Gas Bubbles

"In parallel with this lack of flexibility Venezuela is facing a decline in its international monetary reserves since Chavez keeps raiding them. These monetary reserves only represent some six to seven months of imports at the current level since Venezuela is now importing close to $40 billion per year, mostly in food. Therefore, an interruption of oil income derived from the cut off of oil supplies to the United States would most probably cause the Chavez’s regime to collapse in less than a year as the result of internal protests, no outside intervention required. "

(Source: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23222 )

So we have greatly lower gas prices! Happy days! Let's load up the Bel-Air wagon with the kids and hit the road! God Bless America!

Well, before you pack the picnic basket and go burn that extra tank of gas for a Sunday drive, maybe we should think just a bit deeper on this issue...

Can we think about using this reprieve in gas prices a bit more strategically? Bottom line is we have a couple of real idiots out there who just love sticking it to us...no, not Obama and McCain silly!...I am talking about Hugo Chavez of Venezula and Iranian President Moomad OhMan...err...umm..Mahmoud Amenpunjab...umm....darn....OK....the nutjob who is the President of Iran who gave "loco Gordo Hugo" the highly acclaimed and widely regarded "Islamic Republic Medal" for Hugo's brave support of Iran in its effort to violate the Interntaional Atomic Energy Agencies and the U.N.'s guidelines on nuclear profileration...(and for my Mennonite and Quaker friends, thanks so much for hosting good old Mahmoud for morning coffee...nice move...and I hope that it doesn't portend President Obama's foreign policy strategy...see http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/36622 for details on the dinner....I wonder if they had scones?)...

Anyway...here is my theory...cutting across all political lines for the common good of the world...

NOW IS THE TIME TO 'DOUBLE DOWN' IN THIS OIL ADDICTION POKER GAME!

I think now is the time for us to think beyond the immediate sense of gratification of having lower prices at the pump...which is nice in and of itself...but we should really get after conserving now through carpooling, solar investment, personal conservation, development of our own energy resources (across the board including nuclear)...and help push these oil despots into the drink...because they are held in power by the ability to subsidize their economies through high oil prices...or better yet, how about if we as a country (read, political will and leadership which is in short supply), simply refuse to import any more Venezulan oil? We just say "gracias Hugo, no mas negro oro"...and put an end to it?

Maybe this is just wishful thinking as I hear all of us celebrate the plunge of about a buck a gallon in the last 5 weeks...oh, and by the way, gas is already below $2 a gallon in quite a few places!...well, in Kansas and Oklahoma, at least...I know, I know....Kansas and Oklahoma, but you see my point, right?....

One last thing before I go....for my brothers and sisters in Mennonite Central Committee, the Quakers and others...whom I do indeed love...towards the point that we need to enter into "constructive dialogues with our enemies" so we can "move towards peace"...it just seems to me that even if I could possibly support this altruistic notion of dialogue regardlesss of its practical effect to create change and the tendency to be manipulated both here and abroad by propagandists....laying all of that aside for the moment...

...During the dialogue with Mahmoud when he answered your question about why he challenged the Holocaust...he gave the answer "more historical research needs to be done"...MCC and the others should have called him on it...because if such groups are willing to be unceasing critics of US policies and practices...many of which need to be questioned...you need to be the same with others especially when it comes to issues such as the Holocaust...we must have no arguments or "constructive dialgoues" because on certain topics we must draw the line...to not do so is to be cast as being duped...and not wise...and it is not enough after the event to meekly say "some of his responses were less than satisfying" (true statement)...that last one actually nasueates me..

For more on this "constructive dialogue" see http://mcc.org/news/news/2006/2006-09-22_sponsorsmeeting.html

(glad I finally got that one of my chest--it had been bugging me for a while!)

BUT NOW, WITH THE ELECTION ALREADY OVER (regardless of us pulling the lever on Tuesday), I WANT ALL OF US TO THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS!