More Proof that Oil/Gas Prices are Inflated

Okay. For any other industry, for any other product sold and distributed worldwide, this news would mean a significant decline in prices. However, the oil and gas industry is allowed to ignore all tangible facts before them and "speculate" themselves to higher prices and therefore, higher profits. The normal rules of supply and demand do not matter.

Check the news today:

SUPPLY
Saudi Arabia announces it will increase production by 200,000 barrells per day.

DEMAND
Americans drove 4.5 billion miles fewer in April.

Significant amounts of supply is being added to a market with significantly less demand. Again, in any other industry and with any other product; according to basic economic principles, this would cause lower prices.

Don't hold your breath.

Tanker Deal Back in Play

You know, this story has infuriated me since it came out. People wonder what's happening to good American jobs and question why the dollar keeps losing value against foreign currency. Then, we attempt to award a foreign company a $35 billion dollar Air Force contract that may grow up to $100 billion.

Seriously. Are these folks really this stupid? Do they honestly wonder what's happening to our jobs and why the euro is outperforming the dollar when we send $100 billion dollars of U.S. taxpayer money to Europe? Estimates show that if award this contract to a domestic supplier, we could add almost 44 THOUSAND new jobs.

Now, they say that Americans will benefit because some new jobs will be created in the South. But given our current economic conditions, shouldn't we decide to keep these "in house"?

Olbermann's Research into Gas Prices

Thanks to the guys over at Crooks and Liars, I ran across this gem. This is probably the most detailed and comprehensive take on the gas and oil prices that I've seen. It echoes much of what I've said already. However, Keith has been able to provide the gap in why things are much different now than a few years ago.

A powerful lobby, a few pieces of bad legislation and a cooperative administration makes for a "perfect storm" of anti-capitalistic practices and the highest energy prices the world has ever experienced.

Another good point articulated here is that alternative energies will not help us at all until we rid ourselves of the speculators that have selfishly and severely harmed our country's economy. They'll simply "speculate" with the other energies to artificially drive up the price.

War on Terror Update for Thursday

I'd be the first to agree that removing Saddam from power is good for the world. It helps remove a tryrannical dictator and installs democracy. However, we now know that he had no associations with Al-Qaida. But, what he did have was plenty of oil that he wouldn't allow Western countries to access for almost 40 years. We removed that troublesome Saddam, now the oil companies can slime their way back into Iraq. This time they have no-bid contracts. I'm sure that Bush and his oil cronies had nothing to do with this decision. Oil was the last thing on their mind when they went to war with Iraq. Yeah right. Doesn't matter, the oil companies still say there are supply problems. They must raise prices!! They'll rake in more crazy profits. We'll still pay more at the pump.

Two-star Army general accuses the White House of authorizing "systematic and illegal" torture practices in Abu Ghraib. Wonder what he would say about our secret prison ships, or the people that we hid from the Red Cross when they were checking out our conditions. History will not judge this very nicely.

More mis-management of our nuclear arsenal. The Pentagon says that over 1,000 critical nuclear components are missing.

Ahmadinejad says he won the standoff over his nukes. Given the fact that Kim Jun Ill has yet to verify that he stopped his nuclear program, that would make us 1 for 3 against the Axis of Evil. Good stats for baseball. Bad stats for the prevention of nuclear chaos.

Wednesday's Tidbits

Cal Thomas gets on Fox News on portrays Michelle Obama as an "angry black woman". He says all the black women on television today are "angry". I guess he only wants Aunt Jemima types that stick to washing clothes and serving pancakes. According to Cal, if you're black and have a strong personality, you're considered angry. Thankfully, not everyone is buying Cal's worn-out and archaric goods. Michelle Obama holds a 9 point favorability lead over Cindy McCain.

Judge Andrew Napolitano opines on the Supreme Court Gitmo case. He says it's a good day for American law. Wherever the government goes, the Constitution follows. The government cannot switch the Constitution on/off by sending people to Cuba. I agree with the great judge. This IS a fabulous day for our country.

A must see documentary on/about black men in America.

Al Gore proves to be another liberal hypocrite. He demands that we reduce our energy consumption or we'll destroy our planet. Meanwhile, at his house, he cranks up the A/C and leaves his lights on a bit longer.

Another case of police brutality. This time in Memphis. Again, when are we going to demand that our law enforcement officers actually follow the laws they are enforcing?

Livni blasts Olmert. Looks like she is beginning her campaign for the Prime Minister spot.

Medical tests prove abuse and torture happened to detainees in Guantanamo and Iraq.

John Stossel opines against the War on Drugs and factually destroys several myths. Hey, until we make illegal Valium and powder cocaine possession/distribution equal to other drugs, we will always have the discrepancy in arrests and sentencing.

Here Comes the Regulators....Finally!!!!

Okay. After a steady increase of gas and oil prices for over 2 years without relief, the regulators now believe it is the time for them to get involved to protect the American consumer.

"He suspects that something other than supply-and-demand is at play. He wouldn't rule out speculation or manipulation". You think???

This shows how a new administration will immediately drive down prices for consumers. The Bush administration is obviously very friendly with the oil companies and have shown a great reluctance to do anything to prevent them from manipulating oil and gas prices and putting a stranglehold on our economy. I don't have confidence in this guy. He should have acted long ago. Hopefully, the new President's guy will show a more proactive nature when it comes to this.

All you have to do is check the IEA website and look at the numbers. Production is at an all-time high. Supplies are level. Demand is normal. However they are "speculating" that demand will be much higher 20 years from now. They're making us pay for that today and are keeping the difference. Hence the record profits.

You hear all of the pundits demand to drill in ANWR and off the coast of Florida. Hey, that would be fine if the oil industry followed the rules of supply and demand. Increased supply won't help if they still "speculate" us to higher prices. The Saudi's say they'll increase production to the highest point ever. Speculators still raise the price. Always a reason to go up. Never a reason to go down.

Let's run the speculators out of town and we can regain control of our country's economy. However, we'll need new leadership that actually cares in order to make this happen.

So Much for Obama's Problem with "Hard Working Americans"

According to recent polls, Obama holds a lead in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. All of these are battleground states that are very important to winning the presidency. Hillary supporters and Republican race-baiters have said for months that Obama has a problem with white, working class voters. Of course, this is garbage. He has won several states with very small African-American populations during the primaries. These were simple fear tactics used to divide our country.

Same goes with the Latino vote. Obama is up by more than 35 points on McCain!!! That runs very contrary to the myth that Latinos will not vote for black candidates. The guy's message of positive change resonates across the board.

Israel and Hamas Announce Truce!!!!

This is historic. The rumors that have been floating about Israel and Hamas announcing a truce has been confirmed. Effective tomorrow, a cease fire will be put in place. Hopefully this will lead to daily peace for both the Israelis and the Palestinians. Israel has already successfully negotiated peace with Jordan and Egypt. They are also offering olive branches to Lebanon. Even Syria is optimistic that a peace agreement with Israel can be made.

This is a momentous occassion and very long overdue. Of course, there will be people on both sides who will be opposed to peace at whatever cost. Some people are simple too invested in the pain of others. Hopefully, the people of peace can be kept at bay until a more solid plan is put in place.

I pray that the people of Israel and Palestine will be patient and diligent enough to work through the difficult times and allow the process to work.

Bigots Coming out of the Woodwork

Yes, we have came far in this country. I can go all day on the mounds of evidence that proves the fact that today's blacks are much better off than their parents. Although there is still work to be done as far as our drug laws and sentencing, systematic and institutional racism has been severely diminished. You can look around almost any industry and find blacks who are leaders and/or significant contributors.

However when it comes to being President, the bigots cannot tolerate it. This is too much for them to handle. First, his campaign was completely dismissed. Then, he was labled as being farther to the left than Mao. When that didn't work, they stop pretending and begin other well known tactics. No way they'll tolerate a black guy being President. Like Michael Richards said, "50 years ago, we'd have you upside down"!!!! A few other notable political pundits and politicians have joked about Obama being assassinated.

Later, you begin to see the emergence of code language. Pat Buchanan calls Obama "exotic". Rush Limbaugh enjoys Obama comparisons to Curious George (I laughed at the joke without realizing Curious George was a monkey!). Dolls, t-shirts and other items with Obama dressing like a monkey are being sold across the country.

Now, some folks in Texas have cut to the chase and publicly denounced the idea of a black guy being President. President of the NAACP okay. President of the United States, HELL NO!! I guess they would prefer if we kept our ambitions to an acceptable minimum.

This is another reason why I support the candidacy of Barack Obama. Although we differ on the size and role of government, this moment in history is too important. Our children's hopes and dreams shouldn't be limited by racist bigots who only want to see blacks in subservient positions. An efficient and successful Obama presidency would set a great example across the country. Black youth will have visual and physical confirmation that they can accomplish anything they want in this country. Skeptical whites will realize that their fear of black leadership is unsubstantiated.

Monday's Tidbits

Seven years and a trillion dollars into the War on Terror, we now turn our attention to capturing Osama bin Laden. Afghanistan is now saying they'll challenge Taliban fighters that cross into Pakistan. More on this later.

The Saudi's announce that they will pump more oil than ever before. You would think that this announcement would reduce the price of oil. Now watch as the oil companies make every attempt to keep the gas prices high. Guess, I spoke too soon. Oil is now at an all-time high. I guess they'll never use supply and demand as a market indicator. Meanwhile, electric bills are expected to increase by 28% by the end of the summer.

Black conservatives are gravitating towards Obama's historic campaign. Guys like J.C. Watts and Armstrong Williams feel the same way that I do. This campaign is much too important to end up on the wrong side or to campaign against. Heck, they're all liberals anyway.

The "road-map" to peace backed by the United States calls for no additional settlements in Palestinian territories. Condi Rice is saying that Israel's new settlements in the West Bank isn't helping the peace process. You don't say. Israel yawns and decides to build 2500+ additional homes. Guess the people that are already there don't matter much.

Tim Russert Dies

Our country took a loss today. One of the best journalists in the business had a heart attack and died today. My prayers go out to the Russert family. Clearly, he was a class act.

Sunday mornings will never be the same. God bless you Tim.

Friday's Tidbits

Contrary to what's been circulated amongst Republicans, China is NOT drilling off the coast of Cuba.

One of the best columns you'll read about Republicans and the way they deal with the Obama candidacy. According to Frank Schaeffer, history will not remember them fondly.

Prayers go out to the folks in Iowa who are suffering from major flooding.

Defendant in death penalty case is upset to find out that the judge and prosecutor were sleeping together.

How long until this becomes required for Americans? "Re-education"? Wow. I guess the government thinks that since they're paying for it, they can boss you around.

R. Kelley acquitted of all 14 charges levied against him.

Suicide bomber blows himself up at a prison in Kandahar. All 800 prisoners escaped including all Taliban and Al-Qaida fighters that were being held there.

Taken out by a Stop Sign

I was parked near one of these cars today. I gotta tell you. I'd rather spend another $30 to fill up my tank and get to know the guys at the gas station than own one of these cars. Who wants a car that you can bench press or get toppled by a pair of middle school cheerleaders?

What happens if you hit a tree or a stop sign? Hitting something like a fire hydrant will probably send you through the windshield. If you get hit by a truck, you're done.

These cars aren't the answer to our gas woes. We need new technology, not just microscopic versions of what we already have.

These European cars simply aren't practical over here. Things are bigger. The streets are bigger. Other automobiles are bigger. Our infrastructure just isn't compatible.

No thanks.

Cheney's Trade Tirade

VP Dick Cheney blasted Democrats for their trade policy. He said that Democrats are on a "destructive path" to protectionism.

Hey, VP Outsource. Go check out some cities in the Midwest and see how your free trade policies have affected them. During this administration's tenure alone my hometown of Muncie, IN has lost 3 major factories that employed more than half the town.

Take a trip to the local mall or grocery store. Where are all of those very low prices that we were promised because of NAFTA? Why hasn't the jobs that Americans lost been replaced by jobs from Mexico and Canada like they said would happen? Why are Canada and Mexico abusing the oil market like the sheiks over there in OPEC? Corporations are getting the cheap labor that they always seek. Where's the flip-side return for consumers and job-seekers that free?

