Hurricane Katrina and here we go...

There is a story unfolding here that we, as citizens of this country really need to understand. Potentially, Potentially I say, the hurricane strike against New Orleans (Lousiana), Mississippi, Alabama can have absolutely devastating impact on both gas and oil in this country. Shortages, much higher prices, even rationing may be in the immediate future for much of this country. Below is an excellent article that does a better job of explaining it than I can.

This Hurricane's Implications Are Major

by Ben P

"...I want to emphasize that this is not some kind of "garden variety" natural disaster like the hurricanes (even some of the more devastating ones) that hit the US southeast every several years. What is happening is frankly unprecendeted, and will send shockwaves across the US and, potentially, the rest of the world for some time to come...

"...Were it to strike directly and furiously, Katrina would not only take a massive human toll, but also an enormous geopolitical one. The Port of Southern Louisiana is the fifth-largest port in the world in terms of tonnage, and the largest port in the United States.."

"..The United States imports crude oil, petrochemicals, steel, fertilizers and ores through the port. Fifteen percent of all U.S. exports by value go through the port. Nearly half of the exports go to Europe..."

"..The port might become in whole or part unusable if levees burst. If the damage to the river and port facilities could not be repaired within 30 days when the U.S. harvests are at their peak, the effect on global agricultural prices could be substantial. There is a large refinery at Belle Chasse. It is the only refinery that is seriously threatened by the storm, but if it were to be inundated, 250,000 barrels per day would go off line. Moreover, the threat of environmental danger would be substantial. About 2 percent of world crude production and roughly 25 percent of U.S.-produced crude comes from the Gulf of Mexico and already is affected by Katrina. Platforms in the path of Katrina have been evacuated but others continue pumping. If this follows normal patterns, most production will be back on line within hours or days. However, if a Category 5 hurricane (of which there have only been three others in history) has a different effect, the damage could be longer lasting. Depending on the effect on the Port of Southern Louisiana, the ability to ship could be affected.."

"...it must be borne in mind that the Mississippi remains a key American shipping route, particularly for the export and import of a variety of primary commodities from grain to oil, as well as steel and rubber..."

"...The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port is closed. It is the only terminal in the US capable of receiving very large oil tankers, such as those used to ship Saudi or Venezuelan crude to the US. Much of the US Gulf of Mexico crude output is probably shut in right now, and will likely remain shut in for some time to come. Shipping will also be disrupted for a while, too. Refining is also concentrated on the Gulf coast. If a large enough number of refineries are closed -- and stay closed -- gasoline prices will skyrocket.

If that is not bad enough, the Henry Hub in Louisiana is closed too. It is the main -- I think possibly the only -- point where US Gulf natural gas flows into the continental US natural gas network. The folks at the New York Mercantile Exchange are having an emergency meeting about this (the Henry Hub is the price point for NY natgas futures). A lengthy closure will cause problems for traded natural gas.

And could cause a major crisis for natural gas in the US as soon as this week if it closed too long. With all the focus on oil, no one has paid much attention to the fact that natural gas production in North America has been declining for the last several years and, aside from the deepwater Gulf of Mexico, the Alaska North Slope and the McKenzie Delta (the gas from Alaksa and northern Canada will likely not its way south before 2010), there is not enough gas out there to meet rising demand (especially for power generation). Americans are heavily dependent on the Gulf for natgas and oil, and lengthy outages or severe damage to capacity will only tighten the squeeze on energy markets..."

Hold on, this is just the first in a whole series of changes in store for the United States and the world. Remember, that our entire way of life, EVERYTHING, is based on cheap, available oil and natural gas. Take that away, or make it very expensive and hard to get, and you have an entire civilization is jeopardy. Believe it.

PS:

Pricing analysts say consumers can expect even higher prices at the pump.

August 31, 2005: 12:46 PM EDT
By Grace Wong, CNN/Money staff writer
http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/31/news/gas_prices/index.htm

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.)

"NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Consumers can expect retail gas prices to rise to $4 a gallon soon but whether they stay there depends on the long-term damage to oil facilities from Hurricane Katrina, oil and gas analysts said Wednesday.

"There's no question gas will hit $4 a gallon," Ben Brockwell, director of pricing at the Oil Price Information Service, said. "The question is how high will it go and how long will it last?"

OPIS tracks wholesale and retail oil prices and provides pricing information for AAA's daily reports on fuel prices.

Brockwell said with gasoline prices now exceeding $3 a gallon before even reaching the wholesale level, it "doesn't take a genius" to expect retail prices to hit $4 a gallon soon.

"Consumers haven't seen the worst of it yet," Brockwell said.

He expects consumers in the Southeast and Northeast to be pinched first, following the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast region..."

republican conservative madness

NO. I won't tell you where you can buy these. Every now and then I hold my nose and dip into the conservative cess pool. Gotta see what those nazi's are up to....usually, I just can't believe what these people are saying or doing. It is almost incomprehensible that people can distort the truth so badly and not be aware of this.


As a case in point, read the below article. It is unbelievable that tyrants always choose the same course. Anyone who opposes their tyranny must be evil. Anyone who thinks for themselves and asks questions, must be anti-American (in this case). If there is any question that Fascism is alive and well in the United STates, all you have to do is read articles like this one.

