The Price of Gasoline Remains Stable. Why?

Have you noticed that there has been no wild increase in the price that you pay at the pump in the recent past? Usually at this time of year - just prior to Memorial Day there is a fairly substantial increase in the price per gallon. Not this year. This year we have not heard so much about the "summer blend" that costs more to produce, refinery turn arounds, and unit shutdowns, strikes in the oilfields, rebels in Nigeria, unrest in some Krapistan or other, blah blah blah. This year in fact we have very serious issues that would normally cause a rather sharp increase in the price we pay at the pump. There is of course a massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that appears unabated and there is real saber rattling on the Korean Peninsula. Usually this type of scenario along with the normal increase this time of year would put the price through the roof. Why has it not this year? Could it be that the oil industry is scared shitless of the Obama administration and dares not jack prices? If so, is this a silver lining to Obama's utterly disastrous term? Trying to "play ball" won't help them (oil industry) though. They are in the sights of the radicals, especially now that they have made themselves such an easy target. I'll wager that things will soon be getting pretty hot for the industry - probably to the detriment of us all.

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day. It is vastly important that we take time to honor those who have served and paid the ultimate price in service to this great nation.

Another "Do You Mean to Tell Me?"

Do you mean to tell me that followers of the Prophet are planning to build a "house of worship" near "Ground Zero?" That is an affront to all the families who lost someone in the horrific "man caused disaster." It is an affront to those involved in first response and clean up. It is an affront to New Yorkers. It is an affront to troops in the field. It is an affront to all Americans. Nuff Said!!

Immigration Reform to Believe In

Here are some ideas for immigration reform that perhaps we in this nation should consider.
We could start with a complete militarization of the southern border. Why? People from all over Latin America and indeed other parts of the world are migrating north like ducks in the spring. Most of these folks are desperate and looking for a better life, but a good many of them are the criminal element and a danger to our citizenry. It is unfortunate, but now is the time to wall the border with Mexico and patrol the surrounding ocean access to the United State. We should also have permanently stationed troops in the region to back up our law enforcement agencies. This has become a matter of national security.
It would be impossible to repatriate all illegals that are currently in our country, but it is not impossible to deport those that come into the sights of law enforcement agencies. No I am not advocating racial profiling, but when someone is apprehended in the course of a criminal investigation and subsequently found to have illegal status then they must go. No ifs, ands, or buts.
There are still those "business people" in this country that will knowingly hire those of illegal status. When discovered they must be apprehended and charged accordingly.

For the most part, those that cross come here to seek a better life. Wherever there are haves and have nots living side by side, the have nots will try to attain what the "haves" have. This is certainly understandable and only a dolt would fail to have sympathy, but our nation can no longer afford to absorb this multitude. Apparently the government of Mexico encourages migration that is detrimental to this country but is of some benefit to them. The people that chose to risk a crossing are their most desperate and poor citizens and these people could very easily become a danger to the status quo in Mexico. Encouraging these poor people to immigrate to the U.S. helps to rid their country of those most likely to become revolutionary.

It should be noted that the government of Mexico does not have the best interest of the U.S. at heart. This is understandable in the game geo politics, and it should be recognized by those in positions of authority in this nation that Mexico is a nation unfriendly.

Comprehensive immigration reform? You bet! Just not the kind that our current administration is calling for.

Shocked Again

Are you trying to tell me that it was a Mohammedan that tried to set off some kind of explosive in Times Square? Again I am shocked. I thought it was a return engagement from the Weather Underground. This type of scenario was probably not considered by the "news media." They are certainly quick to suspect, and eerily one gets the feeling they actually hope for, some group like "The Covenant, The Sword and the Arm of the Lord" or a Posse Comitatus type whacko to be responsible for some odius act. You really have to watch those self loathing, left wing Honkies, both the media and fanatics of the left. They are every bit as dangerous as Mohammedans and "Christian Identity" types.

Getting Kinda Tired Of This BS

Well yesterday apparently a Mexican Flag was flown at the Klein ISD and some kid took it down. Reports and counter reports on the actual event have been flying hard and fast and who knows what the real truth is. It sure has generated a shit storm of controversy though. This is pretty reminiscent of the incident last week in California where some kids had to take off t shirts with the likeness of the American flag. I suppose so as not to "offend" kids of Hispanic descent during a "Cinco De Mayo" celebration. That is ridiculous, this is America after all and celebrations fitting to a foreign and somewhat hostile nation are out of order. It is like Americans celebrating the Russian Revolution that put the Marxists in power. Cinco de Mayo after all is just a "celebration" of a rather minor victory of Mexican troops over French troops and their Mexican allies. I doubt that many of the celebrants even know that. Not a major deal when one considers that just to the north in the United States there was a real war raging.