Take a look at our dollar. We have lost more ground to foreign currency than anytime in recent memory.

Yeah, VP Outsource. I think that you guys have been paving a pretty good path to destruction yourself.

Fox News calls Michelle Obama "Obama's Baby's Mama"

This is getting crazy. I'm getting tired of this BS.

Yesterday, Fox News ran a clip calling Michelle Obama "Obama's baby mama". Unbelievable. Most people wouldn't imagine that something so disrespectful would be used to classify a woman who, according to all recent polls has a very good chance of being our First Lady in a few months.
"Baby mama" is a term that implies the "inconvenience" of having a child out of wedlock. It assumes no real formal ties, no relationship, no unity. It's almost as if they called her a whore on national television. From fellow blogger Too Sense:

"And it's really true. You can be an Ivy League grad two times over, married with two wonderful children, and some people still can't see you past the color of your skin to see you as a human being."

Using that term to identify a married, professional woman (let alone someone who will probably will First Lady) is disrespectful, condescending and a slap in the face to husbands and wives who have spent years working on their marriage. It is a slap to the children involved. For them to have the audacity to go out of their way to use that term so casually without merit and completely inapplicable, articulates how they devalue and discredit black family units. We're not husbands, wives, mothers and fathers. We're only a bunch of baby daddys and baby mamas.

This is much worse than describing their "knuckle punch" as a "terrorist fist-jab". This is a bigoted personal attack against black families in general.

This is more than partisan politics. They wouldn't dare use that term to describe Laura or Barbara Bush. Would they use it to describe Hillary Clinton? Why is it okay to use it with Michelle Obama?

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Detainees

This is huge. The Supreme Court just ruled in favor of the detainees in Guantanamo Bay. Their opinion is that they should be given the rights to challenge their detention. We cannot simply hold them without charges indefinitely.

According to the majority decision, the justices felt that our Constitution is applicable at all times, not only when convenient:

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court, said, "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times."

Our basic charter cannot be contracted away like this. The Constitution grants Congress and the President the power to acquire, dispose of, and govern territory, not the power to decide when and where its terms apply.... Abstaining from questions involving formal sovereignty and territorial governance is one thing. To hold the political branches have the power to switch the Constitution on or off at will is quite another. The former position reflects this Court’s recognition that certain matters requiring political judgments are best left to the political branches. The latter would permit a striking anomaly in our tripartite system of government, leading to a regime in which Congress and the President, not this Court, say "what the law is."

Beautiful.

Decisions like this help secure the rights for all Americans. The government cannot simply pick and choose when it wants to follow our Constitution. For the first time in years, our founders can stop rolling in their graves.

Slowly Becoming a Consumer Nation that Produces Little

It was announced today that our trade deficit jumped almost 8% in April. Almost across the board all of our exports are decling while foreign imports have increased. We are slowly becoming a straight consumer nation that buys everything while producing little.

We have outsourced our economy. This administration's facination with foreign trade (read: cheap labor) has produced a situation where other countries are bleeding our economy. We never see the lower priced products that the "free traders" also promise when selling this to the American public.

This is why we find factories across the country closing. This is why unemployment has jumped. We need to take a strong look at our exporting policies in order to save our country.

Monday's Musings

Scott McClellan will be testifying before Congress about what he knows about the CIA leak case.

Senate Democrats are attaching a national fingerprint registry to the housing bill. Barack Obama is a co-sponsor of this insane piece of legislation.

Project 21's Mychal Massie says JC Watt's new television network aimed and dedicated to African-American news is a bad idea and too costly to race relations. What?

Good news. The AIDS epidemic is over. Bad news. 1 in 4 adults in NYC have herpes.

Just for laughs. A priest has an affair with a married woman from the church. He gets fired. He sues....and wins!!

$45 Trillion for Global Warming??

The International Energy Agency says we need to spend $45 trillion to reduce our emissions in order to combat global warming. $45 TRILLION DOLLARS!!!

Okay. I'll bite. Who do they propose will pay for this? Of course, like everything else that comes from the "international" community, the taxpayers of the United States will be forced to finance this operation.

However, it's all a farce! Even if they did yank that money from our wallets, it wouldn't do anything to reduce greenhouse and methane gas emissions. Cow farts contribute more to global warming than all of the automobiles combined. It would take a car to drive 12,000 miles in order to equal the levels produced by a single cow.

This is all BS and has more to do with reducing the American economy than carbon emissions.

Friday's Tidbits

Black lawmakers are still elated about the Obama's historic nomination. Many thought that they would never see the day.

Another great column from Peggy Noonan. Among the reasons she describes for Obama not to select Hillary as his VP, "She'd be plotting against him from day one. She'd poison his tea. She undercuts the cleanness of Obama's message. She doesn't turn the page, she is the page." Excellent.

Obama has a 5-point lead according to the Rassmussen poll.

War drums are beating louder. Israel says that they are running out of time to attack Iran. They say time is running out and quickly need our approval prior to going forward. I think they also see the change coming in American leadership. They have to get the war in during this administration. Although both candidates are supporters of Israel, neither of them will okay an Iranian war under the current circumstances. Of course, they do not need our permisssion for a large scale military operation in Gaza. However, the U.S. is stressing diplomacy when it comes to Iran.

Republicans are very concerned about McCain's inability to articulate. Some have trying to find a way for him to be President without having to give another speech. If you're going to compete with Obama, you're going to have to be able to hold your own when it comes to communication.

Jobless rates see highest monthly increase in over 20 years. The Dow lost almost 400 points and oil prices reached an all-time high of $139. I'm sure that the oil companies will raise our gas prices again. But, why didn't we get the benefits from the recent reduction of oil prices when it was at $126; especially when demand has dropped significantly?

The Marine charged in Haditha has been acquitted of all charges.

Obama Locks up Democratic Nomination

For the first time in our country's history, an African-American is the nominee for President by a major party. Barack Obama has clenched the Democratic nomination is now preparing to make a historic run to the White House. If the trends follow, it will be tough for John McCain to slow his momentum. If tonight's speeches were any indication of the tone of the race, McCain should rush in an army of speech coaches in order to try to match Obama's connection with the voters. I thought I caught him nodding off twice while giving the speech.

