Oily Oil Wars

If you're interested in Venezuela but aren't interested in the appalling crap about Venezuela that often appears in the US media, you should check out Oil Wars. Oil Wars isn't new, but it is new to me. So that's almost like being completely new.

Of course, as you can tell from its name, it's not just about Venezuela—it also covers the other oily mess, Iraq. Here's an excerpt from its first post:

This new blog "Oil Wars" will give ongoing news, analysis, and commentary regarding events in two countries where a liquid hydrocarbon, aka "oil", is the prime driver of current events.

In todays "post-industrial" world where information is transmitted around the world at the speed of light it is easy to overlook the importance of oil. However, almost nothing in the industrialized world would function without it. The entire transportation system is completely dependent on oil. Without it most workers could not arrive at their jobs, no materials could be transported to factories where they are needed, and no goods could be sent to market. Without oil there would be no lubricants, no jetting to distant shores for vacations, and no trips down to highway to visit grandparents or friends. Modern society would not exist as we know it without oil...

While many of us may have forgotten this the United States government has not.