Oh SH*T!!!!!!! This is scary.

Pricing experts says $4 a gallon gas on the horizon - Aug. 31, 2005

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

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

If this happens, I really think things would change here, in the U.S.. I know I would certainly curtail my driving, and I might even consider biking the 12 miles each way to work several days a week.

Man that would really hurt the wallet. I have a 15 gallon tank in my Honda Accord, which would mean a $60 fill up. I get around 25 miles to the gallon, so that would be $4 a day to drive to work and back. Ouch!!!

Ok time to eat Ramen Noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Well I heard this today, and it bothered me.

Strained US National Guard has hurricane relief role

"National Guard troops played a leading role responding to Hurricane Katrina's destruction along the U.S. Gulf Coast on Tuesday, but thousands more who might have been part of the effort are deployed in Iraq.
...
The Pentagon has sent about 40 percent of Mississippi's National Guard force to Iraq and 35 percent of Louisiana's

Well I didn't really know that this was happening in many states of this union. I understand the need for these soldiers in Iraq, not that I agree that we should be there in the first place, but none the less, there are some serious consequences here at home.

The Army National Guard was formed as a part-time force, with its members living civilian lives while doing periodic military training. But the Pentagon has relied heavily on these troops in combat roles in Iraq.

Unlike soldiers in the part-time Army Reserve, made up of federal troops, those in the National Guard serve under the control of state governors usually for roles like disaster relief in their home states. They can be summoned to active-duty Army service in times of national need.

Some state governors have worried that the Pentagon's deployment of so many Guard troops has eroded their states' abilities to respond to disasters like wildfires and hurricanes. The Pentagon has promised never to deploy more than half of a state's guard force at any given time."

Well that is a relief, they won't use more than half of a state's national guard. I'm sorry maybe I am too cynical, but people in OUR country need help. I am watching the coverage of the devastation from this storm, and so help me god if any of these states are short on help and lives are lost because most forces are in Iraq. We need to think about exactly what we are doing.

I know you all can't wait to read this:

Retired Sen. Jesse Helms Publishes Memoir

"Helms devotes an entire chapter to his views on race relations, defending his record challenging most of the nation's civil rights legislation as a 1960s television commentator and as a senator.

'I felt that the citizens of my community, my state and my region of the country were being battered by this new form of bigotry,' he wrote. 'I simply could not stay silent in the face of this assault — and I didn't.'

Helms suggests the South could have integrated voluntarily if the federal government had not intervened. He wrote, 'I believed right would prevail as people followed their own consciences.'"

Yeah right! Are you kidding me?! That is why the south had slaves for some 200 years before they were FORCED to free them and still fought the North so they could keep their slaves! What a ridiculous argument.

Severe wrongs had been done, and they needed to be corrected. To this day it amazes me the level of outright racism and covert racism that exists in the south. Yes I have been to Mississippi and Alabama. Yes there are still people that I hardly know who will start talking to me and use the N word several times and tell me that there used to be a time when they "knew their place".

What the f**k?! Wake up, this still goes on and people like Jesse Helms are helping to keep this backwards thinking alive. Shame on you jesse helms, shame on you! You disgust me.

Montana's governor eyes coal to solve U.S. fuel costs

"Montana's governor wants to solve America's rising energy costs using a technology discovered in Germany 80 years ago that converts coal into gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel.
...
'I am leading this country in this desire and demand to convert coal into gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel. We can do it in Montana for $1 per gallon,' he said.

'We can do it cheaper than importing oil from the sheiks, dictators, rats and crooks that we're bringing it from right now.'

The governor estimated the cost of producing a barrel of oil through the Fischer-Tropsch method at $32, and said that with its 120 billion tons of coal -- a little less than a third of the U.S total -- Montana could supply the entire United States with its aviation, gas and diesel fuel for 40 years without creating environmental damage."

Ok, lets do it. Let's give it a try, we need to do something, and we need to do it now instead of later.

Sorry my loyal fans, no politics today. I am going to the Coldplay concert tonight at Journal Pavilion. I'll be back tomorrow.

