Sunday, September 29, 2013

Oil Is More Than Just Fuel - And We Don't Need Obama


Dear Readers,

Some of you have asked if I could take this information from a RANDOM SHOTS article that I did in March 2012 and publish it as a stand-alone article? Well friends, here it is.

Oil Is More Than Just Gasoline: There Are Consequences For Not Drilling Right Here Right Now!

Americans are saying "We Don't Need Obama!"

Domestic Oil Drilling Advocates Warn Of Increased Global Demand As The Mid-East Oil Supply Dwindles

That was an article in the news in March 2012, it was reported that more people are buying cars and using more gas around the world than ever before.

Countries that traditionally did not use cars and depended on bicycles and such are now moving to more and more cars. This growth in the global economy increases the demand for fuel, while oil supplies are projected to get tighter from the Middle East sources. Between the oil used for fuels such as gasoline and the oil used to manufacture consumer products, the world desire to be consumer driven is using more and more oil.

"China was at 5 million barrels a day in 2005. Today, they are at 10 (million). By 2015, they are going to be at 15-million-barrels-a-day demand," said John Hofmeister, founder of Citizens for Affordable Energy. "That's 10 million new barrels over 10 years. India is going from 4 to 7 (million) in the next three to four years."

President Obama seems to recognize the coming explosion in demand, but he has a different solution for the problem of more demand and less oil. Do nothing! Yes, Obama wants to do nothing in the way of more drilling to tap into our abundant natural resources.

Even though currently the United States consumes 19.6 million barrels per day, and demand will rise, Obama argues that more drilling and the Keystone XL pipeline are not the way of the future. Instead, he wants to wean Americans off of oil entirely by turning to alternatives energy options like electric and hybrid cars, solar and wind power - and what I call his "AOTO" philosophy.

AOTO is not a tribe in Kenya, it is a Liberal train of thought. No matter how high gas prices at the pump go, "AOTO" is the mantra from the wealthy Liberal Left. AOTO" is the acronym for "Anything Other Than Oil."

The problem with Obama's thinking, besides completely ignoring the need for oil to manufacture every day products, according to most analysts, he is completely ignoring the fact that the transition from oil to alternative energy fuels takes far longer than more drilling would.

"And we have a capital stock of hundreds of million of vehicles," Guy Caruso of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said. "So these types of transformations take decades and maybe even 50 to 60 years."

Last year, obviously because it was an Election Year, Obama talked about oil drilling as if he were for it. Imagine that! Like a true double-talking politician, Obama was telling Americans that he was cutting red tape and issuing all sorts of oil permits for companies to get to work on Federal lands.

Obama was lying to the American people.  And like these days, last year he might have gotten a few to believe him - the majority won't.

Why do more and more believe Obama is nothing but a liar? Because the data speaks for itself, and proves he is.

Official government figures show that Obama is issuing far fewer permits on Federal land than George W. Bush did while he was president. At the end of his two terms, George W. Bush issued 6,000 to 7,000 permits a year. Under Barack Hussein Obama the numbers have dropped significantly to a range of 4,000 to almost 4,500 a year.

Since it can take seven to 10 years for a permit to turn into an actual producing oil well, that means less oil will be coming from Federal lands in years to come. That combined with a rise in global demand for oil is a recipe for disaster for the United States. Yes, all thanks to Obama's attitude of "AOTO" and doing nothing to prepare for the future right now.

Advocates of more domestic drilling say we know a crunch is coming, so we should be drilling more right now. Otherwise, the result could be ugly.

"The reality of the situation, with respect to global supply is that Americans can find themselves in gasoline lines, with gas rationing by 2015 or 2016 by us not producing more of our own oil," Hofmeister said.

Obama is either purposing neglecting the facts, or he's just too damn dumb to understand the facts. Either way, he should understand that the facts clearly point out that even with alternatives, the U.S. Energy Department predicts that in 2035 we will still be relying on oil for 83% of our transportation needs alone. And yes, those figures are not taking into consideration all of our other needs for oil.

For some reason, Obama and the Democrats who support him only think oil is for gasoline and transportation. But folks, Obama can't get it in his head that it's not just about gasoline and cars.

Just as important as our fuel needs, are our manufacturing needs - Over 6,000 products we use on a daily basis are manufactured from oil!

Yes, over 50% of a barrel of oil goes to something other than fuels.

One 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline. The rest, over half, is used to make things like:



Yes, friends the list above is only about 150 of the approximately 6000 items made from oil that we use everyday. The list above is only a partial list of products made from petroleum. As we can see, it's not only about gasoline and cars.

Maybe Obama should look around and maybe take a long look at how many products that we depend on comes from oil?

And ask yourself this, if 50% of all the oil we use is for fuel and the other 50% is for manufacturing products - how much oil would we still need if somehow every Liberal in America could wave their magic wand and eliminate the need for oil for our fuel needs?

Yes, since currently the United States consumes 19.6 million barrels per day, even if every truck, car, big rig, train, jet plane, power plant and home had an alternative fuel source to go to - we would still need at least 50% (or half) the amount of the oil we are using today for our manufacturing needs.

Yes, even if we never needed oil as an energy fuel source again, we would still consume over 10 million barrels a day just for our manufacturing processes.

That means, oil as a base product is almost indispensable for us or others. If we want to continue making the products that we use on a daily basis, than we need to recognize the importance, the absolute need, of oil.

So ask yourself, as I have asked myself lately, when the President of the United States talks about not drilling for more oil because he wants us to find other "energy" sources -- and he completely ignores the manufacturing aspects of oil -- just how many manufacturing jobs is he talking about putting at stake by not drilling right now?

How expensive will these oil based products become if they can't be made easily and here? How many companies are going to have to relocate their manufacturing facilities overseas because they make one or a few of the thousands of oil based products? How many companies will want to take their manufacturing jobs somewhere else because oil is not readily available in the United States and may also be cheaper in other countries than it is here?

Ask yourself, how many Americans are going to suffer because of Obama's arrogance or ignorance?
Fact are facts, there are reasons to drill for oil that have nothing to do with cars and transportation - and everything to do with manufacturing and the industrial might of the American economy.

The Good News -- Americans are Ignoring President Obama

Yes, the Good News is that Americans are ignoring him and opposing him in many ways. One way is by recognizing that "America Doesn't Need Obama!"

It's true. Americans are recognizing the need for more oil, having a desire to rid ourselves of being slaves to Muslim oil rich nations, and have decided to say "We Don't Need Obama!"

Americans are doing this be striking out and going around the Federal Government -- cutting the Feds completely out of the picture. Americans are exploring and harvesting oil using newer, more modern, and safer technologies to drill and increase America's Oil Supply - more so than ever before.

