What about use of US military in Columbia to protect oil pipelines? What about the use of US military to grab oil resources? What about oil industry payments to the brutal government in Nigeria in exchange for brutal "security services" from the Nigerian military, and so forth?

All of these behaviours make me believe that the whole discussion takes place in a context of bad faith. This undermines the discussion considerably.

Isn't this what economists call "externalized" costs? Or what some people would refer to as "hidden subsidies?" What is the true cost of oil right now, given that all this bad-faith behavior is paid for by the consumer -- if not at the pump nozzle, then in taxes or higher prices elsewhere? Certainly, the concept of a "free" market, with the various participants in the market exchanging their products on a level playing field is a cruel hoax.