Congrats Barack. Try not to raise my taxes too much.

Monday Tidbits

Hillary plans on giving a major speech tomorrow. Staffers have been urged to turn in expense reports. Looks like she is ready to bow out.

Great news from the Supreme Court. Law enforcement cannot simply take your money because they "think" that you're trying to launder it. You must have proof. Hopefully this case with affect other cases where assets are seized without due process.

It looks like our ships are still being used as secret prisons. If you include the ships with the prisons we run in Ethopia, Somalia and Thailand, I'm sure that our founders are very proud of the example that we provide.

Texas judge begrudgingly signs order releasing the Mormon children from state custody. However, the parents are now forced to drive around the state in order to collect their children. I'm sure they'll be happy to do so, even though most don't have cars or other means of transportation.

Ted Keddedy's brain surgery was sucessful.

Let's be Realistic Here

A couple of good items came out over the last few days regarding the War on Terror. First, word comes out that Al-Qaida has been severely diminished; which is great news for the United States and our international allies. Then word come out today that the Taliban has been hurt greatly and is on the way out.

All of this is good news. But, let's be real here. How can we possibly think that we can destroy and eliminate Al-Qaida when Osama bin Laden is still out there organizing and operating without discretion? He and his top aides are still out there making tapes and relaying their message to anyone that will listen. All the while, May was our second deadliest month in Afghanistan since we started.

The same goes for Mullah Omar in Afghanistan. He is still a free man along with his top aides. Do we really believe that the Taliban is finished as long as this guy is waltzing around?

How can we really believe that we are crippling these organizations when all of their leaders are still free to roam and create havoc? We are simply fooling ourselves if we believe that Al-Qaida can be elimnated by just knocking off their pawns and footsoldiers. These organizations need to be decapitated if we are seeking true, lasting success. Otherwise, these patient terrorists will simply wait us out and re-emerge once we've left.

The results will be worse for the Afghans and Iraqis that supported us. If we pull out of these countries prematurely, surely the Afghans that have been voting in the elections or the Iraqis that braved the threats from the terrorists will become sacrificial lambs.

Late Night Stuff

Good News for Women in the Middle East

Looks more and more like the bribery scandel will force Olmert to resign. If so, it looks like Tzipi Livni will be his replacement. Also, Bahrain names Jewish woman as ambassador to the United States.

Get well wishes go out to Tony Snow.

Texas Supreme Court confirms lower court ruling. State authorities have to return the kids.

"Uncontacted" Brazilian tribe located. Apparently, there are about 100 or so tribes still completely isolated from the outside world.

Food TV's Most Zestful Personality Branded Terrorist

Say it ain't so Rachel! According to Michelle Malkin, Food Network's rising star and Dunkin Donuts cover girl Rachel Ray has turned to the dark side. She's been tricking us all along. Talks of boycotts have been whispered and the citizens have been engaged. This should not be tolerated! How dare she hide behind that pretty smile and bubbly personality all the while planning to bomb us? How could she have the gall to give us those wonderful food tips and delightful recipes only to harbor deep sympathy with Hizbollah, Yassir Arafat and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Is she trying to poison us? Come to think of it, she may be hiding Osama bin Laden in her basement!!!

Give me a break Michelle. This boycott would make Jesse Jackson blush. What? Are you going to extort some money now? There is no issue here; no hidden messages to Palestian terrorists. Rachel Ray and her wardrobe crew were making a fashion statement, not a political one. Of course Dunkin Donuts conceded and pulled the ad. They didn't want this fight.

Is this where we've come to? Are there not more serious issues facing America than the color-coding talents of television personalities and their make-up and wardrobe artists?

McCain More Respected as a Known Liberal

A few years ago John McCain was known to be an pricinciple driven maverick that spoke his mind, unfazed by the political norms of either party. Today, he triangulates more than an Egyptian pharoah. Even though I've never been a big fan of his policies, I've always respected McCain for his willingness to stand up for what he believed in, however unpopular his position. In the past I disliked John McCain, but I respected him tremendously. Now, he's just another politician with his finger in the wind.

Here comes another change of heart, this time on amnesty for the Telcos under scrutiny for cooperating with illegal wiretaps. Before it his position on the tax cuts, then it was his position on the use of waterboarding, the ministers, etc.

Stand up for what you believe in McCain. Don't just tell me what you think I want to hear.

The Beauty of Canadian Health Care

I guess this is what we have in store for us under the Democrat's plan for universal health care. You frequently hear about how wonderful the Canadian health care system and how we should emulate their structure.

However, these proponents seem to conveniently forget to relay facts about how long it takes to get a standard medical procedure done in Canada. A basic MRI takes 22 months. The average wait for a non-emergency procedure is almost 18 weeks. This particular Canadian waited in ER on a stretcher for 5 days seeking treatment. She joined other patients that were all lined up on stretchers for days waiting to see a doctor.

Like most liberals worldwide, Canadian politicans have been seeking treatment in the United States for their own personal ailments while mandating the unefficient Canadian system on their populas. When Liberal MP Belinda Stronach was diagnosed with breast cancer, she didn't wait in line in Canada to get surgery, she went to the US. The Premier of Quebec Robert Bourassa followed suit when he needed medical treatment for his cancer.

Before we bring this madness to the United States, we need to take a frank look at the Canadian model before your son ends up waiting two days in an emergency room, simply for an X-ray.

Why Quit before Assassins get their Chance?

Unbelievable. This only proves that the worst politician in American can still sink lower. Typically, my disgust with Hillary has been her socialistic policy and communist dictator's approach to government.

But, when she references the assassination of Robert Kennedy as a reason to stay in the campaign, you know she has reached a new low.

Before her apologists begin to say she was only referening the timeline, Bobby Kennedy was only in the race 6 weeks when he was murdered. Bill Clinton had the nomination locked up much earlier than June.

Senator Clinton is much too savvy and too calculating for this to be an honest gaffe. There is something much more sinister working through her brains as she attempts to claw her way to the Democratic Presidential nomination. I don't believe that she is hoping for someone to kill Obama. But, surely she is hoping that something catastrophic happens to him or his campaign in order to slide into the nomination.