Well we knew it would come to this. The Pentagon has started putting what I consider advertisements for their war PR on the gravestones of the men and women who have died in that war.



Troops' Gravestones Have Pentagon Slogans - Yahoo! News

"Unlike earlier wars, nearly all Arlington National Cemetery gravestones for troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan are inscribed with the slogan-like operation names the Pentagon selected to promote public support for the conflicts."

Sigh.

Well just to show that ripping off the American people is not just for the UN anymore, there was this news today.

Ex-Halliburton worker pleads guilty to bribes

"A former Halliburton Co. worker pleaded guilty late last week to taking more than $110,000 in bribes from an Iraqi company in 2004 and defrauding the United States, court documents showed."

I know, its only $110,000 the Oil for Food scandal is some millions or was it billions? Anyways, its just interesting news considering that Halliburton maintains that they are fully straight and in line.

Oh and then:

Iraqi Parliament Delays Constitution Vote

"In another dramatic last-minute standoff, Iraqi leaders put off a vote on a draft constitution Monday, adjourning parliament at a midnight deadline in a bid for three more days to win over the Sunni Arab minority whose support is key to stopping the insurgency."

And let me just clear something up, I don't want this constitution thrown together with duct tape, I assumed they were pretty close to having the document completed and were simply delaying because of political wrangling or whatever. And I thought that if a delay like that caused the government to dissolve then the chaos that would ensue would be very destructive.

Well I got the 4Runner today. I took some pictures, but I forgot to bring them home. I am now noticing all the things that is wrong with it that I didn't notice before. But hey I have two cars now. I have to wake up early tomorrow and try to go to the DMV tomorrow morning.

Well I'm tired so I will just link this story I read tonight.

US rejects Putin call for troop pullout timetable

"Putin told a reporters after meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah earlier Thursday that 'we deem it necessary to work out a schedule for the staged withdrawal of foreign troops' in Iraq.

'Many Iraqis perceive these forces as occupying forces, and this is a reality that should be taken into account,' the Russian leader said.

He also said an international conference this year 'would give a new impulse to the normalization of the situation' in the war-battered country."

Come on ride the train, and ride it! Come on ride the train, and ride it! Woo Wooooo!

Fatal errors by London anti-terror police in Brazilian's death

"British police face acute embarrassment after leaked documents showed that a Brazilian killed on suspicion of being a suicide bomber was not trying to flee and was being overpowered when he was shot in the head at point-blank range.
...
Initial reports said de Menezes had been acting suspiciously -- wearing a bulky jacket, jumping a ticket barrier at Stockwell Underground station, south London, and sprinting onto the train.

But witness accounts and photographs leaked to ITV television showed him in a light denim jacket walking calmly into Stockwell station."

It APPEARS, at this point that this innocent man was shot 7 times in the head while being held down by police. Now, I am afraid of this thin line that these officers must face in this situation.

I believe that they did indeed believe that this man was a suicide bomber, and I assume that in the heat of the moment they thought they were all going to be blown up to holy hell and fired seven shots into the man's head at point blank range because they thought that even with him restrained he might be able to set off his suspected bomb.

BUT the problem is, that when I put myself in the shoes of this man, it scares the crap out of me that this could conceivably happen to anyone! I mean I think this moves our free societies a step closer to fascism. Yes I said it, I used the F word. I know no one wants to hear this, but so what, we need to think about the things that we are doing each step of the way. That is what democracy is all about. I fear we have passed the point where we can return, and the slope truly is slippery.

So lets talk about this. I want to be safe, I understand the need to use overwhelming force in the face of a suicide attack. But I don't want to be dead because someone tells the police that they think I have a bomb. I know there is basically two schools of thought here, and it applies to more than just this.

One school of thought is that it is better to kill an innocent for the good of the many, than to allow something to happen to endanger the many.

The other school of thought is that it is better to take every precaution to save the innocent and possibly risk endangering the many.

Well that is too simplified of a description, but in general I fall into the second school of thought. I believe it is of utmost importance to prevent the death of the innocent than it is to possibly prevent something bad happening to the many.

