COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

"You can't swing a cat without hitting a barrel of crude."



How dead is the world's economy? From Singapore, here's another illustration:
SINGAPORE — To go out in a small boat along Singapore’s coast now is to feel like a mouse tiptoeing through an endless herd of slumbering elephants.

One of the largest fleets of ships ever gathered idles here just outside one of the world’s busiest port, marooned by the receding tide of global trade. There may be tentative signs of economic recovery in spots around the globe, but few here.

Hundreds of cargo ships — 100,000 to 300,000 tons each, with the larger ones weighing more than the entire 130-ship Spanish Armada — bob so empty that they seem to perch on top of the water rather than in it, their red rudders and bulbous noses, submerged when the vessels are loaded, sticking a dozen feet out of the water.
According to the author, the actual number of cargo ships bobbing at anchor is 735. He reports that eight container shipping companies have gone bankrupt in the last year and another large company is in imminent danger.

Earlier this month, it was reported that there is no excess crude oil storage capacity. Every available container is full and US refineries are operating at 85% capacity.

Revenue reports show that, thanks to the $4.00 per gallon pump prices, the American public seems to have permanently changed its driving habits and gas tax receipts are trending downward. State transportation budgets are taking huge hits and everyone is scrambling to find new taxing options such as taxing you for the miles you have driven instead of the number of gallons of gas you pump.

So, in light of the current economic conditions, why is crude oil heading towards the $60 per barrel range? The simple answer might be found in this article, Energy prices fall before crude
storage report.


Dour economic reports have outweighed the positive for months, however, and part of the reason energy prices have been sustained at the current level is the weak dollar. Crude is priced in dollars, which makes it cheaper to buy when the dollar falls.

The U.S. currency has been weakened by the massive government bailout of banks and automakers.

The dollar fell less than a penny against the euro Tuesday, but is down about 6 cents compared with the beginning of the year.

“Maybe it as simple as the fact that oil has more dollar value in a world where the U.S. government is running up a debt of historic proportions,” analyst Phil Flynn said in a client note.

That would go a long way to explain why energy prices are not falling even further.

Economic chaos reigns in a whirled gone topsy turvy. Nothing is certain in the wake of a spectacular seismic economic event. Confidence in the US as the whirled's economic engine has gone up in the smoke of the flameout. Remember the comment of our well educated, young Asian visitor, Wobbly Guy? He has decided to cast his lot with the Chinese instead of looking in our direction. That tells the story.

Go east young man.

133 comments:

  1. In Singapore, the shadow of Charlie-Chicom looms large.

    As woobly said, he knows those fellows, goes to conventions with them and speaks the same cultural language.

    The fact that economic growth is not preordained is coming as a shock, to many.

    That there is no economic sense to developing a subdivision, a devastating blow to the Estate Planning of many of US.

    The promises of recovery seem shallow, as shallow as the Bush recovery proved to be, after the Clinton recession.

    The last oil shock and limitations on liquidity, concurrently, had unforeseen consequence for the central planners. Consequences that were not remedied when oil dropped off its price peak.

    ReplyDelete
  2. To whom will china sell it's massive amounts of shit if not america?

    China is growing....

    It's time to start change and hope in the chinese mind...

    individual choice, independence and yes revolution!

    Free Tibet!

    Free Canton!

    The Empire of China is RIPE to be torn apart....

    So let the games begin..

    ReplyDelete
  3. Energy Security: Taking the Long ViewBy David O'Reilly.

    I'm in an industry where you don't have to exaggerate the importance of what you're selling. Every enterprise represented in this room depends on a reliable supply of energy at an affordable cost. Energy concerns every household and supports every local economy. The oil and gas industry alone employs some 1.8 million Americans directly and another 4 million indirectly. This surprises some because those who use the term "big oil" don't want you to think of us as a big employer. But whether we explore for energy, produce it, deliver it or sell it, we're part of a massive infrastructure that provides good jobs for millions of Americans.

    Right now, energy prices are much lower than last year, mainly because of the falloff in economic activity across the world. It's only a year ago on the calendar, but it seems a decade ago on the political calendar that gas was hitting $4 a gallon and oil trading at well over $100 a barrel. Everybody was talking about it, Congress was calling hearings, and the word "crisis" filled the air. But time passed, and the issue dropped from view. When prices decline, there's always the tendency to pay less mind to long-term energy concerns.
    ...
    ... for all the debates over energy use and production, there is almost universal agreement on what those challenges are.

    First, we need enough supply to meet the vast needs of a prosperous, productive nation of more than 300 million people - a nation that also must compete for some of those supplies in a world market. Second, we agree on the goal of becoming less dependent on foreign sources of oil and gas. We understand that a good deal of these lie in some of the world's most unstable regions. And this leaves us and our economy at the mercy of far-away events and decisions. Even absent these concerns, there is still the problem that burning fossil fuels can carry a cost to the world, including to the climate of the Earth itself. And so we share a third objective: to reduce the impact of fuels of all types on our environment.
    ...
    You can assume, as I do, that our use of renewables will grow dramatically. That's going to happen. But it's still the case that, as a percentage of the global energy mix, 20 years from now renewables will still be at around 10 percent. Simply stated, renewables have strong promise. And yet, we will need to rely on traditional fuels for quite some time to come. In the long sweep of time, renewables will meet a far bigger share of global demand. But it's false to suppose that they can replace conventional energy in a short time frame as we are sometimes asked to believe. After all, the development and application of new technology always take time. Look at the computer industry. It took about 50 years from the development of the silicon chip before computers were a widespread part of everyday life.

    Will energy alternatives take that long? I hope not. But we need to be realistic. Conventional energy sources will remain indispensible to meeting demand for decades to come, even as we pursue greater contributions from other sources. It's for us to decide where we obtain the conventional energy we need. And from a policy standpoint, America has been moving in the wrong direction for a very long time.
    ...
    That means getting beyond simplistic proposals and staying focused on energy security. There are no quick or easy answers. Massive scale, long lead times, growing demand - these are the realities we face. And don't doubt for a moment that America has the means and the know-how to manage all these challenges. After all, America is the No. 1 producer of nuclear power, ethanol and wind. We're the No. 2 producer of coal and natural gas. And we're the world's third-largest producer of oil. It's clear that we are energy-rich and our capacity is immense.

    This country is not an energy weakling or anything close to it. We are an energy powerhouse. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. We've got what it takes to keep moving forward on every front. And that is what we must do if we're going to be ready for the increase in demand that will come along when the global economy recovers.
    ...
    This is a crucial point, often neglected by advocates of new controls and mandates: Alternatives depend on innovation, and innovation depends on growth and open economies. Growing economies are always better situated to make the big investments that yield the long-term payoffs.

    Go to any major developed country and you'll find a petroleum-based economy. Try to change that fact overnight, with overly restrictive policies, and what you'll get is a weaker economy and all that comes with it - a falloff in investment, the loss of optimism and less willingness to take the long-term view. In those conditions, making big investments in energy sources that have a distant time horizon will often be the last thing on people's minds.

    Supplying the energy needs of the world requires time and money - lots of both. Indeed, the energy system we have right now is the product of more than 100 years of investment. We have to think about the next energy system we're heading toward as another 100 years of investment.