Conservative Author Is Seeing Red in America

By Dana Milbank and Alan Cooperman

Wednesday, August 31, 2005; Page A05

"Cindy Sheehan: anti-American communist?

That was the accusation coming yesterday from the Heritage Foundation, which hosted author John J. Tierney Jr. for a forum titled "The Politics of Peace: What's Behind the Anti-War Movement?"

Tierney researched the movement for a book and came up with some choice descriptions. "I have to say it is communist," he told an audience at the conservative think tank, also describing the groups involved as "revolutionary socialistic" and "cohorts" of North Korea, Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro's Cuba. "We're really dealing with . . . a comprehensive, exhaustive, socialistic anti-capitalistic political structure," he said..."

"...Tierney singled out Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq and who camped out at President Bush's ranch this month to protest the war. "I've never heard of a woman protesting a war in front of a leader's home in my life," he said. "I've never heard of anything quite so outrageous.".."

OUTRAGEOUS?

A grieving mother asks why he son was sacrificed in a war that is based on demonstrable lies, and she is pilleried by the "Patriotic" citizens.

In fact, this is eerily similar to September 11, 2001. We are attacked by a small group of Saudi citizens, and how do we respond? We attack a country that had nothing to do with this. Rather than addressing the reasons why we were attacked, we go kill innoncent people.

Well, here we have the same set of 'moral principles'. If a citizen asks questions, you don't seek to find answers, you attack the innocent person that dared to point out that the Emporer may be naked.

As the American economy falters, oil prices shoot through the roof and beyond, the bloated national deficit comes due, and the republicans finish sacking the US Treasury leaving the country in desperate financial straights, we will find the strangle hold of conservatives and some fundamentalist christian groups will tighten around the throat of America. A failing political system, and for that matter, religious system, will react to its own pending demise by becoming more violent and obsessive. As the American situation worsens, we can expect more fundamentalist straight jackets to come out of the closets. Everyone will be expected to wear their jacket, proclaim the singular glory of one fractured speciman of christianity, sing the praises of one political ideology, and march in goose step behind our leaders.

Count on it. You think theTerry Schiavo mess was bad, these people haven't finished destroying all semblance of democracy yet...but they're working on it.

cartoons o' the day.

cartoons o' the day.

intelligent design meets spaghetti monster.

This is one of the very best letters I have read regarding the teaching of intelligent design (you will notice that I don't bother with capitals as it deserves no respect) I have read. It was submitted to the Board of EDucation in Kansas where 'id' is being considered for inclusion as a counterpoint to Evolution (it DOES deserve a capital).

PLease notice that 'id' is roughly similar to the old dusty theory of Freud in which the 'id' stood for the more primitive and brutal basic instincts.

Anway, I digress, read this letter, it is good.

Verbatim: Noodle This, Kansas

Sunday, August 28, 2005;

There's been no lack of commentary since the Kansas State Board of Education began debating whether to teach "intelligent design" alongside evolution in the public schools. One of the more unusual submissions to the board came from Bobby Henderson, a 24-year-old graduate of Oregon State University with a degree in physics. Eliciting no immediate response, Henderson posted his letter on the Internet in June. It soon attracted a large audience: Henderson said last week that the Web site has gotten more than 14.5 million hits and was currently getting 750,000 a day. He has since received e-mails from three Kansas education board members, which are posted -- along with scores of others -- on Henderson's site,http://www.venganza.org(named, for reasons that will become clear below, after a Spanish pirate ship).

Verbatim: Noodle This, Kansas

lkdf*&%$4e(*uu%$3

&&^%*(874urhfd$#65$#$@W !!

cartoons 'o the day

It is so hard to believe that many people in this country find both of these screwballs both Christian and Ethical.

JMW

cartoons of the day

It's the economy, stupid!

This really is important....

"...The continued viability of the US economy depends on it (having the world trade oil in Dollars and not some other currency). Americans can still afford to consume because their economy is suffused with cheap imports; a falling dollar will raise the prices of imported goods. At the same time, Americans enjoy some of the lowest oil prices in the world, largely due to the petrodollar arrangement. This has skewed the American vehicle market toward gas-guzzling but profitable SUVs and light trucks..."(Sidebar: Iran in the Crosshairs Iran's danger to America is not its nuclear program but its plan to introduce a euro-based energy exchange.)

Americans are walking, well, rolling along, fat, dumb and happy...or least not miserable. Soon, it is very likely that the fun times will end.

In this article the author, Ryan McGreal (raisethehammer.org) is looking at the fact that, as said above, "...the continued viability of the US economy depends on it.." That is, that the world continue to trade in dollars. If the world should decide to stop dealing in dollars, what do you think is going to happen?

The Us Economy goes down the tubes.

"...One of the major unstated reasons the United States invaded Iraq was to stop Saddam Hussein from trading oil for euros, which he had begun in 2000. Hussein actually made more money selling oil for euros, as the euro appreciated 17 percent against the dollar between 2000 and 2003. Other countries in the region, particulary Iran and Syria, began public musing about switching from dollars to euros around the same time.

All three countries were subject to a barrage of threats from the United States government, but only Iraq went through with the switch, and it was summarily invaded. One of the US government's first acts in Iraq was to switch oil sales back to dollars."

So, now that we have Iraq pretty well beaten up, the US is starting to mutter threats against both Iran and Syria. Can Bush afford to invade them too?