No, not from oil rich Federal Lands which are supposed to be owned by the American people but have seemed to have now become the sole property of Liberal Environmentalists. No, not that which is controlled by people in favor of our being slaves to Muslims nations, but instead on Private and State lands where Liberals are not in control and America can thrive.

And yes, that is Great News indeed. By saying, "We Don't Need Obama!" By relegating him to being a non-entity, Americans are prospering in some states. While Blue States march down the road to destruction and burden Americans with more debt, Red States are producing low unemployment, higher salaries, and looking after each other without the need to include the Federal Government or Obama.

Tom Correa



The M14 Rifle - U.S. Army Training Film



U.S. RIFLE, CALIBER 7.62MM, M14
OPERATION AND CYCLE OF FUNCTIONING

National Archives and Records Administration

ARC Identifier 36734 / Local Identifier 111-TF-2970

Department of Defense. Department of the Army. Office of the Chief Signal Officer.
(09/18/1947 - 02/28/1964).

Included in the U.S. ARMY TRAINING FILM:
  • DESIGN AND CAPABILITIES
  • FIELD STRIPPING PROVISIONS
  • CYCLE OF FUNCTIONING
  • FEEDING, CHAMBERING, LOCKING, FIRING, ETC.
  • SEMIAUTOMATIC AND AUTOMATIC OPERATION





Saturday, September 28, 2013

I Hate Obama Because He's Black?


Sarcastic title points to the lunacy of the argument that any opposition to President Obama's policies automatically makes us a Racist.

It's true, his color doesn't matter.

What matters is his poor character, his lies and deceit, his oppressive policies and his incompetence.

No, I don't hate President Obama on a personal level.

But, I absolutely hate his policies and actions.

Fact is, it means nothing that the title of this article is not true and is in fact a lie! Fact is, I will still get e-mail from people calling me a Racist.

It means nothing to them that I have loved ones of many races, including Hispanic, White, and Black, within my own family and love them very much!

It means absolutely nothing that I hate Obama's policies and what he is doing to our nation - but I could careless what color the bozo happens to be.

The Left, those die hard Obama supporters out there, will believe what it wants to believe - including that Obama is honest, that Islam is a religion of peace, and the earth is flat.

It means nothing to them that after the Kenyan shopping mall massacre, after the reported torture of innocent Non-Muslims at the hands of Muslims that President Obama has decided to reward those murderous bastards by declaring November National Muslim Appreciation Month in the United States.

It's true! And yes, as amazing as that is, it's also true that Liberals see nothing wrong with that!
President Barack Obama held a press conference to announce that he is declaring the month of November "National Muslim Appreciation Month" in the United States.

Yes, this came out of the President's mouth just a day after Muslims completed the Nairobi mall massacre in Kenya.

Muslims have a disgusting attitude toward human life - they have a blood lust uncompared to other races.  They LOVE death and killing.

And no, they haven't shown me or the world differently.

Kenyan soldiers reported horrific torture taking place at the hand of the Muslim terrorists in the Nairobi mall massacre on the September 25th.

They claimed hostages were dismembered, had their eyes gouged out, were left hanging from hooks in the ceiling, and much more.

Men were said to have been castrated and had fingers removed with pliers before being blinded and hanged during the four day siege.

Children were found dead in the food court fridges with knives still embedded in their bodies, it was claimed.

Most of the defeated Muslim terrorists were reportedly "burnt to ashes" after the last Muslim standing set the place on fire to try to protect their identities.

The horrifying details came yesterday as the first pictures emerged from within the wreckage of the building, showing piles of bodies left strewn across the floor.

A third of the mall was destroyed in the battle between the Muslim terrorists and Kenyan troops.

One mall massacre survivor smeared herself in the blood of teenage victim to make gunmen think she was dead.

And yes, as many as 71 Non-Muslim civilians who have been declared missing by the Kenyan Red Cross - all courtesy of the religion of Islam.

With detectives, including the FBI and the Metropolitan Police, still unable to reach the wrecked part of the mall for fear of setting off explosives, it could take up to a week to determine exactly who is still inside.

Yesterday, soldiers and doctors who were among the first people into the mall after it was reclaimed on Tuesday, spoke of the horrifying scenes inside.

"You find people with hooks hanging from the roof," said one Kenyan doctor, who asked not to be named.

‘They removed eyes, ears, nose. They get your hand and sharpen it like a pencil then they tell you to write your name with the blood. They drive knives inside a child’s body.

"Actually if you look at all the bodies, unless those ones that were escaping, fingers are cut by pliers, the noses are ripped by pliers. Here it was pain."

A soldier, who took pictures at a bread counter and at the ArtCaffe, said he was so traumatised by what he saw he has had to seek counselling.

Bomb disposal experts with sniffer dogs were yesterday painstakingly combing the part of the building still standing for explosives before clearing forensic officers, police and troops to search for bodies.

Up to 150 Non-Muslims people are thought to have been killed and mutilated during the siege.

Images also emerged yesterday revealing the true extent of the destruction caused to the centre during the four-day battle between Kenyan forces and Islamic militants.

During the firefight, the Non-Muslim hostages reportedly had their throats slashed from ear to ear and were thrown screaming from third-floor balconies as the siege came to a bloody end.

Forensics teams, still sifting through the mountains of rubble, fear many more bodies are yet to be found.

Shell-shocked Kenyan troops said the inside of the Israeli-run mall resembled a "scene from a horror movie" with blood spattered everywhere and dead bodies strewn across the floor.
Between 10 and 15 Muslim terrorists are thought to have stormed the mall last Saturday, according to Kenyan officials.

The police said five insurgents were killed in the battle and at least 10 taken into custody
The main thrust of the operation began at 6am on Monday when troops and helicopters surrounded the building, but their efforts were hampered by an Al Shabaab sniper who managed to keep them back for nearly 24 hours.

As tear gas was used to try to flush him out, another Muslim terrorist reportedly blew himself up. It is believed the resulting fire may have killed dozens of innocent shoppers in a supermarket.

The following day, the Kenyan soldiers were ordered to adopt a "shoot to kill" policy and launched their final attack on the Islamic terror group on the roof of the mall at 5pm.

The mall was retaken about half an hour later.

After these reports were made public, President Barack Hussein Obama declared that November will be National Muslim Appreciation Month saying, “The Muslim community deserves our full acceptance and respect.”

But no, Obama didn't stop there, and in fact Obama had the nerve to lie to the reporters making the false claim,

“We have killed millions of Muslims overseas since the September 11th attacks. They are not all bad. In fact most of them are good. So from now on, November will be a month to celebrate the Muslim community, the Sunnah and the Quran.”