    Our responsibility now is to prepare the way - to set in motion the world's transition to new sources of energy. It's not a sudden turn, but a long arc. We will rely less on conventional fuels, but it is more than the work of years or even of decades: It is the work of generations. Today and tomorrow, a realistic and facts-based view is critical to progress. A great president and son of Massachusetts, John Adams, put it best: "Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
    "

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Walmart revolution is under way, in China.

    Bet on Lee Scott and his Team, or not.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I would suggest that the cause for the oil price decline is not due to demand changes stemming from the economic decline. I do not think it is reasonable to suggest demand has dropped more than 50%. Oil is around, what, 60 bucks down from a high a year ago of 147. There are other factors at play with speculation being a major factor I believe. All that money sloshing about the world is looking for return and oil looked good for awhile. Treasuries were the next hot item. What's next?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Another interesting piece of business news that doesn't seem to be getting much attention:

    Stock sales by GM insiders drop a hint: Stay away

    Lutz, who is now an adviser to the automaker, sold $130,989 worth of GM stock at the closing price of $1.61 on Friday. That sale of the 81,360 shares cleared out all of Lutz's direct holdings of GM stock, according to his filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    The five other executives, including Lutz's successor, Thomas Stephens, GM North America President Troy Clarke, Chief Information Officer Ralph Szygenda, manufacturing chief Gary Cowger and head of European operations Carl-Peter Forster also sold all of their GM stock holdings, according to the filings.

    Before news of the filings GM shares on Monday fell 17 cents to $1.44, a new closing low in the stock's collapse over the last year."

    http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/money_co/2009/05/general-motors-is-a-penny-stock-heading-for-zero--insiders-sell--few-see-chance-of-any-valuespeculators-seem-to-be.html



    5 very high ranking Execs and an 'advisor' (insider as you can be) all sold ALL their stocks at the same time, and then disclosed. Nope, no collusion there, no trading on proprietary info. Nothing to see here, just move on please.

    ReplyDelete
  7. BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) - Standing in the cradle of Christianity, Pope Benedict XVI told Palestinians on Wednesday that he understands their suffering and offered his strongest public backing yet for an independent Palestinian state.

    To get to Jesus' traditional birthplace of Bethlehem, Benedict had to cross through towering concrete slabs, part of a separation barrier Israel has erected to wall off the West Bank's Palestinian areas.

    "Mr. President, the Holy See supports the right of your people to a sovereign Palestinian homeland in the land of your forefathers, secure and at peace with its neighbors, within internationally recognized borders," the pontiff said upon his arrival, standing alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

    ReplyDelete
  8. "In a special way, my heart goes out to the pilgrims from war-torn Gaza: I ask you to bring back to your families and your communities my warm embrace, and my sorrow for the loss, the hardship and the suffering you have had to endure," the pope told thousands of Palestinians who packed an open-air Mass in Manger Square, some hoisting Palestinian and Vatican flags and pictures of the pontiff and Jesus.

    "Please be assured of my solidarity with you in the immense work of rebuilding which now lies ahead, and my prayers that the embargo will soon be lifted," he added.

    In a gesture for the pope's visit, Israel allowed nearly 100 members of Gaza's tiny Christian community to travel to the West Bank through Israeli territory that separates the two Palestinian areas.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I guess Bobal can regale us with his rantings on how the Pope is in favor of Sharia law.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gotta fit the Pope for his burka.

    ReplyDelete
  11. desert rat said...
    Cheney saying tha Obama policies have made the US less secure, has made US less secure, giving the terrorist hope that they can now turn the tide.

    That is a foreign affair to be sure.

    Gitmo and the decision to close it, foreign affairs, again, and derided by the GOP spokespeople.

    Even you, bob, Republican from Idaho, dismissing US priorities as misplaced, vis a vie Iraq and AfPak.

    From Georgia to Turkey, Republicans and those in the Party of One, looking for the anti-US spin in every scenario.
    Because they are now anti-Obama, who represents US, to the world.
    So, by undercutting Obama, they are undercutting the US,

    It is burka fitting time, for the GOP.
    ---
    bobal said...
    You are just absolutely full of shit, Rat, most of the time.
    ---
    What in the Hell is that Gobbledegook 'sposed to mean, 'Rat?
    Have not been taking your Meds, or did the Doctor Prescribe a New One just to see if it would work?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Burkah day continues, I see.

    ReplyDelete
  13. 'Rat took his cues from Ms Sykes at the Press NON Roast of BHO.
    Hoping Obama fails to Socialize the entire economy is traitorous!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Why, doug, that was heard and more, back when GW Bush was the target of the questions. When it was clear we were on the wrong course, to state so, well it was treasonous.

    But now, the tables have turned. Criminal acts there were lightly dismissed, now weigh heavily upon the land.
    There being no Statute of Limitations on the propaganda value of Republican war crimes.

    With Mr Cheney arguing endlessly in mitigation of the lawlessnes of Team43. When he and the rest of US would be best served if he held his tongue.
    As that author that has been posted to a thread or two, Maureen Dowd expounds upon

    Rogue Diva of Doom.

    In 2002, when Bush Junior was ramping up to his war against Saddam, Al Gore made a speech trying to slow down that war resolution, pointing out that pivoting from Osama to Saddam for no reason, initiating “pre-emptive” war, and blowing off our allies would undermine the war on terror.

    Charles Krauthammer called Gore’s speech “a disgrace.” Michael Kelly, his fellow Washington Post columnist, called it “vile” and “contemptible.” Newt Gingrich said that the former vice president asserting that W. was making America less safe was “well outside the mark of an appropriate debate.

    “I think the president should be doing what he thinks is best as commander in chief,” Gingrich said flatly. Now, however, Gingrich backs Dick Cheney when he asserts that President Obama has made America less safe.

    Asked by Bob Schieffer on Sunday how America could torture when it made a mockery of our ideals, Cheney blithely gave an answer that surely would have been labeled treasonous by Rush Limbaugh, if a Democratic ex-vice president had said it about a Republican president.

    “Well, then you’d have to say that, in effect, we’re prepared to sacrifice American lives rather than run an intelligent interrogation program that would provide us the information we need to protect America,” Doomsday Dick said.

    Cheney has replaced Sarah Palin as Rogue Diva. Just as Jeb Bush and other Republicans are trying to get kinder and gentler, Cheney has popped out of his dungeon, scary organ music blaring, to carry on his nasty campaign of fear and loathing.

    The man who never talked is now the man who won’t shut up. The man who wouldn’t list his office in the federal jobs directory, who had the vice president’s residence blocked on Google Earth, who went to the Supreme Court to keep from revealing which energy executives helped him write the nation’s energy policy, is now endlessly yelping about how President Obama is holding back documents that should be made public.
    ..
    .

    I'm holding Cheney and Limbaugh to the Gingrich Standard of 2002.

    Newt Gingrich said that the former vice president asserting that W. was making America less safe was “well outside the mark of an appropriate debate.

    Because it damages the interest of the United States for former Executives to comment on their replacements. True in 2002, true today.

    The whining weakens the United States, projecting disunity, then and now.

    ReplyDelete
  15. For Mr Cheney to continue to state that President Obama has made US less secure only serves to embolden the terrorists, increasing the chances that they'll take their shot. Now that the odds of their success have improved.

    Just so Mr Cheney and Rush can gain political points.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Cheney telling the terrorists we're vulnerable, now.

    And he'd be likely to know.

    So just whose interest is Mr Cheney operating in?

