(01-06-2026 05:37 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 05:31 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 03:13 PM)TripleA Wrote:  I never said VZ's oil was ours, doofus. We were in there from the beginning building up their industry. We weren't stealing from them.

All I'm talking about is them returning to VZ to kick up its oil production, and obviously sharing the profits AS THEY GO with VZ. Profits VZ doesn't currently have b/c Chavez and Maduro literally ran the industry into the ground.

Initial estimates are they can have full production up and running in about 18 months.

And if they don't want to do it, BFD. VZ's new gov will just have to figure it out, and I'm sure they can learn with our help. We can get somebody in there to repair their infrastructure and start pumping a helluva lot more oil that they currently are, and share the profits. Maybe Chevron alone. Maybe Canadian oil companies if ours say no.

You don't have the first ******* clue what you're talking about. For the love of God, STOP LISTENTING TO POLITICIANS ABOUT THE O&G INDUSTRY!!!

18 months...

And you obviously haven't learned a damn thing about me. I have no clue how long it will take (nor do you), and I didn't say I believed it. I simply reported exactly what they said, so we could discuss it.

You think you would remember that after I've said it about a dozen times. I disagree with Trump and the right every damn week on something. Hell, I'm not even a Republican.

I just sound like one for now, b/c your side has gone so far left they're over the cliff, and you willingly went with them.

Well, I heard a clip last night...and as expected...it was trump who made the 18 month claim...which you blindly repeated...unattributed.

So, that's why I said stop listening to politicians. And I have a much better understanding on how long it will take because I listen to experts in the O&G industry.

You should try that sometime.

P.S.: You do you, but if I don't know a damn thing about a topic, I try not to just post random **** about it...in an effort to not come across as ignorant or unable to learn about said topic.

The main takeaway for me, and probably China and Russia, is that a location heavily fortified with Chinese radar and top shelf Russian anti aircraft batteries couldn’t target and shoot down one US aircraft out of the 150 that entered their airspace.

(01-07-2026 10:41 AM)banker Wrote:  The main takeaway for me, and probably China and Russia, is that a location heavily fortified with Chinese radar and top shelf Russian anti aircraft batteries couldn’t target and shoot down one US aircraft out of the 150 that entered their airspace.

The US is the Sparta of the world. We have fought continually since WW2. China hasn't fought since Korea and we see how strong Russia is.

(01-06-2026 07:20 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 05:31 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 03:13 PM)TripleA Wrote:  I never said VZ's oil was ours, doofus. We were in there from the beginning building up their industry. We weren't stealing from them.

All I'm talking about is them returning to VZ to kick up its oil production, and obviously sharing the profits AS THEY GO with VZ. Profits VZ doesn't currently have b/c Chavez and Maduro literally ran the industry into the ground.

Initial estimates are they can have full production up and running in about 18 months.

And if they don't want to do it, BFD. VZ's new gov will just have to figure it out, and I'm sure they can learn with our help. We can get somebody in there to repair their infrastructure and start pumping a helluva lot more oil that they currently are, and share the profits. Maybe Chevron alone. Maybe Canadian oil companies if ours say no.

You don't have the first ******* clue what you're talking about. For the love of God, STOP LISTENTING TO POLITICIANS ABOUT THE O&G INDUSTRY!!!

18 months...

The US oil industry is currently hemorrhaging jobs due to trumps incompetence. All their investments are tied up in Canada, which currently produces.

Where pray tell do you expect them to get the workers and money to achieve this 18 month Utopia...in a country with unstable infrastructure and a wildly uncertain government?

Do you really think domestic workers were the ones who originally drilled and built the infrastructure to handle the oil there? Tribunals awarded Exxon Mobile and Conoco Phillips 1.6 billion and 8.7 billion respectively after the last nationalization under Hugo Chavez in 2007. As for workers---according to you---sounds like plenty of laid off US oil workers are available for the job of putting that infrastructure back into working order.

Would you uproot your life in America and go to work there...in a country with an unstable government, a crumbling infrastructure, and a wildly uncertain future? And besides, unless trump is going to take your money and give it to the oil companies to pay those workers (which would still undercut their business model that they poured billions into currently operating in Canada), those companies aren't going to make that investment on their own.