I don't think so.

So what is going to happen?

The world will begin trading oil in Euros, not dollars. And this is going to happen very soon, like, within a year. Part of this makes good financial sense and part of it is because the United States has become so hated under Bush that the Moslem States will do anything to strike a blow. If they can crush the US economy by switching to Euros, and ensure that they receive major profits, what is to stop them?

"...Many central banks are already quietly shedding their dollar reserves, nervous that America's economic fundamentals ($500 billion federal deficit, $700 billion current accounts deficit, $4.5 billion federal debt, record business and personal debts, zero savings) cannot be sustained for long, and hoping to insulate themselves from what they see as an inevitable recession. The US dollar has declined by a third against the euro since 2000, despite the petrodollar arrangement..."

Bush has the United States on an unsustainable economic course. The world bankers know it, and the enemies of this country know it. Both will do what is in their best interest to do. And the US will lose.

Where does that put you and I? Well for one, the economy around here is going to suck. You might try....

• Whatever you got, pay it off.
  
• Get your monthly bills down as low as you can.
• Stop borrowing.
  
• Stop using Home Equity to maintain a 'lifestyle'.
  
• Simplify.
  
• Learn to do without.
  
• Save gold or silver as paper money may not be worth much.
• make friends with your neighbors, you might need 'em.
• learn how to ride a bike.
• get a bike
• stop buying disposal things.
  
• Get things that are going to last
• Get things that are repairable
• learn to repair them
• Buy "how to" books that teach you the old ways...sewing, cooking, fat rendering
• grow a garden
• develop barter skills, have produce or something to barter
• don't panic...it may get worse.

These are all I can think of right now. You might try to come up with a list of what you will do when the American Economy crashes. And if you think George W. Bush is going to save you? Look at how well he has handled Iraq.

Now, you know what fear is.

The Civil War of Iraq

The future, if impartially written, will certainly show George W. Bush to be the worst President this country has ever known. If for no other reason than his horrifying debacle in Iraq. In every way possible, the Bush Administration has failed, much to the dying misery of thousands of men, women, and children. The United States of America is a pariah on the world stage due exclusively to George W. Bush and his ilk.

What is interesting about Iraq is how little the Bush Administration seems to know about it. You would think that intelligent, reasonable, even cunning, people would study the country they are invading. You would think that they would plan their attack, and their post-attack policies on the indiosyncracies of that particular part of the world. They didn't.

Iraq is a construct. That is, it is not a homogenous country. It was created after World War I by the British as a means of carving up the Ottoman Empire. In this single spot of land, the British herded Sunni's, Shi'ites, and Kurds. These groups have hated each other for centuries. They then gave all the power to the minority group of the three, the Sunni's. This decesion was not held in high favor by the Kurds and Shi'ites. They hated it in fact.

In order to old this desparate country together, a brutal tyrant was required. They found one in Saddam. Only his iron fist and brutual rule could keep this nation in one piece.

Alas, the Bush Administration decided that Saddam had to go. Go he did. Immediately after the initial invasion, Paul Bremer, the new US Govenor of Iraq, then dismissed the entire Iraq Army. If there ever was a chance of holding this place together, it would have been with the assistance of this army. Without it, the place fell into chaos. Now we are engaged in a vicious guerrilla war that has, in fact, led to potential civil war.

A ‘beacon of democracy’ for Iraq? It’s a recipe for civil war,

Ian McWhirter, Great Britain, has written an excellent piece for The Herald.

"...Mr President, what did my son die for?" That was the question put by bereaved mother Cindy Sheehan, during her vigil outside George W Bush's ranch. Well, now we know.
Casey Sheehan, and 1850 American soldiers died so that Islamic fundamentalists, who loathe the west and all it stands for, could turn Iraq (or most of it) into a theocratic state based on an almost medieval reading of the Koran.
Leaked extracts from the draft constitution say that "it is not permitted to legislate anything which conflicts with the principles and rules of Islam". In other words, women will not be allowed to divorce, give evidence in court, hold investments or expose their heads in public. Homosexuality can be punished by death. Thieves can have their hands removed. That's Sharia law..."

Iran is licking its chops over what the Bush Administration, in their blind incompetence, has provided.

"..The international terrorist cadres should be immensely grateful to Britain (and George W. Bush). We've done their job for them. By destroying Saddam's secular dictatorship and then handing power over to the Mullahs, we have aided the creation of the second Islamic state in the Middle East.
A beacon of hate for terrorists throughout the Islamic world. Job well done!.."

But wait! Iraq has written a new Constitution that George has assured us will make everything ok!

"the constitution looks more like a recipe for civil war than the foundation of a stable democratic state. The Kurds in the north want nothing of the Shias in the south and are demanding the return of the oil-rich region of Kirkuk. They are prepared to sign a compromise document, but only if they can keep their own army, autonomy and freedom from religious tyranny.

"...Why did we blunder our way into this country, killing at least 25,000 civilians and destroying most of the economy, only to end up with a Frankenstein stitched together out of ethnic body parts which cannot and will not cohere?.."


Why indeed. The United STates of American, and all of its citizens will look back on this period of time and shudder with guilt and embarrassment. I hope that it will teach out citizenry to question their leaders. To demand clear, honest, and responsible answers. I hope that this country will learn that war is never the answer. But, I don't hold out much hope.

