to Pentagon officials." But Iranian state TV quoted a Revolutionary Guard official as saying: "The footage released by the US Navy was compiled using file pictures and the audio has been fabricated." So, provocation or fabrication? Threat or excuse? Another Middle East war behind the corner or a pretext for starting one? I found an interesting article from the Beppe Grillo's Blog. Take a look and have your saying.

Petroleum and terrorism

Image from the Financial Times

11 September 2001. Since then we have been one of the nations at risk of Islamic attacks. More than six years have passed and, as far as we can remember, not a single person has been killed or injured in Italy as a direct result of the Jihad. This must be some sort of record. We have not seen a single possessed man wearing a turban, or a bearded fanatic involved in any robbery, bloody event or domestic burglary.
Some may believe that this may be simply because Italy closes an eye (looks the other way), perhaps even both eyes and allows everyone to do their own thing. And the Country allows the setting up of logistics bases that could be used as a springboard for attacks elsewhere in Europe. There may well be some truth in this belief because, here in Italy, we are free to do whatever we wish and this Country is probably the best crossroads for all the secret services of the world. Abu Omar was kidnapped in Milan by twenty-six CIA agents. However, any terrorist wishing to blow himself up in London or Madrid is able to access local support with impunity. He need not go as far as Rome or Milan. Since 2001, there have been around 8000 people assassinated in the workplace, hundreds more have died at the hands of organised crime and there have been thousands of rapes. Entire swathes of the Campania, Calabria and Sicily Regions are beyond the rule of law, with shotguns drawn. The result is that we have sent our troops to Iraq and Afghanistan and cut our funding to the Country’s Police Services. All due to the Jihad.
Of what use is a fear of the Muslims and the mosques? The person who prays does not normally get involved in criminal activity. In an attempt to find some sort of answer to this question, I read the recent International Energy Agency Report on the future of world energy. The report’s content is summarised in a map published by the Financial Times and entitled: “The increasing importance of Middle East petroleum”.
In 1980, the quantity of petroleum extracted in non-Opec countries, such as the United States and Russia, amounted to 35.5 million barrels per day, while 28.1 million barrels were being extracted by Opec zone Countries. The forecast for the year 2030 is exactly the opposite, with petroleum production is expected to in the order of 60.3 million barrels per day in the Opec zone and 53.2 million barrels in the rest of the world. He who controls the Persian Gulf, which is where 30% of the entire global requirement will be extracted, controls the energy resources and, he who controls the energy resources also controls the entire planet. The rising demand for energy (China alone will go from their current 7 million barrels per day, to 16.5 million by 2030) will coincide with the concentration of petroleum in the Persian Gulf, overlooked by Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Emirates. All of which are Muslim States. Therefore, the more petroleum you produce, the more you are a terrorist.

Per una traduzione italiana del testo, eccovi la link:

http://www.beppegrillo.it/2007/12/petrolio_e_terr.html