I'll make it easy for you, Rip. We give a lot of money to Saudi Arabia in return for oil, a lot of that money winds up going to Saudi Arabia's government-run charities, the government-run charities in turn give much of that money to terrorist groups, and finally the terrorist groups use that money to buy weapons and train operatives that fly planes into our buildings and kill our citizens. Thus, a portion of every American dollar spent on Saudi oil winds up in a terrorist's hands and is used to kill our people. That is the hidden cost that we pay for cheap petroleum goods.
Screw that. At some point we have to take Saudi Arabia to task and make them clean up their house, or stop supporting them altogether so that they no longer have the wealth to fund terrorism. If that entails doing without their oil altogether forever and ever, then so be it. We’d feel a pinch, of course, as would the Saudis. But we would not be shut down in 2 years. We would adapt and be better off in the long run since we had stopped being a primary source of funding for the country that serves as the primary source of funding for those that would see our destruction.
That is my no bull****, no politics opinion. You will have to forgive me if I fail to see the "tactical brilliance" of wiping the Saudi slate clean, turning a blind eye to their support of terrorism and continuing to give them money that will eventually be used to kill Americans.
P.S. Your concern for my gonads is appreciated, if disconcerting.