How is it that 58% of the people think you are doing a bad job and yet you can still keep your job?

Bush job approval	Approve	Disapprove	Undecided
Aug 2005	36%	58%	6%
July 2005	42%	52%	6%
Jun 2005	42%	53%	5%
May 2005	43%	51%	6%
Apr 2005	44%	50%	6%
Mar 2005	47%	48%	5%
Feb 2005	49%	45%	6%
Jan 2005	51%	44%	5%
Dec 2004	50%	45%	5%
Nov 2004	51%	43%	6%
Oct 2004	45%	47%	8%
Sep 2004	45%	48%	7%
Aug 2004	43%	50%	7%

Bush handling the economy	Approve	Disapprove	Undecided
Aug 2005	33%	62%	5%
July 2005	38%	54%	8%
Jun 2005	37%	59%	4%
May 2005	37%	57%	6%
Apr 2005	38%	56%	6%
Mar 2005	41%	53%	6%
Feb 2005	42%	51%	7%
Jan 2005	44%	50%	6%
Dec 2004	44%	50%	6%
Nov 2004	45%	50%	5%
Oct 2004	40%	53%	7%
Sep 2004	43%	51%	6%
Aug 2004	42%	52%	6%

A murderous illegal, quagmire war, a foreign policy deliberately designed to enrage Moslems and exploit third world nations, a 'shoot first' policy of war making, a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the wealthy, a budget deficit that is absolutely unsustainable, a series of environmental policies that in every single case roll back protection for both people and the environment, a President that has made this country a pariah among nations, continuation of development of nuclear weapons, an administration that holds lying to be in the best of American traditions, more Americans than ever are without health insurance, decent wage jobs are being sold overseas with the assistance of the Bush Administration, The blunder of 'star wars', the theft of the American Treasury, the blind refusal to belief in global warming when evidence is overwhelming, the abandonment of the needest Americans, including our own military, and a President who believes his own personal comfort is more important that a mother whose son he has just killed. I could go on and on....WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO GET IMPEACHED AROUND HERE???????

cartoons for the day

Pat Robertson and Theocracy.

Finally, we are begining to hear from the real Christians about Pat Roberts, the 700 Club, Jerry Falwell, Dobson, and that whole pack of anti-human zealots...

"...Pat Robertson suggested this past Monday that the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, be assassinated by operatives of the United States government! Though his comments are newsworthy because of his following in the 700 Club and his political stature and role in the political religious right, his comments however are out of synch with everything that has been handed down to us from the teachings of Jesus Christ. What I am suggesting here is that Pat Robertson and individuals of his ilk are not practicing or preaching Christ but have become adherents of a political movement in this nation that attempts to use Christianity towards their own narrow political ends..." (Pat Robertson is not a Christian. Reverend Gaylan Scott Hagler. Common Dreams)

He goes on to say...

"...Therefore, it is impossible to justify the comments of Pat Robertson. His comments are not of the gospel he claims to preach, nor of the teachings of Christ that any Christian claims to love. Instead what Robertson has to say is based on a paradigm from the most conservative voices in this country, and those voices have no God except themselves and no soul except their selfish point of view!"

It is refreshing to finally hear someone talk about Christ as a compassionate and caring leader. This is the Christianity that I thought was real. Christ was a liberal, and always has been...his message has been corrupted by evil men whose lust for personal power overwhelms their ability to be Christians.

The mark of Capitalism, part II

If there is to be a ruling principle of the Bush Years it can be summed up in one single word, "Greed". From a massive transfer of wealth from the poor and middle class to the the very wealthy, from a re-writing of the nations laws to favor corporations over the individual, to the illegal invasion of Iraq, Greed has stamped it's ugly features on this period of history. The level of corruption in this country is beyond belief. But it isn't just America that is the target of their avarice. The Iraq War is a war of many levels and multiple lies.

In a fascinating article, Naomi Klein draws out some of the reasons for the invasion. Reasons that are not reported by the mainstream American Press. The article is Baghdad Year Zero.


"..The honey theory of Iraqi reconstruction (that is, if you crack open a country wide enough, disable its laws, then sit back and wait for the flies to come to honey. Haliburton, Bechtel, etc.) stems from the most cherished belief of the war’s ideological architects: that greed is good. Not good just for them and their friends but good for humanity, and certainly good for Iraqis. Greed creates profit, which creates growth, which creates jobs and products and services and everything else anyone could possibly need or want. The role of good government, then, is to create the optimal conditions for corporations to pursue their bottomless greed, so that they in turn can meet the needs of the society..."


"A country of 25 million would not be rebuilt as it was before the war; it would be erased, disappeared. In its place would spring forth a gleaming showroom for laissez-faire economics, a utopia such as the world had never seen. Every policy that liberates multinational corporations to pursue their quest for profit would be put into place: a shrunken state, a flexible workforce, open borders, minimal taxes, no tariffs, no ownership restrictions..."

Klein's article is resplendent with examples of the NeoCon rape of Iraq. It goes far beyond just killing the men, women, and children, who live there. It goes to absolutely destroying their ability to control their own country. It goes to selling off every level of Iraq to the highest bidder. It goes to staking out Iraq and allowing the vultures to pick its meat and bones. Kind of similar to what the US Government did, and are doing, to the Native Americans. (but I digress...)