Has America "killed MILLIONS of Muslims overseas since the September 11th attacks" as Obama said?

That's news - but it answers why he doesn't care if the Muslims killed 4 Americans in Benghazi Libya!

Khaled Matei who is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood‘s Freedom and Justice Party told CNN he is pleased with Obama and his actions.

"I spoke with President Obama by telephone yesterday and personally thanked him for what he is doing for the Muslim community," Matei said.

"This is definitely a step in the right direction I explained to him. Praise Allah."

Obama informed reporters about his future plans for helping Muslims around the world.

"I will be working with Congress in making it easier for Muslims to earn a Green Card and achieve American citizenship,” Obama said.

“Currently as it stands, obtaining a Visa or Green Card for a Muslim is very difficult. There are too many background checks in place and I plan to fix that.”

Obama continued, “Muslims are hardworking people who are just looking to live the American Dream like the rest of us. Mr. Matei of the Muslim Brotherhood assured me they want to come to this country to help us, not harm us."

Obama finished the press conference by explaining to reporters how happy he is with America.

"Folks, there is no way we could have had a ‘National Muslim Appreciation Month’ 20 years ago. That really says a lot about the growth and progress of this great country."

The "National Muslim Appreciation Month" begins November 1st and will end at midnight on November 30th.

This is how President Barack Hussein Obama rewards Muslim Terrorist for the Nairobi mall massacre in Kenya - by giving them a "National Muslim Appreciation Month."

Is he sick or what? Is he mentally unstable to do such a thing right after the Nairobi mall massacre in Kenya? Just how insensitive can he be - or does he even care?

Of course, none of this matters because I must be a Racist for making this public or questioning his motives and timing.

None of this means anything to Obama supporters because they believe, without a shred of evidence other than what's in their our sick freaking hearts that I am a Racist!

I must be Racist if I care that an elected President is so incompetent and hateful that he is systematically tearing this country apart economically, financially, and morally.

I am a Racist because I disagree with his asinine behavior on the world stage and has decided to divide Americans instead of unite us.

I must be a Racist, I must hate Obama because he is black, why else would I hate what he's doing?

How about you look at a few of the figures in the picture below and you tell me why I hate his policies? How about the fact that his policies have been proven for a fact that they aren't working and are detrimental to our nation?

Does my opposing the President and saying this make me a Racist? It does not!

But folks, I'm sick and tired of the e-mails from jerkweed Obama supporters calling me such for absolutely no reason.


According to Obama supporters, I have to be Racists to tell the truth about the economy, ObamaCare, his use of Federal Government agencies to attack Conservative Americans, his abuse of power when it comes to his spying on his political opponents, his use of the Justice Department to shield  black on white crimes yet embolden racism by attacking a man who defended his life from a young punk trying to kill him, his lavishness in office at the expensive of the American Taxpayer, his idea of change is destruction.

Yes, ignore the facts and avoid be called a Racist - or pay attention to the facts and be labeled a Racist for hating what the head of our Government is doing.

If I am a Racist, than it is because I hate the race of people who are defined by their apathetic self-indulgence at the expense of the American people.

Do I hate Obama? No, but I absolutely hate his policies and their effects on America.

By ripping us apart and completely putting himself above the law, by showing his complete incompetence when dealing with our enemies, and his overt contempt for the American people, he is nothing but a wannabe dispute, a Muslim cleric in waiting, a phony, a fraud, a joke to our enemies, and danger to America.

If he were white and a woman, and named Hillary Clinton, instead of being just HALF Black and a Muslim, would I still be considered a Racist because I hate the President's policies and actions.

Yes, I would!

Today, the Obama administration in concert with the liberal media has set a standard now set to where if anyone disagrees with a Liberal Socialist Democrat who breaks the law and assumes the position of Dictator in our country - that that person must be the one at fault and not the dictator either him or herself.

In Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, Cassius says, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings."
Cassius, a nobleman, is speaking with his friend, Brutus, and trying to persuade him that, in the best interests of the public, Julius Caesar must be stopped from becoming monarch of Rome.

Brutus is aware of Caesar's intentions, and is torn between his love of his friend Caesar and his duty to the republic.

Cassius continues by reminding Brutus that Caesar is just a man, not a god, and that they are equal men to Caesar.

They were all born equally free, and so why would they suddenly have to bow to another man? On another level this phrase has been interpreted to mean that fate is not what drives men to their decisions and actions, but rather the human condition.

The famous CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow once wrote this about a power hunger individual in our government who was completely out of control, who he thought should be opposed.

He said:

"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.

We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men -- not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular.

This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy's [President Obama's] methods to keep silent, or for those who approve.

We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result.

There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age.

We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.

The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin [President Obama] have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies.

And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn't create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it -- and rather successfully.

Cassius was right. 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.'"

If I am to be labeled a Racist because I voice my opinion in that I see Obama as a threat to our nation that same way that I thought Richard Nixon was as well, than so be it.

It would be a lie to label me a Racist, but that doesn't stop those who defend Obama with any weapon they can find - especially lies and threats.

I agree with Mr Murrow, we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home!

And yes, understanding history and the needs of our nation, the fault would indeed be ours if we do not oppose President Obama and his reckless policies.

  Story by Tom Correa

Thursday, September 26, 2013

ObamaCare Doctor Visits - Not A Funny Story

Dear Readers,

As most of you know, every once in a while I get an e-mail that I share with you. An old friend sent me this.

It's a story that's not all that funny - but it does speak to what Americans may be going through very soon under ObamaCare.

The Medical Appointment

I visited a physician last week who was quite enthusiastic. She was a “new” doctor in the practice, a young lady young enough to be my daughter - yes, at my age, everybody is “young” and "young enough to be my daughter"!

She was obviously a liberal by her dress and manner. She asked me what was wrong, and I replied, “I have a cut on my leg, and I think it may be getting infected.”

She stopped me with a wave of her hand and grabbed a clipboard, then she said, “Before we start, I have to ask you a few questions. Are you allergic to any medications?”

I replied, “No.”

She said, “Do you have any guns in the house?”

I said, “HUH??”

She replied, “Guns. Do you have any guns in the house?”

I asked, “Why?”

She said, “I’ve got to ask this question. It is required under the Affordable Care Act.”

I asked, “What are you going to do with the data?”

She said, “We compile it, amalgamate it, and submit it to the government.”

I said, “Well, I have a Tommy Gun. I let my kid Tommy play with it.”

She said, “What’s a Tommy Gun? I don‘t think that is the kind of gun they are concerned with.”

With that, I knew I had a live one!