This lady is more calculating than a Stanford mathematician and more opportunistic than a African hyeana. On constant lookout for doom and gloom, this vulture will use any moment in history and/or wish for bad things to happen to other people in her quest for power.

Snipers Against Bullet Proof Vests

Russia and China have announced a nuclear arms deal. I've long said that China presents the greatest threat to the United States of the rest of those who work against us. Now, they are re-engaging the former Soviets in an attempt to provide a greater adversarial role against the US.

They've also mentioned their displeasure with our missile defense program. We've been able to develop anti-missile technology that has the ability to shoot down nuclear weapons in the air before they have the ability to kill Americans and destroy cities.

Apparently, they feel that they should be able to bomb us freely and easily. Following their advice is like empathising with killers complaining about the unfairness of bullet proof vests.

Justice Shows its Face in Texas

Finally! A Texas appellate court has ruled that state authorities had no right to seize over 400 children from the Mormon compound. The judge ruled that those authorities overstepped their authority and presented no evidence of danger, abuse or "grooming" boys to be abusers.

The Third Court of Appeals in Austin ruled that the grounds for removing the children were "legally and factually insufficient" under Texas law. .............The state never provided evidence that teenage girls were being sexually abused, and never alleged any sexual or physical abuse against the other children, the court said.

Also, to follow up on another issue relevant to this case, state authorities conceded that along with the over 15 adults taken in their raid of the compound, they also took away a 27 year old woman. Some still haven't been released. Strangely, they still say that it will take a few days to get them "reclassified" in the system.

Score one for justice, due process and religious freedom!!

Talking NOT Appeasement

President Bush spoke in front of the Israeli Knesset last week on his farewell tour throughout the Middle East. He emphasized his longstanding public policy of not negotiating with hostile enemies. Right or wrong that came as no real surprise because this has been a longstanding policy of his administration during his tenure as President. However this time, he added an additional caveat that has drawn world-wide scrutiny especially in the United States.

For the most part, American politicians have left partisan politics at the coast and usually refrain from domestic criticisms while abroad. However, this time the President packed plenty of condemnation with him for his visit to Israel.

The President was not shy about his supporting his policy of not engaging those opposed to America. He likened those who believe that we should be speaking to Iran to naive Hitler appeasers.

"Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

I think this line of thinking has been discredited not only by history, but also by almost every spiritual leader that has walked this earth. If you found yourself locked in a disagreement with another party, war and violence is not the only answer. You cannot kill or battle everyone that doesn't agree with you.

At the height of the Cold War Ronald Reagan used fierce negotiations with the Soviets to avoid nuclear war. His use of alternative means of persuasion finally led to the demise of U.S.S.R. while keeping our nukes in our submarines.

At a time when China was lobbing very vocal threats towards the United States, Richard Nixon negotiated a way to avoid war and bring China into the world community. He also negotiated the end of the Vietnam War.

There are countless other examples of the validity of peaceful negotiations with enemies. Even Israelis themselves negotiated peaceful agreements with Egypt and Jordan. It was confirmed earlier this week that Turkey is assisting them in their negotiations with Syria. Obviously, they also see the need to find peaceful solutions.

President Bush wake up! You cannot kill everyone who disagrees with you. Otherwise, how do you plan on dealing with your 68% disapproval rating in the United States?

Tuesday's Tastings

Some very interesting things make the news today. War drums are beating louder, Hillary will never go away and we decided that nuclear technology is good for some countries in the Middle East.

Army radio quoting a senior Israeli official reported that the United States will go to war with Iran before the end of Bush's term.

Democrats that actually witness the success of school choice support the program.

Bush tells OPEC the oil is running out and they need alternative energy sources. He agrees to build a nuclear reactor for Saudi Arabia. Some believe we have a new arms race going on.

Hillary Clinton is trying to keep everyone from forgetting that she is still running for President.

Monday's Musings

All you can say of this is WOW! Did these Oregonians believe they were going to see a free Nirvana concert or Barack Obama?

U.S. Military commander apologizes for soldier using the Qu'ran for target practice.

Israeli Prime Minister bribery case gets deeper. I guess that Dollar Bill Jefferson doesn't feel so lonely any longer.

Mike Huckabee apologizes for his joke at the NRA about somebody pointing a gun at Obama.

Four Philly cops to be fired for their role in the video taped beating.

Just One More War on My Way Out

Today Israel announced that after meeting with President Bush they both agree that "something tangible" needs to be done against Iran. We've already sanctioned them. That hasn't really worked out. Clearly he doesn't believe that negotiations are in order. What else could they have in mind?

Looks like we're about to go to war against Iran. We still haven't defeated the Taliban in Afghanistan, in fact they are getting stronger. Our surge in Iraq was successful. However, "surge" by definition is temporary. Nobody has really said what we're going to do after the surge. Surely, we cannot maintain those levels in Iraq indefinitely. But, it looks like we are on our way to war with Iran. Great. I'm sure that's going to help out our economy. Bush appears to be trying to squeeze in another war before he leaves office.

It seems like we have had increasingly strong rhetoric against Iran lately. We also have sent a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf. Defense Secretary Gates says we sent the other carrier not as an escalation, but as a "reminder" to the Iranians. Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton has called for air strikes against Iranian targets in Southern Iraq.

That's funny. Even at the height of the Cold War when Russia was a clear and direct threat against America, Reagan said "The only way there could be war is if they start it; we're not going to start a war." He also said "History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap." Obviously, this administration views both war and government much differently than Ronald Reagan.

Brace yourself Americans. We're on our way to another war. This time the enemy will be better armed, better financed and with the direct ability to effect our economy. Does Bush really believe that a war against Iran will make the United States safer or stronger?

A Texas-Sized Kidnapping

This Texas compound issue gets worse and worse by the day. Texas Child Protective Services has admitted to taking adult women against their will while rounding up the children from the Texas Morman compound several weeks ago. Among the 450+ children were several adults over the age of 18 that were seized and taken into state custody. There are 27 claims of adults being held against their will amongst the children.