Conventional wisdom is that Cinco de Mayo got on the radar in the United States due to the marketing acumen of those who handle the Corona Beer account. If this is correct, then it is a brilliant campaign indeed that has unfortunately caused the unforeseen phenomena of becoming a source of controversy. Whether the "advertising campaign" story is correct or not is not really the question. The real question is should Cinco De Mayo celebrations have any place in the United States at all. Probably not.

Corona Beer sucks anyway. If I were to drink Mexican Beer at all it would be Negra Modelo, but I will not buy it either. I do kinda of like Dos Equis and the "Most interesting man in the world" television advertisements are brilliant but alas I also won't buy those products. I try to avoid buying products from a nation that is a potential enemy of our country. I don't buy the exceptional Tsing Tao beer from China for the same reason. Nuff said!

Pablo Escobar and Mr. Jeremy Keep Coming Up.

Have you ever seen the kids television program "Drake and Josh?" This afternoon I watched the episode where Josh Nichols (Josh Peck) grew a mustache. Funny thing, Josh looked just like a young Pablo Escobar and had some resemblance to Ron Jeremy. More Pablo than Ron but still there was a passing resemblance to the Hedgehog. I always liked that show and was sorry when it passed from the scene. There are reruns though. Yes there are.

Critical Watching, Reading, and Thinking

There are college classes that are entitled, believe it or not, Critical Thinking - As in Critical Thinking 101. It is ridiculous that anyone and I mean anyone can even think about setting foot on a college campus unless they have acquired at least some degree the talent of "critical thinking." You either have it or you don't and some professor yammering on about the need to "consider your sources," "look at all angles of an issue" etc. etc. is not of any use whatsoever. This is the problem we have when one considers the current political climate. People, for the most part, jump on a bandwagon and do not take the time or even indeed have the capacity to look at things from all sides before making an intelligent decision. This human trait is why such "news" agencies as FOX and MSNBC have such viewership. So called "journalists" do not, for the most part, bother with honest reporting. That is a damn shame and has almost killed the legitimate profession.

The other day President Obama called for people to at least take a look at some sources that they would not normally consider. To go "outside the box" if you will. He encouraged people to check out FOX news (I believe) and also to look at the "Huffington Post." Basically he was just trying to get people to look at all sides. I agree with that perspective and have been doing just that for years. They call it critical thinking.

As a case in point I consider myself a right leaning Centrist. I have truthfully been leaning a bit more right in the recent past wholly due to the leftist extremeism that is currently in vogue. I do however try to find my news from the most reliable source and when that is not available (and it often is not), I try to get my information by reading what those on the right and the left have to say. For instance, one of my favorite blogs is "On My Mind" written by a man named Bill from SoCal. His perspective is what I would call central with a leftward lean. It is a very good blog and Bill has some very good perspectives. When I really want to be entertained by some hardcore Marxism I check out "Brilliant at Breakfast." This is a good blog that references some very hard left journalistic work. I almost think that when there is another terrorist assault the webmistress of this site hopes and prays that it is some lone wolf militia type that perpetrates it. Just so she can shrilly say "See? I told you so." Don't believe me? Check out her latest blog post concerning the Mohammedan that was arrested in the Times Square bomb scare. It is crazy as hell. She is crazy as hell.
If I want to take a look at some alternative economic news and perspective I will check out Mish's blog. That will sure get you wondering if the official drivel coming out of Washington is bogus propaganda.

The point is for anyone who tries to keep up with the insanity of daily life needs to look at things from more than just one perspective. Anyone who does not is a dolt. A fucking dolt if I may say so.

Cops at the Red Chinese Consulate in Houston

Apparently some Houston cops are under fire for allegedly roughing up someone in the PRC consulate on Montrose Street in Houston. If the report is correct then those cops made an error in judgement. That would not be too surprising though. They apparently said they did not know that they were on consulate property. That of course is ridiculous because everybody knows that the building in question is the PRC consulate.
The whole affair is somewhat amusing.

