I realize that this type of story has been reviewed endlessly, but I still think that it cannot be opposed too often.  This is not the answer.

Ethanol!  Ethanol!  Rah!  Rah!  Rah!

The cheers go up we can finally end our dependence on foreign oil.  Now that is a one pound bag of manure, which they are selling to the people.  Guess what!?  They are buying this crap (pun intended).  As long as we allow the oil companies to make obscene profits, you will NEVER be weaned from foreign oil.  Why is that?  Ethanol cannot be transported through pipelines, for it will pick up impurities like water.  So, the only way to transport it is in trucks.   Now guess what?  Trucks use diesel and that is another pollutant.  Ethanol IS NOT the answer, sports fans.

Let us talk about how environmentally friendly ethanol is, NOT!  A Stanford study showed that ethanol is at least as polluting as gasoline and could be more so.  The burning of ethanol produces more lung damaging ozone than the burning of gasoline.  Another polluting factor of ethanol is that farmers will use a nitrogen based fertilizer which will enter into the water supply, killing marine life and such.  This alone should make it unwise to push the use of corn as an alternative.  But who cares, it is all about who makes the profits, not what it will do to the environment.

Now let us talk about corn prices.  Ethanol refiners use huge amounts of corn and with that food prices will go up and up. Corn is used in food production from feed for the cattle that make our steaks to the syrup for our soft drinks.  As the demand for ethanol rise, so will the price of our food.   The more corn that is planted the less other crops are raised and this will also add to the price of food.  Nothing about ethanol is a good.

Corn is not even the best source of ethanol.  Sugar cane is and it produces 8 times more energy than it uses to make.  Corn, however, the ratio is 1.3 to 1.  This basically means that corn produces a little more energy than it consumes in the refining process.  Not an efficient product.

The US is importing foreign oil so that ethanol can be produced and distributed.  The only thing that is being accomplished by the production of ethanol is we are putting the grocery store in competition with the gas station for the use of the corn.

Ethanol is nothing new!  It was used in Ford’s original Model T and it was considered in the 1970’s during the oil embargo.  If ethanol is inefficient and costly why is it even being considered?  That is the easiest question to answer-PROFITS!  No one in the oil business wants to eliminate out dependence on foreign oil.  Why would they shoot themselves in the ass?  Answer-they will not cut off their supply of profit.  

This is not an answer to dependency, it is however an answer to oil companies retaining their profit margin, for an additive will still need a supply of the original product and that translates into continued exploitation by the oil companies.

I am an old fart so I remember the racial divide of the 50 & 60’s, not a good time to be an American.  I also remember how close the races were becoming in the 70’s, which was the closest the two had become in many years.  Then as quickly as it had began it started deteriorating in th Me generation of the 80’s.

Once again I see the races are close to a unity that has been missing and at the same time they are being pushed to segregate themselves along color lines.  The media is doing all possible to widen the expanse—politics of the Dems are also helping—and then there is the American people, they are also helping separate the electorate along racial and gender lines.  

it is just flipping SAD!  There is a chance for the American people to face the question head on and find common ground but they will not at this point.  White blue collars workers in the northeast are holding blacks responsible for their lack of work, when it is a non-caring government and administration that should be the bad guy.  

The Dems, some of them, want this new race battle with the attempt to marginalize a message of hope.  And thanks to their efforts the Dems are losing ground to the Repubs.  And there is a possiblity that this divide will help defeat the Dems in November–yet again.

The outcome is becoming predictable–They will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory–yet again.  Well done.  at least they are consistent.  

I can see that pointing out stuff about religion is about as interesting as watching grass grow or flies mate.  I will avoid that at all cost.

I have been accused of being an Obama supporter—WRONG!  I have not endorsed anyone at this point.  I do defend him on some issues and have been critical on others.  As I have with other candidates.  I do, however, see Obama as an important person that could possibly unify a party that is divided.

I cannot support Clinton.  Why?  her pro-business platform and her leadership position within the DLC.  Most of her platform is start out of the playbook of the DLC.  IMO, this organization is trying hard to purge all “true” progressives from the party.

McCain?  He was looking pretty good until he flip=flopped on torture, tax cuts, and other issues.  Because of this reversal of stands, just to win the suppoort of hard core conservs will forever eliminate him from my consideration.

All that said, the media has chosen who they want to be the two candidates and that choice is McCain and Clinton.  Just watch MSM and you will concur with my findings.  I love the pundits that disguise their obvious dislike for Obama as fair and balanced report–IT IS NEITHER!

I fear that the MSM will be successful in their pushing of the two candidates and if they are, we will have 4 more years of Bush policies. no matter which one is elected.  

I will make this short and sweet, since I do not do much posting about religion unless I see something that I feel needs attention.

Do you know your 7 deadly sins?  Pride, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, wrath and sloth; there is so much I could write about each one of those, but why?

Recently in the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, has listed addition to the age old list of sins.  These are polluting, genetic engineering, being obscenely wealthy, taking drugs, abortion, pedophilia and generally causing social injustice.  The Catholic Church has violated at least two of the new sins.  Just my opinion.

If you live by the old list ans now you must live by the new additions.  I want to see how this works out for the church.  There are a few in the church that as of this writing are violating many of the taboos.

Just thought I would see if there are any thoughts on this.  Personally, I do not care! I am a Gnostic.  Your thoughts.

Ever hear of Saul Alinsky?  He was the writer and teacher of “pragmatic radicals”.  His book, Rules for Radicals, is excellent reading if one wants to be any good at organizing.  As a matter of fact it is a book that Obama has said made a difference in his life and in his activism.  As an old hippie, pinko, commie from my days of protests in the 70’s, his book was an excellent resource for action and planning.

I think that maybe Obama should have kept his admiration for Alinsky to himself.  Just as in the Vietnam War, Giap’s book, People’s Army, People’s War, was required reading for the special operations guys doing the crappy work in the country.  I do believe that Clinton’s campaign has done the same thing with Obama.

I will bet that one is asking what the hell I am talking about.  Answer:  Alinsky had 3 tactics to use.  They were, 1–The real action is the enemy’s reaction, 2–The enemy properly goaded and guided in his action will be your major strength, 3–Tactics, like organization, like life, require that you move with the action.  So far both candidates have had to deal with these three tactics.

My advice would be, if you are using a game plan from a certain source, then you might want to keep it under lock and key, so that your opponent does not use it to bite you in the ass.  Just a thought.