Would you be in favor of our government giving untold billions to the oil and gas industry? Again, I thought we were broke? Remember DOGE?

(01-07-2026 09:11 AM)gdunn Wrote:  I forget that Tom is the resident O&G industry know it all.. He uses Mr. Global, who none of the big boys know of or use. I mean I had to make an emergency trip to Mississippi last week and all the guys I know that work offshore was lamenting how they should've went to school and got a degree in gender studies or liberal arts cause they were all being laid off or their rigs stacked...

Keep on playing the clown, as I run circles around you with knowledge.

Pretty strange flex to bemoan that another poster has taken the time to learn things while you remain ignorant and just flail about.

(01-07-2026 10:44 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 07:20 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 05:31 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 03:13 PM)TripleA Wrote:  I never said VZ's oil was ours, doofus. We were in there from the beginning building up their industry. We weren't stealing from them.

All I'm talking about is them returning to VZ to kick up its oil production, and obviously sharing the profits AS THEY GO with VZ. Profits VZ doesn't currently have b/c Chavez and Maduro literally ran the industry into the ground.

Initial estimates are they can have full production up and running in about 18 months.

And if they don't want to do it, BFD. VZ's new gov will just have to figure it out, and I'm sure they can learn with our help. We can get somebody in there to repair their infrastructure and start pumping a helluva lot more oil that they currently are, and share the profits. Maybe Chevron alone. Maybe Canadian oil companies if ours say no.

You don't have the first ******* clue what you're talking about. For the love of God, STOP LISTENTING TO POLITICIANS ABOUT THE O&G INDUSTRY!!!

18 months...

The US oil industry is currently hemorrhaging jobs due to trumps incompetence. All their investments are tied up in Canada, which currently produces.

Where pray tell do you expect them to get the workers and money to achieve this 18 month Utopia...in a country with unstable infrastructure and a wildly uncertain government?

Do you really think domestic workers were the ones who originally drilled and built the infrastructure to handle the oil there? Tribunals awarded Exxon Mobile and Conoco Phillips 1.6 billion and 8.7 billion respectively after the last nationalization under Hugo Chavez in 2007. As for workers---according to you---sounds like plenty of laid off US oil workers are available for the job of putting that infrastructure back into working order.

Would you uproot your life in America and go to work there...in a country with an unstable government, a crumbling infrastructure, and a wildly uncertain future? And besides, unless trump is going to take your money and give it to the oil companies to pay those workers (which would still undercut their business model that they poured billions into currently operating in Canada), those companies aren't going to make that investment on their own.

Would you be in favor of our government giving untold billions to the oil and gas industry? Again, I thought we were broke? Remember DOGE?

If I were younger and single heck yeah I'd head down, especially if the money was great. I remember my first trip to SA years ago I ran across an American that worked on ships laying underground cables. He loved it. Add the Venezualan women and that makes it all the better. Oh, and I'd rather give the billions to an industry that will benefit us domestically than to give it to the likes of Iran, which wants us dead.

Something I heard on Glenn Beck earlier was, at least according to Glenn himself, Trump is trying to re-balance the world and break up a new (more like trying to form) Axis Powers (China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, or CRINK, if you like acronyms) by helping Israel win its war over Iran (taking out Iran's nuclear weapons program) and getting Maduro (eventually getting Venezuela to open back up their oil fields; Venezuela was giving oil to Cuba and selling it to China, who was also getting oil from Russia and Iran.). (This is based off of a convo Glenn had with the Magnificent Orange Bastard a while ago; don't remember when he said it was.) Since Russia is bogged down in Ukraine, China can't get oil from them. Since Iran is having its crazy inflationary period filled with protests and even infighting (citizens vs the government), Iran's crippled, too. So China can't really get oil from them as much as they'd like either. And the Greenland thing is a multi-pronged issue. It's not just about Arctic security. It's also about trying to break China's monopoly-like grip on rare earth materials.