One particular case, a 23 year-old woman presented authorities a valid drivers license. Her parents provided her birth certificate. They still took custody of the woman and her child and placed both of them in a foster home. They insisted that she was only 16.

This case is one of the greatest travesties and miscarriage of justice that you will ever hear about in our country. If you haven't been following; several weeks ago Texas authorities receive a phone call from someone claiming to be an abused 16 year-old girl married to a known sex offender more than twice her age. The phone call caused Texas authorities to raid the compound that the girl claimed she was being held.

After extensive interview of the women and the girls, authorities were unsucessful. Although their sweep failed to locate and identify the "victim" in question, authorities were convinced that they could produce one from among the 450+ children at the 1,700 acre ranch. So, they decided to take all of the children at the compound. In buses, they took the now terrified kids away. Officials separated sons and daughters from their mothers while police held their fathers at bay, unable to protect their families.

Constitutional due-process requirements and 4th amendment considerations aside, government officials arrogantly felt that as long as the kids were now under their control, their lives would be improved. However, these kids are now suffering from diarrhea and other digestional problems from the change from their organic diet. They are also being subject to forced immunization. Of course Texas CPS doesn't have the infrastructure to take on 450 new cases. So, now these kids are being scattered across the state separated from their parents and other siblings.

Now, I'm all in favor of shots for kids and would by no means ever condone any abuse to a child. Any person guilty of such an unspeakable crime should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. A closed society is no protection from our country's laws.

But, we know today that the phone call was bogus, so of course they never found the girl. The sex offender in question hasn't been in Texas in two decades. The caller has been arrested for making bogus claims. However, these parents are still in courts trying to regain custody of their children. They are being subject to hearings en masse and being forced to defend themselves against a claim known to have been faked. Of course they come from a closed self-sufficient society, so they don't have the resources to secure quality legal representation.

Again, if grown men were abusing young girls, they need the book thrown at them. But it is the government's responsibility to produce evidence of a crime, charge a specific individual for that crime and give Americans due process as they dispute the charges brought against them. I don't see any of that happening in this case.

Unfortunately the seriousness of the charges may be causing some civil libertarians to turn a blind eye to this case. It also doesn't help that they make their own clothes, live completely outside of society and in lifestyles that would be considered unacceptable to many Americans. However, these people are no less worthy of individual justice and constitutional rights.

Who gets to decide what level of weirdness is good enough to deny you of your family? If the sight of pregnant teenagers is justification alone to take away communities of children, then there would be several projects and trailer parks childless with their parents subjected to mass hearings.

Let Me Write the Law. I'll Give Myself Immunity

Man, Tony Rezko would love to be in this situation. I'm sure that the executives from Enron wished they could have pulled this off. As Congress begins to debate the FISA act, our Congressional Democrats are allowing the telecom companies, who clearly broke the law, to write new laws that give themselves retroactive immunity for past illegality.

Think about that for a moment.

The companies that committed the violations are actually writing the laws to get themselves off of the hook. Our President has pushed this. In fact, he has demanded that all new FISA laws contain immunity for the telecom companies. He said he'll veto any new bill that doesn't contain this provision.
After 9/11 our country was rightfully angry about what happened and wanted to do everything possible to prevent it from re-occurring. When the President asked them to tap the phones of Americans, they complied without question. However, they knew very well that this activity was illegal. They have been tapping the phones of criminals for years. However, this spying was always was accompanied with a court order that gave them permission to do so. They knew they were acting outside of the law.

The Bush Administration took advantage of everyone being all lathered up and began to enact several illegal and unconstitutional measures that removed constitutional rights from the citizens and transferred those powers to the executive branch. This is just one piece of a much greater pattern of abuse of powers from this administration and their blatant disregard of the due process that is guaranteed in our Constitution. As they grab power, the people lose.

I'll use this great quote from Reagan to articulate the point.

"I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts."

This government is expanding at unprecedented levels. Our liberties are obviously deteriorating at the same rate.

A Real Conservative Jumps into the Race

Bob Barr, the former Congressman from Georgia has entered the Presidential race as a Libertarian. Mr. Barr is a former Republican that has been very critical of the Bush administration and the way that it has conveniently disregarded the founding documents to the left as it waged the war against terrorism. The complicity of today's Republicans made Mr. Barr abandon the Republican Party in its entirety. He later joined the ACLU to combat the deprivation of civil liberties.

Barr, 59, quit the Republican Party two years ago, saying he had grown disillusioned with its failure to shrink government and its willingness to scale back civil liberties in fighting terrorism.

Although he doesn't really have a real chance of winning the highest office in the country. But, I think his candidacy is much more than winning one election. It's about making a point against the radical exploitation of executive powers by our President and the blind support from the Republican Party that has enabled these abuses. Enough is enough!

Mr. Barr will surely be attractive to the greater than 20 percent of Republican voters who chose somebody besides McCain for President, even when he has already locked up the Republican nomination.

Good luck Bob.

Congrats to Andre Carson

Congrats go out to Andre Carson. In March, he was elected to finish the term of his late grandmother for Indiana's 7th Congressional district. Carson is the second Muslim elected into the United States Congress.

On Tuesday, Mr. Carson won the Democratic Pary's nomination for the 7th District's seat.

Mr. Carson took his symbolic oath of office on the United States Constitution. I guess there are still some members of Congress who still hold this document in high regard.

Congratulations Andre!

Let's not Rush to Judgement

Philadelphia police investigating a triple shooting pull over three suspects on Monday. According to an undercover investigator, they were responsible for a nearby shooting. The situation in Philadelphia has been tense because of another recent shooting that killed a police officer.

Philly police arrive with a vengeance. About six officers hold the men down while other officers kicked, punched and used their batons on the men in the shadow of night in an urban neighborhood. But, a news helicopter camera was focused on them while they focused on making human punching bags out their suspects on the streets of Philadelphia and deprived them of the constitutional rights they pledged to protect.

"Let's not rush to judgement" was the theme of the talking points first stated by Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey and later echoed by Mayor Michael Nutter. Surely, they are lobbying for greater due process given to the officers than what they themselves provided under law. "It doesn't look pretty" was probably the greatest understatement as the politician tried to balance public anger with his political future in Philadelphia.

