poke salad annie

I like this one! I mean a person usually has to be reading William Blake in a hospice to experience something like this!

WOW! Thanks for the good news!

I've wondered about that possible course of action. What would that do to the currency restructuring?

I've kept trying to make sense of the last paragraph. Am I misunderstanding? Does this imply that part of their 60 billion reserve is in the government budget?

"make the presentation consistent w strong demand" That bit sounds real promising!!!

Thanks! This helps me put it in better perspective. Not there yet...I guess I've started believing in the 'it's all done' rhetoric and took the no dinars for oil claim as a done deal too. I've read a lot of news posts and several threads. But until recently I haven't paid attention to names and personalities much. So I'm sorry if I'm asking an obvious question. What do you make of the repeated claims that Iraqi news is smoke?

Not sure Hamels. But if this rumor or opinion is true, it's of major, global importance. If it's not true, it's obviously intended as a demoralizing and strong arming effort to make us afraid. Either way, this opinion piece raises some interesting questions about our addiction to Arab petro products. They can use oil to bankrupt us completely (we haven't seen the worst of that!), but maybe articles like this will wake more Americans up to our life and death need to find alternatives to oil!

Thanks Maggie! But I'm saying countless human lives, on an international scale, DEPEND on the dollar! The reason why China dropping us is so crucial is because they buy so much of our debt. So many DOLLARS. But they use lots of those dollars to buy OIL! It is Iran's policy that will make the dollar undesirable to China etc... Don't underestimate the global interconnections. As regards our own banking system, I agree. Nixon should have never taken us off the gold standard. But I have enough faith in this country to believe that any process involving a return to asset backed dollars will result in our again having one of the strongest currencies on earth. Oil is valuable to the extent it's irreplaceable. MMMMMM We'll see about that. America will wind up helping the whole world (again) and remain strong!

Why do people blame you Keep for being able to read the article? How do people get an oil for dinars intention from this? Much less such an interpretation from someone who says they read Arabic? Could someone explain???? I would love for this to mean dinars are valuable for oil purchases! Our investment turns on this!!!

I gave you a plus on that one Tyron! And I do know that Muslims and Jews are siblings with one Father. It is not right that there be anything but love between us. But we obviously need to work on that! As regards the political rat's nest,I'm certainly willing to consider your links and information. But you seem to have overemphasized the importance of my post on weapons to my reasons for my opinions. An individual or a faction or a sect or a country might be our enemies without having nuclear weapons. In fact I think 'real' countries might be more loathe to use such MAD weapons than an extremist fringe. I will follow your lead and learn more. For now, please consider that an attack on the dollar will potentially lead to more human deprivation and suffering on a global scale than the Iraqi wars to date. After all we feed a lot of the world. What will happen as OUR infrastructure collapses. Do you think our agricultural system will be making shipping wheat to Africa a priority when our own people are hungry in the streets? This tiger has a long tail!

You seem to be saying that this article is more misdirection. The opening sentence is "Iraq will not use the dinar in the sales of oil citizen -.." because "market speculators will buy the dinar to sell to countries dealing with the country's oil.." You go on to say we'll make a lot of money when the US needs dinar to buy oil. This article implies that Iraq is planning on refusing to buy back dinars with oil. And we all know a big part of this investment depends on just that. At the end of your comment you imply that Iraq is saying in this article that they WILL take dinars for oil.But this article is stating just the opposite! Let's hope this is more smoke and misdirection, because with Iran planning on refusing dollars, such a move by Iraq would be catastrophic for us.

You see it too. Do you think it's a coincidence that Arabs own most of our media?

I agree that the situation in Israel is untenable. It is not my intention to get into who's right after an endless chain of wrongs. We may never agree on that. But I know we agree that it was Europe's legacy of hate that led to the Jewish holocaust, not any legacy of hatred on the part of the Muslims. Their hatred came after Europe decided it was too ashamed to look at the surviving Jews and dumped them in the mideast. The current situation is not because of what happened last century. It is happening now. But how can you not understand the hostile intent of an Iranian attack on the dollar? I have to repeat that an imperfect ally that shares our beliefs and goals is worth having as an ally in a part of the world that hates our culture. We're not perfect either. But I'm certain that we're preferable to Iran at this time.

Thanks everyone! Mine are 10!!!!!

Yes indeed! Very worrying. By attacking the dollar Iran is only making it more likely that some moron will decide it's possible to 'win.' The whole world has changed. It is now possible for a couple of people to end it! But by the same token, maybe we can use our clever tools to help make peace instead. You'd think we would have learned something in the past several thousand years. Like what is and is not worth fighting for.