How Crude

I think they are going to let the price rise until the general public screams “uncle”, and supports them drilling in ANWR, off our coasts and anywhere else they think they might find a drop of oil. They will say to hell with the environment, just drill and find more oil.

–from a comment here @ Crooks&Liars

I’m enough of a pessimist these days to believe the above sentiment is fairly on track.  Surfing the internetotubulars today, you may be drawn to the same conclusion.  Because clearly, clearly, not one of these people in Washington knows what the hell they’re doing. 

Let’s start with the glaring display of public stupidity as reported on yahoo:

Senate Republicans blocked a proposal Tuesday to tax the windfall profits of the largest oil companies, despite pleas by Democratic leaders to use the measure to address America’s anger over $4 a gallon gasoline.

The problem here isn’t that Congress failed to tax the oil companies.  The problem lies in attempting to rewrite laws after profits have been made in order to save face, which is what the Democrats did in this case.  If the oil companies are involved in price fixing, market manipulation, profiteering, or other schemes reminiscent of the Baronies of old, then publicly accuse them of such crimes and penalize them appropriately.  Imposing an unwise tax that will inevitably get passed on as yet another increase in consumer prices does nothing but score political points among the ”easily gullible” constituency.  It will not alleviate the problem of oil dependency, nor will it address the inadequate supply or the overwhelming demand.  Quit complaining about how much money they made within the system you politicians dreamed up, and fix the system itself. 

This, alas, is what politicians do.  Address the symptoms, not the problem.  They roll all of the bad ideas into the same bill as the good ideas and succeed in getting none of them passed.  Brilliant. 

Separately, Democrats also failed to get Republican support for a proposal to extend tax breaks for wind, solar and other alternative energy development, and for the promotion of energy efficiency and conservation. The tax breaks have either expired or are scheduled to end this year.

At a time when we are gasping for energy amidst record worldwide demand, investment in alternative energy resources is one of the wisest tax incentives I can think of.  Yet because it was bundled with the bungled “record profit tax,” these tax incentives are going to expire, leaving researchers at the end of the proverbial rope. 

The Republicans are just as complicit in this idiocy as the Democrats, if not moreso.  The overwhelming sentiment among many Republicans seems to be that if we allow drilling in ANWR, then *poof!* we will have an instant fix to the fuel crisis.  (In other words, let’s go back to blaming it all on Bill Clinton.)   

Did you see me roll my eyes just then?  Next Republican to say ANWR/Clinton to me gets slapped for stupidity.  Fair warning. 

Unless you believe the ultraconservative accounts that say “drill all over the damned place, and we just might find some more oil up there,” the by even the most truthful and optimistic estimates, ANWR contains only enough oil to supply us for about twenty years.  And that’s

1. after the drills start and the supply line is established
2. if the oil pipeline proves defensible considering the length it will need to be
3. if, and only if, we have increased domestic refining capacity.  The last domestic oil refinery here was built in 1976.  When I was 3 years old. 

As with most problems facing Americans today, our solutions are not all or nothing, but that’s the tenor set by our Congress.  ANWR is not the only place we can drill, and the dangers to wildlife are slimmer when we are willing to consider offshore drilling.  As George Will points out in this ridiculously slanted column in the Washington Post,

Offshore? Hurricanes Katrina and Rita destroyed or damaged hundreds of drilling rigs without causing a large spill. There has not been a significant spill from an offshore U.S. well since 1969. Of the more than 7 billion barrels of oil pumped offshore in the past 25 years, 0.001 percent — that is one-thousandth of 1 percent — has been spilled. Louisiana has more than 3,200 rigs offshore — and a thriving commercial fishing industry.

So while the Chinese and Cubans drill oil 60 miles off the Florida coast (some of which may be flowing from oil fields deep beneath territorial Florida), we stand by and do nothing but complain about how the Arabic countries in OPEC aren’t drilling to give us enough of their oil for a cheap price. 

Funny.  I don’t see anyone telling Ferrari that their cars are too expensive, so they should make more and sell them for a cheaper price.  And that any investment in efficiencies they make from now on (and that we so obviously, desperately need) is without tax incentives that we’ve been promising them.

