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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> John Clark <johnkclark@gmail.com> <br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [ExI] I hate to say it but, I agree with Trump<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>On Wed, Sep 2, 2026 at 2:13 PM <<a href="mailto:spike@rainier66.com">spike@rainier66.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>></span></b><span class=gmaildefault><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>></span></b></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>…Apparently the current POTUS likes to <span class=m-3844365685681550207gmaildefault>"</span>troll<span class=m-3844365685681550207gmaildefault>"</span> Iranians<span class=m-3844365685681550207gmaildefault> too…John K Clark</span></span></b><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span class=m-3844365685681550207gmaildefault><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'> </span></b></span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span class=gmaildefault><i><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>></span></i></span><span class=m-3844365685681550207gmaildefault><i><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>The long term result is that a known vulnerability, the Strait of Hormuz, is having oil pipelines built around it as fast as the neighboring countries can throw them under the ground. </span></i></span><o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>>…I asked your favorite AI <span class=gmaildefault>G</span>rok<span class=gmaildefault> the following question: </span></span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><b><u><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>>…ME</span></u></b></span><span class=gmaildefault><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>: </span></b></span><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>Because of Trump's war with Iran the Strait of Hormuz is closed so some of the countries in the area are building oil pipelines, is it feasible that a pipeline could replace all the shipping that once went through that Strait, and if so how long would it take to build it?<span class=gmaildefault> John K Clark</span></span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=gmaildefault><b><u><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>>…Grok</span></u></b></span><span class=gmaildefault><b><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>: " </span></b></span><strong><u><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Tahoma",sans-serif'>No</span></u></strong><strong><u><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'>, pipelines cannot fully replace the ~20 million barrels per day</span></u></strong><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'> (mb/d) of crude oil, condensate, and petroleum products that normally transit the Strait of Hormuz, and even substantial expansions would leave a large residual volume dependent on the waterway (or other workarounds) for years…<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'>I agree with Grok for most of this, however the commentary is self-contradictory. I agree building pipelines to replace shipping will take years. But of course most things take years to build. That doesn’t make it impossible or impractical. It just takes a while. We can deal with it in the meantime.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'>We have known for decades that there are threats from Iran which are long term. We have known that eventually these pipelines will need to be built, for surface ships are always vulnerable, and that strait can be blockaded from either side. It has long been clear that having sufficiently shielded (underground) pipelines to carry oil products from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq, Jordan, to the Mediterranean Sea is an infrastructure which is worth building. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'>Iran had the ability to fire on oil shipping shipping thru the strait that whole time. I see no indications it will stop having that ability any time soon. Conclusion: alternative means must be built.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'>If those pipes take twenty years to build, there is every reason to think it is a good investment. Iran attacked the USA in 1979, nearly 47 years ago. The two countries have been at war ever since, even though most of that time there were no active hostilities. We have known that whole time that Iran could start blasting away at oil tankers going thru the strait, and that pipes capable of carrying the entire load would need to be built, eventually. Low oil prices prevented it from happening. Now… they are being built.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'>John, do feel free to Grok that commentary. Don’t rephrase it however. Cut and paste it.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif'>spike<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0in 0in 0in 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0in'><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><o:p> </o:p></p></div></blockquote></div></body></html>