# Fuck The Saudis **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 8, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050 "2009-10-08T14:46:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/21 "2009-10-08T18:30:41Z")
I heard they had WMD. Sanctions first or straight in? ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/22 "2009-10-08T18:39:11Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > As an aside, I am a big fan of the whole flag-waving American hatred of all things Middle East. Why? > > Cheap flights to New York with Kuwait Air thats why šŸ˜ƒ > > Apart from that I couldnt give a blue fuck, except to wonder why this is in the Pit? _looks at your location_ Does that also mean that there are cheap New York-Ireland flights through Kuwait Air? That would be awesome! ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/23 "2009-10-08T18:44:54Z")
> [@pbbth](#): > > _looks at your location_ > > Does that also mean that there are cheap New York-Ireland flights through Kuwait Air? That would be awesome! Not sure. I am going to New York March 17th next year for a stag do. Flights are on Expedia at the minute, Heathrow to New York RTN, for just Ā£250. Add Ā£30/40 flight from Belfast to heathrow and I am still saving. From my scientific musings inside my head, I guessed that the reason the flight is so cheap is that no Americans want anything to do with Kuwait air. So I would guess the reverse flights would be just as cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/24 "2009-10-08T19:07:18Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > I am going to New York March 17th next year for a stag do. Translation: bachelor party ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/25 "2009-10-08T20:00:04Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > If youā€™re serious and not just being rhetorical, Iā€™d recommend you do some reading about Peak Uranium. Yes, there is a Hubbert peak for uranium, and if we did what you proposed it would be ruinous for a relatively short-term exploitation. Not a good idea even under the best of circumstances, and almost laughable in the face of the anti-nuclear movement and political limitations. Thatā€™s assuming the reactors only use one specific type of uranium and that the byproducts arenā€™t recycled for reuse. Thereā€™s more than one way to fuel a reactor. Although youā€™re right about the NIMBY anti-nuke loons (protip: much more radioactivity is released by using coal plants than from reactors). ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/26 "2009-10-08T20:51:30Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Itā€™s not as if they couldnā€™t have seen this coming for a long time, and used those oil revenues for something more useful than subsidising the life styles of the members of the Saudi royal family. Iā€™m sure theyā€™ll use some of it to fight international climate change initiatives. Thatā€™s more useful to THEM, until temperatures get so high that their camels start dropping dead of heat exhaustion. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/27 "2009-10-08T21:12:28Z")
Every day four (sometimes five times a day), 100 open hopper cars of Virginia coal cruises by my backyard. Thatā€™s about 28,000,000 lbs of coal a day or 10 billion lbs a year. Figuring 1 ppm of Uranium in that coal, that wprks out to about 10,000 lbs of U a year. Presuming a 0.71% concentration of slow fissionable U-235==\> 72 lbs (32.7 kg). That would be better than 1/2 the the amount needed for a ā€œLittle Boyā€ weapon (which used only 80% HEU for both the hollow cylinder projectile and the smaller fixed cylinder at the end). Of course, for a more advanced weapon design, it would be more than adequate. North Carolina, a potential nuclear power. Watch out Iran! Multiply the above by ~2.5 for the amount of Thorium. ---
**Author:** ![bri1600bv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@bri1600bv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bri1600bv)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/28 "2009-10-08T22:43:49Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > If youā€™re serious and not just being rhetorical, Iā€™d recommend you do some reading about Peak Uranium. Yes, there is a Hubbert peak for uranium, and if we did what you proposed it would be ruinous for a relatively short-term exploitation. Not a good idea even under the best of circumstances, and almost laughable in the face of the anti-nuclear movement and political limitations. The world is relatively unexplored for uranium. Also nuclear waste can be reprocessed, very little of the energy is currently used. Saying that we face peak uranium would be like people saying the world will run out of oil pre WWII. (They did say that). ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/29 "2009-10-09T02:03:54Z")
You can also make more nuclear fuel with breeder reactors. ---
**Author:** ![Alienhand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8edcca/32.png) [@Alienhand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alienhand)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/30 "2009-10-09T03:10:15Z")
> [@PrettyVacant](#): > > I heard they had WMD. Sanctions first or straight in? Has Bill Kristol written about being greeted as liberators and the spontaneous parades in Mecca yet? ---