    ReplyDelete
  17. The Pope and Rat and Ash all agree--Gaza--Land of the Brave and Home of the Free.

    They love the place so much, let them all three move there then.

    You guys may take the Pope as your moral guide to the universe.

    I don't.

    Move there Rat, with your Constitution in your back pocket.

    Downtown Gaza, that's the place for you.

    And Ash can move there too, stand up for women's rights.

    And the Pope can move there too, and preach the Beatitudes to the Gazan masses.

    They might not even crucify him, making an exception in his case. To show the world how modern they are.

    heh

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh, I forgot, Rat did say he'd rather live in Tel Aviv.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Can you believe it--Rat--who seems to ctiticize all things Jewish--Rat himself would rather live in Tel Aviv.

    ReplyDelete
  20. And Ash would never get anywhere near Gaza or the West Bank.

    And the Pope's just goin' through the motions.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Gaza--Home of the Brave and Land of the Free--

    except Rat and Ash they aren't ever moving there, oh no.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Phoenix, and Canada, that's the place for them.

    They can spout off from there.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Not me, bob old buddy, I'm an American, through and through. North and South both Americas have their pleasures.
    I need not leave the American Hemisphere.

    Places that I yearned to see, I went to.

    Casino gambling on the Reservations alliviated the greatest social injustice we faced in Arizona. The standard of living for those on the Reservations have greatly improved, with the Tribes reinvesting in non-Gaming activity.

    This bold step forward was fought, tooth and nail, by our Republican Governor, Fife Symington, a carpetbagger.


    John Fife Symington III (born August 12, 1945 in New York City) was the Republican governor of the U.S. state of Arizona from 1991 until his resignation in 1997.

    Symington was convicted of bank fraud ... and resigned from office in 1997. He was the second Governor of Arizona to prematurely leave office in ten years, the first being Evan Mecham who was impeached in 1988. Mecham was eventually acquitted of all charges.

    Symington was pardoned by President Clinton, and served no jail-time. None of his inherited trust-funds were impacted by any restitution judgements. He is currently a pastry chef in Phoenix, Arizona
    .

    A similar way forward needs to be found for all the people in the Levant.

    ReplyDelete
  24. And while the Pope may not provide you with a moral compass, bob, he does provide one for millions of folk. Across Africa, Asia and the Americas.

    He represents his flock, as well as leading it.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Basically, the Big Oil Traders don't believe that Saudi Arabia can "Ramp Up" after the recession.

    They're buying the oil, now, when they "Perceive" it to be cheap in order to sell it later when they "Think" it will go up.

    ReplyDelete
  26. In short, the World's Largest Traders are betting on "Peak Oil."

    They're spending Billions buying oil, and renting VLCCs (Very Large Crude Carriers - the very largest tankers) to store it on.

    This is NOT a short-term "speculation." They started doing this when oil was in the $30's. They have huge profits made, now; but they're not selling.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Just sitting at sea, waiting for the pirates, aye matie?

    Pirates come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes they're a Natioanl Navy.
    Sometimes a they're lawyers and legislators.

    Taking the bootie and spreading the wealth.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Gasoline demand is only down about 1.2% from this time last year. Diesel demand is down 13, or 14%, but when the stores start restocking, and the trucks start running that will change, quickly.

    Again, Saudi Arabia is the least transparent oil market in the world. By a Large factor. The bet is that Ghawar, the Super-Giant, Granddaddy of All fields is in irreparable, and rapid decline.

    Norway, in the last month, went from 2.15 Million bpd pumped, to 1.99 Million bpd. In ONE Month.

    Mexico has fallen off a cliff. Venezuela is steadily declining. Russia is starting to decline. Our own North Slope is declining rather rapidly. The "Bakken" (remember, it was going to make us energy independent) DECLINED last month.

    It's Not a pretty picture.

    ReplyDelete
  29. And, here's our Biggest Problem.

    Me, and Thee, don't buy "Oil." WE buy "Gasoline."

    When you refine a barrel of oil you get, within very close margins, about 22 gallons of gasoline, and 12 gallons of Diesel.

    Right now they're selling most all of their gasoline, and "storing" the diesel for the end of the recession. IF the recession drags on they will, quite literally, run out of storage for diesel.

    That means they'll have to quit refining oil. Gasoline supplies will become Very constrained, and we'll be faced with "Rising" gasoline prices in the middle of a Recession. It's called "Stagflation," and it's a triple-barreled bitch.

    Personally, I'm building a Still.

    ReplyDelete
  30. bob, I have never critized anything Jewish.

    I have critized the State of Israel, the two not being one and the same.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Bob.

    I know he lurks, but just to be sure he gets the benefit of the message, I'd like to make a special request. Copy and paste the full text of rat's Wed May 13, 10:03:00 AM EDT article into an email, and send it to mat with my blessings.

    Tell him LT says hi.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Bet on Lee Scott and his Team, or not.

    Wed May 13, 10:05:00 AM EDT
    .

    Lee Scott is gone, rat. His contributions will live on, guiding the Team.

    ReplyDelete
  33. He is neither gone, nor forgotten, just moved out of daily management. Mr Scott still on the Board, still a servant leader on that Team.
    That he was replaced, I think by Eduardo Duke, as CEO, totally correct.

    ReplyDelete
  34. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Mr Duke being from the International Division, which would lead one to think that Walmart sees great growth potential in its overseas operations.
    In the Americas and China, mostly.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Gasoline demand is only down about 1.2% from this time last year. Diesel demand is down 13, or 14%, but when the stores start restocking, and the trucks start running that will change, quickly.

    Just an anecdotal observation here, Rufus. FWIW.

    Driving west to CA from the natural state, I noticed all cross country traffic, especially trucks, was off drastically from past trips.

    Dropping down off I-40 from Amarillo enroute to Roswell, I noticed train after train of inter-modal carriers headed east on BNSF rails. A funny thing about them was that the Chinese companies seemed to take over entire trains, whereas on the trains with more familiar logos, SeaLand for instance, the containers were all of mixed ownership.

    The towns like Hereford along Rte 60 have huge grain elevators from their heyday as beef producers, but these days the grain seems destined for the newer ethanol refineries that have sprung up like weeds along the railroad tracks. A lot of hopper cars were headed in that direction on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe rails. Those secondary highways between Amarillo and Roswell were just about deserted once you got past the towns. Nice driving.

    An aside within an aside: I was burning 100% gas before leaving Arkansas and as far as the panhandle. Beyond there I started having to fillup with ethanol blend. Gas mileage went to hell using the blended gas.

    ReplyDelete
  37. He is neither gone, nor forgotten, just moved out of daily management. Mr Scott still on the Board, still a servant leader on that Team.

    Gone, but not forgotten. He announced in late April he would not seek to retain his Board seat at the coming election at the big shareholders meeting this summer.

    His legacy will no doubt live on.

    "What would Sam do?"

    "What would Lee do?"

    Echoing through the halls of the home office, now trimmed by a few thousand employees. All organizations get leaner during challenging times, Walmart included. No big deal, there in Bentonville. Just a few subtle changes to the company logo, dropping the star for instance.

    ReplyDelete
  38. bobal said...
    You are just absolutely full of shit, Rat, most of the time.
    ---
    What in the Hell is that Gobbledegook 'sposed to mean, 'Rat?
    Have not been taking your Meds, or did the Doctor Prescribe a New One just to see if it would work
    ?