"The tone of Bremer’s (The US Govenor sent to Iraq immediately after the initial military invasion) tenure was set with his first major act on the job: he fired 500,000 state workers, most of them soldiers, but also doctors, nurses, teachers, publishers, and printers. Next, he flung open the country’s borders to absolutely unrestricted imports: no tariffs, no duties, no inspections, no taxes. Iraq, Bremer declared two weeks after he arrived, was “open for business.”

One month later, Bremer unveiled the centerpiece of his reforms. Before the invasion, Iraq’s non-oil-related economy had been dominated by 200 state-owned companies, which produced everything from cement to paper to washing machines. In June, Bremer flew to an economic summit in Jordan and announced that these firms would be privatized immediately. “Getting inefficient state enterprises into private hands,” he said, “is essential for Iraq’s economic recovery.” It would be the largest state liquidation sale since the collapse of the Soviet Union..."

The false claims of WMD's, 911, Saddam as a meany, these were all used to justify the invasion. As anyone with any brains knows, these were all lies. But here is one more bit of obfuscation, the NeoConservatives claimed they wanted a show piece to demonstrate the ultimate genius of Capitalism. They further stated that they wanted to create a country to show the world just how smart they are and how well extreme Capitalism can work. What Bullshit. This is nothing more than a polite way of saying they wanted to rape Iraq in every way possible.

This isn't a 'noble cause', as that demented little tyrant Bush claims, it is a demonstration of brutality in the name of limitless greed and avarice on a collossal scale.

(Thanks Robie for the heads up on Klein's article)

Bartcop.com. Really outrageous site. I have one of these glued to my back window (smaller version though).

Somedays sure go better than others...

Capitalism

In one place on Earth, [neoliberal] theory would finally be put into practice in its most perfect and uncompromised form. A country of 25 million would not be rebuilt as it was before the war; it would be erased, disappeared. In its place would spring forth a gleaming showroom for laissez-faire economics, a utopia such as the world had never seen. Every policy that liberates multinational corporations to pursue their quest for profit would be put into place: a shrunken state, a flexible workforce, open borders, minimal taxes, no tariffs, no ownership restrictions. The early policies of the CPA--firing hundreds of thousands of people, opening the countries borders completely to foreign trade tariff-free--not to mention at least a half a dozen "orders" handed down by L. Paul Bremer (particularly Orders 39, 40, 49 and 18), made this process possible. In particular, the orders mandated the privatization of state-owned enterprises; allowed 100 percent foreign ownership of businesses except oil; offered foreign firms the same privileges as domestic companies; allowed unrestricted, tax-free transfers of profits out of the country; and placed the duration ownership licenses at 40 years..."( Mark LeVine is professor of modern Middle Eastern history, culture and Islamic studies, UC Irvine, and the author of Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of Evil (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2005).

Now see this, the War Mongers amid the Bush Clan had more than just oil in mind. They were after a proof of their economy strategies on a collossal scale. Iraq. They were going to re-make Iraq into the perfect 'laissez-faire economics" model. They wanted to prove that their extreme form of Capitalism, the absolute dominence of the Corporations over every facet of private and public life, would show the world their genius. "Best system on earth" they would say, while they privately stole every nickel they could see.

Capitalism is an economic and political system that absolutely depends on the suffering of other people. Period. It is the most avaricious, mean spirited, hate-filled system for moving great wealth from the poor and giving it to the rich ever devised. For the system to work, there must be someone exploited.

Short of sticking a gun in someone's face and demanding their money, it is the best means found to outright steal.

These bizarre Bushmen, these madmen, believe that making a few people obscenely weathy, would somehow be the best political and economic system to rule the world. How do you get that greedy? That lost to reality? That souless?

cartoons of the day

I have spoken of this before, but the truth is Peak Oil...that is, the finite amount of oil available to humanity is past its peak. This means that with half the oil in the world now gone, the second half will go even quicker because of increased demand. It won't take a 100 or so years to exhaust the second half. A lot of world experts see the world as exhausting the available oil supply within 50 years at the very most. Many think it will be 20 years or less. One thing, though, is certain, the cost of this oil will continue to astronomical heights due to demand and short supplies.

The Oil Effect

Published: August 20, 2005

'Just when it was starting to seem as if consumers were really shaking off high energy prices, Wal-Mart announced this week that its profits stumbled in the second quarter, rising at their slowest rate in four years. Forced to choose between their closets and their gasoline tanks, Americans unsurprisingly chose their tanks. Wal-Mart warned that future sales would be curtailed as well, and no wonder: gasoline is now averaging $2.60 a gallon nationwide, nearly a 39 percent increase from last year. At the same time, natural gas prices are up 60 percent to 90 percent around the country, presaging steep home-heating bills in the months ahead on top of high prices at the pump."

Wall Street giants see oil rising

Oil prices are being influenced by a number of factors

"Wall Street giants Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch have revised upwards their predictions for the price of oil.

Oil prices rose to a record of $67.10 a barrel last week on supply and refinery worries and there are fears that prices will not fall and may go even higher.

US light crude will cost an average of $67 per barrel this year, $13.50 higher than a previous forecast, Goldman said.

