POST SCRIPTS

by Jack Lee

Mexico: A wave of violence gives new urgency for our leaders to act to control our border. Just hours earlier today the bloody remains of four policemen, abducted by terrorists, were recovered from the edge of the small town of Canenaja. Their corpses were riddled with bullets. In other similar dusty border towns and across the states of Mexico there are death squads targeting government officials, police officers, military and civilians. Beheadings are common, sometimes the heads are left on stakes, sometimes on the steps of government buildings, just to let officials know who is really in charge.

Where is CNN?

In 2006 there were over 2000 homicides attributed to a drug war between rival cartels and between the Mexican government which seems completely incapable of stopping the spread of violence. Already this year more than 600 assassinations have occurred, often after a kidnapping. Since last Monday police have recovered 20 bodies of targeted assassination from several of the country's states.

According to news accounts, some of those killed were found with evidence of torture or were wrapped in plastic bags, while others had had messages pinned to their bodies. These are execution-style killings that seem almost Al Qaeda-like. In touristy Cancun, the bodies of five victims, two of them women, were recently found in a car parked at the entrance of an exclusive neighborhood. "In Guerrero state, at least eight people were executed in 48 hours, police director Erit Montufar told the Associated Press news agency."

The Mexican government has tried to crack down on the cartels, but they lack almost everything it takes to do the job. Their soldiers are poorly trained and poorly equipped. They lack the will to fight. There are informants among them that provide tips to the drug cartels that has led to the murders of key Army officers. The corruption is widespread, extending high into the Calderon government and it seems nobody in government is safe nor can anyone be trusted. For example, the PGR, the top anti-drug police force, is corruption-ridden. 700 agents were fired in 1996 in an attempted clean-up, but as fast as the corrupt agents are discovered there other agents willing to take their place and the bribes. They are told"Plumo o plata" lead or silver, the meaning is not lost on them...they take the silver.

The killers are capitalizing on fear and distrust and they appear to be winning.

In areas of Tijuana, Veracruz, Sinaloa, Michoacan and in Mexico City in the past two days other bodies have been found, all victims of this new war of terror for power and control drugs.

The citizens of the United States are the main financial sponsors of this war, spending millions each day on illegal drugs pouring across the still wide open border. We are indirectly helping to finance drug lords and their private armies with the best of everything in this multi-billion dollar industry! In the past 6 months the DEA has reported a surge in cocain and marijuana seizures at the border. Analyists estimate the cocain, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine exports from Mexico to the U.S. run as high as 30 billion a year, which nearly equals Mexico's massive oil exports.

Since Oct. 06, seven journalists have been murdered trying to cover stories making Mexico the most dangerous place in the world for reporters outside of Iraq. I can't help but wonder why our mainstream media isn't all over this? Could it be because of their political leanings?

A recent AP story reported, "“There is no government here. We just pray to God to take care of us,” said 60-year-old Soledad Lombera, sobbing at a cross of candles in her house, an alter she created days after her son Francisco Alvez was found shot and buried on a nearby ranch."

American tourism to Mexico has slowed to a trickle as a result of the all the violence.

In related news, just 40 minutes ago, "President Bush says a primary goal of immigration reform is to bring millions of illegal aliens "out of the shadows" and provide a path to legal residency and eventual US citizenship" thus reflecting an extreme disconnect with the 2/3rds of Americans who want the border controlled and illegals deported as the primary goal of immigration reform.

If Bush can't control our own borders, how can he control Iraq's? I dread the answer.

Since our beginning at Post Scripts we have been detailing many compelling and legitimate reasons for a secure border with Mexico, but this latest wave of drug violence gives a new urgency for our leaders to act, because it doesn't take a leap of logic to see how this violence may be heading to a city near you!

The four police officers that were executed were found just 80 miles from Douglas, Az.

For more information, try these links, San Diego, CS Monitor, Washington Post Shadow

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:16 AM | Comments (11)

May 29, 2007

Let's say I break into your house

A lady wrote the best letter in the Editorials in ages!!! It explains things better than all the baloney you hear on TV

Her point:

Recently large demonstrations have taken place across the country protesting the fact that Congress is finally addressing the issue of illegal immigration.