I said, “It’s similar to a B.A.R., but a little heavier and shorter. I have a B.A.R. also.”

She said, “A B.A.R.?”

I said, “Yes.”

She looked puzzled. Then she brightened up and asked, “Do you have any assault rifles?”

I attempted to look puzzled, and said, “I don’t know. What is an assault rifle?”

She said, “That’s a gun that is used in wars.”

I said, “As a matter of fact, I do. I have a replica of a Revolutionary War musket.”

She began to look a bit exasperated. I pretended not to notice and kept up the appearance of trying to be helpful.

She said, “Do you have anything more modern than that?”

I replied, “Well, yes I do. I have a replica muzzle loader from the Civil War. Do you know the difference between a musket and a muzzle loader?”

She rather peevishly said, “No, I don’t! And I don’t want to. What else do you have?”

I said, “I have an M-1.”

She asked, “What’s that?”

I said, “A rifle.”

She asked, “What kind?”

I replied, “It is called a Garand.”

She rather loudly said, “I don’t care if it is a grand rifle or not. Is it an assault rifle?”

To which I replied, “I don’t know. I don’t know what an assault rifle is. You say it’s a rifle used in war, yet you say that my musket and muzzle loader are not assault rifles.”

She calmed down a bit and asked, “Anything else?”

I said, “I have an MG-.30, and an MG-.50. I‘m also part owner of an Apache. But they are not rifles.”

She stated, “Well, then, I’m not interested in them. Anything else?”

I replied, “Well, yes. I also have a dozen 12-gauge pumps. They are not rifled though.”

She said, “I’m not interested in pumps; I’m interested in guns!”

I replied, “Well, then, I have a Colt, a Luger, a Glock, a bazooka, a Parabellum, a Kalishnikov, a Henry, an Uzi, a Llama, and a Beretta -- but they are not rifles.”

She then said, “I’ve had enough of this. I think you’re toying with me. Let me see your leg.”

I then said, “Excuse me, but before you look at my leg, I have a few questions to ask of you.”

She replied, “Of course. What are they?”

I said, “I have given you a lot of information about my guns. I am somewhat concerned about your knowledge and ability to assimilate, make coherent sense of that information, and report it correctly. Do you know the difference between a .22 caliber and a .223 caliber? It’s a rather fundamental difference.”

She replied, “Actually, I don’t.”

I said, “I see. Let me ask some more relevant questions. How much money do you make?”

She said, “That’s personal, why do you ask?”

I said, “Well, in pushing the Health Care Act, my president cautioned the population about doctors that would amputate a leg rather than treat a cut because they make more money that way. Consequently, I wish to know if you are financially troubled. What kind of car do you drive? What are your house payments? How much is your mortgage? How much credit card debt do you have? Do you have a student loan; if so, how much?”

She said, “I’m not going to answer those questions. You have no right to ask them.”

I then asked, “Do you have training and education in homeopathic techniques? Do you know the benefits/effects of CoQ10, ginseng, fish oil, Creatine, BCAA, and other such herbal treatments? Do you know the difference between Panax ginseng, American ginseng, and Siberian ginseng?”

She replied, “Well, No!”

I then asked, ”Well, have you studied it at all?”

She replied rather defensively, “NO, it’s all a bunch of hogwash anyway!”

I said, “Oh, then you have read the research on it. What have you read?”

She then said, “I don’t waste my time reading such things. Why are you asking me these questions?”

I said, “Well, if I’m going to turn my body over to you for treatment, I believe it is reasonable for me to know something about your motivation, training, experience, and competence. Do you know anything about the practice of holistic medicine?”

She said, rather angrily “No, I don’t!”

I said, “Oh. Okay. How much experience do you have in practicing medicine?”

She replied, “Well, not very much.”

To which I said, “Well, we all have to start somewhere. What medical school did you go to? What is its rank in terms of other medical schools? Where did you intern?  Where did you do your residency? What is the rank of the hospital where you did your internship and residency?”

She rather peevishly said, “All my credentials are posted in the waiting room.”

To which I said, “Really? The rank of your medical school is posted in the waiting room? Do you have any experience with leg injuries? If so, how much?”

I guess that was too much for her. She got angry and said, “I think it would be best if you saw a different doctor.” ... and started to leave the room.

I said, “You know, doctor. You asked me irrelevant questions about my guns, and I answered them. Whether or not I own guns is really none of your business and has absolutely nothing to do with any treatment you might prescribe. On the other hand, I ask you questions quite relevant to my situation, and you refuse to answer them. Isn’t that somewhat backwards?”
She said, “But I HAVE to ask those questions. I don't like it! It’s the law under ObamaCare!”

"That being the case," I said, "You may now look at my leg if you want to."






Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Oil & Gas Industry: Facts & Trivia - Part Two

 

After putting out Oil and Gas Industry: Facts & Trivia - Part One, there was one fact that people have written to ask about.

It's about the Shareholders in the Oil and Gas Industry, and who owns how much of the pie?

Well, whether Liberal politicians and Environmental extremists want to acknowledge the truth or not, it is a cold hard fact that the majority of shares are owned by Private and Public Pension and Retirement Funds.

According to a study by Sonecon, the group who owns the most shares of publicly held oil and natural gas companies are Private and Public Funds. 

Nearly half of all of the shares of U.S.-based oil and natural gas companies are held by Public and Private Pension and Retirement Plans, including 401(k)s, and IRA’s.

Corporate management owns less than 3%, that's right three percent, of the oil and natural gas industry. 

So when you hear someone say those "fat cats" in the Oil and Gas Industry are getting rich, please remember that the only "fat cats" who are getting rich off the Oil and Gas Industry are in Washington DC.

To my knowledge, there are no "fat cats" getting rich off of Private and Public Pension and Retirement Funds.

From what country did the U.S. import the most oil in 2012? How about our good neighbors to the North, Canada.

It's true! Our Number 1 trading partner is also our Number 1 supplier of imported oil to the economic benefit of both the U.S. and Canada.

Innovation and investment by America’s oil companies has increased the safe production of crude oil in America to its highest level since October, 1992.

Yes, at the end of 2012, U.S. field production of crude oil was more than 7.12 million barrels a day.

The last month it was that high who when George H.W. Bush was president.

What percentage of the Outer Continental Shelf is off-limits to oil and natural gas development? 

How about 87%!

Increased access, both onshore and offshore, could add more than 4 million barrels’ worth of oil and natural gas to the United States by 2020. And yes, that's per day!

The U.S. oil and natural gas industry’s average effective tax rate from 2006-2011 was 44% - which of course means that the oil and gas industry definitely pays its fair share of income taxes. 

Actually, it is a fact that the oil and gas industry pays more taxes than any other industry in the U.S.

The whacko environmentalist who would love to see Americans living in huts and eating leaves and berries might want Americans to think differently, but it is a fact that our oil and gas industry pays more in taxes than anyone else.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the U.S. consumed 95 quadrillion BTUs of energy in 2012.

So how much of that was supplied by oil and natural gas? 

How about more than 60%!

Most folks probably don't realize that Oil and Natural Gas supplied more than 60.62 quadrillion BTUs, or 63.77%, of the energy the U.S. consumed in 2012.

The Key to America's Energy Security


The domestic oil and natural gas industry supports 9.2 million American jobs and 7.7 percent of the U.S. economy, while producing 51 percent of all the oil and petroleum products Americans consume.

Every day, the industry fills state and federal government coffers with more than $86 million in taxes, fees and royalties.

All while investing more than $2 trillion in U.S. capital projects to advance all forms of energy, including alternatives.

There is no question that a thriving domestic oil and gas industry is vital to America’s energy and economic security.

And did you know that, with the right policies in place, the industry can contribute even more?

In fact, U.S. and Canadian supplies can provide 100 percent of our liquid fuel needs by 2030 with the implementation of two straight-forward policies:

1) accessing U.S. oil and natural gas reserves that are currently off-limits; and
2) partnering with our friendly neighbor to the north, Canada, in the development of the Keystone XL pipeline.

A recent study found that U.S. State Department approval of the pipeline expansion could bring an extra 830,000 barrels of oil per day.

That is equal to about half of what is currently imported from the Persian Gulf. Canada has long been a vital partner in delivering American energy security.

It currently supplies 25 percent of U.S. oil imports - more than any other country in the world.

In addition to powering America with reliable supplies of energy, in 2010 alone, the industry delivered benefits to the U.S. economy roughly equivalent to 60 percent of the government's 2009 stimulus package.

That's right, $476 billion in industry benefits - compared to $787 billion in planned government stimulus expenditures.

$266 billion in new U.S. capital project investment, $176 billion in wages and $35 billion in 2010 dividends also spur growth in manufacturing, transportation, technology, accounting services and in the larger U.S. economy.

We've already talked about how the oil and gas industry contributes to retirement security for millions of Americans.

A 2011 Sonecon study found that, on average, oil and gas stocks comprise 4.6 percent of state pension fund assets, yet provide 15.7 percent of the returns—a ratio of 3.4 to 1.
  So how else does the Oil and Gas Industry benefit Americans?

Well, if we had government policies that support oil and natural gas development, we can increase total supported U.S. employment by One Million jobs in seven years.

That's not just number that was pulled out of someone's hat. It is not made up like the figures that are used by that group liars in the Obama administration.

Pro-development policies, which would include increased access to federal areas that are currently off-limits to oil and natural gas production, increased permitting in the Gulf of Mexico, approval of the full Keystone XL pipeline and other initiatives, can add 1.1 million new jobs by 2020.

How do they know this? Actually, it's derived by knowing how many people you would need to employ to expand an operation. 

That is the low estimate of the manpower, the number of employees, needed if those areas were open to public use.

This would help create jobs, great paying jobs for the future, and we can tell the Middle East to shove it!

Too bad President Obama is such a great friend to Muslims and the Oil Companies that they own - of the top 15 oil companies in the world are owned by Muslim nations.

The largest American owned oil company ranks 17th in the world, but Obama and Democrats never ever mention that - or the fact that while our oil companies help to bring energy to the world, Muslim owned oil companies finance Muslim terrorism.

And yes, if you wondered, the answer is yes - Obama's pro-foreign oil stance is a pro-Muslim stance.





"Red line" just one of roughly 500 Obama promises that have come and gone

by FoxNews.com

obama_presser_080913.jpg

FILE: Aug. 9, 2013: President Obama speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington.AP

President Obama vowing that Syria would “cross a red line” by using chemical weapons is far from the only marker he’s laid down or promise he’s tried to keep since running for president in 2008.

The president has made more than 500 campaign-related promises alone. And just last week he re-drew a line in the sand for congressional Republicans flirting with shutting down the government over his Affordable Care Act and looking for spending cuts as part of a separate deal to increase the federal debt limit.

“That’s not happening,” Obama said. “I will not negotiate over the full faith and credit of the United States.”

The president has had mixed success in keeping that vow over the past few years.

He managed in January to get the debt ceiling raised without yielding to Republicans’ demand for accompanying spending cuts.

However, in 2011 he failed to reach a “grand bargain” with House Republicans over the debt ceiling, forcing both sides to eventually accept a series of drastic spending cuts known as sequester.

“The sequester is not something that I've proposed,” Obama announced in his final 2012 presidential debate. “It is something that Congress has proposed.”

PolitiFact -- the Pulitzer Prize-winning project of the Tampa Bay Times that has essentially tracked all of the president’s major promises -- ruled Obama’s argument “mostly false.”

“It was Obama’s negotiating team that came up with the idea,” wrote PolitiFact.

The project finds that Obama has kept 241, or 45 percent, of his roughly 500 campaign promises, while breaking 118, or 22 percent, and compromising on roughly 25 percent. The remaining 8 percent are essentially still to be determined.

Though tracking a president’s promises is among Washington’s favorite parlor games, Obama’s “red line” vow in August 2012 has perhaps become his most debated and closely watched -- as it plays out on an international stage.

Obama waited for months, amid reports that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was using a chemical weapon in that country’s roughly 2-year-long civil war. However, after reviewing compelling evidence about an Aug. 21 sarin-gas attack that killed nearly 1,500 Syrians, the president said the United States must take military action.

The president appeared to try to blur the red line when he said earlier this month: "I didn’t set a red line. The world set a red line. … My credibility isn't on the line. The international community’s credibility is on the line."

The outcome remains in flux as Congress, at the president’s request, considers whether to authorize the use of limited military force and Syria moves closer to a diplomatic solution in which it would put its chemical weapons under international control.

PolitiFact has picked Obama’s top 25 promises and concluded he has kept nine, broken six and compromised on seven with three still in the works.

Among the most significant kept promises are removing U.S. combat troops from Iraq and ending the use of torture as an interrogation tactic on international prisoners.

Obama’s failure to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center and imposing tougher rules on the so-called “revolving door” for lobbyists and former officials are among the top broken promises for PolitiFact and others -- with a little more than three years remaining in his two-term presidency.

PolitiFact argues that Obama’ path to citizenship remains a work in progress.

To be sure, he must wait for the Republican-led House to vote now that the Democrat-controlled Senate has passed the legislation.