It goes along with my current opinion of the death penalty, I would rather allow guilty murders to sit in prison for life than for the government to mistakenly kill an innocent person in my name.

So what can we do here? In this very critical juncture of safety and security and of personal rights to have life and liberty, what wins out?

I don't know, but I want to talk about it.

Well not very good news coming out of Iraq yesterday.

US scrambles to keep Iraqi political process on track

"US officials scrambled to keep Iraq's political process on track despite a deadlock in drafting a new constitution that clouded Washington's hopes for an exit strategy after 29 months of war."

Let's hope it's a short delay. If a constitution is not agreed upon by August 22 now, then the whole government is dissolved, and I think that would cause chaos.

In other news gas prices continue to rise.

Ok I mean I know that in Great Britain they pay approximately the equivalent to over $7 US for gasoline. But our economy is based on having a low gasoline price. Most of our cities and towns are not built like cities and towns in Europe. Most of our cities are not built to really support mass mass transit. Sure NYC has a good subway system, but what about Phoenix, what about Cincinnati, hell what about Albuquerque? Yeah exactly, our society, our suburbs are built with car driving, low gasoline prices in mind.

We MUST start finding alternative sources of energy, especially to power our vehicles and we must start NOW! I don't know why this is not a bigger issue. Why do people laugh and call us who bring it up crazy environmentalists? I don't understand why conservatives would not embrace this, if they really want to make our country secure, and independent from the Middle East. Ah well.

In case you were all worried, I am back. I was gone most of last week. My friend Summer came to visit, and I took a break from the blog. I forgot to post that I would be gone, hopefully you all didn't miss me that much.

So what is going on in the world of politics? Well I don't know. I wasn't paying much attention. Well the Gaza pullout has begun.

As Gaza Pullout Starts, Sharon Warns Palestinians

"Prime Minister Ariel Sharon began his promised pullout from Gaza on Monday and threatened Palestinians with Israel's harshest response ever should they attack once settlers were evacuated."

Oh and then there is some new news in the Rove-gate scandal.

Rove and Ashcroft Face New Allegations in Plame Case

"Justice Department officials made the crucial decision in late 2003 to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the leak of the identity of undercover CIA officer Valerie Plame in large part because investigators had begun to specifically question the veracity of accounts provided to them by White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove, according to senior law enforcement officials.

Several of the federal investigators were also deeply concerned that then attorney general John Ashcroft was personally briefed regarding the details of at least one FBI interview with Rove, despite Ashcroft's own longstanding personal and political ties to Rove, the Voice has also learned. The same sources said Ashcroft was also told that investigators firmly believed that Rove had withheld important information from them during that FBI interview."

No my Republican friends I will not let this story die. Mark my words, this is going to be big. It may have faded in the mainstream media, but it will be back to a top story when the special prosecutor releases his findings. Can't wait.

Smile my friends, I will be back tomorrow.

Ok no political postings today. I just wanted to let my dear readers know that I purchased a mountain bike today.



Trek 820 entry level mountain bike. I also made an offer on a 1994 Toyota 4Runner today. Yeah I have a problem, what can I say? No I have not come into any money, I guess I just got an itch.

S. Korean man dies after 50 hours of computer games

"A South Korean man who played computer games for 50 hours almost non-stop died of heart failure minutes after finishing his mammoth session in an Internet cafe, authorities said Tuesday."

They were right playing video games can kill you!

Ok lots of things today. First of all, Rep Bud you have been asking me to talk about the Oil for Food scandal, well here you go, some actual news today.

Volcker panel accuses two UN oil-for-food figures of corruption

"An independent panel accused the ex-head of the UN oil-for-food program for Iraq of corruption and said questions remained about UN chief Kofi Annan's knowledge of the scandal, which has tarnished the world body.

An interim report released by the commission led by former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker said, 'On the basis of available evidence,' the report concluded that Benon Sevan 'corruptly benefited' from the scheme and recommended that his immunity be lifted."