    He's OD'ed on the Democrat KoolAid, Doug.

    Posting a Maureen Dowd editorial.

    Pathetic.

    Seems the Democrats can't handle a dose of their own medicine without coming back in full whine.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I hate to withdraw just as a good bar fight is promising to break out, but must run some errands down in the valley.

    Later, y'all.

    ReplyDelete
  40. LT, you were using, essentially, the same "blend" the whole way. Only the labeling was different.

    Your mileage "went to hell" when you hit the higher speed limits in N Mexico, and Arizona if I had my guess. Especially the mountains of New Mexico.

    ReplyDelete
  41. I would suggest it isn't a matter of getting a dose of their own medicine but rather the glaring hypocrisy of it all. Sorta like the good ole christian family values anti-gay man getting caught out soliciting male companions in public washrooms - hiiiiipoooocrasy!!!

    Hypocrisy (or the state of being a hypocrite) is the act of preaching a certain belief, religion or way of life, but not, in fact, holding these same virtues oneself. For example, an adult telling children not to smoke cigarettes, even though the adult smokes. ...
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocrisy

    ReplyDelete
  42. Well it does seem to me that if one is arguing for a Palestinian state, one is arguing for the oppression of women, because that is their program, Sharia law, at least in Gaza.

    Just a fact, hard to get around.

    Don't know what the answer is myself.

    Rat, I think, suggested they be part of Egypt. That might be best, but the Egyptians don't seem to want them.

    Tis the definition of intractible.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Bobal,

    I have loads of problems with the way many different people want to govern themselves. We could quibble about whether the Pali's really want Sharia or not but that is beside the point. The main point is - should they govern themselves? I suggest they should have that responsibility.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Gas mileage went to hell using the blended gas.Mine did too, when we went to Ohio last time.

    Rufus said, I think, you need a higher compression ratio to get the energy out of ethanol.

    That makes sense, our car wasn't made for ethanol.

    ReplyDelete
  45. LT, you were using, essentially, the same "blend" the whole way. Only the labeling was different.

    No. The gas I burned in Arkansas came from a Phillips 66 station that advertised 100% gasoline. A tankful in NW Arkansas got me all the way to Shamrock, Texas where I inquired what the blend ratio was. The owner said he hauled his own [Chevron] gas from Amarillo, and only bought the 100% stuff. I started using the blend in Roswell, but speeds and grades were very moderate, being on secondary highways most of the way home, and starting to tire I kept speeds moderate. I don't think speed was a big factor, Rufus.

    Ethanol just won't deliver the mileage unless maybe your engine is designed for it. Corn belongs in moonshine and tortillas and beef cattle.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Rufus said, I think, you need a higher compression ratio to get the energy out of ethanol.

    Right.

    Gotta go. Stocking up on beef and tortillas. Later.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Well, they are governing themselves now, in Gaza.

    They'll get their state.

    How it's going to work out on the west bank Lord only knows.

    I'm glad my daughter and wife live in the US of A, for sure.

    The wife took off with the car this morning, not sure where she went. But, she's perfectly capable of running her own day, without ol bobal chaperoning her around.

    And the daughter has signed up for a horse program in Twin Falls. She'll be perfectly safe there, if she keeps her nose clean.

    ReplyDelete
  48. We got just under 38 mpg on that trip. That included everything, city, country, ethanol, the works.

    I was astounded.

    2000 Nissan Sentra.

    Never burns a drop of oil either.

    Heck of a good car, in my book.

    ReplyDelete
  49. heh, the very first thing they do is elect Hamas,( "Well, they had a real good turnout" George Bush) whose program is Sharia, kill the Jews, and die for allah.

    Well, good luck with it, is all I can say.

    Maybe the discussion should be framed this way--

    They're apes.

    We can all agree on that.

    Question for the debate: should apes be allowed to govern themselves?

    Discussion of the point follows---

    ReplyDelete
  50. Mike Duke has just as much business savvy as Lee Scott, if not more. Watch...

    I like them both. Good solid businessmen, good conservatives. They certainly know their way around a balance sheet.

    ReplyDelete
  51. This is how Russia sees it:

    Medvedev foresees "Energy Wars".

    The Russkies are assholes; but, no one ever said they were naive.

    ReplyDelete
  52. "The existing balance of forces near the borders of the Russian Federation and its allies can be violated," it added.--
    --

    That's not just dancing around the issue.

    ReplyDelete
  53. BTW, DR, thanks for enlightening me on the Tillman thing. I missed those posts. I don't get to "lurk" as much as I used to. Work is tedious these days. Your right, friendly fire is not a triple tap three inch group to the forehead.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Naive is thinking there will be a govt Healthcare Scheme that will work, Rufus, at the very time that the two existing Government Ponzi Schemes (SS and Medicare) rapidly approach their expiration dates.

    ReplyDelete
  55. "It has broad shoulders, prominent breasts and intricately detailed buttocks and genitalia, all grossly exaggerated."
    ---
    That's actually a misinterpretation:
    The genitalia reflect early expressions of the al-Doug Gene.

    ReplyDelete
  56. The Tillman Affair, the most masterful piece of misinformation, disinformation, misdirection and outright deceit I have seen from the Federals.

    Brilliant piece of work, but in a most dishonorable cause.

    That's why it is so saddening.

    Ms Dowd has often been the feature thread, here at the Bar, gag.

    Whether or not one enjoys her prose, the Gingrich Standard remains the same.
    It is beyond the excepted Republican Standard, the bounderies of decorum for an ex-Vice President to declare the current President is endangering the Country.

    We all chastised AlGore for that behaviour, my bullshit meter will not allow me excuse it in Mr Cheney.

    There still is no call to change the Law.
    When Mr Cheney and Company had control of the levers, they could have changed the underlying Law. To accomedate the current reality of terrorist attacks. They did not proceed to do so, but knowingly broke the Law, instead.

    Leaving US between a rock and a hard place, now.

    ReplyDelete
  57. "The existing balance of forces near the borders of the Russian Federation and its allies can be violated," ...

    Which was what the US was proposing to do, in both Poland and the Cezch Republic, bob, violate the existing balance.

    So, sure, the existing "balance" can be disturbed, the status que changed. The US under Mr Bush pushed hard for just such a violation of balance.

    The Russians are more than capable of pushing back.

    ReplyDelete
  58. Shame on Cheney for being the only Republican with the guts to tell the truth!

    ReplyDelete
  59. What is the accuracy of a Bullshit Meter that's full of shit?

    ReplyDelete
  60. Just as the US HAD ALREADY changed the balance in Georgia.

    Especially with serious talk of NATO expansion right to the border of the Russia Federation.

    ReplyDelete
  61. Well there is that view, doug, to hold Cheney in high esteem, in his plea for mitigation, as he exhorts the terrorists to increase their efforts.

    The US being no longer secure from terrorist.

    Let the light shine, doug.
    Like I've been saying for months, now, since the election. Let it illuminate Ms Pelosi, Mr Reid and the Master of the Darkside himself, Darth Cheney.

    I'm glad you now are in support, along with Mr Cheney, of a public examination of the entire process, who knew what, when. How are those that were knowledgable to be held responsible for the behaviours?

    If they remain hidden.

    Cheney has a popular case, in mitigation. But first there has to be an admission of wrong doing, which he has implied, by arguing in mitigation, at this stage of the game.