Merrill, meanwhile, expects to pay an average of $56 a barrel this year, up $6 from its earlier target."

IMF report to warn of oil price threat to global economy

Heather Long
Saturday August 20, 2005
The Guardian

The International Monetary Fund is to warn that record oil prices pose a significant risk to the global economy and could thwart growth next year, according to an apparent leak of its forthcoming World Economic Outlook.

Oil prices spiralled to over $67 a barrel earlier this week and many analysts have cautioned the economy could be headed for a recession if such high prices continue.

Is oil heading for $100 a barrel?

"Instability in the Middle East and bottlenecks in refining are driving prices higher

Larry Elliott, Heather Long and Samira Sohail
Wednesday August 17, 2005
The Guardian

Britain and the United States heard a faint echo from the 1970s yesterday as the escalating cost of a tank of petrol contributed to higher inflation. And with tension in the Middle East providing another reminder of life three decades ago, the message last night was that consumers can expect more of the same over the coming months."

This last bit is prediciting a rescession in Britain. But the US is not far behind. The world is, after all, now connected via programs like CAFTA and NAFTA, do what effects one will effect all.

But, while Europe is busy working on wind, solar, geothermal, and fuel cell alternatives to oil, what are the elected leaders of America doing?

They are giving themselves heaping slabs o' pork to fattern their wallets...

Alaska's Road to Nowhere

By HEATHER LENDE

Published: August 20, 2005

Haines, Alaska

"YOU have probably already heard about the pile of cash going to Alaska from the federal transportation bill. There's about a quarter of a billion dollars for a bridge to connect the airport on Gravina Island to Ketchikan (population 14,000). The bridge will rival the Golden Gate and Brooklyn Bridges in length and height.

Then there's $230 million or so for "Don Young's Way," a bridge between Anchorage and a swampy, undeveloped port, which is named for the man who got us the money, Alaska's lone congressman. (there is also)..the $15 million designated for a road between Juneau and Skagway"

And ya know what just makes this a real hoot? These "Conservative" Republicans have even given themselves $4 million extra just to make a film about these boondoggles! Now that is freaken balls!
--------------------------------------------------------------

The good news, is that Cindy Sheehan may have been the unwitting catalyst to move the anti-war movement into action. At Last!

Candlelight vigils up anti-war tempo

Crawford, Texas, ap:

Thousands took part in the protests as Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq, spearheaded the anti-war movement outside Bush’s ranch.

Hundreds of candlelight vigils calling for an end to the war in Iraq lit up Wednesday night, as part of a national effort spurred by one mother’s anti-war demonstration near President Bush’s ranch.

Supporters of Cindy Sheehan hold a candlelight vigil in front of the White House on Aug. 17, 2005, in Washington.

After Cindy Sheehan
The antiwar movement was dominated by lefties and ineffective -- until a grieving mother from California became its symbol. With Middle America now asking the same angry questions she is, will the movement finally take off?

By Farhad Manjoo

More Words from Cindy Sheehan:

"Now I am being vilified and dragged through the mud by the righties and so-called "fair and balanced" main stream media who are afraid of the truth and can't face someone who tells it by telling any truth of their own. Now they have to twist, distort, lie, and scrutinize anything I have ever said when they never scrutinize anything that George Bush said or is saying. Instead of asking George or Scotty McClellan if he will meet with me, why aren't they asking the questions they should have been asking all along: "Why are our young people fighting, dying, and killing in Iraq? What is this noble cause you are sending our young people to Iraq for? What do you hope to accomplish there? Why did you tell us there were WMD's and ties to Al Qaeda when you knew there weren't? Why did you lie to us? Why did you lie to the American people? Why did you lie to the world? Why are our nation's children still in harm's way and dying everyday when we all know you lied? Why do you continually say we have to 'complete the mission' when you know damn well you have no idea what that mission is and you can change it at will like you change your cowboy shirts?".."

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and then there is this.....

Navy Officer Charlie Anderson: "We Don't Need Yellow Ribbons, We Need Help, We Need Jobs"

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"Navy Officer Charlie Anderson participated in the invasion of Iraq in March 2003. He is at Camp Crawford to ask questons about how the Bush administration managed the invasion and to challenge the post-invasion policies.

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Navy Officer Charlie Anderson wants to question Bush about his handling of the invasion of Iraq. He told Democracy Now!, “I want to know why I was sent into an unnecessary war without body armor, in an unarmored humvee...and how Mr. Bush can claim that he supports the troops while he continues to cut the V.A. Budget and to scale back services.”

We speak with Charlie Anderson about the education and health care needs of veterans and the lack of support from the Bush administration.

• Charlie Anderson, Petty Officer 2nd Class, U.S. Navy, assigned to the second marine division, second tank battalion 5th regimental combat team..."

George W. Bush is in the process of cutting enormous amounts of funding from the VA and is even questioning the help they have given by 'investigating' 72,000 settled claims for 100% PTSD. Can ya just beat that! The American serves his or her country in a war, suffers severe Post-Traumatic STress Disorder from this war, is diagnosed and given 100% disability by the VA, and then the VA wants to investigate them to see if they were lying.

This is the Bush Years. This is the Bush Philosophy. This is the Bush mentality. This is the Bush perspective. The rich get obscenely wealthy, the rest get platitudes and lies. If you support the Bushites, go to their war, follow their commands, they will turn on you like they have turned on everyone.