Well immunity has been lifted on Sevan. Also Alexander Yakovlev, a UN procurement officer has been implicated and his immunity has been lifted. Yakovlev pleaded guilty to several charges today. Looks like Kofi Annan might be in some hot water, we will see how this pans out. I smell some serious stuff going down. And I just know that that will make all the anti-UN crowd, (read right wing anti-globalizationists), salivate. Yes I did just use that huge word, don't even know if it is a word. Oh well.

Ok as an Albuquerque-an I would be remiss to not mention the fact that shrub was in Albuquerque today to sign the massive energy bill.

Bush signs sweeping energy bill

"ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (AFP) - US President George W. Bush signed a sweeping energy bill he said would strengthen the US economy and eventually help wean the United States from foreign sources of oil.
...
The US Congress passed the legislation just last month, about four years after the Bush administration proposed it, drawing an outcry from environmental groups who said it favored oil companies at the expense of conservation."

Well guess which side I come down on? Yeah I don't think overall this energy bill is a good thing. I don't see how giving tax breaks, what amounts to government subsidies to big oil and such makes us less dependent on foreign sources of energy. I really think the congress missed the boat on this one. It really is time to make a serious commitment to bring us real energy independence. It won't be easy, but we MUST start somewhere.

And lastly some sad news.

ABC News anchor Peter Jennings dies of cancer

"Peter Jennings, ...who rose to become prime-time anchorman for ABC News and whose career spanned five decades, has died of lung cancer at 67."

While I give the mainstream media alot of crap for basically being completely broken, it was not always this way. I give Jennings credit that he was around when the media actually functioned and served a purpose in this democracy. So Peter Jennings, I salute you, the country will surely miss your presence.

1938-2005

Well I had to stay home today for the air conditioner repair technician to come out to take a look at my air conditioner. Very frustrating experience, they were supposed to come between 10-12. They didn't, I called and they said they would send the next available technician out. They didn't, I called back nearly 2 hours later, they then connected me to the original technician who said he would be here maybe in an hour or so, but he was so busy he would only do part of the job, and then I could call back when they aren't so busy to have the rest fixed. Well I called the office about an hour later, they then AGAIN said they would send the next available tech out. This NEW tech calls me and tells me he will be here in an hour, by this point it is somewhere around 4pm! He finally showed up at 6pm!!!!! I had waited for 8 hours and lost a vacation day.

The worst part is he tells me when my A/C was installed 4 years ago they did it wrong and it is now causing damage to my A/C. Great, he said for the bargain price of $785 he could do something to "try" to fix the symptoms that I am having now (which is not cooling well on very hot days), but that it may not work. So anyways I am out of warranty on this, and it infuriates me that because the installers just didn't care I now may have to buy a WHOLE new A/C unit for the wonderful price of $3500 or so!

Great.

Ok on to politics of the day.

Poll: Fewer Americans Think Bush Is Honest

"Less than half of Americans now say they think President Bush is honest, according to an AP-Ipsos poll taken at a time of increasing concerns about Iraq, a potential problem for a president who won re-election declaring that 'people know where I stand.'"

The numbers are 48 percent say they think shrub is honest, and 50 percent say they think shrub is not honest. Maybe people are finally catching on.

Ok I could go on, but I don't have it in me right now, I am not too happy about this A/C situation. So have a good weekend everyone.

Ok first, my question is why the hell is Robert Novak still on the air over at CNN? I mean this guy outted an undercover CIA agent. Why did CNN not fire this man 2 years ago? That I never understood. But now today, was just classic.

CNN Suspends Novak After He Walks Off Set

"CNN suspended commentator Robert Novak indefinitely after he swore and walked off the set Thursday during a debate with Democratic operative James Carville.

The live exchange during CNN's 'Inside Politics' came during a discussion of Florida's Senate campaign. CNN correspondent Ed Henry noted when it was over that he had been about to ask Novak about his role in the investigation of the leak of a CIA officer's identity."

Hmmm, as funny as this was to watch, it makes me wonder if Novak did this on purpose so that he wouldn't have to answer any questions about the Plame outting.

