Most Americans have finally woken up to the Republican party/media rape of the American middle class and the total destruction of the Iraqi people...the Democrats have done little to stop them because they want the power and they know if they do stop the Repubs the American people won't give them the power... and they're probably right, because "mainstream" Americans are easily brainwashed. Now that gas is at 4$, health care unaffordable and house prices in the toilet mainstream America is finally on board with the Democrats but this will last only until the Dems fix things and then the corporate media will begin the brainwashing and mainstream America will again vote to lower their taxes (cause they'll forget that lower taxes means more war if Repubs in power)

This is why the Dems won't impeach Bush and Cheney because if we do, Pelosi becomes President and if something happens during her watch, another 9/11 for example, McCain becomes President, not Obama, because the Republicans will blame Pelosi and the Demes and the American mainstream sheeple will believe it because CNN ABC NBC...are controlled by corporations.

When Obama becomes President we progressives must continue to push for serious reforms and the imprisonment of Bush Cheney Wolfowitz Rice... for Treason, war crimes, corruption, etc...we must strengthen and uncorrupt the FCC, FDA, EPA etc...

The Tragedy is the Iranian children must suffer our cluster Bombs sometime this summer just because the Dems won't impeach... its the only way Obama can become President, otherwise the Dems would have impeached Bush by now because they know he'll drop those bombs before he leaves office.

Our only hope is some corporate journalists will have the courage and do the right thing and keep mainstream America awake.

Possibly(?) all forms of energy should come under the control of the Government, for the good of national security of course, and take the profits to start a nationwide building of sun,wind, water, etc, on all buildings, houses, land, waterways, etc. I know the oil execs will spew how a lot of retirements are connected to "the" profits, but I'd giveup the little bit of stock market retirement money for "Free" nationwide electricity.

birdflewunder May 22nd, 2008 8:26 am

"This is why the Dems won't impeach Bush and Cheney because if we do, Pelosi becomes President and if something happens during her watch, another 9/11 for example, McCain becomes President, not Obama, because the Republicans will blame Pelosi and the Demes and the American mainstream sheeple will believe it because CNN ABC NBC…are controlled by corporations."

Pelosi won't impeach Bush because she was in on the warrantless spying on American citizens from the beginning. If she got the Democrats in the House to impeach Bush for that she would be subject to being impeached also.

Lobo Gris

Elderlady May 21st, 2008 2:39 pm

Best comment here.

indijo May 21st, 2008 12:29 pm
TurnoffyourTV May 21st, 2008 1:07 pm
whatfools May 21st, 2008 1:29 pm

Excellent points!

" The arrogant SUV'ers with their "Support Our Troops" stickers must be grumbling bitterly these days."

Stereotyping at its best.

"That was a damn good idea, how much time does one actually save driving 65 or 75 on a forty mile run? How much money would they save over a year with a 10% less fuel usage?"

I would like to suggest that you are right in part, but in many parts of the country, distances are far more than 40 or 50 miles and also that many cars get better milage at 65 than 55 in those parts of the country. Still it depends on the car.

Just wait, talking to a dealer yesterday, he tells me their sales of big diesel duallies and big pickups is dead. Totally. Maybe the rise in gas prices is not so bad in the short term?

I'd also like to suggest that everyone sit back and as gas goes up, those that want everyone to get a car that gets better milage, takes less material and energy to manufacture will get their wish. Its not something you can or should mandate.

"fuck off Tex." That's what I'd tell him."

Kem....language....language and that SOB isn't a Texan by the way. He moved here, I suspect those up North asked his parents to get him out of there.

I have to wonder if we would have had to fight either of the Persian Gulf Wars if Ronald Reagan had not a) squandered the opportunity to invest in R & D for alternative energy production and b) caved in (with Congress) to the automotive industry on fuel efficiency standards. (To be fair, Reagan would have insisted on a UN-led response to Iraq's invsion of Kuwait, had he failed to prevent the invasion in the first place.)

Yes, I believe the Iraq War -- and its great expense -- is the proper context in which to see the record billions in oil company profits. But, Mr. Scheer, you hurt your case when you fault Bush for not knocking off the Saudis in response to 9/11. Everyone knows the Saudis exiled Osama Bin Laden.

Of course, Bush might have knocked out the leadership of Iran and replaced it (this time) with a true democracy. But, apparently, the oil was in Iraq (and the Saudis have beem our allies, sometimes secretly).

Moderation in all things!!
Could be there is oil, could be there is not?

Could be the corporations are at our mercy, could be we are at the mercy of the corporations?

Could be we are capable of orderly transitions within our society, could be we are incapable of orderly transitions within our society?