**Author:** ![Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/try2b_comprehensive/32/65_2.png) [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try2B_Comprehensive)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/31 "2009-10-09T04:56:19Z")
I read that an acre of solar panels (in Wisconsin!) would power an ev of ordinary efficiency 900,000 miles per year. Wanna fuck the Saudis? Evā€™s. Think of the gas nozzle as dispensing tiny Saudi flags into your tank, each of which you pay for with your personal labor. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/32 "2009-10-09T13:34:10Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > About 6%, actually, and thatā€™s irrelevant. We give aid to Israel and Japan. What aid does the US provide Japan? ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/33 "2009-10-09T13:55:13Z")
> [@bri1600bv](#): > > The world is relatively unexplored for uranium. Also nuclear waste can be reprocessed, very little of the energy is currently used. There are political problems involved in reprocessing. Lots of them. The two big ones: Wherever the plant is proposed it will find intense opposition. Reprocessing necessarily requires the breeding of plutonium, which is seen as a step toward weaponization. I donā€™t see any way around those issues. Thereā€™s not even agreement on Yucca Mountain, and thatā€™s in BFE, far away from everybody. > [@](#): > > Saying that we face peak uranium would be like people saying the world will run out of oil pre WWII. (They did say that). No, itā€™s stating the truth based upon current consumption rates, political reality, and future feasibility. That can change in the future, but until then itā€™s important to recognize the realities of the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/34 "2009-10-09T13:55:55Z")
No direct aid, but the Treasury bought up lots and lots of Yen during the 90s to help stabilize the Japanese economy. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/35 "2009-10-09T17:50:07Z")
I really wish I could get the song ā€œShock the Monkeyā€ out of my head. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/36 "2009-10-09T22:42:24Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > There are political problems involved in reprocessing. Lots of them. The two big ones: > > Wherever the plant is proposed it will find intense opposition. > > Reprocessing necessarily requires the breeding of plutonium, which is seen as a step toward weaponization. > > I donā€™t see any way around those issues. Thereā€™s not even agreement on Yucca Mountain, and thatā€™s in BFE, far away from everybody. These arguments are based on the ignorance of the anti-nuclear crowd. I thought ignorance was something to be fought? ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/37 "2009-10-10T07:30:06Z")
**Airman Doors, USAF** isnā€™t saying those arguments are valid, heā€™s just saying that those are the oppositions to building more nuclear plants. There is a lot of ignorance in the US when it comes to nuclear power, and itā€™s going to be an uphill battle to get any new plants built. ---
**Author:** ![padabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@padabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/padabe)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/38 "2009-10-11T21:27:34Z")
Interesting thread. I would have figured this bunch to be a little more tolerant, perhaps even to a fault. For the sake of argument, suppose that the climate pact goes into effect, and it cripples the economies of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, etc. Are you prepared to have an armload of failed nation-states around the Middle East? I realize that **Doors** has gone on record as objecting to my premise. Is that the general consensus here? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/39 "2009-10-11T21:37:35Z")
I agree, but Iā€™m probably in the minority again. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050/40 "2009-10-12T01:43:41Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > No, itā€™s stating the truth based upon current consumption rates, political reality, and future feasibility. That can change in the future, but until then itā€™s important to recognize the realities of the situation. But comparing that to literally running out of oil doesnā€™t work well; they are different classes of problems. > [@padabe](#): > > For the sake of argument, suppose that the climate pact goes into effect, and it cripples the economies of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, etc. Are you prepared to have an armload of failed nation-states around the Middle East? Given that oil isnā€™t an unlimited resource, that is an inevitability if they canā€™t survive without massive oil exports, regardless of any climate pacts. Which I donā€™t think will have nearly the effect you think it will, and will likely make them last longer if it slows the consumption of oil. Nor will their economies be improved by ending up underwater, thrown into famine, or the markets for their oil collapsing into chaos; like many people you are conveniently ignoring the economic cost of doing nothing about climate change and only focusing on the cost of trying to stop it. And it isnā€™t the collective duty of humanity to screw civilization over just to preserve the economy of a few self destructive dictatorships. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-saudis/513050.md?page=3)