Agreken made a significant point in one of his comments:

So that is your belief? SCREW everyone else at the company because you think NOW is the time to take them (specifically, ONE person who you are angry with) down. You use the words "they didn't" but it wasn't the secretaries and mail room clerks and fellow IT workers who were responsible for your "confidentiality agreement". But SCREW them right, causalities of war? Sounds vindictive and spiteful, not heroic...

He is absolutely right in this statement and when I first read this, it took a while to sink in. Another appropriate way we can apply his wisdom is in the war in Iraq. We falsely accused Saddam Hussein of harboring WMD’s and then falsely linked him to the 9/11 attacks. Then we storm into Iraq and upset their delicate balance of power, thereby killing many innocents in the process. Agreken is right, this action is not heroic.

We have now killed more Iraqis since the war began than Saddam Hussein killed in his reign of terror. Now let us also remember he was given the poisonous gas and the weapons by the Reagan Administration to fight the Iranians, but he used them on his own innocent people when that war ended. Let us not forget we funded Saddam Hussein.

Even today as more evidence surfaces proving this war was based on false allegations, the perpetrators stubbornly continue on their course of destruction. Seven out of ten Americans now want the war to end, which is an overwhelming majority within a democracy, certainly enough to stop this act of terror. But yet the dictators within our government stubbornly continue on their course of action and ignore basic democratic principles. Why? Two reasons: oil and greed.

Oil is the evil within our souls and our greed is the engine which thirsts for it. Oil and greed are the primary ingredients to our capitalist values and the primary reasons we inflict terror upon the world. We will stop at nothing to obtain them. We will lead our planet to destruction, lead our sons and daughters to an early grave, kill innocent families which stand in our way and fund the terrorism we claim to want defeated. American responds to all of this by buying bigger and less efficient vehicles but feel justified if they put the “We support our troops” bumper sticker on the ass of their mega-ton SUV.

Corporations are also profiting handsomely from this war and they see no good reason to end it. When you look at Congress’s voting record every single bill passed into law favors Corporate America; not one favors the lower classes or the ordinary working Joe. This war is just another bill giving Haliburton and the oil companies the right to steal mega-billions. And they are stealing it from the blood of our troops.

Every American KNOWS the truth but they either ignore it or lie to themselves. We are in Iraq because of oil and greed, the primary reasons behind all of our actions. We are like a drug user who stubbornly refuses to admit he has an addiction.

Also, this war has NOT curtailed the gasoline prices as we were promised when it began; another outright lie and broken promise from the Bush Administration. Even if it did lower our gasoline prices, let’s ask the families of soldiers if they would rather have their sons and daughters back home or cheaper gas. Or even better ask yourself, would you rather have your son or daughter back from the grave or Saddam Hussein back in power? I would never trade my son for that; never in a million years.

The only time war is justified is in defense of your country. Iraq didn’t do anything except rattle off some tough talk and take a belligerent stance regarding the weapons inspectors. Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia should have been the two targets.

I made the right decision when I ended my private war so why can’t our leaders do the same?

Today gas prices jumped to $3.18 for regular unleaded in St. Louis, up twenty cents after jumping ten cents on Monday. The reason given for this increase is the standard bullshit answer of tensions in Iran and the summer driving season is nearing.

The reality is this market is not like other markets. It’s exactly the same market principles which charge $8 for a beer at a sporting event. Supply doesn’t really matter unless there is a shortage; right now there is no shortage but still prices continue to climb.

The oil companies can charge whatever they want for gasoline, just like the stadium which charges $8 for a beer or $5 for a hot dog. There is no place for a fan to go and get another hot dog or beer so he is stuck with the price, just like there is no other place for the driver to go get cheaper gas prices. The oil companies are all in collusion just like all of the concession stands are in collusion. The only reason for $3 per gallon gas prices is the oil companies want to make more money. PERIOD!

