I was driving to work today and noticed gas prices jumped up to .25 per gallon. Luckily, I found one gas station still offering the lower prices and filled up.

Does anyone find it strange that gas prices are always low during the Thanksgiving holiday? “They” usually raise gas prices during other holidays claiming increased demand except during Thanksgiving. Just as many people travel during Thanksgiving as they do during Memorial Day or the 4th of July or Labor Day.

The only difference I can find in all of the holidays mentioned above is that Thanksgiving is followed by the biggest shopping day of the year. Economists have told us gas prices affect shoppers’ confidence so if gas prices are high people will spend less. So keeping gas prices low during the Thanksgiving holiday promotes busier shopping and more dollars flowing into the hands of Wal-Mart, and the other retail giants.

The government has to be controlling this unusual dip in prices because who else has the power to bridge these two markets and invoke changes. I’m sure these retailers are screaming to Bush for help. So if he can help these retailers then why can’t he maintain these prices for the betterment all of us? After all, the oil companies posted record profit in the tens of billions of dollars last quarter so they can lower prices and still make great profits. The answer is Bush does not care about the middle class he only cares for the upper class.

In fact, the only time Bush pays any attention to the middle class is when he needs to rally the religious groups to support his archaic moral views. It alright for the rich oil companies to rape the public at the gas pump but it’s not alright if similar genders want to have a committed relationship. God forbid people wanting to pursue happiness.

Where are the F.D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Teddy Roosevelt of my generation? With the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer who will save us from this mess? The Republicans are all in favor of big business but the Democrats are no different. They are paid for by big business too but the party as a whole has no balls at all.

Now they are allowing AT&T and the Bells to unite again - these companies just keep getting bigger while our choices keep shrinking. I thought the government was to eliminate monopolies not create them?

The Bush administration released a report today confirming the US will continue the war in Iraq and no timetable will be given for the withdrawal. Bush said Tuesday that he would decide on troop withdrawals based on the capacity of the Iraqis to take the fight to the enemy and recommendations from commanders on the ground.

The report went on to say there are about 160,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The Pentagon has not committed to any specific drawdown of U.S. forces next year beyond the announced plan to pull back 28,000 troops that were added this fall for extra security during the election.

In the report, the Bush administration says it is working along a political track to help the Iraqis isolate enemies from those who want to participate in the democratic political process. The "enemy" is a combination of Iraqis who reject democratic reforms, Saddam loyalists and terrorists and others inspired by al-Qaeda.

No matter what your opinion is regarding this war, the decision for our troops to remain is the right decision. You cannot invade a country and then leave it in turmoil. If civil war were to erupt in Iraq the stability of the entire region would collapse and a new dictator would arise (maybe even one worse than Hussein) and threaten the security of the entire world.

The reason the security of the entire world is at stake is because many countries’ economies, including the United States, are dependent on oil. If these supplies are threatened due to war in the region, gas prices will surge and that helps no one. So while you might not agree with the reasons the troops are in Iraq, by keeping the region stable it helps prevent a world economic disaster. I also feel very uncomfortable sending soldiers to die because of gas prices but because of the current administration’s poor vision this is the reality we are confronted with. We’ll either pay for this war now or possibly pay for a bigger war in the future and definitely pay much more at the pump either way.

Let me also explain what I mean when I said the Bush administration had poor vision. This administration underestimated the cost and timetable for enslaving Iraq. Now when the reality is realized it’s too late to withdraw because we would be faced with more troubles if we leave.

There were three primary reasons the US invaded Iraq:

1. Eliminate the evidence of WMD left over from the Reagan administration that could be used on our allies in the region. I believe WMDs were there but since they had American flags on the barrels this had to be covered up.
2. Establish a US presence in the region to gain access to oil.
3. Take over the Iraqi military and use them to carry out US sponsored missions in the region. Iraq is the strongest military in the region and now the US is pulling the strings to this resource. The US could even use this resource to threaten or invade Syria and Iran which I will talk about later.