The project also concludes Obama’s promise to create 5 million new “green” jobs also is still in the works.

However, PolitiFact reports the federal government didn't count such jobs until this year, which make tracking the promise difficult.

And the Brookings Institution, a nonpartisan think tank, estimates the U.S. economy had 2.1 million green jobs in 2003 and 2.7 million of them in 2010, which would make the goal of 5 million hard to reach by 2016.

PolitiFact also concludes the president broke his promise to cut a typical family’s health insurance premiums by as much as $2,500 annually under ObamaCare.

However, the project didn’t address the president’s June 2009 promise that “If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period.”

Unions have argued that ObamaCare could make the cost of insurance for workers under multi employer plans more expensive, forcing them into the so-called government backed “exchanges.”

“The Obama administration and Congress must not allow this to happen,” the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said this summer.


The above article was posted on FoxNews.com

EDITOR'S NOTE:

Maybe now that big money campaign donors like the Unions are against ObamaCare, the Democrats will listen to them.

And since he has not yet anounced a run for a third term - even though it legally can't be done - Obama  may want to keep the Unions and their big money happy for as long as he can.

The Good News is, broken promises or not, Obama's Liberal Union Bosses who are going to have a real hard time telling Union memebers that they spent Millions of thier Pension fund Dollars to push ObamaCare and elect then re-elect Obama - are now against ObamaCare also and indeed might be the downfall of ObamaCare and its Socialist mandate.

It proves Good News can sometimes come in strange ways.

Tom Correa


Sunday, September 22, 2013

1875 Rules of Conversation

1. Even if convinced that your opponent is utterly wrong, yield gracefully, decline further discussion, or dexterously turn the conversation, but do not obstinately defend your own opinion until you become angry

Many there are who, giving their opinion, not as an opinion but as a law, will defend their position by such phrases, as: “Well, if I were president, or governor, I would,” — and while by the warmth of their argument they prove that they are utterly unable to govern their own temper, they will endeavor to persuade you that they are perfectly competent to take charge of the government of the nation.

2. Retain, if you will, a fixed political opinion, yet do not parade it upon all occasions, and, above all, do not endeavor to force others to agree with you.

Listen calmly to their ideas upon the same subjects, and if you cannot agree, differ politely, and while your opponent may set you down as a bad politician, let him be obliged to admit that you are a gentleman.

3. Never interrupt anyone who is speaking; it is quite rude to officiously supply a name or date about which another hesitates, unless you are asked to do so.

Another gross breach of etiquette is to anticipate the point of a story which another person is reciting, or to take it from his lips to finish it in your own language.

Some persons plead as an excuse for this breach of etiquette, that the reciter was spoiling a good story by a bad manner, but this does not mend the matter.

It is surely rude to give a man to understand that you do not consider him capable of finishing an anecdote that he has commenced.

4. It is ill-bred to put on an air of weariness during a long speech from another person, and quite as rude to look at a watch, read a letter, flirt the leaves of a book, or in any other action show that you are tired of the speaker or his subject.

5. In a general conversation, never speak when another person is speaking, and never try by raising your own voice to drown that of another.

Never assume an air of haughtiness, or speak in a dictatorial manner; let your conversation be always amiable and frank, free from every affectation.

6. Never, unless you are requested to do so, speak of your own business or profession in society; to confine your conversation entirely to the subject or pursuit which is your own specialty is low-bred and vulgar.

Make the subject for conversation suit the company in which you are placed.

Joyous, light conversation will be at times as much out of place as a sermon would be at a dancing party.

Let your conversation be grave or gay [happy] as suits the time or place.

7. In a dispute, if you cannot reconcile the parties, withdraw from them.

You will surely make one enemy, perhaps two, by taking either side, in an argument when the speakers have lost their temper.

8. Never, during a general conversation, endeavor to concentrate the attention wholly upon yourself.

It is quite as rude to enter into conversation with one of a group, and endeavor to draw him out of the circle of general conversation to talk with you alone.

9. A man of real intelligence and cultivated mind is generally modest.

He may feel when in everyday society, that in intellectual acquirements he is above those around him; but he will not seek to make his companions feel their inferiority, nor try to display this advantage over them.

He will discuss with frank simplicity the topics started by others, and endeavor to avoid starting such as they will not feel inclined to discuss.

All that he says will be marked by politeness and deference to the feelings and opinions of others.

10. It is as great an accomplishment to listen with an air of interest and attention, as it is to speak well.

To be a good listener is as indispensable as to be a good talker, and it is in the character of listener that you can most readily detect the man who is accustomed to good society.

11. Never listen to the conversation of two persons who have thus withdrawn from a group.

If they are so near you that you cannot avoid hearing them, you may, with perfect propriety, change your seat.

12. Make your own share in conversation as modest and brief as is consistent with the subject under consideration, and avoid long speeches and tedious stories.

If, however, another, particularly an old man, tells a long story, or one that is not new to you, listen respectfully until he has finished, before you speak again.

13. Speak of yourself but little.

Your friends will find out your virtues without forcing you to tell them, and you may feel confident that it is equally unnecessary to expose your faults yourself.

14. If you submit to flattery, you must also submit to the imputation of folly and self-conceit.

15. In speaking of your friends, do not compare them, one with another.

Speak of the merits of each one, but do not try to heighten the virtues of one by contrasting them with the vices of another.

16. Avoid, in conversation all subjects which can injure the absent. A gentleman will never calumniate or listen to calumny.

17. The wittiest man becomes tedious and ill-bred when he endeavors to engross entirely the attention of the company in which he should take a more modest part.

18. Avoid set phrases, and use quotations but rarely.

They sometimes make a very piquant addition to conversation, but when they become a constant habit, they are exceedingly tedious, and in bad taste.

19. Avoid pedantry; it is a mark, not of intelligence, but stupidity.

20. Speak your own language correctly; at the same time do not be too great a stickler for formal correctness of phrases.

21. Never notice it if others make mistakes in language.

To notice by word or look such errors in those around you is excessively ill-bred.

22. If you are a professional or scientific man, avoid the use of technical terms.  They are in bad taste, because many will not understand them.

If, however, you unconsciously use such a term or phrase, do not then commit the still greater error of explaining its meaning. No one will thank you for thus implying their ignorance.

23. In conversing with a foreigner who speaks imperfect English, listen with strict attention, yet do not supply a word, or phrase, if he hesitates.

Above all, do not by a word or gesture show impatience if he makes pauses or blunders.

If you understand his language, say so when you first speak to him; this is not making a display of your own knowledge, but is a kindness, as a foreigner will be pleased to hear and speak his own language when in a strange country.

24. Be careful in society never to play the part of buffoon, for you will soon become known as the “funny” man of the party, and no character is so perilous to your dignity as a gentleman.

You lay yourself open to both censure and bad ridicule, and you may feel sure that, for every person who laughs with you, two are laughing at you, and for one who admires you, two will watch your antics with secret contempt.

25. Avoid boasting. To speak of your money, connections, or the luxuries at your command is in very bad taste.

It is quite as ill-bred to boast of your intimacy with distinguished people.

If their names occur naturally in the course of conversation, it is very well; but to be constantly quoting, “my friend, Gov. C,” or, “my intimate friend, the president,” is pompous and in bad taste.

26. While refusing the part of jester yourself, do not, by stiff manners, or cold, contemptuous looks, endeavor to check the innocent mirth of others.

It is in excessively bad taste to drag in a grave subject of conversation when pleasant, bantering talk is going on around you.

Join in pleasantly and forget your graver thoughts for the time, and you will win more popularity than if you chill the merry circle or turn their innocent gayety to grave discussions.

27. When thrown into the society of literary people, do not question them about their works.

To speak in terms of admiration of any work to the author is in bad taste; but you may give pleasure, if, by a quotation from their writings, or a happy reference to them, you prove that you have read and appreciated them.

28. It is extremely rude and pedantic, when engaged in general conversation, to make quotations in a foreign language.

29. To use phrases which admit of a double meaning, is ungentlemanly.

30. If you find you are becoming angry in a conversation, either turn to another subject or keep silence.

You may utter, in the heat of passion, words which you would never use in a calmer moment, and which you would bitterly repent when they were once said.

31. “Never talk of ropes to a man whose father was hanged” is a vulgar but popular proverb.

Avoid carefully subjects which may be construed into personalities, and keep a strict reserve upon family matters.

Avoid, if you can, seeing the skeleton in your friend’s closet, but if it is paraded for your special benefit, regard it as a sacred confidence, and never betray your knowledge to a third party.

32. If you have traveled, although you will endeavor to improve your mind in such travel, do not be constantly speaking of your journeyings.

Nothing is more tiresome than a man who commences every phrase with, “When I was in Paris,” or, “In Italy I saw…”

33. When asking questions about persons who are not known to you, in a drawing-room, avoid using adjectives; or you may enquire of a mother, “Who is that awkward, ugly girl?” and be answered, “Sir, that is my daughter.”

34. Avoid gossip; in a woman it is detestable, but in a man it is utterly despicable.

35. Do not officiously offer assistance or advice in general society. Nobody will thank you for it.

36. Avoid flattery. A delicate compliment is permissible in conversation, but flattery is broad, coarse, and to sensible people, disgusting.

If you flatter your superiors, they will distrust you, thinking you have some selfish end; if you flatter ladies, they will despise you, thinking you have no other conversation.

37. A lady of sense will feel more complimented if you converse with her upon instructive, high subjects, than if you address to her only the language of compliment.

In the latter case she will conclude that you consider her incapable of discussing higher subjects, and you cannot expect her to be pleased at being considered merely a silly, vain person, who must be flattered into good humor.

Editor's Note:

The above is an excerpt from a book published in 1875: A Gentleman’s Guide to Etiquette by Cecil B. Hartley.

Mr Hartley’s rules may be over 100 years old, but they’re pretty much just as true today as they ever were.

There is a lot there that applies today, or at least should, to both men and women.






Friday, September 20, 2013

University of Kansas Hate Speech - UPDATE!


University of Kansas professor David Guth was  placed on administrative leave after he tweeted Hate Speech.

Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little on Friday issued a statement regarding Associate Professor of Journalism David Guth.

"In order to prevent disruptions to the learning environment for students, the School of Journalism and the university, I have directed Provost Jeffrey Vitter to place Associate Professor Guth on indefinite administrative leave pending a review of the entire situation. Professor Guth’s classes will be taught by other faculty members," Gray-Little said in the statement.

Kansas State Senator Greg Smith is calling for Guth’s ouster.

Sen. Smith said University of Kansas distancing itself from Guth’s comments is not enough.

He said as long as Guth remains at Kansas University, he won’t support any budget proposals or recommendations for the university.

The controversy surrounding Guth started after he turned to Twitter to voice his "opinions about gun violence" following the Navy Yard shooting.

What David Guth essentially said was that the next time this takes place that it should be the children of NRA members who are gunned down.

Imagine that! Talk about Hate Speech coming out of one ignorant SOB!

Then to add insult to injury, Guth stood by his Hate Speech by saying in an interview, with Campus Reform, "Hell no! Hell no! I do not regret that tweet. I don’t take it back one bit!"

The Kansas State Rifle Association has called for Guth’s immediate dismissal.

"The KSRA will do everything possible to see to the removal of this man," said Kansas State Rifle Association President Patricia Stoneking.

"He should be fired immediately. His statements are outrageous!"

She then went on to say, "Is this who you want teaching your children? I certainly do not want him teaching mine."

While Guth refuses to apologize for his Hate Speech tweet, he does defend it.

This is his defense, he said, "If you look at how I structured the statement, I didn’t really bring [the NRA’s) children into it.  I carefully structured the statement to make it conditional, but apparently it was too much of a nuance for some people."

Guth went on to say, "I don’t want anybody harmed. If somebody’s going to be harmed, maybe it ought to be the people who believe that guns are so precious that it’s worth spilling blood over."

Imagine the nerve of this clown!

Kansas State Rifle Association President Patricia Stoneking maintains she will fight to have Guth removed from the classroom.

"Having such a terrible vitriolic violence contemptuous attitude is not what we want in the classroom with our kids with their young impressionable minds," she told in an interview.

"He owes the public at large an apology. I’m receiving hundreds of emails and phone calls from people who are extraordinarily upset and fearful for their children because of this man."

The University of Kansas issued the following statements in response.

Ann Brill, dean of the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications wrote:

"While the First Amendment allows anyone to express an opinion, that privilege is not absolute and must be balanced with the rights of others. That’s vital to civil discourse. Professor Guth’s views do not represent our school and we do not advocate violence directed against any group or individuals."

Timothy C. Caboni, vice chancellor for public affairs wrote:  

"The contents of Professor Guth’s tweet were repugnant and in no way represent the views or opinions of the University of Kansas. Like all Americans, he has the right under the First Amendment to express his personal views and is protected in that regard. But it is truly disgraceful that these views were expressed in such a callous and uncaring way. We expect all members of the university community to engage in civil discourse and not make inflammatory and offensive comments."  

Like it or not, when anyone says, "The blood is on the hands of the NRA. Next time, let it be YOUR sons and daughters!" - that is Hate Speech!  

