Food, The New Oil ???

There is a growing schism between the major oil producers and the major oil consumers. It is apparent that the modern oil consumer nations cannot function well without the major producers supplying the oil. But the suppliers have an advantage in that they can hold the world hostage to their demands and desires.

What to do.

One option is to withhold, through pricing, the one great commodity that the west has in abundance. Food. Just as OPEC in the '70s flexed it's muscles, and became a policy maker through the embargo, so too could the west, with it's greater resources in food.

But too avoid being blamed, the guilt must be laid at the feet of those who will suffer the worst. To this end, encourage oil consumption, thereby raising prices on gas, and in turn, on food. Add to that, encourage some of the food sources to be used as fuel, again raising food prices due to shortages in the marketplace. Food can therefore become the new oil.

And it can all be blamed on the oil producers themselves. Justification can be argued that they started the spiraling of inflation by unreasonably raising the price of oil, so any resulting hardship from food shortages are the fault of these oil producers. The very ones most likely to suffer.

Much like a boxer is willing to accept a certain amount of punishment in a match, counting on his overall conditioning to allow him to outlast his opponent, so too the west could feel that in a confrontation with the middle east, it can last longer on a short fuel supply than they can on a short food supply. (Unfortunately, there will and is now, collateral damage from such an idea, and nations not involved suffer along with any intended region. But such is the nature of conflict, and I doubt such considerations would have much bothered any planners of such actions.)

This type of thinking would go a long ways towards explaining many policy decisions of the past years:

The protracted war in Iraq could be to assure enough destruction to make food shortages a prime issue when we do leave.

Iran could also be engaged destructively for the same reason.

The seed vaults could be an insurance policy for the west.

The moratorium on oil extraction, even under safeguards, from environmentally sensitive ares could be seen as a reserve of resources for later use.

Military buildup in the west could be a way of having enough material and supplies to last through a period of readjustment as famine closed the oil producers down for a while.

And the list goes on.

War is not always waged with bullets and tanks. Strategy takes many forms, and keeping objectives secret as long as possible by misdirection and illusion is wise. Are we now seeing this idea coming to fruition? Are food riots the first sign of the new power shift? Was this seen as the only way to break the stranglehold of the Mideast on the rest of the world?

I am interested to know if anyone has found evidence of such a conspiracy/policy? What things make this idea likely to have been at least considered by some group? What would it explain in terms of the western politics in the last two decades? Why would it have not been implemented?

And I realize I have lain no groundwork other than supposition for this idea. I bring it out for discussion as a possibility; to see what the many minds here can see that I have not. To see if this might be an avenue worth deeper investigation.

reply to post by NGC2736


Nice piece NGC. My thoughts on the whole food issue falls in line with the mass culling of the population conspiracy. It's just one part of the plan to 'take out' some of the population, while plenty more options await out there to take the rest of us out. (And plenty taken out already, on and since 9/11).

FOOD FOR THOUGHT….no pun intended.



Here I am bored. So I thought, why not figure out just how whacky things have been lately. All of this information comes from .gov sources, or reliable trade sources.



Exxon Mobil profits 2001=11.4 billion

Exxon Mobil profits 2007=40.6 billion



A 356% INCREASE IN PROFITS



(Consumer spending power when calculating inflation)

1st Qt. 2001 vs. 4th Qt. 2007

-28.6%



1 Gallon of Whole Milk

Since 2001

27% price gain



1 Gallon of Gas

Since Jan. 2001

235%



1 Dozen Medium Eggs

Since Jan 2005

357%



1 lb of Rice

Since Jan 2001

257%



1 lb of high grade hops

Since August 2007

As high as 1000%



1 bushel Corn

Since Jan 2001

232%



1 bushel Soybeans

Since Jan 2001

231%

While I don't discount the idea of the words cold and heartless describing the world's leadership, I'm simply looking at lines of cause and effect. Backtracking what might have been to see if there is any evidence to back it up.

And please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is true, in part or whole. But it makes a certain sense that I think bears more than a passing glance. It wouldn't be the first time food, or the lack of it, was used to win a conflict. (Look at the eradication of the buffalo and the effect this had on Native Americans and the policy of Manifest Destiny.)

Wow great thread! I love your ideas. I only hope that Western leaders really are this smart and have one up on the oil producing nations after all. I only hope that the slaves are really the masters. It really would be a brilliant plan.

reply to post by sc2099


Brilliant or diabolical, the fact is that there is the potential that such a plan could have been used. I have been looking for "shadows" of such a plan, but so far haven't found any. I don't know yet if that means it didn't happen, or it was so important it has been kept secret better than most things.

I can only hope that the Leaders of the Free world are smart enough to think of this...

But based on EVERY other military action, commited by the Commander-in-cheif... points the other way... its like our generals are fighting a war right out of the 19th century...

I fear that the US forces are fighting a war on one front... thats it, and our enemy is fighting on six diffrent levels...

Our country is being over-run... and holding the worlds food hostage isn't going to get rid of the enemy within....


A GREAT IDEA THOUGH...


Defnintly one to file away into the military tatics of the 21st century... and old tactic, with modern day safeguards and methods...

reply to post by TKainZero


I was actually taking the "aimlessness" of the war in Iraq as a deception tactic, much like a boxer will appear tired, letting his arms drop, taking a few blows, in order to make his opponent feel overconfident. Then a little "rope-a-dope" to let him wear himself the rest of the way out, and he suddenly has the real advantage.

Now I doubt Georgie is smart enough for this, but his daddy is a sharp cookie. As evil as a viper, but not stupid. And Cheney would eat up such an idea, along with some of those "reptilians" in the Government think tanks that both of them have been a part of forever.

And look at who's likely to win the White house this time? Either the most cold blooded woman since Cruella DeVille, or an ex soldier that follows orders and is so glad to at last get a shot at the brass ring that he would do anything, or a clueless maverick that could be kept in the dark and fed manure like a mushroom. Any of the three would work for a well planned operation like this. The first two would run with the idea, and Obama wouldn't find out till it was too late to do anything except watch it go down.

Originally posted by RabbitChaser
reply to post by NGC2736

 

Nice piece NGC. My thoughts on the whole food issue falls in line with the mass culling of the population conspiracy. It's just one part of the plan to 'take out' some of the population, while plenty more options await out there to take the rest of us out. (And plenty taken out already, on and since 9/11).

Their goal Rabiitchaser is to kill of 80% of the earth's popluation.

Originally posted by NGC2736
reply to post by sc2099

 

Brilliant or diabolical, the fact is that there is the potential that such a plan could have been used. I have been looking for "shadows" of such a plan, but so far haven't found any. I don't know yet if that means it didn't happen, or it was so important it has been kept secret better than most things.

That's the thing. It would have to be kept beyond secret at all costs for it to work. Even to the point of making the US look weak, retarded, or anything else that would distract enemies from the truth. I can only hope it's true. I really don't want all the stupidity and incompetence in our leaders to be real!

I have long thought the same way; a agricultural OPEC, basically swapping food for energy...the higher the price of oil the higher the price of grain etc.

reply to post by NGC2736

And so my first star ever for a post proposing a conspiracy. Not that I believe a word of it or anything, but it's great creative work. Fits the facts, plausible, deniable.

Kudos, PencilNebula.

reply to post by Astyanax


Thank you all for your thoughts here. And a special thanks to Astyanax for the star. Likely the only one he has ever given me, as well as being his first for a new thread idea. I'm honored.

As I said, this is an idea that I can't seem to shake, as I keep seeing more and more ways it could fit so many of the puzzle pieces.

I'm sure there are ways to see world events in this light that I have yet to notice.

But remember, I make no claim for fact, just an idea of what could be.



[edit on 15-4-2008 by NGC2736]

reply to post by NGC2736

Likely the only one he has ever given me

Not so, Celestial One.

I may not agree with many of your ideas, but that's another story.

Hiyah NGC...

I am new to most of the conspiracies typed out on this site. And while I enjoyed reading your opening post because it was so nicely and logically written...I sure hope that your theory is wrong, that there is no conspiracy in retaliation for the gas prices that would involve starving parts of the world to make a point.