Certain people are angry that the US might protect its own borders, might make it harder to sneak into this country and, once here, to stay indefinitely.

Let me see if I correctly understand the thinking behind these protests. Let's say I break into your house. Let's say that when you discover me in your house, you insist that I leave.

But I say, "I've made all the beds and washed the dishes and did the laundry and swept the floors. I've done all the things you don't like to do. I'm hard-working and honest (except for when I broke into your house).

According to the protesters:

You are Required to let me stay in your house
You are Required to add me to your family's insurance plan
You are Required to Educate my kids
You are Required to Provide other benefits to me & to my family

(my husband will do all of your yard work because he is also hard-working and honest, except for that breaking in part).

If you try to call the police or force me out, I will call my friends who will picket your house carrying signs that proclaim my RIGHT to be there.

It's only fair, after all, because you have a nicer house than I do, and I'm just trying to better myself. I'm a hard-working and honest, person, except for well, you know, I did break into your house And what a deal it is for me!!!

I live in your house, contributing only a fraction of the cost of my keep, and there is nothing you can do about it without being accused of cold, uncaring, selfish, prejudiced, and bigoted behavior.

Oh yeah, I DEMAND that you learn MY LANGUAGE!!! so you can communicate with me.

Why can't people see how ridiculous this is?! Only in America. If you agree, pass it on (in English). Share it if you see the value of it.

If not blow it off......... along with your future, and a lot of other things.

Posted by Post Scripts at 11:03 PM | Comments (0)

Should the US Stay in the UN?

by Jack Lee

In the news today China and Russia both signalled opposition to US proposals for a fresh UN Security Council resolution expanding an embargo on arms sales to Sudan and establishing a no-fly zone over Darfur. Why would they do this? You know why...because this is one of their dumping places for arms! And so why isn't there world outrage? Where is ANSWER and MOVEON on this one?

If the U.S. sent arms to Chechen rebels you bet we would hear about it, but if China and Russian supply arms to the Sudanese forces to commit genocide, it's apparently no big deal?

It seems the world's moral outrage is reserved solely for the United States.

In 2005 the United States spent $5,327,276,000 on the United Nations, this is up almost 38% from 2001. Yet, the UN has devolved into what appears to be a glorified debating society! The UN has no teeth and they rarely vote in support of us and that makes me wonder if our taxpayer money might be better used at home instead of wasted on a corrupt UN that rarely supports the USA?

We have many global agencies that could offer relief to stricken nations, like CARE, UNICEF and a few dozen other non-profits, we don't need the UN for such relief. Besides, by the time the UN finally gets around to sending aid to anyone, the crisis is already over or being managed by indepedant aid agencies.

The UN deck is stacked against us and yet we are paying for the bulk of their expenses? And again I ask for what, so China and Russia can shoot down every our request? It begs the question, why should we stay in the UN?

Posted by Post Scripts at 10:29 PM | Comments (4)

Cindy Sheehan

by John F.

(In the news today Cindy Sheehan said she is stepping away from the spotlight forever)

Regarding Cindy Sheehan, it is about time. Not that I don't support her right to speak out against the war, but in allowing herself to be exploited by the anti war movement, she did a dis-service to the memory of her son. A son,

who by the accounts of the father who raised him and the rest of his family, went into the military and into this war with his eyes wide open, He believed in his mission and gave his life fighting for it. He was a hero. She used her position, as the person who gave birth to him, to cheapen his sacrifice.

How would you anti war people feel, if a young man was drafted, kicking and screaming into the military, and sent to fight in a war, he was vocally against and died. Then his absentee father, who had little to do with him as he was raised, used his death, as propaganda of how great that war was and that his son was a hero and would want him to get the, "support the war" message out etc. etc. and basically lied about his duty, how would you feel? Be honest with yourself. If you can, then you will know how I feel about Cindy Sheehan; she used her son's memory for her own self edification.

Last year there were numerous mothers of Military People, killed in Iraq, who went on a trip to Crawford, to counter the Sheehan circus. By numerous, I mean more than one, in fact there was a group and a lot more (Gold Star Mothers) who financially and morally supported the Mothers who could make the trip. They knew their sons and knew their commitment to their duty, and they Honored their memory. Of course you wouldn't have heard about it in any detail in the mainstream media. As far as they (the media) or the liberal left are concerned, Cindy Sheehan is the only one who has lost a son, who isn't brainwashed by this President.