Oh, and guess what else? Venezuela has a lot of gold underneath its surface, too. BRICs was trying to replace the U.S. Dollar with a currency of their own in order to buy oil. Well, since we now (or at least are now trying to) control Venezuela's oil and have affected Iran's oil (in a way), they (BRICs) will have to use something else, gold, to prop up their currency. And since we took out Maduro, we now have (or at least are try to get) access to the large cache of gold they have.

Now this could all work out or it could all blow up in our faces. But the man is trying, again, according to Glenn Beck, to reshuffle the deck and put us back as the country of influence in not only the Western Hemisphere, but the entire world for the next several years.

Just something I wanted to mention.

VA49er: Agreed. Iran sucks.

(01-07-2026 10:41 AM)banker Wrote:  The main takeaway for me, and probably China and Russia, is that a location heavily fortified with Chinese radar and top shelf Russian anti aircraft batteries couldn’t target and shoot down one US aircraft out of the 150 that entered their airspace.

Not sure of the sourcing on this article, but it seems pretty knowledgeable. Good information.

Quote:At the core of Venezuela’s defensive architecture was a network of radars supplied by the China Electronics Technology Group, including JYL-1 three-dimensional surveillance systems and the JY-27 metric-wave radar, which for years had been promoted as a supposed “stealth aircraft hunter“. Based on assessments of the swift and decisive operation, these sensors were disabled during the initial phase through intensive electronic jamming, leaving the integrated air defense system without early-warning capability. This was compounded by a widespread electrical power outage across large areas of Venezuela, aimed at dismantling command-and-control capabilities.

The neutralization of the radar network prevented any effective employment of longer-range air defense systems, including the S-300V and Buk-M2 complexes acquired from Russia to establish a layered defense. In parallel, suppression strikes against several Buk-M2 systems—at least two confirmed—completely nullified their ability to respond. With no functional data links and no control of the airspace, air defense units were disconnected from central command, allowing U.S. forces to achieve total air superiority within minutes.

The collapse of Venezuela’s air defense exposes the limitations of Chinese military systems in the face of the U.S. operation

(01-07-2026 10:38 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 05:37 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 05:31 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 03:13 PM)TripleA Wrote:  I never said VZ's oil was ours, doofus. We were in there from the beginning building up their industry. We weren't stealing from them.

All I'm talking about is them returning to VZ to kick up its oil production, and obviously sharing the profits AS THEY GO with VZ. Profits VZ doesn't currently have b/c Chavez and Maduro literally ran the industry into the ground.

Initial estimates are they can have full production up and running in about 18 months.

And if they don't want to do it, BFD. VZ's new gov will just have to figure it out, and I'm sure they can learn with our help. We can get somebody in there to repair their infrastructure and start pumping a helluva lot more oil that they currently are, and share the profits. Maybe Chevron alone. Maybe Canadian oil companies if ours say no.

You don't have the first ******* clue what you're talking about. For the love of God, STOP LISTENTING TO POLITICIANS ABOUT THE O&G INDUSTRY!!!

18 months...

And you obviously haven't learned a damn thing about me. I have no clue how long it will take (nor do you), and I didn't say I believed it. I simply reported exactly what they said, so we could discuss it.

You think you would remember that after I've said it about a dozen times. I disagree with Trump and the right every damn week on something. Hell, I'm not even a Republican.

I just sound like one for now, b/c your side has gone so far left they're over the cliff, and you willingly went with them.

Well, I heard a clip last night...and as expected...it was trump who made the 18 month claim...which you blindly repeated...unattributed.

So, that's why I said stop listening to politicians. And I have a much better understanding on how long it will take because I listen to experts in the O&G industry.

You should try that sometime.

P.S.: You do you, but if I don't know a damn thing about a topic, I try not to just post random **** about it...in an effort to not come across as ignorant or unable to learn about said topic.

Dude, you need to release that pressure valve a bit before your head blows off.

It simply was news reported by Fox. Was pretty simple. They said initial estimates were it would take about 18 months to get oil production back online at levels they were capable of reaching with the right repairs and refining processes.

There is nothing else for me to reference that with. If you don't like it, tough.

And you don't have any more idea of how long it would take than I do, yet you act like you do.

And what I got was an opinion and analysis of the situation as a whole from Glenn Beck. He's only speculating as well. Yet Tom seems to know everything.