As these politicians weigh out the best strategy for themselves, I personally wonder when our country is going to say that enough is enough with police brutality. When are we going to hold them accountable to normal American standards? Does a beating have to come with an arrest or police encounter?

I too, won't rush to judgement. Apparently, these criminals were resisting arrest. These fine officers were clearly within law and reason as they carried out their duties that evening. There's nothing unethical on that video. That baseball-sized knot on that boy's head and those other bruises were already there when they arrived at the police station. I don't fall for stuff like this.

Equal Justice Under the Law?

Studies have shown that our government's infamous War on Drugs has been a total failure in its attempt to reduce drug consumption in America. Not only has it been terribly expensive ($45B for 2005 alone) and has allowed many opportunities for police corruption and brutality against blacks and lower-income whites. This is marks another failed attempt by the federal government to legislate individual behavior by prohibition.

Prohibition never works. It only moves the activity to the shadows and enriches the people who distribute the contraband while punishing the users. Even Russia tried the prohibition of alchohol. Looks like that worked out well.

A recent study also confirms that is has led to insanely disproportionate arrests and sentencing. 4 in 5 of the arrests have not been for dealing, trafficing or manufacturing, but for simple possession. 40% of all drug arrests are for marijuana possession. The supply side of the problem is basically ignored while the emphasis is placed on individual consumption.

Obviously, this leads to more users in prisons instead of dealers. It does nothing to slow or stop the flow of drugs throughout our communities as it was presented by Richard Nixon and then echoed and expanded by Ronald Reagan.

Although usage rates are almost identical, black men have been arrested by more than 12x the rate of white men. Black women have been arrested by more than 4x the rate of white women. Poor whites are arrested in much higher proportion than middle-class whites. Low level drugs are punished heavily while hi-end drug usage is pardoned quickly if prosecuted at all. Punishments are very different for rock cocaine vs. powder cocaine possession. The drugs are basically the same. The greatest difference is the people who use them.

"In Seattle, for example, a sophisticated assessment of black drug arrests controlling for drug use, type of drug, and role in the drug trade, concluded that while whites comprised the majority of persons who sell serious drugs, nearly two-thirds of persons arrested by police were African-American. And in New York City, an analysis of 175,000 "stop and frisk" encounters during a 15-month period by the state Office of the Attorney General concluded that African-Americans and Hispanics were significantly more likely to be stopped by the police, a disparity that could not be explained by legal factors such as differential patterns of cirminal offending. Moreover, fewer than a third of all police encounters resulted from a person meeting the description of a criminal suspect, suggesting that these were proactive practices of the police rather than responses to crime reports"

As a liberty driven American, I couldn't honestly care less about what free Americans do in the privacy of their homes; just don't ask taxpayers to fund your rehab or treatment.

Listen, if we want to continue the War on Drugs, let's make is equally punitive for all illegal drugs instead of isolating the ones abused by minorities and low income whites. I think that this will be the only way to bring the idiocy of this very evasive and expensive program to its knees.

Let's make the standard sentencing for powder cocaine identical to equal amounts of rock cocaine and target valium abuse with the same vigor as we do other drugs. I think that legislators will change their tune very quickly if they began to lose their sons, daughters and wives to the prisons; if they don't get swept up themselves.

Nelson Mandela Still on the U.S. Terrorist Watch List

Nelson Mandela still needs to get special permission to enter the United States. He is still on the list of terrorists that our government has compiled. It seems as if we've never gotten around to officially changing our policy against him and the African National Congress.

It's a painful reminder of our shameful support of the pro-apartheid South African government until the mid 1980's. When the South African government declared Mandela and his counterparts at the ANC terrorists, the United States also conformed to the policy and restricted his travel.

However, it is also a positive reminder that our government is one that can heal itself and rectify past mistakes. When Ronald Reagan vetoed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, his veto was overriden. This marked the first time in the 20th century that a president had a foreign policy veto over turned.

Do as I Say, Not as I Pay

Why is it that most liberals scream against tax cuts but do everything possible to avoid paying taxes themselves? Sometimes the greatest opponents of tax cuts use savvy accounting practices to pay the least amount of taxes as possible for themselves.

Al Franken who has railed against tax cuts for years has been found to owe $70,000 in back taxes. He said he was given some bad advice by his accountant. Yeah okay.

To avoid hypocrisy why don't these people simply use a 1040 EZ tax form, pay the highest amount possible?

Peggy Noonan on Rev. Wright

Peggy Noonan is an old school conservative that I've always admired. I don't always agree with her thoughts. But, she is consistent, fair and has been a strong champion of limited government even in the face of a pseudo-conservative administration that has increased the size of government to levels that would make LBJ seem like Ron Paul . Of course, today's Republicans are more likely to listen to big-government Republican flamethrowers like Ann Coulter.

But I digress. Ms. Noonan writes today on the whole Rev. Wright issue. She presents a unique perspective in today's Wall Street Journal.

"I have been watching America up close for many years – if you count a bright childhood, for half a century. I have seen, heard and respected the pain of a people who were forced to come here when they did not want to and made to live in a way that no one would want to. Who could deny them their grief or anger?"

She likens Rev. Wright's speeches and sermons to the Irish Catholic folk group Wolfe Tones; whose music has Irish Nationalistic undertones against British rule. She discusses why a 20 year old Irish-American who has never personally been supressed would still listen to their music.

My 20-year-old friend has lived a good life in America and is well aware that he is not an abused farmer in the fields holding secret Mass in defiance of the prohibitions of the English ruling class. His life has not been like that. Yet he enjoys the bitterness. He likes going to Wolfe Tones concerts raising his fist, thinking "Up the Rebels." It is good to feel that old ethnic religious solidarity, and that in part is what he is in search of, solidarity. And it's not so bad to take a little free-floating anger, apply it to politics, and express it in applause.
He knows the dark days are over. He just enjoys remembering them even if he didn't experience them. His people did.
I know exactly what he feels, for I felt the same when I was his age. And so what? It's just a way of saying, "I'm still loyal to our bitterness." Which is another way of saying, "I'm still loyal." I have a nice life, I'm American, I live far away, an Englishman has never hurt me, and yet I am still Irish. I can prove it. I can summon the old anger.
Is this terrible? I don't think so. It's human and messy and warm-blooded, as a human would be.