Because of the oil companies greed we are in the midst to using our corn as a substitute for gasoline which has driven the price of corn through the roof. Corn is a staple in our food chain. A lot is dependent on it, from feeding our cattle to sweetening our food. This price surge in corn is affecting the price of our food: chicken is up 27%, pork is up 25% and beef is up 15% over last years prices. These numbers are expected to double by the beginning of next year. Meanwhile, the oil companies are eclipsing their profit margins from last year by double digits percentages.

Instead of using our corn for gasoline and plunging our food markets into chaos why don’t we just regulate the oil industry? Put a cap on them. If the oil companies don’t like it then we should take the profitability out of that market like Chavez did in Venezuela. If you remove the profit and taxes from gas prices, it would only cost about $1 per gallon or less.

The Bush Administration’s plan to combat these prices is to open up protected land for drilling. How is this going to cheapen the price of gas? It won’t. Instead the oil companies will now have even more oil to sell at whatever price they want because there is no regulation on this market. How about a plan to move to an alternative fuel sources? How about a plan to break the oil cartel? How about a plan to regulate the price of gasoline like we do with electricity? How about at least forcing them to build more refineries which will is a better solution than more drilling?

The oil companies don’t want to build more refineries because that definitely would drive the price of gas down. There is no supply shortage but we do have a bottle neck within the refining process. With the technology advances we have today, if they would build even one new refinery it would be better for the environment and produce almost as much gasoline as two of the older refineries. But this would translate to cheaper gasoline prices at the pump which is NOT what the oil companies want.

The Bush Administration is weak on oil policies because the entire Administration is made up of oil executives. Condi Rice was serving on the board at Chevron before she caught Bush’s eye. In fact, they named a tanker after her. The there is first term Commerce Secretary Don Evans who is a big gas and oil buddy. Lawrence Lindsay the former chief economic advisor is from the Enron Advisory Board. James Baker was formerly with the Carlyle Group which represents the oil companies. Bush loves the oil people so much we’ve even seen him walking hand in hand with the Saudi dictator or whatever they call him. When you earn the richest profits on the planet you can buy anything or anybody you want. It is clear this Administration is bought and paid for by oil.

Also the Republican debate was tonight but not one question was asked during either debate if any candidate has any plan to curtail these oil companies which are doing so much harm to our economy. The fact is no candidate will challenge these oil companies because they give so much money to every candidate either directly or indirectly. We all know corporate America controls our government, and there has never been a more blatant example than what is happening to our gasoline prices.

I remember the investigation last year when Congress called certain oil executives to testify. They were trying to find evidence of the oil companies gouging the American people. Just look at the profits, you dumb asses! Talk about bullshit – that entire circus was full of the purest bullshit I’ve ever seen. In the end, nothing was done and I didn’t expect anything to be done either. I wish they would have had a camera in the back to show the oil executives handing the Congress suitcases filled with money and laughing their asses off.

Our government now encourages monopolies. They do nothing when large companies within a market merge leaving no competition or limited competition. There was a time when corporate influence was not as great because monopolies were broken up and NOT created. Today, it’s obvious the pro-corporate mantra within our government; they don’t even try to hide it anymore.

There is no relief in sight to these outrageous gas prices because none of the potential presidential candidates will even admit there is a problem. Instead of forcing regulations on a few greedy oil companies, our government will sit idle while the prices on everything skyrocket us right into inflation. When this happens, they won’t call it inflation and if they do they’ll never admit what caused it. But you mark my works; right here on May 3, 2007. I predict inflation by 2009 to the point where the recession of 2002 will look like an economic boom.

By 2009 gas prices will probably top $5 per gallon and the oil companies will have another banner year where their profits might reach the trillions per quarter. By 2009 milk prices will be close to $4 per gallon, certain meat prices will be almost unaffordable to all but the upper middle classes. In fact, we’ll probably see a 25% or more jump on the price of all food. All the while our wages will only climb by the standard 2% - 3%. Too bad corporate profits and the wage for a standard American cannot be linked. Maybe then something good would happen for the average working American.