It is important to note that establishing a democracy will be nearly impossible within a culture like Iraq. Religion is their politics and nothing we do or say will ever change this; they will fight to the death if we try to change this. This culture despises and will resist any attempt at change. If you ask an Iraqi to choose either having his daughter walking down Main Street in a mini skirt or putting Sadam Hussein back in power; 99.999% will choose Sadam Hussein. This culture does not want democracy they like to be told what to do. How else do you convince people to blow themselves up?

One disturbing statement the report makes is:

Any support that countries, such as Syria or Iran, are giving to terrorists or insurgents must be neutralized. The Iraqi government must make sure its ministries can sustain a national army. And Iraqi security forces must not be infiltrated by those not aligned with the new Iraqi government.

This sounds to me like we are training the Iraqi soldiers as puppets for the US government to use to invade Syria and Iran. Both of these countries are a haven for terrorists and it would be nice if these forces were neutralized but I disagree with this entire scenario. How can an administration that claims to be of utmost morals send not only our soldiers to die but also enslave an entire country and send those people off to die?

In my opinion, Saudia Arabia is a bigger threat than either Syria or Iran. Incidentally, it is important to note that Saudia Arabia is the home to Osama Bin Laden and is the primary location of his entire fortune. The Bush administration has not pressured this country because of the personal business dealings Bush and Cheney have with the Saudis.

While I despise war and believe it should be used only for defense; I support Bush's statement when he says it’s too late to withdraw from Iraq now. If we abandon Iraq now we risk a potentially bigger threat in the future and definitely jeopardize oil prices that could adversely affect the world economy.

God Bless the troops in Iraq and bring them all home safely.

I have already begun to hear some flack regarding a comment I made earlier, "Extremists are a cancer in our culture whether they are extreme left or extreme right." Please allow me to explain.

Everybody has an opinion and everybody has the right to express their opinion regardless how simple-minded that opinion may be. The problem with fundamentalists is they believe their opinions should be law and everybody should adhere to them. They usually hide behind something “good” or wield something “good” as a weapon as a way to prove they are right. When this happens it presents a real problem in society. I support adults living their lives however they want provided they do not hurt anyone else. I draw the line when they insist everybody should live their lifestyle.

Fundamentalist’s religious groups are great at insisting everybody live by their morals and even try to pass laws to support them. These same fundamentalist whackos want to censor everything. If you do not want to watch a program then turn the dial to a different channel or to “off”. But stop insisting that television be tailored as a babysitter for children or as a morality center for our Country. Let the ratings decide what programs live and die – this is the American way. If we let the free market system establish pricing for gas then let the free market system decide the fates for television and radio programs. You cannot have it both ways.

Extreme right wing religious groups in America are no different than al-Qaeda. Both of these groups have murdered innocent people in the name of God. Look at the abortion clinic bombings and you can compare them to the 9/11 terrorists attacks. The thought process is the same as are the justifications for murder.

Not all religions or religious groups in American are like this but you cross the line when you bomb abortion clinics or support people that bomb abortion clinics. In fact, you cross this line anytime you support legislature to limit the rights of fellow Americans to their pursuit of happiness because your beliefs are different.

Certain vegans are similar in their beliefs. It is perfectly acceptable if you want to eat vegetables instead of meat and I support your right to live that way. However, I draw the line when you expect me to live that way. I have attended dinners in the past with vegans giving me dirty looks because I ordered the steak. I am not demanding they eat meat so leave me alone and do not expect me to eat all vegetables.

Certain gays are fundamentalists. I support the rights of gays to marry but I do not want their parade marching down my street. I don’t march down my street exclaiming I have sex with my female wife so why do they have to rub their sexual habits in my face? Keep those things in the privacy of your house where they belong.

So I stand by my earlier opinion that extremists are a cancer in our society when they expect everybody to live by their laws and have no toleration for other lifestyles or beliefs.