Sheehan stated that her message somehow got lost and she did not want to be an "Attention Whore." Hmm, Imagine how her son would feel about the message he tried to send, and what the majority of America knows of him. Not that he fought bravely, and willingly, but that he was Cindy Sheehan's son.

The man deserves so much more. But apparently she didn't give it to him when he was alive, and wouldn't even after he was dead. Sheehan laments that when she criticized the Democrats, I guess the way they succumbed to the true majority opinion that the war should be funded, they turned on her! Perhaps had she learned about honor from her son, she would have sided with more honorable people.

Posted by Post Scripts at 10:18 PM | Comments (1)

Ted Kennedy Lied About Immigration

Submitted by Tinman...

Here is Ted Kennedy commenting on the 1965 immigration bill: "The bill will not flood our cities with immigrants. It will not upset the ethnic mix of our society. It will not relax the standards of admission."

Ted Kennedy on the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Bill: "This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this."

Ted Kennedy (2007) on the current immigration proposal: "The plan will strengthen our borders and our national security while providing a tough but fair path to citizenship for millions of people."

Ted Kennedy: Celebrating over 40 years of lying to the American people regarding immigration. No one does it better.

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:49 AM | Comments (4)

In the News

by Jack Lee

Mexican citizens showed what they think of American's and they took it out on Miss America when they boo'd her on stage and chanted "Go Home!" CBS news misquoted the boo'ers saying the unfriendly crowd was merely chanting "Mexico, Mexico!"

Pro-democracy students clash with fundamentalist in Tehran...watch this startling 3 minute video! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srFfOT50uMU

Cindy Sheehan says she is dropping out and going home. She is also selling off the Crawford place "Camp Casey has served its purpose. It’s for sale. Anyone want to buy five beautiful acres in Crawford , Texas ? I will consider any reasonable offer. I have also reached the conclusion that if I am doing what I am doing because I am an “attention whore” then I really need to be committed. I have invested everything I have into trying to bring peace with justice to a country that wants neither.” (Hmmm... "Peace and justice" or defeat and misery?)

(<---Al Abyssi aka Al B'pssi.) The angry leader of Fatah al-Islam said in a video, "We wish to die. We wish to die for the sake of God." ( We can only hope their wishes come true. Any SF units who can help out are urged to contact the "Make A Wish" foundation. )

For more details on this story click her and be prepared to be wisked away to Al Jazeera's site!

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:09 AM | Comments (3)

May 28, 2007

Memorial Day In Chico

Memorial Day in Chico, May 28-07, photographed at the cemetary on Mangrove and at the VFW luncheon. This years Master of Ceremonies was Councilman Larry Wahl, USN Ret.

click below for more pictures

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:20 PM | Comments (3)

A Soldier’s Soul

by Tina Grazier

A recent subject on Post Scripts, PTSD, garnered a number of responses and started old rusty wheels turning in my brain. My musings took me to the internet, as usual, where I discovered the following quote:

“The soldier's heart, the soldier's spirit, the soldier's soul are everything. Unless the soldier's soul sustains him, he cannot be relied upon and will fail himself, his commander, and his country in the end.” --General of the Army George C. Marshall

That quote is all about the soldier…his heart, his spirit, his soul. But the general goes a step further when he says the soldier’s soul must sustain him…and I can’t help wondering who and what sustains the soldier’s soul? Obviously, for those who are religious, it is God who plays this most important roll…followed by his fellow soldiers, his family and friends. But the question that haunts is, what part do “we the people” play? We the people ask so much of him…isn’t it time we asked what our obligations and duties are in sustaining the soldier?

WWII must have had its detractors, all wars do, but if histories tale is to be believed it's safe to say that this country was solidly behind the military, the war, and America’s allies. It wasn’t just the tremendous sacrifices our men and women were making that motivated but also recognition of the threat that Nazi Germany and her allies posed. This combination made the will of the people strong, like diamonds, and filled them with enough heart to sustain our fighting forces and our efforts at home…it created the power and force to win.

