SORRY SORRY SORRY about nothing new in the past 10 days as I hit the ground running on my return and some other items needed my attention...no real excuse in light of everything that has been going on in the world in business, politics, natural disasters, and the Chuck Norris trilogy on AMC. What a great actor that guy is--I just don't see where critics accuse him of being "wooden." I think he really knows his craft, in the finest tradition of Olivier, Brando and Emelio Estevez.

So it looks like Obama and McCain...such great fun! Do you think she wants to be VP? Do you think Obama will ask her? Do you think Bill would agree? Really, for those who think this is the "Dream Ticket" for Democrats I just don't know how you could be the current President and have Bill Clinton as the spouse of your VP...Obama would have very little ability to control Bill...and Bill has shown himself to stumble into a few problems in the past...and I just think it is going to be very difficult for Obama to pull off...

$5 a gas is coming soon and it may not stop there based upon the spike in crude oil this past Friday...and I say bring it on! Why? Because we are so screwed up in our priorities, starting with our willingness to bankrupt our own country to give some of most oppressive and brutal regimes in the world an oil bonanza at our expense (where are the Feminists that are not speaking to this issue? Oh, wait a minute...they are pounding on the Christians! Makes sense to me!) Where is the morality in this? Where is the justice?) Some things to think about as you are having your signature notarized at the gas pump in filling your Daewoo...

*We are converting our food sources (corn) to gasoline (ethanol) using massive government subsidies to farmers which is causing global disasters in food prices. (I think some day historians will have a field day ruminating on what happens to civilizations when they give up their food just so they can take a drive to the Starbucks to get a organic soy low fat extra hot decaf extra shot Venti Caramel Latte, and then study the pithy quotation on global warming on the sleeve and feel good about contributing to a better world).

*High prices will (may) eventually drive us to reconsider our laziness and casual attitudes towards energy and life and all of its blessings...nothing else will, and anyone who has ever driven in heavy traffic in California knows how many of us are driving by ourselves. Look, the realities of modern life--the ability to eat, travel, consume, poop, and everything else--requires tools and systems and abilities that we usually don't think about and when we do we denigrate their worth...anyone who studies this at all knows that it is the plumbers and truckers and produce clerks and electricians and farm workers that keep this whole sucker we know as the world running...and as we have denigrated them and instead hold up Angelina and Brad and whomever else is on People that week we are paying a huge price that will come home to our kids and grandkids in a big way.

*We are propping up corrupt and brutal political structures (can anyone say Saudi Arabia, Venezuala?) with our bizarre decisions to buy their oil with no control or comment on the environmental damage they may be causing while not pumping our own oil which we can do using strict environmental controls and technology? Are you willing to bankrupt your country and your own bank account to not touch the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge sites (the equivalent in acreage of a postage stamp size of land on a dining table size piece of property), or our off-shore sites, our are oil shale or wind or solar or nuclear?

*We should reconsider nuclear power just like those environmental firebrands the French (which generates about 80% of its domestic power through nuclear power.) But oh no, we haven't built a new plant in nearly 30 years and instead have fueled the rise of state-funded terrorism.

At this moment I don't really care who wins the Presidency but I do care that one of them starts to think like some of the great leaders of the past...and it would be great if the winner could think in a new way and propose a "New Deal for Energy." (OK, don't get your undies in a bunch...I am not unaware that FDR made a bunch of bad decisions as well) but could you imagine if our President would propose legislation (heck, an Executive Order could do it!) that would have us reduce our foreign oil imports by 5% per year? This would have us out of this stupid cycle of oil addiction in one generation! But instead these morons talk about "oil windfall taxes" on the US oil companies! (Who are already paying most of their profits in taxes anyway...really...check it out before you argue with me about this point on taxation).

We have to stop this addiction to foreign oil and if it takes $10 a gallon gas in the long run it will be better for us. (And don't look elsewhere for global support for our high gasoline prices. It is $8-$11 per gallon right now in most parts of Europe and Asia--we have it cheap.)

Can we at least think and talk about this issue in a new way? Instead of blaming oil companies? Or farmers? Or all the other cheap shots? Can we start thinking about what we are doing?

I encourage you to read up on this issue and start talking to your friends and exerting influence on this oil addiction and see where it takes us. Something has got to be better than what we are doing now.