ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP Boycott

PLEDGE TO BOYCOTT THE BIG THREE GASOLINE COMPANIES:
EXXON-MOBIL, SHELL, AND BP

The Iraq War is having devastating effects.

US and coalition military deaths in Iraq are approaching 4,200, with tens of thousands more maimed or dead by suicide. The cost to US taxpayers may surpass $2 trillion. For the foreseeable future, we can expect 60 US soldiers to die each month and to spend $9 billion a month in Iraq, according to General David Petraeuss September 2007 report to Congress.

The effects on Iraqis have been far worse. At least one million Iraqis are estimated to have died due to the invasion and occupationthe equivalent of 10-12 million Americans by proportion of population. Iraqs public utilities, hospitals, and schools have been devastated. Poverty and malnutrition have risen dramatically. There are over 4 million Iraqi refugees inside and outside the country. The US occupation is not improving life in Iraq; public opinion polls have consistently found that Iraqis believe the US presence is causing more violence than it is preventing, even many months after the surge began. Most Iraqi civilians want the US to leave.

Yet General Petraeuss report anticipates a long-term effort in Iraq. Why? Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan recently admitted what many have known all along, that the Iraq war is largely about oil. The Bush administrations desire to control Iraqs vast oil reservesand to ensure that major international, private corporations have cheap access to those reserveshas become increasingly obvious over the course of the war, and is the primary reason why the US is still in Iraq.

ExxonMobil, Shell, and British Petroleum, the worlds largest non-governmentally-owned oil companies, are leading the push for corporate access to Iraqi oil, and may have helped lead the US and the United Kingdom to war in 2003. These companies are also the top three sellers of oil products to the Pentagon. While ordinary Iraqis and Americans bear the brunt of the war, these companies have enjoyed enormous profits as a direct result of the ongoing US presence in Iraq.

Meanwhile, both Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress have proven unwilling to end the war. Against the wishes of the vast majority of Americans, they CONTINUE to authorize additional funding for the wars continuation. Even most Democratic proposals which advocate withdrawal favor leaving 50,000 or more US troops in Iraq indefinitely. Five years of lobbying Congress have failed to end the war; we as consumers must use our buying power to apply direct pressure to the companies most involved in the war. ExxonMobil, Shell, and BP have great influence on the US Congress and the administration. Faced with strong enough threats to their profits, they will pressure our government to withdraw from Iraq.

Therefore, we as gasoline consumers pledge to boycott these companiesEXXON-MOBIL, SHELL, and BPuntil all US forces and military bases are withdrawn from Iraq. During this time we will purchase gasoline from alternative companies such as Citgo, Sunoco, Gulf, and others which can be found in the Consumers Guide to Gasoline (http://www.consumersforpeace.org/pdf/consumers_guide_to_gasoline.pdf). Whenever possible, we will also make an effort to reduce our overall gasoline consumption by taking public transportation and by using other more energy-efficient means of transportation. For regular updates on the boycott, see http://boycottwar.blogspot.com/.