According to Russia

According to Russia, the border war going on between Russia and Georgia was initiated by Georgia, which is no surprise when it comes to the blame game. However. there's the further accusation that 'the West' (meaning the US) gave the green light to Georgia to initiate the fracas; something about unlimited support if they got it on. A surprise?
Think about it; MONEY supplies both sides of a war... MONEY in Russia is MONEY. Draw a border. Pick a fight . Make a profit. And the Shock? Hasn't the US been invading and attacking sovereign foreign countries now for eight years? What Shock? According to some experts and a large amount of 'factual' evidence is really that we simply took a swipe at ourselves to get a war going: The War on Terror. Our administration uses 'foreign terror' to create enough fear to fight back at the shadows, while the evidence and the true intention of it's action are as plain as day, but IGNORED.
Back to Georgia, where there's pipeline that connects the Azerbaijani Oil and Gas from Caspian Sea to the West. Surprise! An OIL and GAS pipeline. It only carries a million barrels a day, but it replaced the old one that ran through Russia. And it was built because the OIL consortium wanted it in friendlier countries, ie. Not Russia. But damn, don't these 'pipelines' seem to attract trouble like arteries in a knife fight? I mean, it seems like everywhere there's OIL that needs a pipeline built to it or where the pipelines exist, then there's trouble. Is it the pipeline that causes the trouble, the fight for the OIL that goes through it, or the representation of foreign powers and foreign exploitation that inevitably make these pipelines targets for rebels? Back to the surprise.
Georgia wasn't voted into NATO. And so MONEY knew this War was coming. Russia could not sit idly by and watch the US gobble up oil producing countries and pipeline routes in the 'War on Terror' in Russia's 'Near Abroad', and not get back in the Imperialism game too. You lead by example. Actions are louder than words. Russian national security demands that Russia not have a problem neighbor armed with western weapons (supplied by US and Israel, according to the Russian Diplomat on CNN). And why does it sound so familiar?
We've played all these games before. We've played all these games before. ZEITGEIST. ZEITGEIST. ZEITGEIST Someones making money on both sides of that war. You can bet on it. The 1%.
There's a reason Georgia wasn't voted into the NATO alliance recently; MONEY didn't want things to get out of control and wind up with a real war between nuclear powers. No cos, like the 'War on Terror', or Vietnam, or any shitty little proxy war, in Georgia MONEY is being made by The 1%. ZEITGEIST. Does the Cookie fit the Cut? MONEY is nation-less. MONEY'S Allegiance is to itself. Borders make good Wars, Profits, Control. The Cold War is being replaced by The OIL Wars; Formerly called 'The War on Terror', or 'The Terrorize Yourself 'Til You Terrorize Someone Else Wars', or 'The 1% Wars'.
There is little difference between our invasions of the Middle East, and Russia's invasion of Georgia. Russia doesn't bother with concealing their true intent. They don't need to attack themselves to attack others. As long as the US is 'policing' the world (at least the OIL producing world) then how can Russia be condemned for a little 'policing' on their own border? It's their border (fuck, we let Mexican Bush Cartels wage war on our border). According to the Russians, the US is supplying arms to Georgia and encouraging trouble.
Doesn't it seem like in all these strategic OIL related places where Western OIL rubs elbows with the corrupt democracy, trouble starts... When you consider what has been done in the world by the US over the last eight years in the name of any excuse available, while the real reason is simply greed, how can the current US Administration lecture Russia?
Does the Cookie fit the Cut?

The Truth

Yup,
I have pecked almost fifty articles from my perch in the mountains of southern Oregon, now. By the measure of the response I have gotten from them, I guess most of them weren't worth responding to. People are busy. They agree with me silently, I know.
Occasionally, I get a response and it's all good; There's a million Samuel Clemens these days. Bloggers; how does one distinguish oneself where there are those that are more talented? Original thought is a lot of hard work. It normally takes research, ideas, travel ...and patience.
I'm recapping news today, but some interesting stories about Iraq's oilfields and production being locked into future contracts with US oil companies. And there is the Truth of the War with Iraq. Not weapons of mass destruction. Not Iraqi democracy. Not Al Qaeda, Iran or the Axis of Evil.
Oil, goddamn oil that's ruining the atmosphere, bankrupting the country, and will destroy the world, as we know it. Its warmer and wetter and the tornado season is all year long. Rainfall records and flooding levels are being shattered worldwide.
There's been a lot of talk about Jimmy Carter and the Seventies lately on the national news. I was comparing the situation to President Carter's tenure and the upheaval in the Seventies in article I wrote in January (Change We Can Believe In 10JAN08 and Educate Educate Educate! 21JAN08 ) It probably wasn't original thought then, but it's good to have the national media catching up with me. Normally it doesn't take them six months to steal my ideas.
The Carter Administration was neutralized by OIL in the Seventies, The Obama administration could very well be neutralized in the future.
The big question now is, will Obama play ball?
Alternative energy is the answer. And the American way of life will have to change. But will OIL let us?
It is the Bush Administration that concerns me. Never in my lifetime have I felt so deceived by the government. This whole escapade in the Middle East was an orchestrated collection of terror, lies, manipulation, greed and profiteering for OIL.
The war on Iraq was a manipulated act of imperialism for OIL. A shameful act of aggression and profiteering. US oil company profiteering.
Do you know it cost about $1.00 US to pump a barrel of crude oil out of the ground?
How quickly the President-Elect removes our troops from Iraq, and how aggressively he pursues alternative energy, will indicate how much he's working for every Americans future, or conversely, how long he'll continue policies that should have changed forty years ago. Will he sell out?
And the answer is not to throw all regard to the wind and let the bastards do what ever they like in the pursuit of oil, the answer is KICK the habit because the price of a gallon of gas will never come down.

The Chevron Incident

Sons and Friends,
The Road through the mountains to my Shack is open again. The last of the snow blocking the road has melted away and the scenic route from the Northern California Redwoods through the Southern Oregon mountains is now open. The logging trucks, rolling by my house daily now, are laden with the BIG trees from somewhere back, up in the mountain forest above. Motorcyclists seeking the Scenic route are no longer passing by the Shack twice; finding out the hard way the route was closed. I'll be worn out by the end of the day, watching the extra traffic go by. Actually, I have postponed my Spring work until Summer and now must get busy. The result of being idle. Life is Wonderful, Every Miserable Moment. But first, a man has to live and escape the routine occasionally. I was in that California city in the valley where the two rivers meet for four days last week. Saw friends, played Poker and won, rode the motorcycle. It was all good. The motorcycle gets 40Mpg on the Highway. The RoadMonster. I filled up on the Oregon side first. Gas was $3.89 a gallon. It jumped $0.20 cents in Northern California, and when I got to that river city, then it was $4.29 a gallon for Regular, except ...... Thursday morning I pulled into Chevron. I was on my way to get a comfortable hotel room when I stopped for gas. As I swung my right leg over the Motorcycle and dismounted, I was face to face with the pump. It read-