    ReplyDelete
  62. Disclosing Methods while blacking out results is honorable, and promotes our standing and security.

    The Lawyers lives should be ruined, Pelosi held harmless.

    Up is Down:
    RatWorld!

    ReplyDelete
  63. Here is what VDH has to say about the Cheney tactics.

    In short, while pundits still believe Cheney is a marginalized figure and an easy target of scorn, in fact, his methodical defense of the past is both logical and principled, and is beginning to illustrate, in quite painful fashion, the utter hypocrisy of the entire Democratic position on enhanced interrogations techniques and Guantánamo Bay. The American people more likely agree with Cheney than not; and even if they did not, they still prefer a candid and honest opponent to a disingenuous and self-serving ally.

    As a footnote: In these Machiavellian times, it almost seems that the White House and some in the Democratic Congress who are still calling for hearings are at ease embarrassing Nancy Pelosi, whose prior value to the party as anti-Bush bomb thrower has now been eclipsed, since she appears as a looney, undisciplined partisan that can do far more damage to the cause than she ever did to Bush.
    It is never sure, at the outset, just who will be burned by the light and who will merely slide on by.

    ReplyDelete
  64. "as he exhorts the terrorists to increase their efforts"
    ---
    For you.
    For me he is pleading us to come to our senses, and stop the dishonest flagellation of our fellow citizens.

    ReplyDelete
  65. First you say you will and then you say you won't.Obama, to his credit, said today that he's changed his mind and isn't too keen to release anymore "torture" photos.

    First you say you do and then you say you don't.That's what the Taliban have been saying about the Paki authorities who previously made a sweetheart deal to let the Taliban control certain of the Tribal areas.

    The point is that the vacillation is a bad thing. Hopefully, though, Both Obama and the Pakis have come to the right and final decisions.

    ReplyDelete
  66. Those early Venus figures are interesting for sure. Exaggerated breasts etc. Some seem to have been made so they could be stuck in the earth. Joseph Campbell mentions them in his books.

    ReplyDelete
  67. He is not calling to change the law, bob, but to excuse the lawlessness.

    The two are not the same.
    I could support changing the law, but not Federal lawlessness.

    ReplyDelete
  68. And it is not the message he sends to me that matters, bob.

    But the message he is sending to Osama.

    We are less secure, try, try, again.

    ReplyDelete
  69. Which was what the US was proposing to do, in both Poland and the Cezch Republic, bob, violate the existing balance.Oh b.s.

    The Russians may talk about an 'existing balance.'

    The Poles, etc. don't see themselves as part of a 'Russian balance', but as a separate people with their own language, culture and customs.

    They don't care to be 'balanced' right out of their national existence again.

    'Existing balance' is a phrase a thug uses to make some claim where he ought not be.

    ReplyDelete
  70. There is also nothing dishonest in enforcing the law, bob.

    There is little dishonesty under the lights of illunination.
    It destrys careers, in DC. Shining the light on Ms Pelosi would be well worth the costs, to retired politicos.

    ReplyDelete
  71. heh, someone on another blog said the only way to get the truth out of Pelosi is to waterboard the bitch. Then we'd know what she knew, and when.

    Let the light shine. Just as long as it shines on all. The democrats mostly knew what was going on and approved it.

    ReplyDelete
  72. Which is why we remain, in Iraq, to preserve the existing balance, thugs that we are.

    You can do better than that, bob.

    The US was, is, being expansionist, by the very definition of the Bush Foreign Policy. Expanding democracy into places that were not well suited for the experiment, in the short term. The missile and radar installations requiring an entire support structure to advance towards the Russian froontier.

    Just as MacArthur advancing towards the Yalu, along with US fighter planes operating in Chinese airspace, enticed Mao to send the People's Army into Korea.

    MacArthur was blindsided by Mao's action.

    Just as we could be, in Eastern Europe, now that our Afghan supplies flow through Russian controlled ground.

    ReplyDelete
  73. gas tax receipts are trending downward. State transportation budgets are taking huge hitsThere may be a silver lining in this for me. There is a small dirt road that cuts through the old farm, that grandpa allowed in for other farmers to use, back in the old days.

    I've wanted to close it, as it's only being used by poachers, beer drinkers, etc nowadays.

    The county doesn't really keep it up, but it is on their maps. They didn't plow it last year, for instance.

    If they don't plow it this year, due to budget considerations, I think under the Idaho case law they may have abandoned it themselves. Two years without maintainence = abandonment, I think the law is.

    Am keeping a close eye on the situation on hoping for the best.

    The deer will bless me if I succeed.

    ReplyDelete
  74. David v Goliath

    The Russians hold most of the advantages, in a non-symetrical struggle, in Eastern Europe.

    Our technological advatage of little use to US, if we will not militarily close the choke points along the route of advance, as the Russians start to cross them.

    That's the bet the Russians made in Georgia, that GW Bush was more bluster than bite, an all hat no cattle cowboy.

    Now that Obama has raised the pot in Afghanistan, going from 2 stars to 6, there is evidence that he takes being CiC quite seriously. As well as being more than willing to step up the tempo of the game.

    ReplyDelete
  75. Yessiree, Rat.

    Gemany, Japan, all of Europe, much worse off for our mucking around.

    You can do better than that.

    That's the trouble with your use of 'logic'.

    It often ends up in absurdities.

    ReplyDelete
  76. All those eastern European countries ran away from the Bear's embrace as fast as their little legs would carry them, the minute they got the chance.

    We should support them the best we can.

    How exactly I'm not sure, but we should try.

    ReplyDelete
  77. It is not absurd for the US military to leave Germany, or Korea.
    bob, it makes perfect sense.
    Especially for a bankrupt country.

    If neither the Germans or Koreans want to cover our costs, for staying.

    ReplyDelete
  78. That's fine. Germany is a reunited country now, traveling on the good road, so to speak. Bring the troops home, what's left of them.

    Funny thing is I read some of the Germans want them to stay, they have become a support to the local economy. That's no good reason to keep troops stationed around though.

    How many are there now? Not all that many, I'd quess.

    Bring them home. The Russians are unlikey to march towards Berlin.

    ReplyDelete
  79. As Americans and others around the Western world begin to celebrate mother’s day, it is appropriate that Americans are being reminded that mother’s day in the USA is actually a day linked historically to anti-war movements and sensibilities leaning towards societal peace.

    ...

    NOTE: On the other hand, the budget for war and bailouts today will be paid off by the children, the grand children and the great grand children of this generation. However, this is why we celebrate Mother’s Day: “In the name of women… promote the amicable settlement of wars.”

    ...

    One reader has called this the problem of asymmetrical information processing which Americans face. I simply call that sort of phrasing SPIN.
    Spin No Longer Enough?

    ReplyDelete
  80. Transcript of Australian radio program:

    TONY EASTLEY: While the Obama administration has publicly released memos from the Bush administration justifying harsh interrogation techniques, it's not so keen to release photographs showing detainees allegedly being abused by US military personnel. The US President has directed his legal team to fight the court-ordered release of the pictures.

    ...

    KIM LANDERS: Well Tony, these are not the photos from the now infamous Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. You might remember those photos that showed grinning US soldiers posing with prisoners who were naked or held on a leash.

    ...

    TONY EASTLEY: Why do you think the President has done this about-face?

    KIM LANDERS: Well, President Obama is saying the detainee abuse photos are quote, "Not particularly sensational", especially when compared with what he calls, "the painful images from Abu Ghraib".

    ...

    BARACK OBAMA: It's therefore my belief that the publication of these photos would not add any additional benefit to our understanding of what was carried out in the past by a small number of individuals.

    ...

    TONY EASTLEY: The US President Barack Obama.

    Kim Landers, given that the US public has very high expectations that this Obama administration will be more open, do you believe the US President will succeed in blocking the photos?

    KIM LANDERS: That decision is ultimately going to be up to a judge. The American Civil Liberties Union says that the pictures are going to show that prisoner abuse extended far beyond Abu Ghraib, in fact the ACLU is saying that these photos are worse than Abu Ghraib.
    Torture Photos

    ReplyDelete
  81. It's the old argument.

    If you've just suffered an attack in which 3,000 died, just going to work one morning, coming right out of the blue, and don't know when and if another shoe is going to drop, and you begin to wonder about biological weapons, or maybe a nuke, or dirty nuke sitting in a city, practically everyone in the country wants to do whatever it takes to defend ourselves.

    But when the pressure seems to be off, and no attack has occurred for years, and everything is more relaxed and normal, then the question is raised about what sort of people are we, how should we go about this, some folks try to mount up and ride the moral high horse, and the lawyers get involved.

    All this discussion will absolutely vanish if an American city vanishes in a nuclear blast. Then nobody is going to give a damn about the rights of terrorists.

    ReplyDelete
  82. VIDEO: CHILD MARRIAGE, SHARIAH BEATINGS IN AL FAROOQ MOSQUE IN NASHVILLE TENNESSEE Young Child (7 years old) Mentions her Husband - Sexual abuse/Pedophilia

    ---
    THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS IMPORTING
    WHOLE MUSLIM COMMUNITIES FROM SOMALIA TO THE U.S.
    And who decides who will come to America under the "refugee resettlement program"?
    The UN, that's who.

    Now you can understand why un-indicted co-conspirator (and Zakat-eligible) CAIR is working feverishly to keep the FBI out of the mosques. Their daily action alerts are rife with accusations of some bogus grievance, some right violated .....all to protect the most heinous crimes.
    ---
    Obama Appointee Advocates Sharia Law In America!!! It is a case of happy timing. Barack Obama’s nominee as Legal Adviser of the State Department, Harold Koh, has said that he has no objection to Islamic Sharia law being applied “in an appropriate case” in the United States. And at the same time, the world is witness to a veritable laboratory experiment of what it means to apply Sharia in a place where it previously had not been in effect.
    ---
    The Third Jihad - Sharia Law In AmericaA "Qaran Express" in Minneapolis was just raided a few days ago: (Jihad Watch)
    "Federal agents raided three Minneapolis money transfer businesses that mainly serve the Somali community Wednesday, seeking records of financial transactions to several African and Middle East countries.E.K.
    ---

    More on the Al Farooq terror mosque .......... I have redacted any information that might expose the informants inside Al Farooq.

    The Somali Community Center's Abdizirik Hassan has been getting $400,000 per year for women's health and domestic violence.
    He misappropriates the funds.
    He was prosecuted and pled guilty to making false statements, and was put on probation for 2 years. He still receives those funds.
    He has said that the Somali Women have no problem...it is an American phenomenon.

    He also was involved in illegal money transfer (hawala system) with Al Barakat and that was stopped. Now it is done at a bookstore on Murfreesboro pike under the name Qaranexpress. A Quranexpress was busted in Minneapolis just a couple of days ago. A coincidence or criminal network? You tell me. What's a little money laundering next to child rape, child marriage, sharia beatings, etc.?

    ReplyDelete
  83. "All this discussion will absolutely vanish if an American city vanishes in a nuclear blast. Then nobody is going to give a damn about the rights of terrorists."
    ---
    The sane among us don't give a damn now!

    ReplyDelete
  84. Doug said...
    Naive is thinking there will be a govt Healthcare Scheme that will work,


    Hey!! Things are working pretty darn fine up here in Canada. Not perfect mind you, but, pretty darn good. Is it perfect down there in the good ole USA? Nope! Still, it shows how your statement is false.

    ReplyDelete
  85. Dr. Savage is pissed.

    He's been banned from Britain by some apparatchik or other.

    For being some kind or hate monger.

    He's lawyering up again, he says.

    And is citing all sorts of declarations of human rights and stuff, on the radio.

    The steam is rising, the fat is beginning to fry, freedom of speech hangs in the balance, and we all expect Ash to ride to his rescue.

    ReplyDelete
  86. Single payer system - that's the way to go.

    ReplyDelete
  87. I'm a big proponent of free speech. Always have been.

    Try another strawman.

    ReplyDelete
  88. The sane among us don't give a damn now!That's pretty much my position too, though I worry about things slipping out of control.

    I mistrust the government as much as Rat does.

    ReplyDelete
  89. Then go right now Ash, to Dr. Savages web page, and put your money where your mouth is, make a donation to the defense through PayPal.

    ReplyDelete
  90. why the hell would I want to do that??

    ReplyDelete
  91. Storm the Canadian Parliament, demand an end to that farce of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, or whatever it is called, get out there and get arrested, get your face on the front page of newspapers, you only live one life at at time, time to make a name for yourself, time to take a stand, and go down fighting, if that is what God wills.

    ReplyDelete
  92. why the hell would I want to do that??You wouldn't, obviously.

    Freedom of speech, what the hell, I'm going to play golf.

    ReplyDelete
  93. Bobal,

    You are starting (ok, ok, not starting) to sound like a confused bitter old man. Why the fuck would I want to send money to Dr. Savage? He's free to say what the hell he likes but I have no desire to fund his lunacy.

    ReplyDelete
  94. No, Ash:
    Current Proposals mimic Medicare, and Medicare and SS are well on their way to bankruptcy.
    Ponzi schemes always reach an ugly destination.
    Tiny Canuckistanian System may be better run financially, as are your banks, our Federal Govt:
    Not so much.

    ...and to pretend the Canadian system is better in every way than ours, does not comport with reality.
    Many countries have long waits, or treatment is simply not available, that matches some of our cutting edge procedures.

    The ski accident illustrated an important difference:
    Everyone knows how critical the first hour is.
    We have Air Ambulance service just about everywhere, far superior to Ambulances, when called for.

    ReplyDelete
  95. The size difference alone makes it apples and oranges.

    ReplyDelete
  96. "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."Evelyn Beatrice Hall--
    --

    It's odd, isn't it, that Dr. Savage gets banned from Britain, at the same time as true savages call for Sharia Law in Britain, the USA, and Canada.

    ReplyDelete
  97. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  98. Old?

    Ja

    Bitter?

    Ja, a little.

    But you are a free speech man, Ash, you should come rushing to the defense of your fellow man.

    I just don't understand it.

    ReplyDelete
  99. Oh no Doug, I wouldn't dare say the Canadian system is better than yours in every way. As I've always maintained Health Care, necessarily, must be rationed. It is how you ration it that matters.

    With respect to Air Ambulances, we too have them almost everywhere. Not in Quebec, the Laurentians to be specific, it would appear.

    I do agree with you that the current approach does amount to a form of ponzi scheming, or, at least, a means of enabling the Health industry to further line their pockets at the expense of the public. I mean, c'mon, a mandatory insurance with no power to control the cost? Lead the sheep to slaughter...

    ReplyDelete
  100. As I've always maintained Health Care, necessarily, must be rationed.And that is right where you go so very wrong, you young fool.

    You unimaginative fool.

    Why does health care, necessarily, have to be 'rationed'?

    Why not create more doctors so it doesn't have to be rationed?

    ReplyDelete
  101. as the quote you cited above stated - I'll defend his right to say. Still, I won't fund his lunacy. Go fund some anti-jew neo nazi group if you wish to prove your free speech bona-fides, I won't. Better yet, why don't you fund some Islamic Sharia law fundamentalist groups ability to spread their ideology throught the good ole USA to show how much of a free speecher you are?

    ReplyDelete
  102. You voted for politicians that would rather build a fast train from LALA to Lost Wages, for $8 billions of bucks, The Desert Debtor, so named by Rat.

    Rather than a medical school in, say, Boise, Idaho.

    ReplyDelete
  103. When the patient does not pay, rational allocation is not possible.
    Thus a tremendous number of hospitals in LA have gone out of business because of the illegal invasion, for instance.

    Also, when free, there are some who consume services every time they have a sniffle.

    ReplyDelete
  104. Eventually you will die. No amount of "health care" will prevent it. It doesn't matter how many doctors there are, how many drugs are offered for sale, how much research is done, how many MRI's are built, you can't give it all to everyone. There is a cost, and, in the end, we all die. There is no unlimited supply of 'money' to 'pay' for unlimited supply. In the end, it must be rationed, somehow.

    ReplyDelete
  105. CAIR's got plenty of money.

    You're in Canada.

    Fight the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

    Which is nothing but a star chamber.

    ReplyDelete
  106. Vell, ve all die, that's true, and probably a good thing, too.

    You can't transcend this mortal situation without really getting out of here.

    I just don't want someone like you pulling my plug.

    You keep away from my plug.

    That's my wife's job.

    She'll do it too.

    ReplyDelete
  107. Yes doug, there are certainly problems associated with single pay systems. There are the hypochondriacs that over-burden the system, the obese who have more health issues than the runner, the athelete who requires help for sports related injuries, the smoker...the drug addict...the elderly...

    There are ways of addressing chronic users - one being a simple small fee for visits has been found to help. Not the full freight but just a nominal amount. Anyway, I admint there are tough issues and problems but there do seem to be ways to address them in a more equitable manner then 'he who has most money gets the best care'.

    Funding just the payer side (i.e. the insurer) is only one side of the equation dealing with the cost is the other. I can't see any other way then single payer...

    ReplyDelete
  108. Look at it this way, Ash.

    Can I pull your plug?

    ReplyDelete
  109. What's you wife do when she's sold all the land, the house, and has no money left to pay? Pull the plug?

    ReplyDelete
  110. the elderlyo ha ha

    Ash slips up.

    He's really for euthanasia when it comes right down to it.

    ReplyDelete
  111. And for vacuuming wombs, and killing little kids that survive an abortion, againt all odds, like his master Obama, for whom he voted.

    ReplyDelete
  112. No slip up there Bobal. really, what should drive the decision to pull the plug? Should it be the amount of money available or family/prognosis issues?

    ReplyDelete
  113. There ya go with your fantasy strawmen.

    see ya!

    ReplyDelete
  114. What's you wife do when she's sold all the land, the house, and has no money left to pay? Pull the plug?--
    --

    In my case, I have a livng will, so she has the legal right to pull my plug. And, we have talked about it, I trust her to do as I have stated to her.

    The above questions are serious ones, but they are private to myself and my family.

    They are none of your business. Or the governments.

    ReplyDelete
  115. Did I get rid of Ash?

    I deserve some applause.

    ReplyDelete
  116. Dang it--

    There is a truly beautiful opinion written by a US distrct judge I read one time--

    some of these judges aren't so bad--

    about the end of life, and how in our system of laws all the moments of life are to be valued--

    and how some of the best moments of life might be right at the end--

    and how we should protect this outlook as part of our national heritage.

    I'd sure post it, but it's lost to time and my forgetfullness.

    It was a beautiful opinion, scholarly, deep, and meaningful. One of the best things I've ever read, really.

    ReplyDelete
  117. North Korean media said in late March the country confirmed the reporters' "illegal entry" into North Korea and their "hostile acts.

    According to North Korean law, "hostile acts" against the country can be punished by prison terms of more than five years and fewer than 10 years, although it could also be punished by education through labor of more than 10 years, depending on the specific crime committed.

    It is unknown if a verdict will be decided June 4.
    Trial June 4

    ReplyDelete
  118. In my waking nightmare, I see dread
    Ash, haunghting the halls of hospitals, pulling the plugs. Drifting down the halls, even going through walls, a spectral hallucination, a battlefield of pulled plugs left in his wake.

    The old folks scream and shutter, they grab ahold of their pillows, try to hide their heads, their faces frozen in fright, their mouths an 0.

    An old hag follows along behind, checking an "x" in the governments Universal Health Care Book, dressed in white, a nurse's white cap upon her head, exceptionally meticulous.

    ReplyDelete
  119. The worst thing about all of this is that it didn't have to happen this way.

    China's growing fast, granted, but it definitely would be a good thing if the US was strong and prosperous too. Another customer for Singapore to cater to.

    The point about consumption is also on the mark. Who's gonna buy all the stuff? I suppose there'll be a huge drop in prices as the chinese start selling their products at rates their own poor can afford; that could be a good thing, provided it makes economic sense for the firms in the long run.

    As for China splitting up, I very strongly doubt it. China has essentially colonized Tibet with Han chinese. If you think the Georgia situation was bad with that small number of russian sympathizers, Tibet would be a lot worse if they tried for independence.

    Canton/Guangdong? Again, very hard to believe. Even the protests within China (of which there are many!) lie within the mental framework of an united China... there's no indication at all of chinese agitating for breakaway provinces, other than formerly independent entities like Hong Kong. Complaints against the government, yes. Calls for provinces to be independent? Not so much.

    The PRC has done a good job in fortifying the thousands-of-years mentality of a single united China - heck, even in the age of warlords in the early 1900s, a lot of what the warlords did was to persuade other factions to come onboard to reform China as a single political entity.

    It's a historical thing - big state fragments after a time, small states come together to reform big state after a time.

    Not to say it can't happen, but let's put it this way. IMO, the US currently stands a greater chance of fragmentation than China. In addition to the rich-poor province divides (both countries have it), you also have deep ideological divisions, which China largely doesn't have.

    There are huge advantages to having multiple smaller states affiliated via a federation of sorts, but I doubt the Chinese with their history would see it that way.

    ReplyDelete
  120. As for the US having troops in Germany and Korea?

    I agree, pull them out. They're not offering you anything. What the heck are you doing subsidizing their defense!?!

    I'd like to see how the Germans deal with spending so fucking little on defense when the US pulls out. Their welfare economy is going even faster into the gutter.

    Same goes for the Scandinavians and the rest of Europe. So many of my local countrymen complain about healthcare costs, lack of welfare, when they don't realize that's because we spend so bloody much on defense, spending that we NEED to have.

    Europe can do that because the US is subsidizing their defense. Let's see them try to keep their public healthcare and welfare state when the US pulls out, then I'll have another nice weapon to whack the complainers with.