I had a neighbor when I was a kid. He built a huge woodshop on his property and could be found working there every extra moment of his life…night and day. My father told me he kept busy to occupy his mind because he had been a prisoner of war...keeping busy kept him sane. The hushed way that my father told the story let me know right away that he had a great deal of respect for our neighbor. He wanted to impress upon me that this man's sacrifice was great…that we should honor him. People spoke of veterans that way when I was young.

In a few short years my own peers were involved in different war, the war in Vietnam. The experiences of the returning soldiers would be quite different from that of their fathers or grandfathers. As I observed these differences in many of them taking shape as unbearable grief, shame, dishonor, anger and guilt…the nub of that question…what part do we citizens play in sustaining the soldier…grew and began to take hold. We didn't hear about soldiers that managed to move forward after Vietnam...but emotional casualties were paraded before us in news items and film as if their own tragedy was the only honor they deserved. As if the pain was ours to maintain and exploit. It made me sick...it was a lie.

In the years following Vietnam the question continued to smolder quietly at the back of my mind. I moved past Vietnam, we all managed to move on, awkwardly…memories and images fading…but the question nagged. I guess I just wanted so badly to be able to say that my country was and always would be united behind our soldiers. I wanted all of us to stand behind them foursquare…but the reality is, we are not now and we have not been united behind them. Right after 911 there was hope that we had put that chapter behind us. Instead time passed and we found we are divided still. One part of the country, sadly, is willing, eager even, to go beyond silent sulking and mewing to once again actively treat our soldiers, their Commander-in-Chief, and the mission with complete disdain. In doing so, they treat their country with disdain. This is unacceptable.

And so I find myself here on memorial Day 2007, privileged to write on this blog, and wondering how we can show support to our military men and women so as to overcome this divide. Is it even possible to give them all they need so they can return home secure in the knowledge that what they were fighting for mattered to us…and to our posterity? America is their home ground where the heart and spirit of the freedom they fight for lives and breathes. How do we continue to take part in this awesome greatness and bounty having been witnesses to the daily trashing of our soldiers and their mission without speaking out? I cannot. I leave you with these thoughts to ponder and act upon for yourselves.

General George Patton said, "It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived." As we pause to reflect on this commemorative day, and as we go about our lives in future days, let us begin to think about our words and the effect they have on the soldier. Let us honor the dead, but let us also remain ever mindful of our obligations and duties to the living…giving them respect, dignity, and love both as they fight and upon their return home. We are the earthly source of power for them in their efforts. They have earned the right to expect and experience our gratitude and understanding of the importance of of their mission and purpose. Anything less brings dishonor that forces another question…

Do we deserve the freedom that has been bought with the blood and loss of these brave committed souls? We know what the answer should be but...no, I can’t say we do, not entirely, not for a quite a long time...

...and still they soldier on. May God bless them.

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:13 AM | Comments (0)

America's Heroes

"The stories behind Memorial Day." by Peter Collier is a must read this Memorial Day. Follow the link for the full article which begins:

Once we knew who and what to honor on Memorial Day: those who had given all their tomorrows, as was said of the men who stormed the beaches of Normandy, for our todays. But in a world saturated with selfhood, where every death is by definition a death in vain, the notion of sacrifice today provokes puzzlement more often than admiration. We support the troops, of course, but we also believe that war, being hell, can easily touch them with an evil no cause for engagement can wash away. And in any case we are more comfortable supporting them as victims than as warriors.

Not long ago I was asked to write the biographical sketches for a book featuring formal photographs of all our living Medal of Honor recipients. As I talked with them, I was, of course, chilled by the primal power of their stories. But I also felt pathos: They had become strangers--honored strangers, but strangers nonetheless--in our midst.

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:10 AM | Comments (0)

May 27, 2007

In the News

U.S. Frees 42 Iraqi Captives in Raid. A tip from a neighbor led to the rescue of 42 Iraqi hostages that were being tortured and about to be murdered. Residents in Diyala province are showing signs that they are

begining to turn against the Sunni insurgents and Al Qeada operating in their area. The Diyala province is one of the areas that has benefited from Bush's SURGE plan.

The month of May could become the bloodiest month on record for US troops in Iraq. This is in large part due to increased missions to seek out and eliminate enemy strongholds.

Some military experts have suggested that the attacks by the insurgency seems to be too closely timed to spikes in anti-war rhetoric within the U.S. to be a coincidence. In a 6 month period the study concluded where anti-war rhetoric reached the level of international headlines, violent attacks befell American forces within 24 hours. "The timing of headlines to events is compelling, but not proof positive," quipped one ranking official.

"Although this investigation is far from over, it tends to lend strong suspicions that the anit-war movement has been helping insurgents time their attacks for maximum effect in the media and thus shape world opinion," the official said. (Duh- ya think?)

This drink could ward off diabetes!

Drinking coffee can help ward off type 2 diabetes and may even help prevent certain cancers, according to leading scientists who attended the Experimental Biology 2007 meeting in Washington, D.C., report Reuters and WebMD.

Just don't call coffee a health drink. Those same researchers warn that coffee appears to increase the risk of leukemia and stomach cancer, with the case for leukemia being strongest.

"We're coming from a situation where coffee had a very negative health image," Dr. Rob M. van Dam of the Harvard School of Public Health, who has conducted studies on coffee consumption and diabetes, told Reuters Health. And while coffee isn't quite an elixir for good health, it does have certain benefits beyond serving as a morning pick-me-up.

The benefits to your morning cup of java:

Adults who consume six to seven cups of coffee daily lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 33 percent over those who drink only two cups a day, according to van Dam, who in 2005 analyzed eight major studies to come up with this conclusion. A 2006 study showed that two to three cups of coffee a day lowers women's risk of type 2 diabetes by 13 percent, while four or more cups of coffee cuts the risk by more than 40 percent. Van Dam says at least seven other studies suggest similar conclusions.
What IS it in coffee that offers protection from diabetes? It's not the caffeine. Instead, it's something else, most likely chlorogenic acid, an antioxidant that slows the absorption of glucose in the intestines.

Coffee may also protect against cancer of the colon, rectum and liver by reducing the amount of cholesterol, bile acid and natural sterol secretion in the colon, speeding up the passage of stool through the colon and thus decreasing the amount of time the lining of the intestine is exposed to potential carcinogens in food, according to Dr. Lenore Arab of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She arrived at this conclusion after reviewing 400 studies on coffee consumption and cancer risk.
The downside of drinking coffee:

Dr. Arab also found that coffee may increase the risk of leukemia and stomach cancer, with the case for leukemia being strongest especially in the children of pregnant women who drink coffee.

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:30 PM | Comments (0)

Out of the Box

by Tina Grazier

You just gotta love Jack…well, we all love our Jack too but no, I’m talking about Jack of Jack in the Box fame…the one with a head fashioned after the lowly but noble ping pong ball. Jack is a fairly funny guy and so naturally has taken his talents to the screen. But the devilishly funny TV advertising campaign apparently isn’t thought very amusing by rivals Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s…they’re taking him to court.

AP--The parent company of the Carl's Jr. and Hardee's fast food chains sued rival Jack In The Box Inc. on Friday to stop TV ads that it says suggest Carl's Jr. and Hardee's use cow anus to make Angus beef hamburgers. ** CKE Restaurants Inc. sued Jack In The Box in U.S. District Court on Friday over an ad in which executives laugh hysterically at the word "Angus" and another where the chain's pingpong ball-headed mascot, Jack, is asked to point to a diagram of a cow and show where Angus meat comes from. ** "I'd rather not," the pointy-nosed Jack replies. ** The employee asking the question traces a circle in the air with his pen while pronouncing the word Angus.

Some folks just have no sense of humor…and Jack, he must be doing quite well. As he fights this good fight let’s hope he prevails so he can get back in that box where he belongs.

Posted by Post Scripts at 01:27 PM | Comments (2)

May 26, 2007

Another Kind of Life

by Jack Lee

What does one do on a Sat. night in a town where the population can be counted on both hands? You enjoy the company of your neighbors, that’s what. Folk's used to do this all the time till TV and computers were invented. The town I'm talking about is Afton, California, population 10.

It's a one general store town smack in the middle farm country, surrounded by rice fields, cornfields and walnut orchards and a sod farm called Zamora Sod, maybe you've heard of it? It's about the biggest operation around here.

Gridley is 22 miles to the east, Colusa is 21 miles south, Willows is 21 miles west and Chico is 23 miles north and there is nothing much else in between, save for little Butte City, but their only two businesses, a bar and a grocery store are closed, so again there's nothing in between! Oh, and lest I offend some of the locals, there is the big city of Princeton Pop. about 150, but, that’s way on the other side of the river, so it doesn't really count.

It's now about 6:30 pm and the work around the family farm is winding down. I just bucked about 30 bails of hay (beardless wheat) and I'm feeling the strain. It's been a long day and work is finally over. So, since the girls are out on horses and I'm home alone, I jump on our four wheeler (Honda ATV) and cruise down the road, well it's not always on a road, part of this trip is cross country and in 5 minutes I'm in the little town of Afton where they make the best Mexican food for at least 20 miles in any direction! Outside the general store/restaurant are some of my friends and they are drinking ice cold Bud from a couple of ice chests and it looks like they have the bar-b-que fired up and are eating burgers.

As I pull in another 4-by pulls out, this one is driven by Luis. Vrrrmmm....he's L bent for somewhere! But, it's not home unless he forgot where it is. He tears off in the wrong direction, but I suspect it's to take the levee road home which is eventually in the right direction. This way he avoids riding on the asphalt...it's safer for 4 wheelers doing 60 mph. I like riding the levee too, very scenic especially from a horse, but a 4 wheeler is good too. So, I pull up on the north end of the store, park and dismount. I'm immediately greeted by my old friend Francisco who does some introductions for some of the guys I don't know there. Then a few more folks drive up. This is turning into a regular community meeting!

We stand around talking and drinking cold brewskies, er, in this case I guess I should call them cervesas, seems more appropriate. Anyway, we take turns telling dumb farm stories, talking about cattle, horses and such. I get a carnitas style burrito from inside the store and its outta this world good! Now keep in mind, more than half of this group doesn't speak much English and the other half definitely doesn't speak much Spanish! But here we are anyway, Americans...some soon to be Americans, and we all speak farm and that works good enough.

Francisco cranks up his pickup stereo on 97.7 FM, all Spanish - all day, musica! After downing a few beers Francisco tries to sing "La Bamba" and actually does a pretty good job one of the guys from the cabins behind the store retrieves his home made guitar. It doesn't look home made and it sounds even better. The singing continues, now me, I wouldn't attempt to sing anything even after a keg of beer. Although I might sound better if I was sloshed! So the times passes quickly. We laugh a lot and drink more beer and then I see somebody pass around a flask of white lightning, most don't try it, but a few brave souls do and it's to their regret...not tonight, but tomorrow...been there done that.

Then it's time for me to head back to the ranch. 3 beers are about my limit, not that I would have to worry about getting stopped as I drive home by way of the cornfield..lol.

So ends my hot time in the old town tonight...it's another kind of life out here, I wish you all could visit some day and see what your missing!

God bless America and protect our soldiers wherever they may be! Enjoy your Veteran's Day.

Posted by Post Scripts at 08:54 PM | Comments (1)

“Gouging” Woes

by Tina Grazier

We’ve invested a number of days and a considerable amount of energy banging away on our respective keyboards discussing gas prices on this blog and I guess we’re not done yet. My purpose in pursuing the subject further at this point is to offer information. I’ve noticed the subject involves three separate things: economics, politics, and the emotional frustration that so many of us feel whenever this comes up.

As always we are presented with differing opinions and we as consumers must evaluate and judge them for ourselves. I found the following useful information in an article titled, “Strangling Oil” by Investors Business Daily:

As Americans get ever-angrier about soaring gasoline prices, Congress wants to do something, anything. So this week, the House passed a bill seeking to end "price-gouging." Fair enough — now, what is that? ** In the Senate, New York's Charles Schumer wants to break up big oil companies on the notion that more small companies would foster competition and cut prices. Others, including New York's other senator, Hillary Clinton, want to tax oil companies' "windfall" profits.

Such measures, and others like them, demonstrate a woeful ignorance of basic economics…As any economist will tell you, "price-gouging" per se doesn't exist. There is only supply and demand. If demand grows but supply is held back, prices will rise. That — and not "gouging" — is what's happening now.

In the 1970s, Presidents Nixon, Ford and Carter all kept price controls on oil. As a result, drillers had no incentive to find new supplies, and prices — along with OPEC control over our energy future — increased. ** On entering office in 1981, President Reagan got rid of controls. Virtually overnight, oil began to flow in abundance. In eight years, a per-barrel price that stood at $39 in 1981 plunged by two-thirds, breaking the back of the inflation that plagued the '70s.

We hear talk of "obscene profits" and "unreasonable prices." But oil profits of 13 cents on every gallon of gas don't seem so obscene. For obscene, consider the average 45 cents that federal, state and local governments collect. ** Oil firms earned a record $119 billion in 2005, it's true. They also set records in capital spending ($133 billion) and exploration and production ($131 billion). They are ramping up as fast as they can. ** Last year, pressured by Congress, the industry agreed to boost refining capacity by about 10% over five years. This year, they were undercut when Congress imposed new ethanol and biofuel mandates. So now, some refinery investments won't be made.

Since the '70s, some 30 investigations of oil-industry practices have been undertaken, and all have hit dry holes. Meanwhile, Congress gets away with one hare-brained, socialist-inspired energy scheme after another, the effects of which have been to push up prices and ruin what remains of our market economy.

This article is excellent in that it addresses both the political and economic realities of the situation. I hope you have found it helpful and I thank IBD for keeping us informed.

A second article (with a very long title) can be found HERE. It’s by Bill Archer and Charles Stenholm and addresses the effects to the consumer of price control regulation:

… proposed price control laws are being offered under the guise of protecting Americans against incidents of so-called "price gouging." Call them what you want, but they are essentially the same thing: bad public policy that will ultimately hurt consumers.

Rather than providing needed legislative leadership to address issues affecting gas prices specifically or our nation's energy challenges more generally, congressional proponents have instead chosen a political strategy that publicly casts specific individuals and industries as culprits before the American public. ** despite all the historic, legal and economic evidence that price controls cannot and will not work, and will ultimately have the exact opposite of their intended purpose.

…the American Council for Capital Formation recently unveiled a study reviewing investigations of past gasoline price increases and the results of previous efforts to control prices during supply interruptions. ** Price controls, had they been implemented as defined under current legislative proposals during the supply disruptions that occurred during the 2005 hurricanes, would have totaled $1.9 billion. ** Criminal charges imposed for price increases would discourage suppliers from obtaining higher priced replacement supplies, therefore limiting consumers' access to gasoline supply. ** Price controls could discourage refinery investment, resulting in tighter capacity at all times. ** price caps will actually result in gasoline shortages, causing unnecessary hardships for consumers and disaster affected regions. Why? Because whether in times of crisis or normal operations, price fluctuations serve as basic signals to producers to either increase or decrease supplies and direct them accordingly. This holds true in all industries.

Socialists, most of the American left these days, love regulation and control. In the extreme it takes the form of state run business. Mrs. Clinton wants that for our health care system. Mr. Chavez is busy as a bee perfecting it in Venezuela for one industry after another.

Conservatives prefer private ownership and the free market; letting supply and demand determine the price. Neither system is perfect but one has an excellent track record, while the other is stifling and oppressive.

It took me awhile to realize that there are political sides in everything, even economics. This is one reason we have differing views on something that would seem to be pretty straight forward. At any rate, leave it to our esteemed representatives in Washington to take every opportunity to PANDER to the voters in circumstances such as these. If only they could grow a spine and actually do what works instead of seeking constant political advantage at our expense. Still, on reflection, who can blame them…we so often behave like obedient little “pull toys.”

Posted by Post Scripts at 12:06 AM | Comments (6)

May 25, 2007

UPDATED POLLS - Presidential Race and Iraq

Latest presidential poll as noted on Fox News...

Giuliani 26.2%
McCain 18.7%
Thompson 10.3%
Romney 9.8%
Giuliani +7.5%

Latest news poll on Iraq...hours old

-- 61% say the United States should have stayed out of Iraq

-- 76% say things are going badly there, including 47% who say things are going very badly.

-- Only 30% approve of the job President Bush is doing overall.

-- 76%, including 51% of Republicans, say additional troops sent to Iraq this year by Bush either have had no impact or are making things worse.

-- 63% say the United States should set a date for withdrawing troops from Iraq sometime in 2008.

Posted by Post Scripts at 06:54 PM | Comments (1)

Thanks go to Tinman for finding this cartoon and submitting it....

Posted by Post Scripts at 03:45 PM | Comments (0)

Dems Find New Ally

by H.E.

“We demand the withdrawal of the occupation forces, or the creation of a timetable for such a withdrawal,” if this sounds like a regurgitation from the Nancy Pelosi led House of Reprehensive democrats it could be, however it was from the mouth of Al-Sadr on or about 5/24/2007. This is part of his effort to recast himself as a nationalist — instead of a radical with a narrow Shiite agenda. Just a side note on Al-Sadr, after hiding somewhere for the pass 4 months he made this speech in Iraq.

Seems like the Democrats' have new allies in the shameful way they are using the war and our troops to gain more political power.

Posted by Post Scripts at 03:41 PM | Comments (0)

Questions Sherri Quammens Thinking!

Dear PS Editor,

A letter (ER) from Sherri Quammen attacking Anthony Watts exposed even more leftist hatred of those who disagree with them. Watts is a scientist who dares to question the political beliefs of liberals. She goes so far as to call Watts and others on the political right "weapons of mass destruction."

Makes one wonder if Quammen is among the one third of democrat voters who actually believe the President knew of the 9/11 attacks in advance. Aluminum foil beanies, anyone?

Watt's questioning of environmentalist dogma is very sound. It is right to question policies that will raise our cost of living without proof of environmental improvement. It is wise to question a "consensus" of scientists on the politics behind their opinions. Higher gas prices are just one effect of environmentalism run amok, which is reason enough to ask more questions of those who would use our environmental sympathies to mislead us.

Beyond the environment though, Quammen's letter begs the question of why America's leftists have become so hateful over the years? Liberals in this country don't just disagree with the president, they wish for his death.

This could be seen also in the recent grave dancing the left did over Christian Activist Jerry Fallwell. Theirs has become a movement of hatred.

They claim to be patriots, but even local democrats have far more venom for Wally Herger than they do for Osama bin Laden. They have earned a new and fitting label. They are the hatriots.

Sincerely, Steve T

Posted by Post Scripts at 03:37 PM | Comments (1)

Questions What Steve Know's About Military

by Meagan Dixon

Steve,

You questioned Congresswoman Woosley’s statistics, and then you throw out the statement, “Ask your run of the mill combat soldier and you will find that not only do they not feel any real debilitating strain from being in Iraq, but they think the mission is worth continuing.” Where did you get your statistics? How can you propose to back up this statement?

In my experience, and I do have some, since it is my generation that is over in Iraq fighting this war so you oh-so-patriotic conservatives can drive your SUV’s and sit on your computers typing about how wonderful you are and how horrible liberals are because they believe in things like VA benefits and equal opportunity. (Sorry tangent there) In my experience, my friends whom have come back from fighting in Iraq may say they are “fine” – but there are some marked differences in their behavior. Most noticeably their inability to deal with stress and their propensity towards violence when provoked (and when I say provoked, I mean not getting ketchup with their fries, and flying off the handle). It is my understanding that these symptoms are part of the definition of PTSD. And no person I have talked to, whom has been in Iraq, wants to go back, not one.

You shout support for the troops, then basically call them wimps because they are mechanics or perhaps administrative specialists in a war zone, instead of out shooting people. I am sorry, and I may be a bit wimpy, but if I lived in a place where it was a necessity I did not leave the walls of a place protected by numerous defensive perimeters – I would find that to be a bit stressful. Having grown up in America, I have had the luxury of living in places where, for the most part, I did not have to be scared to travel anywhere, or do anything. So this sudden change in scenery would distress me immensely.

I guess the thing that bothered me the most about your post, is that you are attacking someone who is working towards getting help for the soldiers who have been harmed by their experience in Iraq. I gather that you are in the armed forces yourself, and that is commendable, and if you are lucky enough to escape your tour without harm, that you are truly blessed, but since you probably have some sort of camaraderie with the people you serve with, wouldn’t you want them to have resources if something bad happened?

I thought the conservative mantra was to support the troops unconditionally. What happened?

Posted by Post Scripts at 03:18 PM | Comments (21)

Price Gouging at The Pumps ( 3 )