Hey, NostraThomas (more like Nostradumbass)! What will today's PowerBall numbers be?

(01-07-2026 12:56 PM)GeminiCoog Wrote:  And what I got was an opinion and analysis of the situation as a whole from Glenn Beck. He's only speculating as well. Yet Tom seems to know everything.

Hey, NostraThomas (more like Nostradumbass)! What will today's PowerBall numbers be?

I was citing a different post by Tiger1983, just above my initial post that got Tom's panties in a wad.

(01-07-2026 12:58 PM)TripleA Wrote:  

(01-07-2026 12:56 PM)GeminiCoog Wrote:  And what I got was an opinion and analysis of the situation as a whole from Glenn Beck. He's only speculating as well. Yet Tom seems to know everything.

Hey, NostraThomas (more like Nostradumbass)! What will today's PowerBall numbers be?

I was citing a different post by Tiger1983, just above my initial post that got Tom's panties in a wad.

Yes, you were. I was just adding on to your point. We hear or see things and post them here to stir up discussion.

(01-06-2026 08:16 PM)Tiger1983 Wrote:  IMO, the extremely complex extradition flawlessly executed by our military (something I hope even Dem's will praise) is more about sending a message to China than acquiring oil. While the Dem's fiddle when China ravages the environment with their fishing amanda, Trump resurrects the spirit of Monroe and Teddy Roosevelt and tells China in no uncertain terms that the Western Hemisphere is ours and ours alone and we have the power to back it up.

Id love to see the Monroe Doctrine applied to the Chinese fishing fleet that aggressively and consistently intrudes into protected fishing rounds of nations basically daring the violated nation to stop them. The only nations that have has success stopping them are those that were willing to use force. Argentina actually showed some balls last time it happened---but they have been more reserved this time around. Im curious if Trump's embrace of the Monroe Doctrine makes the S American nations more willing to stand up to the Chinese fishing fleet.

(01-07-2026 02:00 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 08:16 PM)Tiger1983 Wrote:  IMO, the extremely complex extradition flawlessly executed by our military (something I hope even Dem's will praise) is more about sending a message to China than acquiring oil. While the Dem's fiddle when China ravages the environment with their fishing amanda, Trump resurrects the spirit of Monroe and Teddy Roosevelt and tells China in no uncertain terms that the Western Hemisphere is ours and ours alone and we have the power to back it up.

Id love to see the Monroe Doctrine applied to the Chinese fishing fleet that aggressively and consistently intrudes into protected fishing rounds of nations basically daring the violated nation to stop them. The only nations that have has success stopping them are those that were willing to use force. Argentina actually showed some balls last time it happened---but they have been more reserved this time around. Im curious if Trump's embrace of the Monroe Doctrine makes the S American nations more willing to stand up to the Chinese fishing fleet.

The other countries in south america probably just want a us president who isnt going to leave them out to dry like Obama did with the iran uprising. Obama basically told the rioters he would have their backs, then they get slaughtered because president mom-jeans talked big but carried a small stick.

Doesn't matter. This story is yesterday's news now that a crazy leftist tried to run over a Federal Agent. That's all you will see, but it won't last long because it was a white lady. The Left is pissed about that.

(01-07-2026 10:44 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 07:20 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 05:31 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 03:13 PM)TripleA Wrote:  I never said VZ's oil was ours, doofus. We were in there from the beginning building up their industry. We weren't stealing from them.

All I'm talking about is them returning to VZ to kick up its oil production, and obviously sharing the profits AS THEY GO with VZ. Profits VZ doesn't currently have b/c Chavez and Maduro literally ran the industry into the ground.

Initial estimates are they can have full production up and running in about 18 months.

And if they don't want to do it, BFD. VZ's new gov will just have to figure it out, and I'm sure they can learn with our help. We can get somebody in there to repair their infrastructure and start pumping a helluva lot more oil that they currently are, and share the profits. Maybe Chevron alone. Maybe Canadian oil companies if ours say no.

You don't have the first ******* clue what you're talking about. For the love of God, STOP LISTENTING TO POLITICIANS ABOUT THE O&G INDUSTRY!!!

18 months...