It is damned pathetic those deluded Americans who believe this President gives one shit about them or their country. George W. Bush is a second rate dictator with megalomania who has one goal and only one: Personal Power.

American, the land of mythology

This United States of American is a country in which it's mythology is far greater than its reality.

I have a friend, a brother, who happens to be Iranian-American. A kind and generous man. A man of compassion and honesty. A highly educated man who immigrated to this country years ago because he believed in what America stood for.

In his mind, America, stood for peace, justice, tolerance, fairness, opportunity. He believed in a country in which he could advance his profession and his career without social or cultural bias. He believed that there was freedom here. Freedom to raise his children, love his wife, build a life for himself and his family. Gain and live a life that he could be proud of. He believed that in this country, all that counted was his education, his training, his will to work hard, his willingness to follow the just laws, and his desire to be free of bigotry, religious strangleholds, corrupt laws and lawmakers. He believed that if he followed the rules, became a good citizen, was kind and compassionate to his neighbors, then he would find the good life.

While it started out this way, something has gone terribly wrong. Suddenly he finds that he is stuck in a job he dislikes, but cannot change as no one will hire him. Doors are closed to him that were at leaset open a little bit. He is watched with suspicion and wariness where ever he goes.

What happened? September 11, 2001 has brought out the vicious zenophobia that lurks just beneath the skin of America. My friend is Iranian, and therefore he is suspect. Just like the Irish were hated when they immigrated to American; the Italians; the Germans; the Japanese placed in concentration camps during World War II. There are Vietnamese hated and sabatoged by 'good ole boy' Americans who fear their hard work and sacrifice. And AFrican Americans? Please. The rampant discrimination has never stopped. 3 out of 10 African American males has been in jail or prison. That is a fact that screams loudly of racial discrimination and extreme poverty. Black Americans, if given the chance, are as law abiding and anyone. But when pressed into extreme poverty, lawlessness, discrimination, disease, and suspicion, they react like any people would. What stake does a black man have in this country? What chance does he have to succeed? Dispite the "P Diddy" phemomemna, not much.

Are you Hispanic in this country? Think that everything is fair and above board? Don't think so. Racial Profiling is rampant, discrimination is rampant. Those Hispanic people who do succeed in this country have had to become hyper-Amercians, rigid and cold as America really is. They must be more religious, that is, more christian than caucasion christians. They must believe in strickter law enforcement, more punishing laws, more social control, more conservative beliefs. They must blend in by becoming more conservative than the tight jawed, iron fisted bible thumpers of the christian right.

OH, lets just mention the Native American for a moment. What have we here? The indiginous human beings of this country have been subject to outright genocide by the United States Government for hundreds of years. The US Government has tried to kill the Indian in every way that it is possible to kill a human being. They have destroyed his food, stolen his land, split up his family and tribes, poisoned his water, stripped away his right to practice his own religion, they have even been denied the right to speak their own language. Concentration camps of Germany and South Africa during the Boer Wars were based on the treatment of native Americans by the US Government. "Concentration camps" and "Reservations" are no different.

Remember "Manifest Destiny"? In simplisitic terms, it is the widespread belief that everything belonged to the white man and was just there for their taking. Remember that blind tyrant George W. Bush, who proclaimed that the United States would now embark on a policy of Pre-emptive war? Simply put, we don't like you, then we will attack you...don't even need a reason. We will because we can. Manifest DEstiny was inacted in the early formative years of this country, and Pre-emptive War was just a few years ago...see anything different? I don't.

You begining to get the picture? The mythology of America is that we are good guys, we are democratic, we stand for "truth, justice and the American Way"! That is the mythology, but it is not the truth.

American 'freedoms', are designed more for the rich and the caucasion among us. If you belive America stands for freedom, dignity, and fairness to all...then you are not a minority.
Ask a black man, or woman, or child what it is like to grow up in the 'free land'. They will tell you of rampant racism and bigotry. They will tell you of doors slammed in their faces. They will tell you of unequal treatment based solely on thier skin color; their ethnicity; their accent; their clothing.

Ask any woman how she feels about the fairness and justice for all belief about America. If honest, she will wonder why she is still paid far less for her job than a male gets for the same job. She will wonder why pharmeceutical companies produce medications based on studies of white males, as opposed to women or minorities. These medications often have extremely serious side effects on women and minorities. But who cares. White males are more important than anyone else, at least if you believe the ruling powers of this country. Why is it that viagra is covered under most health insurance plans, but often birth control, gynecological exams, abortions services (that are legal in this country) are not.

Think this country is fair and open and just? Right now in the State of George, they are trying to pass a law that would require voters to have only certain forms of ID to vote. The problem is, that African-Americans do not have access to the places necessary to get these new ID's. Not only that, but African-American people have found it disadvantageous to carry picture ID's because they face more discrimination with this type of ID.

"The facts surrounding Georgia's voter identification requirement cannot be disputed. Virtually every black legislator opposes the legislation, and most black lawmakers staged a walkout to protest its passage. Every major civil rights and minority advocacy group, including the NAACP, and many legal scholars, oppose the restriction; several have submitted comments to the Justice Department for consideration..." (Reviving Jim CRow. Becker, Washington Post)

"...If this law is approved, it will be more difficult for minorities to vote in Georgia -- the home of John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. -- than in any other state..."

