How about the new gas prices?

Oil 48 dollars a barrel yesterday and gas jumped 20 cents in the corn fields of Watseka, IL 1.94 a gallon.

Ours jumped some 1.55-1.69. Don't know what they blamed it on this time, I guess the Israel war.

oil and gas prices follow this dance- 2 steps back, 4 steps forward. I have prebought quite a bit of gas at $2.37 (this is gas that the supplier hold, not me, and is locked in forever with no use by date), every one says I should not prebuy when prices are at $1.65. I tell them why wait until it starts climbing, then scramble for time and funds to buy it before it's $3.50 again.

TSLACK, have you ever heard of the Strait of Hormuz?? it is the only access between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman where half of the worlds daily oil supply is shipped out of the middle east, it just so happens that Iran controls the Strait and they are a little peeved at the present time.

Hehehe! I find that funny. The US Fifth Fleet controls the Straight of Hormuz and if anybody doubts that...watch what happens if Iran ever attempts to blockade it.

You mean if Iran blockades it again like they did foe 68 days in 1974. What is really funny is that you comment without knowledge of the facts. The US 5th fleet patrols the Persian Gulf and the Northern Gulf of Oman. The Strait of Hormuz is 21 miles wide at the so called ''choke'' point, Internationally recognized ''Law of the sea'' allows 12 miles of coastal control to each coast country, in this case it is only 10.5 miles for Iran in the North and the same for the United Arab emirates to the south. Effectively Iran controls the inlet channel and the UAE controls the outlet channel, allowing for unnavigable waters there is roughly a 6 mile wide east west sea lane. while you are correct in stating that the US could break a blockade, it would not come quickly or be undertaken in haste as it would undoubtedly lead to war. A serious and crippling disruption of oil supply would be the immediate unavoidable outcome.

What is really funny is that you comment without knowledge of the facts. The US 5th fleet patrols the Persian Gulf and the Northern Gulf of Oman. The Strait of Hormuz is 21 miles wide at the so called ''choke'' point, Internationally recognized ''Law of the sea'' allows 12 miles of coastal control to each coast country, in this case it is only 10.5 miles for Iran in the North and the same for the United Arab emirates to the south. Effectively Iran controls the inlet channel and the UAE controls the outlet channel, allowing for unnavigable waters, there is roughly a 6 mile wide east west sea lane. while you are correct in stating that the US could break a blockade, it would not come quickly or be undertaken in haste as it would undoubtedly lead to war. A serious and crippling disruption of oil supply would be the immediate unavoidable outcome.

What is ridiculous is that you speak as an authority, referring to International "Law of the Sea" as if it is some unbreakable Iron Chain stretched across those waters.

Regardless of how narrow it is, a "Law" of War is: You can can occupy any ground.....that you can take and HOLD.

The Fifth Fleet doesn"t not have to imperil itself by sailing into that bottleneck like fish in a barrel.....but can wage a standoff attack on the Iranians from either of the Gulf"s you mention.

There will be no stranglehold permitted on the Straight of Hormuz by any of the hostiles in that area. This, you can rest assured of.

I did not refer to myself as an authority. The exact reason I italicized ''International Law of the sea'' is because I am quoting the name of an agreement between nations, certainly not to infer that I have anything to do with it. I likewise never said that the 5th fleet would have any trouble taking or defending the Strait, or that a strangle hold would be tolerated indefinately. What I did say and will repeat is that an Iranian blockade would cause a major disruption to oil movement and the USA would not make a hasty or rash rush to war. More than likely some type of diplomatic solution would be tried and or some similar sanctions to economically punish them first. If you can name a similar incident that has led to immediate military action in the last 40 years I would like to know what it was.

Yom Kippor 1973?

Oh! That was Israel (aka the 51st state) and Egypt.

The Iranians are nothing more than a festering pimple on, and in, the world's a$$. From time to time it gets enflamed, causes a little irritation and then goes away. However, if the time comes that it requires squeezing, that is exactly what it will receive. Once the core is removed and a balm is applied, it will heal. That is exactly what is being applied to Iraq at this very moment. The Iranians fear they are next....and they should!

One of these days there will be a leader installed in this country who will exterminate that nest of ingrates over there and put things in order.

That order is:

You have oil, We want it.
We will buy it, even pump it ourselves.
You will behave while we do it.
You will take the millions and be happy.
If that arrangement is not suitable, then We will take it.
Payment will be withheld until You accept the conditions.

End of discussion.

That, is how it was throughout the reign of the Shah. He was installed to make sure those conditions were met. Religious extremists deposed him and they have been the source of that festering pimple ever since. Jimmy Carter munched his goobers and failed to correct the situation in 1979. Thirty years later...well thirty years, you know what has ensued.

If there was any positive resulting from the Soviet era, it was the fact that Moscow held all those southern nnalert provinces in firm check. I never realized there were so many 'stans until the Soviet Union dissolved and the Azerbaijani's, Kajiki's, and so forth came crawling out of the woodwork again. This has exacerbated the situation in the other nnalert countries and...the entire region.

Lo, I digress! Those proud, but mostly ignorant peoples in that region, are led by an educated, but misguided few. They shall not be allowed to hold the world hostage.