"Only two weeks ago, CNN executives defended their decision to keep Novak on the air during the ongoing probe into the revelation of CIA officer Valerie Plame's identity."

Yeah like I said, what the hell CNN?! This man needs to go down! He has committed a dishonorable crime, and I don't believe he should be working anywhere! F**K Robert Novak!! He has no conscience, and he has no honor. Get this man a fork, because he is done!

Check out the video here

Ok this one is short today. I procrastinated writing my post tonight, and now I must go to bed.

Anyways I watched this new show on FX tonight. It's called Over There. It's a show about the soldiers fighting over there in Iraq. It isn't pro or anti war. It doesn't seem to have a political axe to grind. It just shows what our soldiers are going through there. I found it interesting. Check it out.

Well I never thought it would happen, especially after he diagnosed a brain damaged woman by videotape, but Republican Senator Bill Frist has done an about face, and now says he supports more federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

US Senate leader Frist backs stem cell research

"In a rare break with President Bush and Christian conservatives, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on Friday endorsed legislation to expand federal funding of embryonic stem cell research."

Wow, I don't know what to say. Ok lets see what Frist actually had to say.

"'The federal government should fund embryonic stem cell research' that uses leftover embryos from fertility clinics, said the Tennessee Republican, a surgeon who may run for president in 2008, in backing legislation already passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would overturn the limits imposed on the research by Bush in 2001."

Well there you go. I don't know if he can survive the backlash that is coming his way now from the right. Especially the Christian Conservatives. Oh my, so I guess I give the man some credit, but I think its still politically calculated anyways.

I wish I could say I think the man is standing up for what he believes in, but seriously I think his team made a calculated decision based on the polls on this issue and decided it was worth the ire he will get from the Christians, to appeal to more of the masses for a possible 2008 Presidential bid.

Let me leave all of my dear readers with this quote that I absolutely never thought I would hear coming out of the mouth of a very conservative Senator.

"'I also strongly believe, as do countless other scientists, clinicians and doctors, that embryonic stem cells uniquely hold specific promise for some therapies and potential cures that adult stem cells just cannot provide,' Frist said, explaining why he believes it is time to change Bush's policies."

This one was especially for you Rep Bud, since in our previous "discussions" you have made quite the contrary claims about stem cell research. I'm sorry but political rhetoric cannot get in the middle of this debate. It is irresponsible. There are too many people suffering in this world who can potentially be helped by this research.

If these embryos are just going to be thrown out, there is ABSOLUTELY no way to claim that we should not donate them to this critical research. No WAY!

Ok so some big news events today. But unfortunately I don't have much time to write about it tonight, I spent most of the evening being the computer guy and helping out my friends at Capo's restaurant, so I will just briefly mention the news and write more tomorrow.

First, big news today.

Bush Appoints Bolton, Bypassing Senate

"President Bush installed embattled nominee John Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations on Monday, bypassing the Senate after a testy five-month standoff with Democrats who argued that the tough-talking conservative was unfit for the job."

Well here's hoping that the guy doesn't piss off every country at the UN. I know, I know my republican friends, you are saying, who cares who we piss off? Well uh ok, because we live in the WORLD, and we, believe it or not, do NOT run the entire world, and we need to be friendly neighbors, because we need other country's help in this War on Terror, oh sorry.... Struggle Against Extremism.

Well I think most of my readers know my opinion on John Bolton, the complete WRONG man for this job. And NO rep bud I am not saying that the UN doesn't need any reform, I am simply saying the last thing this man can do well is DIPLOMACY.

Ok next big news today:

Saudis Jockey for Power After Fahd's Death

"'With all sorrow and sadness, the royal court in the name of his highness Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz and all members of the family announces the death of the custodian of the two holy mosques, King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz,' according to a statement read on state-run Saudi TV.

Fahd died at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, where he was admitted on May 27 for unspecified tests."

Don't know if this will actually have much effect on the world, seeing as the new king was basically running the country for the last 10 years after King Fahd suffered a stroke in 1995. But oil certainly did spike with the news.

Ok more tomorrow.