Isn't it very odd that African Americans have been in this country for approx. 256 years before they got the vote? BEfore they could attend a white college? Before they could even drink from a white water fountain or sit next to a white person? Whose idea of fairness, decency, and justice is that? Certainly not mine. And yet, the mythology of America is that it is a country of just these values.

My friend, my Iranian friend, is heartbroken. He left his home land of Iran to immigrate to this country seeking a better life. He is the type of immigrant that any country would be proud to have. Honest, Loyal, educated, likes dogs, everything. But now he sees the ugly underbelly of what America really stands for. Hatred, bigotry, Fascism. He looks around and is appalled by what he sees. During the reign of the Shaw of Iran, there were secret police, secret arrests, torture, war, tyranny, suspicion, secretive government, arrests in the dead of night. He see's all of this now in America. A repeat of the tyranny that Iran suffered so many years ago. Now it is fully exposed in his new adapted country.

Where can he turn now for hope?

cartoons for the day

Global WArming and indifference

As the rest of civilized world gears up for and plans for the twin catastrophes of Global Warming and Peak Oil, we have the United States Of America a country that is only just now begining to understand this imminent threat. And the leader of this country, George W. Bush? He is busy playing with himself on vacation. Riding his "bikey-wikey" while people die and Global Warming increased unabated. By the way, what kind of moron clears brush in the middle of a steaming August day?

Every day I see stickers that are pro-Bush, and wonder what in the blue eyed world are these people drinking?

But, finally, years after scientists and others have beaten the drums of warning for Global Warming, we have some politicians willing to stand up and speak out....

Global Warming: Will You Listen Now, America?
By Andrew Buncombe
The Independent UK

Friday 19 August 2005

"Two of the leading contenders to contest the next US presidential election have delivered an urgent warning to the United States on global warming, saying the evidence of climate change has become too stark to ignore and human activity is a major cause."

" Washington - On a high-profile and bi-partisan fact-finding tour in Alaska and Canada's Yukon territory, Senators John McCain, a Republican, and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic senator for New York, were confronted by melting permafrost and shrinking glaciers and heard from native Inuit that rising sea levels were altering their lives..."

Then we have good ole George...the spoiled rich asshole...

".. President Bush's administration has repeatedly questioned the evidence of global warming and the contribution of human activity to any shift. Mr. Bush, who in 2001 refused to ratify the Kyoto treaty on global warming weeks after he took office, has repeatedly been accused of doing nothing to enforce tighter controls on emissions of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse gases"..."

Ah well, the beat goes on....

The Christain Taliban, the Greatest Threat to America in History

While we are waging an alleged"War on Terrorism", America is currently faced with an even bigger threat. A threat so hideous that it will end Democracy as we know it. This threat comes directly from Christian Fundamentalists. The American Taliban. The Dominionists.

"...Meet the Dominionists -- biblical literalists who believe God has called them to take over the U.S. government. As the far-right wing of the evangelical movement, Dominionists are pressing an agenda that makes Newt Gingrich's Contract With America look like the Communist Manifesto. They want to rewrite schoolbooks to reflect a Christian version of American history, pack the nation's courts with judges who follow Old Testament law, post the Ten Commandments in every courthouse and make it a felony for gay men to have sex and women to have abortions. In Florida, when the courts ordered Terri Schiavo's feeding tube removed, it was the Dominionists who organized round-the-clock protests and issued a fiery call for Gov. Jeb Bush to defy the law and take Schiavo into state custody. Their ultimate goal is to plant the seeds of a "faith-based" government that will endure far longer than Bush's presidency -- all the way until Jesus comes back..."

"...The godfather of the Dominionists is D. James Kennedy, the most influential evangelical you've never heard of..."

"..."Our job is to reclaim America for Christ, whatever the cost," Kennedy says. "As the vice regents of God, we are to exercise godly dominion and influence over our neighborhoods, our schools, our government, our literature and arts, our sports arenas, our entertainment media, our news media, our scientific endeavors -- in short, over every aspect and institution of human society.".."

If this dosen't send a chill up your spine than you don't have one. The Dominionists are the greatest threat to this country we have ever known.

Now pay close attention too this next quote and it will absolutely convince you of this threat:

"...The Dominionists are also stepping up efforts to turn public schools into forums for evangelism. In a landmark case, the Alliance Defense Fund is suing a California school district that threatened to dismiss a born-again teacher who was evangelizing fifth-graders. In the conference's opening ceremony, the Dominionists recite an oath they dream of hearing in every classroom: "I pledge allegiance to the Christian flag, and to the Savior for whose kingdom it stands. One Savior, crucified, risen and coming again, with life and liberty for all who believe." (The Crusaders. Bob Mosley, Rolling Stones Magazine)

The emphasis is mine. The chilling words belong to the cabal of christian zealots.

cartoons for the day

The cartoon about "Gas Tax Repeal" is interesting. In Washington State the new Governor has had the courage to place additional taxes on gasoline to pay for new roads and bridges that are desperately needed. As a result, a band of people got together to initiate a repeal of this tax, claiming it is 'excessive' and 'unfair'.

The truth is that you cannot have a civilization without taxes. Can't do it. Any fool who says otherwise is either deluded or lying.