However I am not nearly as naive as I wished I was. I actually do think there's a conspiracy at work here but not the one you think, although you could be right also.

I am thinking that the oil companies are simply taking EXTREME advantage of the set of circumstances that luckily landed this grand opportunity in their laps to reap, what was the other post? A %235 increase in profits???

It's one thing to rape the richest countries by gouging them with rising oil prices ...but it's quite another thing for these countries to then retaliate by exploiting rising food costs due to these oil prices rising...and starve innocent bystander countries in the process.

But as I have learned in the past 20 years, never underestimate the power of greed. I am hoping you do not find proof of this particular conspiracy.

[edit on 16-4-2008 by LateApexer313]

Astyanex, I am surprised, and pleased. I'm glad to not know where or how many times you have acted so towards me. It leaves me to view each of my posts as worthy, since any might have caught your eye.

The highest compliment I can return is that while you attack with vigor, you are civilized, and once an opponent is mortal wounded, you finish him with grace. I myself have retired from the field bloodied, yet ever ready for another round with such a gentleman, or gentle lady, as the case may be. *Bows in respect*

LateApexer, I too would like to think that the human race has no stomach for such actions. That as a species, such things are in our past. But I have seen no evidence that this is true. Our leaders, in almost every nation on earth, see only statistics, and not faces. We still hear talk of losses from nuclear war, and how survivable certain situations would be. 200.000 dead in an attack is a number, and one our leaders will contemplate.

I cannot see them balking over a few million dying of starvation, should they feel the end justifies the means.

What a great theory...

I'd like to see more research supporting the possibilities you raise.

Fascinating.

Again, nice thread.

OK, since I appear to be wearing my tin-foil hat today...

Look at this post by kosmicjack:

The U.S. Special Operations Command user (host: wsa27.socom.mil, ip: 209.22.222.27) conducted the following Google search: rice rationing united states.

----

United States Special Operations Command

It's probably nothing...



[edit on 21-4-2008 by loam]

reply to post by NGC2736


An interesting idea NGC. Food production is directly tied into water supply. It's no wonder that the USA, China, India, and Brazil all rank highly in terms of access to renewable fresh water supplies, and also rank as the world leaders in agriculture and food exports. While Russia also ranks highly in fresh water supply, it does not have the best weather conditions for food/agriculture production. India and China produce a great amount of food, but have many mouths to feed and big time pollution problems.

This could put the United States and Brazil in an advantageous position if food shortages become a real problem. Just pitching in my two cents... good thread.

You may have something here. I know I said it a few weeks ago and everyone said I was full of BS but think about it. First raise the price of gas and the poor people cant afford to drive back and forth to work, many will have to quit. Some will continue working just riding with others or walking to work. Then you put up the prices of food. These folks already cant hardly even afford to drive to the store never the less buy the expensive foods, maybe its a way to get rid of all the poor folks and retired folks??

I have a bad feeling about this, but we also need to realize how many children may become sick with less food and die due to it. As well as the elderly, and the poor.

Just for an example here is something that alot of folks dont realize:

Someone retires and gets a check of $590 a month.

US gov. gives them $47 a month food stamps.

Light bill monthly $60
Water bill monthly $30
Medicines monthly $350
Insurance for car monthly $60
Personal products monthly $40

Now as you can see most elderly cant hardly afford food already now add gas for car and repairs. Dr. visits ect. These will be the first folks to die from starvation. The government then will save a ton on not having to pay out there SS checks every month.


Then if you look at a lower class family of 5.

Moms monthly income: $650

Dads monthly income: $780

House payment: $665 a month

Lights $100 a month

Water $30 a month

phone $40 a month

Dads gas per day: $10

Moms gas per day: $5

Childcare if needed: $200 a month

Food????

As you can see this family makes to much to get food stamps yet still wont be able to afford to buy much food. So what happens to them? Starvation??

I still didnt put in for medical, or for car insurance. Or even a car payment. So basiclly they are screwed.



Hilda