WHAT determines the 'order of priorities' in each of our lives; will in effect cause an affective/effective ripple on the lake of Oneness!

WE ARE ALL ONE; especially as the old Mother Earth begins to Withhold and in turn we must grow to flourish and 'let go the ways of childhood'.

If YOU care, WE will ALL care and grow and flourish; it is all up to YOU/US.

Father, government cannot sustain the press, nor the 'press'.

The growing children must quickly move to the forefront to 'give back' in all ways possible. Make a difference in all small ways, and those small ways will grow bigger.

Should anyone visit this planet eons from now, perhaps they would conclude:

Human Monkeys went extinct after unearthing dinosaur energy....they brutally killed each other and other species in a frenzy over this energy source while paying little attention to the paradise they had.

~BRAITHWA 842~ You forgot to mention tire friction, tire pressure, A/C off or on, etc, when you were telling us that wind resistance is so important to remember when talking about gas milelage.

My point was and is, we don't have to waste gas and drive 75 miles an hour on I-95 from Trenton to Philadelphia, or from Douglas to Bisbee, Arizona.

Yeah ~THOMAS MORE~ some cars get better mileage at 65 than 55 and some cars get better mileage at 75 than some do at 35, as you say, it depends on the car. We are wasting millions of gallons of gasoline every single day by our driving habits was my point. And oh yes I'm sure few here want to see the speed limits reduced, It wouldn't be "progressive". ___ LOL.

Tinylotus,
Funny but wise imagining. Reminds me of the beginning scenes of "2001" , aliens leave big black box to help human monkeys evolve intelligence, human monkeys use it to club each other over watering hole rights, leads to space race, they discover more big black boxes, astronaut has his consciuosness elevated to some sort of dreamlike state transcending space and time. Far-fetched ending, but it makes a better movie.
Kem Patrick,
Sadly, you are right. I only hope the the dying empire doesn't thrash around like a wounded tyrannosaurus, taking out everything in its path. Good ironic barb at progressivism. We need to examine ourselves lest we become self-righteous.

"We are wasting millions of gallons of gasoline every single day by our driving habits was my point. And oh yes I'm sure few here want to see the speed limits reduced, It wouldn't be "progressive"."

Its a good point, and driving habits need to be modified. We are pooling grocery trips with our next door neighbor now, I believe someone mentioned that earlier. But the wasting of gasoline concernsd us all, its not progressive or conservative, its just good sense.

"Good ironic barb at progressivism. We need to examine ourselves lest we become self-righteous."

Another excellent point.

Want another excellent point ~Thomas~? The Texans elected Bush to be their governor. They wanted him and they got him. So you cannot deny him bud, he may not be a born Texan, but he was born again, he's a Texan now. The First thing I noticed about Texas after he took over, was the wild flowers that had been planted all across the state on the interstates highways were gone. ___ No profit there.

TurnoffyourTV has a valid point on the devaluation of the dollar and the price we all end up paying for oil products.

Hardly anyone in American media (having interlocking directorships with banks and oil corporations) is willing to discuss the devaluation of the dollar and the invasion of Iraq as related to the price of oil.

Try the following for an objective discussion on the weak dollar. The Euro is doing much better than the dollar under current international conditions in maintaining it's value for the purchase of oil. And keep in mind that Iran just stopped accepting dollars for their oil. When we invaded Iraq the Euro was around $.90 cents and now it takes $1.57 to purchase one Euro.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/02/26/stories/2008022650070900.htm

And at the following:

" Dollar depreciation reduces activities in upstream through different channels including increased cost, higher inflation rates, lower purchasing power, and lower return on investment. Dollar devaluation increases oil demand in countries with appreciated currencies because of an increase in purchasing power. It also increases the demand for gasoline in the US as Americans spend their summer vacations driving in the US. Large dollar devaluation reduces the supply of oil and increases the demand for oil."

http://www.mees.com/postedarticles/oped/a47n33d01.htm

Another major factor in the current situation is that Iraq's production has fallen since the invasion and occupation at a time when global demand is rising. The war of aggression (war crime) that was supposed to create cheap oil has done the opposite while Big Oil and the MIC are wallowing in record profits.

And as a double whammy, wild "defense" spending is a factor in the decline of the dollar. The funny money that the Federal Reserve has been creating by increasing the money supply and creating cheap credit is an attempt to compensate for the effects of the cost of waging "war" on a credit card.

For the average American, we are paying for all of this with our taxes as well as future debt ($5 Trillion more or less according to Stiglitz) in addition to paying higher energy prices and related inflation. And for most, our incomes are not rising as fast as the energy and war related inflation. Many have lost jobs and homes.

