don't buy exxon or mobil gas

EoinC

The reason for all of the squawking from the US is that they pay very little tax on petrol. When there is a rise in the price of West Texas Crude / Brent, there is no room to move. A little look around at what the rest of the World have been paying for many years should settle some of those "I'm really hurting" thoughts.
I have spent many years drilling for oil and gas in order that (a) my family has bread on the table and (b) you get to drive your SUV's 100 yards down the road to buy an icecream. I didn't hear any of you crying on behalf of the Oil Companies when prices were low. I also didn't notice you stepping up to the plate to help out the many families who lost their income source as Rigs were stacked, refineries down-manned and Petrol Station owners had their margins cut.
It is, indeed, a supply and demand economy. Boycotting 1 major will only serve to drive the price up, not down, and cause a large number of service people pain in the process. If you want to have a lasting effect, do as has already been stated - adjust your lifestyle so as to reduce your dependance on hydrocarbons and associated byproducts.
It isn't rocket science that the cap on oil prices is determined by a combination of community demand and the relief valve of alternatives. When oil reaches a price where the alternatives are sustainably cheaper (ie - worthy of setting up major support infrastructure), the price of oil will be contained.
I'm currently working in Malaysia. The price of petrol is half that of it's neighbour, Singapore. Unlike Singapore (which has made vehicle ownership something of a burden and has poured money into producing an excellent public transport system), Malaysia has made a big effort to make vehicles available for all through controlling the fuel price and artificially reducing the price of cars. The result is very high hydrocarbon consumption, traffic jams that would blow your socks off, massive road carnage (one of my crew got killed yesterday crossing the road and I see major crashes most days of the week on the way to and from work), ever-increasing pollution and a new social architecture that has become totally dependent on vehicle-ownership. Malaysia is headed for a big problem down the track. Now that they have encouraged everyone to own a vehicle, the Government faces unprecedented levels of criticism whenever the pump price is raised. Like the US, the Government has no Tax buffer whereby they can soften the blow by reducing their take.
The best way to counter the rise in fuel price is to take out that human-powered velocipede and enjoy the freedom that it offers.