    ReplyDelete
  121. MAY 14, 2009 Obama Considers Detaining Terror Suspects Indefinitely

    By EVAN PEREZ
    WASHINGTON --

    The Obama administration is weighing plans to detain some terror suspects on U.S. soil -- indefinitely and without trial -- as part of a plan to retool military commission trials that were conducted for prisoners held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

    The proposal being floated with members of Congress is another indication of President Barack Obama's struggles to establish his counter-terrorism policies, balancing security concerns against attempts to alter Bush-administration practices he has harshly criticized.


    On Wednesday, the president reversed a recent administration decision to release photos showing purported abuse of prisoners at U.S. military facilities in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mr. Obama cited concern that releasing the pictures could endanger U.S. troops. Mr. Obama ordered government lawyers to pull back an earlier court filing promising to release hundreds of photos by month's end as part a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

    The decision to block the detainee photos contrasts with the administration's release last month of Bush-era Justice Department memorandums outlining the interrogation tactics used on prisoners by the Central Intelligence Agency. The release of the memos set off a heated political fight, with supporters of the Bush administration accusing the Obama White House of endangering the country and some of the current president's supporters calling for criminal probes of those responsible for the interrogation policies.


    The administration's internal deliberations on how to deal with Guantanamo detainees are continuing, as the White House wrestles with how to fulfill the president's promise to shutter the controversial prison. But some elements of the plans are emerging as the administration consults with key members of Congress, as well as with military officials, about what to do with Guantanamo detainees.

    Sen. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), who met this week with White House Counsel Greg Craig to discuss the administration's plans, said among the proposals being studied is seeking authority for indefinite detentions, with the imprimatur of some type of national-security court.

    Sen. Graham said he wants to work with the administration to pass legislation to increase judicial oversight of military commissions, but noted the legal difficulties that would arise.


    "This is a difficult question. How do you hold someone in prison without a trial indefinitely?" Sen. Graham said.

    The White House had no comment Wednesday about its detainee deliberations.

    ReplyDelete
  122. Digging into the stacks, for instance, The Daily Kos contrasted President Obama's apparent change of heart with the position outlined by Candidate Obama in June 2008 after a Supreme Court decision came down against military commissions.
    of the Bush administration’s attempt to create a legal black hole at Guantánamo" that he said was "yet another failed policy supported

    "Mr. Obama issued a statement calling the decision "a rejectionby John McCain."


    "This is an important step," he said of the ruling, "toward re-establishing our credibility as a nation committed to the rule of law, and rejecting a false choice between fighting terrorism and respecting habeas corpus. Our courts have employed habeas corpus with rigor and fairness for more than two centuries, and we must continue to do so as we defend the freedom that violent extremists seek to destroy."


    ...

    "I voted against the Military Commissions Act because its sloppiness would inevitably lead to the court, once again, rejecting the administration’s extreme legal position."
    Fight With His Left?

    ReplyDelete
  123. In a waking nightmare I see
    Dread Ash
    Haunghting the halls of hospitals
    Pulling the plugs of patients.

    Drifting down the halls
    Drifting even through walls
    A spectral hallucination
    Battlefield of plugs in his wake.

    The old folk scream and shutter
    They grab hold of their pillows
    Hiding their heads, faces frozen in fright
    Their mouths in the form of an O.

    An old hag follows behind
    And she is so kind
    As to check an "X"
    In the Book Of Universal Health Care.

    She is dressed all in white
    A nurse's delight
    With a cap of white upon her head
    And she moves,
    O she moves


    Exceptionally meticulous.

    ReplyDelete
  124. I need to do some work on this. The rhymes ain't exactly right, but the thought is good, it has a basic structure to it, and nails Ash to the cross.

    ReplyDelete
  125. In a waking nightmare I see
    Dread Ash rise before me
    Haunghting the halls of hospitals
    Pulling the plugs of patients.

    Drifting down the halls
    Drifting even through walls
    A spectral hallucination
    Battlefield of plugs in his wake.

    The old folk scream and shutter
    They grab hold of their pillows
    Hiding their heads, faces frozen in fright
    Their mouths in the form of an O.

    An old hag follows behind
    And she is really so kind
    As to check an with an "X"
    The box of the Book Of Universal Health Care.

    She is dressed all in white
    A true nurse's delight
    A cap of white upon her head
    And she moves,
    O she moves


    Exceptionally meticulous.

    ReplyDelete
  126. In a waking nightmare I see
    Dread Ash rise before me
    Haunghting the halls of hospitals
    Pulling the plugs of patients.

    Drifting down the halls
    Drifting even through walls
    A spectral hallucination
    A battlefield of plugs in his wake.

    The old folk scream and shutter
    They grab hold of their pillows
    Hiding their heads, faces frozen in fright
    Their mouths in the form of an O.

    An old hag follows behind
    And she is really so kind
    As to check with an "X"
    The box in the Book Of Universal Health Care.

    She is dressed all in white
    A true nurse's delight
    A cap all of white is upon her head
    And she moves,
    O she moves


    Exceptionally meticulous.

    ReplyDelete
  127. In a waking nightmare I see
    Dread Ash rising before me
    Haunghting the halls of hospitals
    Pulling the plugs of the patients.

    Drifting down the halls
    Drifting even through walls
    A spectral hallucination
    A battlefield of plugs in his wake.

    The old folk scream and shutter
    They grab hold of their pillows and stutter,
    Hiding their heads, faces frozen in fright
    Their mouths in the form of an O.

    An old ugly hag follows behind
    And she is really so kind
    As to check with an "X"
    The box in the Book Of Universal Health Care.

    She is dressed all in white
    A true nurse's delight
    A cap all of white crowns her head
    And she moves,
    O she moves


    Exceptionally meticulous.

    ReplyDelete
  128. In a waking nightmare I see
    Dread Ash arising before me
    Haunghting the halls of the hospitals
    And pulling the plugs of the patients.

    Drifting down through the halls
    Even drifting through the walls
    He is a spectral hallucination
    A battlefield of plugs in his wake.

    The old folk scream and shutter
    They grab hold of their pillows and stutter,
    Hiding their heads, faces frozen in fright
    Their mouths in the form of an O.

    An old ugly hag she follows behind
    And she is so very and truly unkind
    As to check with an "X"
    The box of her hex
    In the Book Of Our Universal Health Care.

    She is dressed all in white
    A true nurse's delight
    A cap all of white crowns her head
    And she moves,
    O she moves


    Exceptionally meticulous

    ReplyDelete
  129. This last line 'exceptionally meticulous' don't rime, but I don't want it to, to highlight a gross violation of human rights, the grossness of Ash and his rationed medical care.

    It is meant to screech.

    ReplyDelete
  130. E-mail from my friend Dale--

    BOB

    IT HAS ALREADY BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THE OLDER PEOPLE WILL HAVE MEDICINE RATIONED AS WELL AS ANY HOSPITAL TREATMENT, SO THE KILLING OF THE OLDER FOLKS IS IN THE WORKS IF THAT THING GETS HIS WAY.

    BLESSINGS DALE

    ReplyDelete
  131. Bobal, you've got the wrong end of the stick, you've got it back assward. The point was that if your wife runs out of money then the decision may be forced upon her to pull the plug, even against her wishes. Sorry dear, no money, no respirator say bye to Bobal.

    ReplyDelete