Probably because that’s more obviously stupid. 

Indocrination

Welcome, Liberal Educators of the Class of 2012!  In order to ensure that the adults of tomorrow are properly indocrinated in the ways of all things liberal, including gay-homo-sex, we’ve devised the following curriculum to be followed in all schools from now on.  Please familiarize yourself with them as you will be required to follow this agenda rigidly. 

• Intimacy 101: Your Lips, Your Tongue, and You;
• Home Economics: Intro to Piercing;
• Greek and Pagan History;
• An Overview of Sexual Abuse in the Roman Catholic Church (this takes 2 semesters);
• Auto Mechanics will only be taught to the girls from now on;
• Physical Education will, of course, be broken up into subcategories: Physical Fitness, Proper Dildo Insertion, Anal Cleansing, Pleasuring Your Partner, Proper Douche Use, When Is Fisting Bad?, What Is A Ball-Gag?, and, of course, Orgy 202. 
• As teachers, you’ll be required to purchase all of your own supplies, which can be found at various shops online.  Don’t forget to buy plenty of batteries as well.  Remember, the last thing a student needs is to end up in the stirrups and the batteries die!  That’s no way to teach our Agenda! 
• Of course, any mention of Religion other than in proscribed classes will result in detention (first offense), suspension (second offense), or expulsion (final offense).  The Book of Mormon will be burned on sight.

You’ll find all of these in the latest edition of the Gay&Lesbian Agenda handbook! 

Hey, if we’re going to be accused of indoctrination anyway . . . ~snark~

WTF Moment

(Cross-posted at Centrifugal Farce)

So my mouse sauntered over to the Drudge Report this morning and clicked the headline: Bathroom Reading: Senator Craig to write book on airport sex arrest, which  brings you to this:

In a live interview on NewsChannel 7 Tuesday night – Craig, 62 – told Dee Sarton that he is in the process of writing a book on energy – that will also talk about his time in Congress – and the events of the past year.

WTF?  I can’t help but wonder what the target demographic is for this book, and if they’ll be ashamed when they’re buying it.  They should be.  Go buy a real book instead!

I don’t know if I’d even buy it as a gag gift. 

Welcome To “People Who Do Not Learn 101″

Some language NSFW. 

As this blog continues to fend off its assault from perverts of the double-digit IQ persuasion, I continue to get emails at the Contact Me! page from those who are really scraping the bottom of that barrel.  If you notice, I put the following disclaimer on the Contact Me! page in order to fend off the idiot emails:

 It’s a sad, sad thing that I have to put this note here, but:

Attention all of you morons who were directed here in your search for some slut: GET OFF MY BLOG!!!

If you use this to attempt to contact Heidi, I WILL PUBLISH YOUR EMAIL INFORMATION FOR THE WORLD–AND YOUR WIFE–TO SEE!

The rest of the you may contact Jamie from Imustbedreaming using the form below. 

Ah, me and my wishful thinking.  Some people don’t learn, and so their email addresses become fodder for the masses.  Hey, they’ve been warned.  Without further ado, here’s someone who should make you feel oh-so-much-better about yourself: (Click pic to view larger size)

I have no idea if she’s real or not, but, as I clearly pointed out, I’m not her.  So why would you send ME the email complaining that she’s a “cunt?” 
Here’s hoping your wife notices your email address, buddy.

Getchyer’ Motor Runnin’

Man admits having sex with 1,000 cars

“I just loved cute cars right from the beginning, but over the years it got stronger once I got into my teenage years and was my first having sexual urges.

“When I turned 13 and the famous Corvette Stingray came about, that car was pure sex and just an incredible machine. I wanted it.

“I didn’t fully understand it myself except that I know I’m not hurting anyone and I do not intend to.”

He added: “There are moments way out in the middle of nowhere when I see a little car parked and I swear it needs loving.

“There have been certain cars that attracted me and I would wait until night time, creep up to them and just hug and kiss them.

Sadly, nowhere in the article does it ask the question we-all-want-to-know-but-don’t-really-want-to-know: HOW?

And this whole creepy business makes this picture, from the Family Watchdog site, all the more significant: