Colonial Pipeline is a major supplier of fuel for the South. Colonial is responsible for about 45% (not 100%) of the fuel that comes to the East Coast. On the 7th of May, Colonial’s IT systems fell victim to a cyberattack that introduced a kind of malware called “ransomware” onto the network.
Ransomware does a couple of things. It encrypts everything on the computer. It will then show the victim a screen that instructs them how to pay the attacker and a timer, which when it runs out will cause everything on the computer to be deleted, or the ransom to get their files back will go up. The second thing most ransomware does is spread itself across as many computers as it can as fast as it can. We don’t need to go down the vastly complex rabbit hole that is ransomware and cyberattacks for the purposes of this article, it is just important to know what “ransomware” is and what it does in a broad sense.
Colonial’s corporate IT network was infected, but they shut down pipeline operations before the ransomware could infect it. In a way, the ransomware worked anyway because Colonial still doesn’t have access to their pipeline operations systems. The attack has been attributed to a European hacker group, and they subsequently claimed responsibility. The group involved is NOT government sponsored, for those itching to blame a country for attacking our oil supply. Colonial is being “assisted” by the FBI and some IT industry big names to help ensure their systems are restored safely. Their latest press release tells us they will be operational by the end of the week.
It should be noted that it was their mainlines that were shut down. Many of their smaller lines are still operational. It should also be noted that Colonial is responsible for 45% of the fuel brought to the East Coast. Not 100%, but 45%. Additionally, our beloved federal government has reduced restrictions on fuel trucks so more gasoline can be brought into affected areas that way. Fuel is still flowing, but at a somewhat reduced rate for a brief amount of time. The question then, is why the panic?
The answer is the same people who caused toilet paper shortages back in the beginning of the pandemic and are causing the endless ammo shortage. These are the type of boomers who will buy the last 10 cans of beans, not because they eat beans very often, or even because they foresee themselves suddenly going to a bean heavy diet. No, they buy the last 10 cans of beans on the shelf so that nobody else can, and nobody enjoys arrogantly uttering the phrase “I got mine” more than a boomer. They don’t want it because they need it, they want it because someone else needs it. It is likely none of these people know the shelf life of gasoline, and some with dreams of selling it on the black market will probably cut it with water, but the stupidity, greed and sadism of the typical boomer is fodder for another article.
One of the iron clad laws of capitalism is that demand drives price, so when people start panic buying, the price of things is raised to the highest amount the price setters think they can get. This, of course, induces more panic, which raises the price again, and the spiral continues. Not until the government steps in, of course. That only happens in serious countries. No, the price spiral only stops when demand starts dropping or when supplies increase again to where they can no longer deny they’re price gouging.
Some have wondered if this was all part of a government plot to drag the U.S. into the violence currently happening in Israel and Palestine. I generally do not believe in vast conspiracy theories like that because 1) most of the people in our government are too stupid to pull something like that off and 2) it requires too many people raised on social media to stay quiet about it. Another reason the idea of a grand conspiracy to embroil us in another Middle Eastern conflict is ridiculous is because such a conspiracy is entirely unnecessary. The media is already more than willing to peddle any lie the Harris Administration tells them to and both houses of Congress are more than happy to sign off on it, with the same public nay saying to make it appear as though there is dissent and free thought.
To make a long story slightly longer, some nerds in Europe took over some computers in America. The owners of those computers got scared and shut down the pipelines, but extra promise to bring them back online by the end of the week. Boomers all over America are panic buying gasoline without knowing why or even how to store it, making your life harder until they calm down.
Blame the boomers when virtually every car I saw in line yesterday had non-Boomers inside.
I would like to think that such shortages are not always the result of boomers, but, rather, government price gouging. Considering that the current lumber shortage has coincided with leaked footage of completely full lumber yards, it seems likely that the government would be willing to short other commodities, especially something as necessary as gas. Even if this cyberattack was a chance occurrence, I doubt sincerely that our elite are jumping at solutions to the issue, considering the chaos it has already brought and will bring. Look at how, after years of denial, the fed is readily willing to admit now that there is massive inflation in nearly every sector. They are clearly trying to further drive the economy into the mud, and why shouldn’t they? Years of grocery store conditioning have caused most of our people to forget how to even grow a tomato plant, much less take care of themselves, and thus they will require government support. Like any monopoly, the government will be able to do whatever they please with the dependent – who else will plant their tomatoes? As for ammunition, that is definitely the result of government purchasing. In such a politically turbulent time, when so many have woken up, why would our overlords want us running around with the means to end their tyrannical rule? No, they have likely purchased all of that for themselves. Perhaps they followed the Soros method and purchased all of these firearms and ammunition for the illegals – notice how all of these supposedly random caravans are always armed to the teeth. While the toilet paper shortage can absolutely be attributed to boomer – and millennial – insanity, ammunition, lumber, and gas is likely a different story. When the covid lockdowns didn’t snuff out entirely the elephant in the room, the elite sought other methods, which, like always, ultimately hurts the Christian white working class. In the end, it has become increasingly obvious that a free market system should not be part of our goals, because look at the damage it has done to our people.
The people who need gasoline in a rural or volatile / essential situation probably already have stockpiles they switch out every half a year. You’d be better of with a pushbike than some of the images I’ve seen of fuel in plastic bags or those steel frame plastic water containers used on farms.
I can’t say I’m not hoping for a bunch of people riding around on horses just for the sight of it.