20.00 DOLLARS
5.83 GALLONS

As I turned towards the store\cashier I started doing the math and two steps later I realized; That ain't 4.29 a gallon! Then I looked again. The prices read REGULAR 4.29 / PLUS 3.39 / PREMIUM 4.51 across the pumps. Like they do, you know? There are twelve pumps at this Chevron. Two rows of six. Three to a side. They were mostly full. I walked up to the gentlemen in front of me. I asked him if he noticed the PLUS was a dollar cheaper than the sign advertised. He looked at me and responded,"Yeah, I noticed that. Probably a mistake , huh?" I responded, "Yeah, probably,.... maybe I'll tell the clerks inside... after I fill up, of course." We laughed.
I noticed he was filling up with PLUS, too. I say 'too' because on the way into the store to give the clerk my twenty dollar bill, I took note that EVERYBODY was pumping PLUS into their cars. As I filled The RoadMonster (yes, it occurred to me that my windfall wasn't as big as some but, I didn't mention the price on the pump to the clerks), a large 1980's type, big ol' wide, true-gas-hog of a Cadillac pulled in on the other side of the pump. As the youngish driver of the car stepped out I said, "Hey.... the PLUS is selling a dollar cheaper on the pump then it's advertised on the sign." He looked at me and said, "Huh?" It didn't take much explaining for him to get the gist of things pretty quick though; He was filling up with PLUS too when I hung up the pump and went in to get my change. CHANGE from a twenty after filling up my motorcycle. Unheard of since forever! On the way out, at the pump nearest the door, I saw this fella hit the regular button as I walked by. So I stopped him and explained the situation. He couldn't see the price of the gas though; when he hit the regular button the price of the other two grades quit lighting up so he couldn't see their prices. You know... like they do. But he shut the pump off and, when the other prices were lit and showing, he picked the PLUS too. I felt like Santa Claus. I was Paul Revere running around that gas station telling everybody about PLUS! A self-exiled Californian returned from the mountains of Southern Oregon, Informer of the Exploited, Carrier of Good News, Enlightener of those within my reach... Let the Seller Beware! I did have a moral moment though. I reflected to a gentleman in a suit as he filled his Explorer with PLUS, "...all these otherwise honest, hard-working people don't seem to have any reservation about taking advantage of an obvious mistake." He replied, "Chevron can afford it." So I called my friend Gary; He lives nearby. I called Sandy, she works nearby. Chevron can afford it. Let the Seller Beware. It was their pump. As I drove away, I saw the guy in the suit step around the pump and converse with the stranger on the other side, something about PLUS, I think. It was a happy group that morning. Sandy went by an hour later, Plus was 4.39 a gallon.
Maybe the clerks noticed, or maybe a sympathizer showed up. Regardless, though it was not planned, and we were not to blame, there was a moment that morning; a moment of opportunity to conspire and be secretive, a moment to fight back and be offensive, rather than helpless and at the hands of the profiteers. And I was Proud to share The Chevron Incident with my fellow Americans who, doubtlessly, are indicative of the resentment and attitude of the whole Population: Let The Seller Beware... Revolution is only a mistake away. I can hear Jefferson Airplane now. TakeStock ! (Catchy Name, huh?)

$150 a Barrel of Oil

Another doomsday report from southern Oregon, but first... BE HAPPY. Spend your stimulus check.. no better not. When it makes no difference to the economy at all, you might find it depressing to think of the billions the American people have been swindled, while your cut was a mere few hundred dollars.

Yes, I've been watching the news today. Some of it is almost humorous, if not tragic. Ford Excusions, Chevy Suburbans, BIG trucks, SUVs, all of those $40 - 60k vehicles aren't worth 30% of their original cost less than two years after they're purchased. People trying to trade them in due to the gas crisis (again, circa 1976) are finding they have no re-sale value due to the cost of gas. What? You don't have $240 to fill the tank on your 3\4 ton that gets ten miles to the gallon? No matter, it'll still look good with those 22" rims. Hey... and if the asphalt gets so hot your tires stick to the pavement and two wheel drives can't move, you got four wheel drive, just no gas!

I mean, what the hell did you expect? People out there living in $500 a month apartments, driving SUVs with $600 a month payments, plus insurance (maybe) and gas too. Then there's the homeowner who refinanced and bought that car. Now he's upside down in his house. Then he tries to cut expenses, dump the gas hog, and what happens? He's upside down in the SUV, or already lost $20-30k.

Uh-oh, it's the spiral effect and it's snowballing.

I'm poor, so we must keep in mind my views are from one who views gas prices as devastating to people on fixed and lower incomes.

However, why would anybody want to buy a new car today? Motor home? Hell, at this point anything that burns gas is a bad investment. Soon fuel costs for private transportation will become prohibitive. Which brings us to $150 a barrel oil prices. It was only two months ago that oil hit a previously un-thought of $100 a barrel. At that time gas was over $3 a gallon.

Today it's at $130+ a barrel, and at the current rates of increase it should be $150 by the end of June. As I stated before (All Things Being Equal 05 MAY 08), the price of gas will be $5.25 a gallon by the end of summer and, unfortunately, everything else is going to be 35% more expensive too.

Now here's the back breaker; while everything else becomes more expensive (and the dollar loses value), your house, which is your hedge against inflation, loses value too! Coming and going, Baby, coming and going.

Anyway, don't get me wrong, I'm not worried. Misery loves company and I'm lonely as hell, and I've already downscaled. It ain't all bad. There are unprecedented opportunities in the decline, also. One only need know where to look. I'm looking to the garden.