Did I miss something here?

Was I asleep too long or is the price of gas increasing again? You'll have to pardon my dumbfounded reaction, but I don't get it. Oil production coming out of Alaska is not at 100%, which indicates a ramp-up in production is possible. We have also recently discovered a new deposit in the Gulf of Mexico which is purported to be substantial. Some of the refineries damaged during Katrina are repaired and back online with more due to come back online within a fairly short period of time. Now...maybe I'm not a laureate scholar, but these things would tend to indicate, atleast to me, that the price at the pumps should now be well under $2.00 per gallon. I was reading an article published in some periodical put out by the oil industry that said even (hypothetically) at $1.29 per gallon, these guys would still be making a real sweet profit! Here in Northern Virginia, (15 miles outside Washington, DC) prices declined to around $2.05 before beginning to rise again. The prices in the city where I live vary from $2.45 - $2.51 per gallon. Living so close to our nation's capital, I probably hear a lot more that folks in other parts of the country. The word from DC is nobody knows anything. I believe the root cause for this is still that brain damaged moron from Texas that currently occupies the whitehouse. Him and his oil buddies must be havin' a field day at the expense of the hard working, tax paying American public. (And laughing hysterically at all of us) I will be the first to say that I really held no fascination for President George H.W. Bush. But his offspring has been going around running rampant and roughshod over everyone. For me, I believe "dislike" is entirely too mild a term to express the way I feel about this guy. Pure hatred and disgust come closer to the mark. I'm sure we all have heard the expression, "Beating a dead horse". Well, with his Iraq war, ole George is really wailing on that carcass perty darn hard. America is past weary. To put it simply...You've had your fun. Saddam is not only out of power, but he and his sons are DEAD. You've done everything there is to be done. Now it's the Iraqis' turn. Bring our people home! If we leave, the Iraqis will take care of themselves...you'll see. Quit trying to kill Americans. Enough is enough. But somehow, I don't think you'll do that. I don't think you'll stop until all of the American servicemen and women deployed there are dead. Am I wrong? Then prove it! Call off your dogs and bring our people home! And tell your oil buddies that Americans are forming lynch mobs getting ready to start stringin the lot of you up to a tree if you don't drop them gas prices real fast! We put you there and we can remove you! WE THE PEOPLE hold the power...not you and your misguided cohorts.

Mayhem, Madness and Violence (OP-ED)

Photo Courtesy AP, MSNBC

After waiting in front of businesses for days, enduring long lines and weather of all sorts, then people got to face the possibility of getting robbed or shot. Talk about the parallels between the virtual gaming world and reality! It was rather surreal and yet, oh so real all at the same time.



What was at the bottom of all this madness? Would you believe a video gaming system? Welcome to the Planet Earth. Only here would outright violence erupt over something like that. I thought we were supposed to be the intelligent ones on this planet. Well, apparently not all of us anyway. The Culprit behind the mayhem this time is Sony's new Playstation 3 which hit the shelves of US retailers today. According to local sources, they also sold out very quick. An interesting thing when you consider that they were selling for $500-600 apiece. Those who didn't risk their lives going out to the stores got to pay even more using online sources like eBay and Craigslist. Prices there ranged upwards into the thousands of dollars. eBay spokesman, Hani Durzy said the average selling price in auctions was $2,700 and out of 11,000 auctions selling the PS3, one reportedly had a "buy it now" price of $10,000.



Oh, and by the way, Sony only bothered to ship 400,000 units to the US. Major shortage there. Do they really think short-selling like that isn't going to contribute to mass pandemonium and violence? My suggestion to Sony: Send us about 1,000,000 more PS3's...quickly!

For more details

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/17/playstation.ap/index.html

Long Live the King

Photo courtesy AP, BBC

His name is name is Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. At his 93 years and 121 days on this earth, he has just become the longest-living United States President in history - surpassing the previous record set by Ronald Wilson Reagan. President Ford and his wife Betty, 88, are the longest-living Presidential couple in US history. They reside in Rancho Mirage, California.

President Ford was born on July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska as Leslie Lynch King, Jr. His mother divorced his father when he was two weeks old and moved herself and her son to Grand Rapids, Michigan where her parents lived. Less than three years later, she married Gerald Ford, Sr. and renamed her son, Gerald Ford, Jr. He grew up in Grand Rapids and attended the University of Michigan, graduating in June, 1935 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. In the spring of 1941, Ford graduated in the top one third of his class at the Yale University Law School. In February, 1942, Ford volunteered for the Navy and entered into World War II. As an officer, he saw action in the Pacific Theater aboard the Aircraft Carrier, USS Monterey. Ford was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander in the Spring of 1945. In February of 1946, he was honorably discharged from the Navy. During his tenure of service, he received many decorations including the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign medal with one silver star and four bronze stars, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with two bronze stars, the American Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

President Ford returned home to Grand Rapids, Michigan and on September 14, 1948 he began his political career, winning the Republican seat to the US House of Representatives from the Fifth Congressional District of Michigan. Ford would serve thirteen terms as Congressman before being nominated Vice President of the United States by then President Richard Nixon. Ford became the first Vice President nominated under the 25th ammendment to the Constitution. On December 6, 1973, Ford took the Oath of Office as the fortieth Vice President of the United States. Due to the Nixon involvement in the Watergate scandal and his impending impeachment, Nixon resigned the presidency and on August 9, 1974, Gerald Ford was sworn in as the thirty-eighth President of the United States. He was the only US President to attain office without being elected.

April 27, 1981 - Ford dedicates his Presidential Library in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

September 18, 1981 - Ford dedicates his Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

May 11, 2000 - The Kent County, Michigan (Grand Rapids) airport is officially renamed for President Gerald R. Ford. President Ford attended the ceremonies.

Picture courtesy Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum