President Big Oil

As if we needed any more proof that this is the President of, by and for "Big Oil", there's plenty more fresh proof this week.

For starters, the past week saw the 4 big American Oil companies get back oil contracts for and in Iraq. Yeah, no kidding. And they're still going to pretend that this wasn't a war for oil.

Those 4 oil firms haven't been in that country since--get this--1972. Unbelievable. It's almost as though Georgey had a pact and promise with them, that if they helped him steal one or two elections with all their money, that he'd get 'em back in Iraq.

Well, 4,000-plus American soldiers, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and untold billions of dollars later and they're getting their payday. Congratulations all around, boys. You got your big gift.

That and $142.00/barrel oil.

The other thing that's happening just now is that this Administration's lowly Bureau of Land Management--you know, the one that usually just messes up the lives of the Native American Indians--is shutting down the possibility of ANY solar power projects in the country for 2 full years because--get this, this is rich--they're going to do environmental studies on what this could mean to the Southwest.

Isn't that great? It just doesn't get any more ironic and twisted than this.

The Bush Administration is concerned about the environment, for pity's sake. They've "gottn religion" about the environmnet.

If you believe that, I have some swamp land for you to consider.

Let me add--with facts--to the irony and contradiction.

The same BLM is, right now, ADDING STAFF. Seriously.

They're gearing up for--are you ready for this?--all the oil and gas lease applications they've been getting from the same oil companies across this great land of ours.

So they're shutting out the possibility of solar power studies for 2 years but expanding so they can allow firms to look further for FOSSIL FUELS.

Let me point out some obvious sidepoints, like the fact that fossil fuels are what are getting us further into trouble in the Middle East and war and with both Mother Nature and global climate change.

Insane.

So that's where we are. Anyone who tries to tell me this President, his party and this administration didn't go into Iraq for oil has loads of hard facts and proof going against them. It is and always was a war for oil.

You'd think this President would be embarassed, wouldn't you?, by all ths evidence and information that's out there about what he does and what he wants and what he believes in. You'd think he'd even be ashamed but no, not this guy. Money is money and he'll do virtually anything for him and his pals to load up on it.


Post Script:

12 hours after posting the above, I just received the following, from Truthout.org, saying much the same thing:

t r u t h o u t | 06.28

Bill Moyers and Michael Winship | It Was Oil, All Along

http://www.truthout.org/article/it-was-oil-all-along

For Truthout, Bill Moyers and Michael Winship write: "Oh, no, they told us, Iraq isn't a war about oil. That's cynical and simplistic, they said. It's about terror and al-Qaeda and toppling a dictator and spreading democracy and protecting ourselves from weapons of mass destruction. But one by one, these concocted rationales went up in smoke, fire and ashes. And now the bottom line turns out to be ... the bottom line. It is about oil."

(If I even begin to think that I think remotely close to Bill Moyers, I may pass out).

Post, Post Script (bear with me).

My partner sent me this article a couple days ago. It seems we could be on the verge of some terrific and important breakthroughs on and in solar power, if only we can keep "pushing the envelope" of technology and our government will stay out of the way:

Sol Focus: All That Silicon Valley Alternative Energy Investment Bears Some Fruit
Posted by: Carl Alviani on Thursday, June 26 2008
We've been hearing about the boom in alternative energy research in Silicon Valley for a while now, but not so much in terms of actual marketable products. That may be changing, though, if Mountain View based Sol Focus is any indication.

Looking at the history of solar power, one of the biggest obstacles to its broad acceptance and application has been the high cost of manufacturing photovoltaic cells, and the relatively low output. Sol Focus has a solution that they think could revolutionize the industry, and it's so obvious you have to wonder why it took so long. Rather than make a large panel of pricey semi-conductors, they use comparatively cheap aluminum and glass mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto a tiny chip of photovoltaic, both reducing the cost of the unit, and increasing the efficiency of electricity production.

According to the company's website, these dished panels use 1/1000th the active material of a conventional panel, and will produce power as cheaply as conventional (fossil fuel) sources by 2010. As an added bonus, they also look much, much cooler than the typical shiny black slab, offering a gleaming sci-fi gorgeousness that we wouldn't mind on our rooftop one bit.

See the original site here:
http://www.core77.com/blog/technology/sol_focus_all_that_silicon_valley_alternative_energy_investment_bears_some_fruit_10308.asp

Have a great weekend, y'all...