The US oil industry is currently hemorrhaging jobs due to trumps incompetence. All their investments are tied up in Canada, which currently produces.

Where pray tell do you expect them to get the workers and money to achieve this 18 month Utopia...in a country with unstable infrastructure and a wildly uncertain government?

Do you really think domestic workers were the ones who originally drilled and built the infrastructure to handle the oil there? Tribunals awarded Exxon Mobile and Conoco Phillips 1.6 billion and 8.7 billion respectively after the last nationalization under Hugo Chavez in 2007. As for workers---according to you---sounds like plenty of laid off US oil workers are available for the job of putting that infrastructure back into working order.

Would you uproot your life in America and go to work there...in a country with an unstable government, a crumbling infrastructure, and a wildly uncertain future? And besides, unless trump is going to take your money and give it to the oil companies to pay those workers (which would still undercut their business model that they poured billions into currently operating in Canada), those companies aren't going to make that investment on their own.

Would you be in favor of our government giving untold billions to the oil and gas industry? Again, I thought we were broke? Remember DOGE?

Your asking if given todays difficult employment environment, would laid off oil workers be willing to come back to take high paying jobs with their former employer even if it meant traveling to Venuzuala? I suspect quite a few would. Do I want government money funding it? Im less enthusiastic about that----but if its set up as a loan or as the US being a profit participant---Id be willing to consider that as a reasonable option. Remember, we as a nation, also benefit by making Venuzuala a more viable state so we get less illegal migrants streaming toward the US (as well as existing US illegals from there electing to return home on their own). Even Harris understood this part of the dynamic----though neither she nor Biden ever had any clue as to how to accomplish it (assuming they actually had any desire to slow the stream of illegal immigration----which is a HUGE assumption unto itself).

Quote:give it to the oil companies to pay those workers (which would still undercut their business model that they poured billions into currently operating in Canada), those companies aren't going to make that investment on their own

HUH? I had a geologist friend that basically told me these oil companies would jump at these kind of opportunities.. Incluiding the crumbling infrastructure ones, cause one they've got the land leases, they're pretty much unmovable (except in a case where they're threatened by a country's govt).

(01-06-2026 04:21 PM)GeminiCoog Wrote:  Wow. Jon Stewart did that?

I guess far-left comedians who host a fake (as in a parody of a) news show can also engage in random acts of journalism, too. Who knew?

Stewart isn't a the left guy that people love to portray him... he's ripped on the Democrats for years. Hell, I remember him ripping on Obama when the ACA first went live talking about how stupid the bill was and how bad they rolled it out. While he definitely leans left, he has never had a problem calling out the left for their stupidity and hypocrisy.

(01-07-2026 02:32 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-07-2026 10:44 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 07:20 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 05:31 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 03:13 PM)TripleA Wrote:  I never said VZ's oil was ours, doofus. We were in there from the beginning building up their industry. We weren't stealing from them.

All I'm talking about is them returning to VZ to kick up its oil production, and obviously sharing the profits AS THEY GO with VZ. Profits VZ doesn't currently have b/c Chavez and Maduro literally ran the industry into the ground.

Initial estimates are they can have full production up and running in about 18 months.

And if they don't want to do it, BFD. VZ's new gov will just have to figure it out, and I'm sure they can learn with our help. We can get somebody in there to repair their infrastructure and start pumping a helluva lot more oil that they currently are, and share the profits. Maybe Chevron alone. Maybe Canadian oil companies if ours say no.

You don't have the first ******* clue what you're talking about. For the love of God, STOP LISTENTING TO POLITICIANS ABOUT THE O&G INDUSTRY!!!

18 months...

The US oil industry is currently hemorrhaging jobs due to trumps incompetence. All their investments are tied up in Canada, which currently produces.

Where pray tell do you expect them to get the workers and money to achieve this 18 month Utopia...in a country with unstable infrastructure and a wildly uncertain government?

Do you really think domestic workers were the ones who originally drilled and built the infrastructure to handle the oil there? Tribunals awarded Exxon Mobile and Conoco Phillips 1.6 billion and 8.7 billion respectively after the last nationalization under Hugo Chavez in 2007. As for workers---according to you---sounds like plenty of laid off US oil workers are available for the job of putting that infrastructure back into working order.

Would you uproot your life in America and go to work there...in a country with an unstable government, a crumbling infrastructure, and a wildly uncertain future? And besides, unless trump is going to take your money and give it to the oil companies to pay those workers (which would still undercut their business model that they poured billions into currently operating in Canada), those companies aren't going to make that investment on their own.

Would you be in favor of our government giving untold billions to the oil and gas industry? Again, I thought we were broke? Remember DOGE?

Your asking if given todays difficult employment environment, would laid off oil workers be willing to come back to take high paying jobs with their former employer even if it meant traveling to Venuzuala? I suspect quite a few would. Do I want government money funding it? Im less enthusiastic about that----but if its set up as a loan or as the US being a profit participant---Id be willing to consider that as a reasonable option. Remember, we as a nation, also benefit by making Venuzuala a more viable state so we get less illegal migrants streaming toward the US (as well as existing US illegals from there electing to return home on their own). Even Harris understood this part of the dynamic----though neither she nor Biden ever had any clue as to how to accomplish it (assuming they actually had any desire to slow the stream of illegal immigration----which is a HUGE assumption unto itself).

Before a single unemployed oil worker can take a job the oil companies have to throw the capital down for equipment. Oil companies don’t invest in new capex when oil is cheap.

(01-07-2026 02:56 PM)U_of_Elvis Wrote:  

(01-07-2026 02:32 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-07-2026 10:44 AM)Redwingtom Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 07:20 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(01-06-2026 05:31 PM)Redwingtom Wrote:  You don't have the first ******* clue what you're talking about. For the love of God, STOP LISTENTING TO POLITICIANS ABOUT THE O&G INDUSTRY!!!

18 months...

The US oil industry is currently hemorrhaging jobs due to trumps incompetence. All their investments are tied up in Canada, which currently produces.

Where pray tell do you expect them to get the workers and money to achieve this 18 month Utopia...in a country with unstable infrastructure and a wildly uncertain government?

Do you really think domestic workers were the ones who originally drilled and built the infrastructure to handle the oil there? Tribunals awarded Exxon Mobile and Conoco Phillips 1.6 billion and 8.7 billion respectively after the last nationalization under Hugo Chavez in 2007. As for workers---according to you---sounds like plenty of laid off US oil workers are available for the job of putting that infrastructure back into working order.

Would you uproot your life in America and go to work there...in a country with an unstable government, a crumbling infrastructure, and a wildly uncertain future? And besides, unless trump is going to take your money and give it to the oil companies to pay those workers (which would still undercut their business model that they poured billions into currently operating in Canada), those companies aren't going to make that investment on their own.

Would you be in favor of our government giving untold billions to the oil and gas industry? Again, I thought we were broke? Remember DOGE?

Your asking if given todays difficult employment environment, would laid off oil workers be willing to come back to take high paying jobs with their former employer even if it meant traveling to Venuzuala? I suspect quite a few would. Do I want government money funding it? Im less enthusiastic about that----but if its set up as a loan or as the US being a profit participant---Id be willing to consider that as a reasonable option. Remember, we as a nation, also benefit by making Venuzuala a more viable state so we get less illegal migrants streaming toward the US (as well as existing US illegals from there electing to return home on their own). Even Harris understood this part of the dynamic----though neither she nor Biden ever had any clue as to how to accomplish it (assuming they actually had any desire to slow the stream of illegal immigration----which is a HUGE assumption unto itself).

Before a single unemployed oil worker can take a job the oil companies have to throw the capital down for equipment. Oil companies don’t invest in new capex when oil is cheap.

Thats not entirely true. It also depends on the cost of getting a barrel of oil out of the ground. If you can get oil out for say---$10 a barrel----then they will line up with capex money in hand to get a shot at that field. It also depends on the reserve size and longevity. Being able to obtain a HUGE proven reserve is hard to come by these days. Oil companies are not dumb. While they obviously use cost cutting in exploration to manage periods of low oil prices, they also use those periods to invest in future opportunities by picking up fields at depressed prices. I suspect they would absolutely be willing to invest in capex for proven fields that will pay off big over decades---if that was the cost to get their hands on those fields.