Next door to the Red China's diplomatic outpost is a small strip center that features a Mexican restaurant, Einsteins Bagels, , Starbucks, and a few other small concerns. If you park in the lot and are not patronizing one of the businesses then you will get towed. As an off and on Houston cabbie, I fairly often work the area and have taken a couple of pissed off Chinese citizens to the impound lot on Elgin. I sort of enjoy it although you can bet that there is no tip involved. In fact, there once was an argument about paying my legitimate fare. If this happens again I will call a cop mainly just for the entertainment value. My friend, another sometime cabbie, pretty much exclusively works the Montrose area and has taken far more people to the impound yard to reclaim their vehicles than I have. He was once accused by a PRC citizen (is that more politically correct than saying Red Chinese?) of being in league with the towing company. That of course is not true but it certainly would be more profitable than just taking people to pick up their cars. Cabbies always have street scams going that put a few bucks in the pocket. Nothing wrong with that. Recommending the "gentleman's club" that pays you the most in finder fees is a good way to put a few bucks in your pocket. Just the way it is.

As I said, it is fun to take PRC citizens to the impound yard to get their cars back. I don't like a Red Chinese consulate in the neighborhood anyway.

Mohammedans, May Day, Massive Environmental Damage and Now - North Korea

Today is May Day which of course was a major event in the former Soviet Union. It is kind of ironic that it is also a day that leftists in this nation use for highlighting the "plight" of the American worker. It is also a bit funny that now "immigration advocates" (read illegal immigration advocates) have hijacked this day to rally in support of criminality. It would be funny if it were not so sad.

It appears that the incident in the Gulf of Mexico may well turn out to be an environmental disaster of unprecedented magnitude. Of course the whole thing is now being politicized by those on the left (and right). This is disgusting but certainly no surprise. Oil giant BP is under attack from many quarters and probably deservedly so, but in reality the rig was operated by a company called Transocean. Now Halliburton is being targeted also. That is predictable of course. The evil Halliburton which according to leftists is responsible for all the evils of the world apparently did some work on the rig. That being said however it must also be noted that BP does appear to be a menace. Their refinery in Texas City, TX. is known to be unsafe. A fact proven a few years ago with an explosion that killed and maimed people working there. Any casual observer can see that it is not the safest environment. I used to drive chemical tankers in and out of that particular facility and had the gut feeling that it was a death trap. Of course oil refining and the chemical production is a dangerous business anyway and accidents will happen.
As far as the disaster in the Gulf goes - There are already a bunch of people hatching and believing conspiracy theories, most of which are (hopefully) crazy. I have read that this may be an "attack" by environmental terrorists. I have also read that the administration itself is responsible for the disaster to further political ends. Combine this with the mine disaster in WV the other day and it is obvious that these events will help the "green energy" (anti energy) movement. To accuse the administration of orchestrating these tragic events is however almost as crazy as those "911 truthers." At least one hopes so.
Another interesting theory has surfaced that North Korean special forces were responsible for damaging the oil platform. This is pretty far fetched also, but it is worth noting that there was apparently a North Korean ship in the general vicinity. The U.S., France, UK, and Israel are not the only nations that sport special forces. This really seems out there, but a state of war does still exist between the two Koreas and the rig was apparently built by Hyundai Heavy Industries. It is something to at least think about. Perhaps a good idea for a novel. If you remember in "Red Storm Rising" Tom Clancy opened the story with Mohammedans launching a terrorist attack on a Soviet oil facility.
Probably what happened was a massive failure that cost lives and will have huge adverse environmental impact.
Does this mean that we stop drilling for energy? Of course not. That would be stupid although it may be what the current administration ultimately has in mind. I pose these questions to you. Would you like to pay 7.00 per gallon? How would we fuel our war machines? These are legitimate and necessary questions. Whether one likes it or not our military readiness is of paramount importance. I suppose we could power our warships with sails and use horses to pull our land artillery. Is there a need to explore alternatives to petroleum? Of course there is, but until such time as they are found we depend on petroleum. Let us not throw the baby out with the bath water as they say. We need to become energy independent, which at this time means we need to continue drilling for oil while recognizing the fact that there will be occasional disasters that will have to be cleaned up. To think otherwise is Utopian, childish and (dare I say) stupid.