I wonder if Irish Catholics like Sean Hannity and Bill O'Reilly listen to Wolfe Tones? Are they full of hate because of this?

The Biggest Wealth Redistribution Scheme in History

Shell Oil and British Petroleum announced on Tuesday world record profits of $17 billion for the first 3 months of 2008. $17B PROFIT. Their profits increased by 25%. On Thursday, Exxon Mobile announced their quarterly profits at $10.9 billion. Almost comically, they were disappointed that they didn't have a greater increase than their 17 percent jump. Far be it from me to begrudge another person of their lawfully gained earnings. However, their manipulation of gas prices is very flirty with the unlawful and absolutely personal with unethical. If we were fighting in WWII instead of the War in Iraq, both of these companies and the others in collusion with them would be brought up on charges for war profiteering. For capitalism to work, business needs to be beneficial to both the buyer and the seller. If the balance leans too much in one direction, the scales will break. These few companies are bleeding our economy and compressing more wealth than ever experienced in world history. They do it with complete disregard for the rest of the country.

What's going on today is the quietest, but also the largest redistribution of wealth that the world has ever seen. Gas prices have risen steadily without relief for several years. The oil industry through companies and traders manipulate the price of oil without actually physically buying the product, raise the price of gas according to that speculation and the cash is fast tracked to the bottom line. It is a inventory-less process and foolproof way of raking in billions. This is happening totally under the nose of federal regulators and government officials who pretend that they have no idea what's going on and how to stop it.

Surely, this drain of American dollars will be felt in the years to come. Every time quarterly profits are announced, another benchmark is set. Oil companies have broken more records than Jim Thorpe. Inrespective of their drain on the economy and historic profits, we still give federal subsidies and special tax breaks to these companies and they have the conscience to defend it. On the backs of the American people, these companies have redirected more American wealth than any in history and we are still subsidizing them. When the House of Representatives passed a bill to remove these subsidies to finance the development of alternatives to oil, President Bush threatened to veto the measure. He says they shouldn't be singled out. They are making record profits under a slow economy with every industry struggling because of them, and Bush doesn't want to "single them out". Some people think Bush's coziness with the oil companies are behind these prices.

Meanwhile, the rest of our country is struggling through the closest thing to a recession we've seen in years. Almost every industry from the airlines (national commerce), to the trucker drivers(interstate commerce) to the cab drivers (local commerce) throughout the country has been negatively impacted specifically because of gas prices. Of course, this means they have to raise their price to consumers across the country. Food prices are up almost across the board. Milk, eggs and cereal are at all time highs. Schools are raising lunch prices. Power companies are requested rate hikes to counter how they have been impacted. Every company that moves a product or physically distributes services has been affected. All of the extra cash is being directly funneled to the gas and oil companies. They defend their profits.

The worst part is it is all a farce. My friends, this is nothing more than a scheme. It's an illusion and slight of hand that would make Criss Angel blush. Oil companies will say that they have no control of gas prices. They blame it on OPEC and slither back to behind closed doors. "Gas obviously comes from oil. If OPEC raises the prices, we have to raise the price of gas." Now, that's true to an extent. But, oil companies are charging us today's market prices for oil they secured at yesterday's market prices, if they bought it at all! It is pure profit for these companies and they are doing it on the back of almost every American citizen and company in this country.

Monopoly Power not Subject to Supply and Demand
Because it is early spring, our nation is coming off of its regular low driving season. Doesn't matter. Prices have gone up steadily even irrespective of the fact that usage has gone down. The EIA announced that inventories rose by 1.1M barrels. We have plenty of supply with low demand and are still paying record prices at the pump. There was no major hurricane or other natural disaster to negatively impact our economy.

Now, peak driving season is about to get underway as families across the country get prepared to take their summer vacations. This is the time that gasoline usage increases; which affects supplies and raises the prices. This is also the time that U.S. oil refineries have decided to reduce their output to levels we haven't seen since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the gulf coast. We'll have even less gas circulating through our economy. "Good time for maintenance" they say. Therefore, record prices are expected to go up even higher this summer; even outside of normal trends. They always seem to justify the price going up. But, we never see the decrease when usage trends favor the consumer.

Americans don't have much choice but either pay the rate or ride a bicycle to work. The oil companies have a stranglehold on our economy through their monopoly. Conserving doesn't really help much as it slows our economy even more without really addressing the issue. Drilling in ANWR and other parts of our country will not help much. American companies that drill today for oil within the United States still charge OPEC pricing along with our Canadian and Mexican "friends". If we buy crude at OPEC level pricing, American citizens still won't see any difference in their wallets. Additionally, the increased supply probably will not help. We don't get the benefits of supply and demand today. Taxing their excessive profits will not lower our rates as we still pay the same price at the pump. It just takes our money from the oil companies and give it to the government. I'm sure Americans would prefer to simply keep their money.

The solution is simply to reinstall capitalism to the oil industry. The subsidies and tax breaks that we give them today should be redirected to finance new competitors. For American drilled oil, these competitors should be mandated to charge special a American rate for oil distributed within the country. We also need to develop and promote alternative sources of energy and devices that will be compatible with these sources.

One Big Happy Purple Party

John McCain has just announced he is now for universal health care. He has a new plan. It's called Hillary Care. Okay. Just joking. He calls it his Guarenteed Access Plan. I guess this is McCain's version of "compassionate conservatism". As a former Republican and independent conservative, this is pretty hilarious. If I was still a Republican, this would probably make me pull out my hair in lieu of my normal shave.

This overused triangulation dance that these pseudo-cons have learned is one of the many reasons I left the Republican Party. There are no more ideological conservatives in government. There are no more principles. They don't stand on anything. Everything is up for grabs. Today's Republicans are indulging in a seemingly alcoholic Democrat-Lite beverage instead of a form of conservatism that's closer to John Adams.

Democrat or Republican; red state or blue state; they are all liberals and form the worst shade of purple imaginable. Free spenders with Orwellian tactics. I think I'll pass.