I recently spent an evening at a notoriously haunted location in Alton. Here is what I learned from it:

How many times have we viewed a scary movie only to hear noises within our room or see shadows moving on the walls? Are those noises or shadows actually there? Probably, but they are not paranormal activity. If your mind was not “running on fear” you could easily see the shadowy figure is just the hat on the bedpost and the noises are just the old house settling.

The effects of fear on the body are well documented. Fear can cause body temperature to rise and fall. It excites the brain and stimulates chemicals within the body which can cause hallucinations and lead to the brain misinterpreting events. Normal effects of fear on the body include: a sudden rise or fall of body temperature, sweating, stomach aches, goose bumps, shivering, hallucinations, and feeling touched.

I have read many stories of amputees who claimed to feel their severed limb. In one case a man lost his leg in a war but could still feel his foot itch, and could still move his toes but there was no foot to scratch and no toes to move. This could also explain how people claim to be touched by an invisible presence. The mind is mysterious so it is important to be aware of this before you start your investigations.

I have a theory that telling spooky stories, having séances, using Ouija boards and such before or while entering a suspected haunted location will condition your mind to be susceptible to encounter things or see things that are not really there. So when conducting a paranormal investigation listen to all of the “spooky” stories beforehand so your mind is not clouded with negative or fearful thoughts.

Our brain is a filter. It receives data from the eyes, ears and other nerves within the body and presents it to us so we know what is happening. The problem is when emotions like fear cloud the mind and cause the brain to interpret events in a way that generate false readings. This is why it is important to have scientific devices to document strange changes in the environment. Cold spots can be attributed to the body’s response to a fearful situation; but if you have a thermometer and can measure the falling temperature, you have proof of something happening. Never investigate alone because you want a witness to verify events you see and hear. Take cameras and recorders to document events so you can replay them to verify situations. It is important to investigate with a digital video recorder, a digital camera (5 mega pixel or higher) and a digital voice recorder.

Know the history of the haunting in advance of your arrival so you can enter the location fear free. You should always enter a location with a neutral, peaceful mindset free from emotional baggage so you can avoid your brain giving false interpretations of your surroundings.

My friend Kit posted a great Blog regarding the Devaluation of Human Life.
http://kitborn.blogspot.com/

I understand where his heart is, and it is in the right place, but my view of the situation if a little different. My response to his blog is below:

You are absolutely correct when you talk about the devaluation of life. I’m not sure if I agree with you completely on why. The fault of all these scenarios falls squarely to the parents and only the parents.

Extremists are a cancer in our culture whether they are extreme “left” or extreme “right”. For harmony to exist there must be balance and too much of a good thing is bad; even if that good thing is religion. The guy wanting to remove God for our money is just as big of a whacko as the guy wanting to teach only creationism in our schools.

While the ACLU makes me angry for their support of bigots and whackos I understand why they exist and I am glad they do exist. For example, I did not like it when they supported the right of neo-Nazi’s to have their own website to solicit new members, but when I heard the reason why I felt better. Basically, our Constitution supports free speech in any public forum and they seek to ensure the Constitution is enforced. Just because this neo-Nazi opinion is unpopular is no reason to censor it. If their opinions are expressed then they will be exposed for who they really are and people will choose not to listen; and that is a microcosm of how America is supposed to work.

Tax dollars should never be spent on religious items. While I am Christian and I put up my Christmas tree and like to look at my manger, I do not agree that my manger should be displayed in City Hall. City Hall is supposed to be neutral ground and should never support or oppose any religions. Surely you can see the danger in governments supporting or oppressing religions.

The primary reason for the devaluation of life is a cultural breakdown because of the lack of good parents in our culture. Kids are being raised in broken homes with no fathers. Fathers translate into discipline. This age of “free love” must end for the sake of the children. It is a huge breakdown in our society when children are born into homes where they are not wanted or homes unprepared to raise them. I wonder where the parents where while their kids were our killing people?

Parents are the real problem and the root of all evil perpetrated by these children. Parents should know where their kids are, who their friends are and the parents of their friends. Parents should never allow television, video games, other kids or other parents to raise their kids; and if they are not ready for this responsibility then they should never have kids in the first place.