I know sex chat boards and politics don't mix, so I shouldn't even post my feelings on this, but I will anyway. I respect you, but I have to disagree with the stance of boycotting foreign goods.

I have to agree that buying oil (or any goods) from other countries does help fund their military abilities, it also helps the innocent civilians who are stuck under oppressive dictatorships. Most of the innocent people of these countries would die if they didn't sell us their oil. Yes, their oppressive political leaders are in some cases evil, but the average Joe Citizen needs all the help they can get from US dollars and if that means we end up helping the governments of those countries as well as helping the people then we should at least try to keep the countries afloat and gain a little from it.

We put ourselves on the top of the food chain, when doing that we also made ourselves the primary care givers for the under developed countries of the world. When we stop buying from these countries we are left with the deaths of thousands of people and end up providing aid in the form of direct giving with no hope of return.

Think about what would happen should that $18 billion stop flowing. All trickle down would end. The oppressive governments would simply take from the people who already have next to nothing and NEVER give back. The end result would be nations of starving people with no hope. A government telling its people that the US refuses to help, even though we control so many resources and sit around over eating. The last thing you want to face as a policing country is a civilization with no hope who will begin seeing you as a greedy resource fat target. Just look at how the Iraq and Afghan leaders have brainwashed people so deep they are willing to die to send America a message of hate.

While I am at it, how much of a profit is made off of the oil we pay $18 Mil for? Look at both direct and indirect profits (i.e comfort levels, ease of access to needs, gasoline aided machinery in labor forces, etc...). What are we giving back to the countries we are gaining so much from? Check it out, you might be angry at how little they get back from us for all their hard work while we make a ton. It's worse than the labor rates in the sweatshops we all boycotted when it showed on Oprah.

The other aspect you need to look at when making a decision like this is what will happen ten years down the road? If we use up our natural resources we have nothing to bank on for the future. Yes, for the next ten years we will be funding all types of people in the middle east, good and bad people, but we will also be keeping US oil stored for when the US does need it. It is a 'keep ours, share theirs' system in place. While we spend minimal dollars on their resources right now we are able to keep ours until the end.

Some have argued that we will not need the oil in ten years because we are mobilizing an electronic motor system that is working. While it is true our cars will be able to run free of oil/gasoline our dependence on plastics and fossil fuel burning machinery will still require oil products. Just look around your house and see what you have that is made of plastic.

A raise in electric based transportation will also require a boost to the power grid. Just look at how the computer age required assistance to the infrastructure, just think what will happen when everyone goes home to plug in their nice new electric motor vehicles... the power grid will take a hit and drop in performance, possibly even enough to shut it down or cause rolling brownouts. We are a long way off from keeping the system alive in such a massive hit.

While I am all for going solar and environmentally safe route, there is not a big enough gain for the corporations who truly control our country. We are too far off from being independent to burn our bridges just yet.

What I would like to know is why US companies which do not pull resources from the middle east have raised their prices to reflect the rising prices in the middle east? From a standpoint of a pure capitalistic society, it makes sense to screw your fellow Americans over as much as possible for your own personal gain. At risk of sounding like a crazy activist, I would bet this idea of boycotting oil was started by the oil companies in order to spur short term sales while the oil price remains high and they can make a better profit.

In the long run, how will this affect us? The widening of the financial gap will only turn a once happy nation into a bitter class-ism based society, much like the state of things in the middle east only much, much larger. I know this is true. I once lived in an area which harbored this type of lifestyle right here in the US. I can't count the number of times I almst lost my life for no reason other than hate for the white upper class ideals, even though the only thing I share with the white upper class is skin color.

Many people let anger cloud their view and are quick to inflict damage without looking at the bigger picture. There is so much we can do to help in a long term sense rather than to shut down and close ourselves into a egocentric tyrant nation. A little help to some of these nations would do a world of good. Yes, in some cases there has been too little help and we may be too late to fix it, but causing the deaths of many thousands of people will only make us look evil when those who are will look like heros in the eyes of the needy.

Okay, I am going to stop now because I am getting all wound up. Every side has points and counter points (and I am sure a lot of counter points will be made against my stance). I just felt the need to share my opinion.

Please don't hate me now.

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-Deno