If Big Oil gets their way in Iraq they will privatize (steal) some of the easiest to extract but highest quality crude oil on earth. However, it appears this plan will cost more in terms of subsidized military occupation costs than the oil is actually worth.

War is a racket and so is the oil business.

Bush's visit and the Saudi "response" fits well in a scenario that places Cheney making the deal with the royals pre-911. The royals and Cheney/Bush have to put on this little show to continue the farce propaganda parade around the oil grab, and the, so far, amazingly successful coup and looting of the US. Connect the dots, follow the money, watch the show. The rumbling you might hear is the sound of dead patriots rolling over in their graves in Veterans Cemetaries at Arlington and all around the country, and the slow but steady awakening of the American people. The butterfly of truth has flapped its wings and the blowback will bring us a new world of peace and justice.
Support and defend the Constitution--it is a magnificent piece of work.

Those who would take over the earth
And shape it to their will
Never, I notice, succeed.
The earth is like a vessel so sacred
That at the mere approach of the profane
It is marred
And when they reach out their fingers it is gone.
For a time in the world some force themselves ahead
And some are left behind,
For a time in the world some make a great noise
And some are held silent,
For a time in the world some are puffed fat
And some are kept hungry,
For a time in the world some push aboard
And some are tipped out:
At no time in the world will a man who is sane
Over-reach himself,
Over-spend himself,
Over-rate himself.
LaoTzu #29 600 BC

Cheers

The US buck that has had a free ride for years as the bench mark for oil should be dropped and let America swim with the rest of the fish in the sea like the rest of the world has had to. Then maybe there will be a drop in the price. The weak buck is huge % of the current price so why should we suffer and the rest of the world because of Bush and his friends can't run a country?
KEM:
driving habbits and foolish egos. If a few cars are doing 70 to 75 MPH then the rest join in. I had a long drive yesterday and at times was into the 70's and just keeping up with traffic. Everyone of the speeders was driving a hot BMW etc with 4 or 6 cylinders. I do enjoy driving passed the trucks with a NASCAR and support our troops ( it is the only job my son could get since there are no jobs) stickers in the back.

Exactly the point ~HOLLOW POINT~ you were in the 70s just to keep up with the flow of traffic. You say a few cars going 75? HAAA Haaa, don't know where you live but the speed limit is 75 in many states and everyone knows you can go 80 and not be pulled over. But most drive near the speed limits, which are really dumb.

I had over 2 million miles driving coaches all across the country so I'm quite familiar with driving habits and speeds etc. The price of gas has reached near $4 bucks a gallon now and few really seem to care. It isn't just BMWs, it's twelve year old gas guzzlers, SUVs, pickups and tractor trailers. The speed limit near all metro areas is still 55, if you drive it you're a road hazard, at 65 you're a menace. Hell a little two door KIA or Ford Escort etc, only get 30 to 33mpg, what a joke. And the joke is on us.

The father of my musical partner has a small station wagon size VW. It's roomy, well built, safe, and has sufficient pick up in city or on freeway...and gets 57 MPG. If the Germans can do it, why can't we? Then again I don't believe the Germans have 77 lobbyists for every person in their congress as we do.

Most people fail to realize the Republicans initiated the largest tax increase in history. Add about $4 per gallon to what you ae paying at the pump (for military increases from invading Iraq), and this is really what you are paying. It's a well hidden tax they do everything they can to avoid speaking about, or the public figuring out. The worst part about it is these "Borrow & spend" so-called fiscal conservatives (yeah right) have been saying 'Just charge it!', and leaving Americans in the future to pay the tab.

As far as fast speeds on the open road they wouldn't consume that much gas if Detroit would pay as much attention to better transmissions (with say a 7 or 8 speed, or an over-over drive gear) as they do to continually foisting more & more powerful engines on us.

How about some useful NASCAR events in which the crews are only given x amount of gallons of fuel? Whomever completes the race fastest is the winner unless someone else close behind has enough fuel left to buy time off the clock. So much of a second off per ounce left. Teams could also cover their cars in solar panels for an additional mileage advantage. The cars would still be more than fast enough to provide the adrenaline junkies their 'rush' from danger, and it would add some excitement to see who could stretch out their fuel, comparable to how you feel with the needle on E and wondering if you can make it to the next gas station.

We had a "slug bug" once Paul, one of the best cars we ever owned. We never got over 49 to 50 mpg, but ours was air conditioned and I souped it up of course, being young and foolish and I drove it hard. It was a great car, easy to work on and seldom any problems. Wish I had it now. We had a three cyl, two cycle SAAB 850 once too, it was a fun car with front wheel drive, it handeled like a sports car. It was not good on gas and you mixed oil in the fuel. A Horrible polluter there. We both know we need good electric powered vehicles.