Now if there are followers of David Guth who actually follow through with his desire, wouldn't Guth be culpable in that attack?   

After all, isn't inciting violence as guilty as those who carry it out on their behalf?   

Remember, David Guth is guilty of Hate Speech which is a communication that carries no meaning other than the expression of hatred for some group, especially in circumstances in which the communication is likely to provoke violence.

Hate Speech is the incitement of violence!

Yes, David Goth is guilty of inciting hate and violence against law-abiding citizens who have done him no harm.

His target are those who belong to the NRA and live within the laws of the land set forth within the Constitution of the United States.

David Guth wants violence brought to their children.

Hate Speech in any form of expression should not be tolerated, especially from a university professor who has so much influence on students taking his courses.

Story by Tom Correa

University of Kansas Hate Speech


What is Hate Speech?

Hate Speech is defined as a communication that carries no meaning other than the expression of hatred for some group, especially in circumstances in which the communication is likely to provoke violence.

It is an incitement to hatred primarily against a group of persons defined in terms of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, religion, sexual orientation, political preference, and the like.

Hate Speech can be any form of expression regarded as offensive.

Reported by The Kansas City Star, the University of Kansas officials criticized one of their journalism professors by saying his remarks that he tweeted regarding Monday’s shootings at the Washington Navy Yard were "repugnant."

David Guth, who is a journalism professor at the University of Kansas (KU) unloaded a volley of Hate Speech in a tweet targeted at NRA members and their children.

Guth turned to Twitter on Monday to say he would like to see the murder of children of National Rifle Association (NRA) members the next time there is a deranged gunman.

Imagine that! And yes, he's still working there!

"#NavyYardShooting The blood is on the hands of the #NRA," tweeted David Guth, who is an associate professor of Journalism at the university’s William Allen White School of Journalism.

He went on to say, "Next time, let it be YOUR sons and daughters, he continued. “Shame on you. May God damn you."

On Thursday, Ann Brill, dean of the university’s journalism school, said Guth’s views "do not represent our school, and we do not advocate violence directed against any group or individuals."

While the First Amendment allows anyone to express an opinion, Brill said, "that privilege is not absolute and must be balanced with the rights of others."

Timothy C. Caboni, university vice chancellor for public affairs, called Guth’s tweet "repugnant," then added that it was "truly disgraceful that these views were expressed in such a callous and uncaring way."

"We expect all members of the university community to engage in civil discourse and not make inflammatory and offensive comments," he said.

This was more than just a poor choice of words or inflammatory comments, this fits the legal definition of Hate Speech. 

And now, many people, including KU alumni, say that Guth should be fired.

While I can't help but wonder if all of the Universities in America are filled with these sorts of horrible individuals, I also wonder if that's all the University is going to do about this.

The way I see it, if I were a student or a parent thinking of sending my kid to the University of Kansas, I'd ask myself if I'd want to attend or send my kid there?

If this is the example of the caliber of professors at the University of Kansas, and this is the sort of Hate Speech is coming out of Universtity of Kansas - then I believe both students and parents should not attend classes or send their children there.

If David Guth has proven anything, he's proven that a poor education is not worth paying for - and families should not spend hard earned dollars to send their children to the University of Kansas.

And yes, for certain not for jounalism classes where the Liberal Agenda is in full swing.
 
Story by Tom Correa






Thursday, September 19, 2013

John Salmon "Rip" Ford, Colonel

Rip Ford
May 26, 1815 – November 3, 1897

John "Rip" Ford John Salmon Ford, better known as “Rip” Ford, would epitomize the saying “win the battle but lose the war,” as he would command the Confederate forces that won the Battle of Palmito Ranch, the last engagement of the Civil War.

Ford was born on May 26, 1815 in Greenville District, South Carolina, and moved to Texas in 1836.

He served for a time in the Texas Army, and then settled in San Augustine to practice medicine until 1844.

That year, he was elected to the Texas Congress, where he supported annexation to the United States. In 1845, he moved to Austin, and became a newspaper editor.

Ford served as an adjutant in the Mexican War and was cited for “gallant service.”

It was during this time that he would acquire his nickname of “Rip” for sending out official death notices with the citation “Rest in Peace” written at the top.

In 1849, Ford would explore and map the country between El Paso and San Antonio.

He would also become a captain in the Texas Rangers and participate in various fights with local Native American tribes.

Ford was elected to the Texas Senate in 1852, and in 1858 he led state troops against both Native American and Mexican uprisings.

With the growing tension between North and South escalating in 1861, Ford served as a member of the Secession Convention, and after Texas left the Union, he initiated a trade agreement between the Confederacy and Mexico.

Ford served as colonel of the 2nd Texas Cavalry based in the Rio Grande district, and was assigned to protect trade routes with Mexico. Between 1862 and 1865, he was also commandant of conscripts.

Ford’s greatest military exploit was the Battle of Palmito Ranch on May 12-13, 1865, when he defeated attacking Union forces under Colonel Theodore H. Barrett.

Barrett had attempted to surprise Confederate forces at Fort Brown, outside Brownsville, but was repulsed by Ford’s daring frontal attack.

The battle was considered a Confederate victory, with Union troops retreating and suffering 118 casualties.

Ford’s men had an estimated six killed, wounded or missing. Unfortunately for Ford, all Confederate forces in Texas surrendered two weeks later.

After the war, Ford continued his interests in politics and newspaper editing, serving as a delegate to the Democratic convention in 1868, and working on the Brownsville Sentinel.

He would become the mayor of Brownsville in 1874, and serve again in the Texas Senate from 1876 to 1879.

In his later years, Ford would spend his time writing his memoirs and promoting an interest in Texas history through the Texas State Historical Association.

Ford died on November 3, 1897 in San Antonio, having the dubious distinction of being the last victorious Confederate commander of the Civil War.

CSA

Editor's Note:

The article above comes from The Civil War Trust.

The Civil War Trust is America's largest non-profit organization (501-C3) devoted to the preservation of our nation's endangered Civil War battlefields. They also promote educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the public of the war's history and the fundamental conflicts that sparked it.


I did not edit this article in any way. It's being served as is.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

It's Not Fracking - It's Old Tanks!


Dear Readers,

Back in the mid-1980s, I had a chance to leave the Security field and go back to sheetmetal construction.

About 8 years earlier, I worked as a sheetmetal worker and welder for a few months until Jimmy Carter's economy - which I refer to as the truly last Economic Depression in America  - took my job and many others.

Those years, if you wanted to survive, you simply weren't choosy about what you were doing for work. Yes, you took a job wherever you could find one.

And yes, that meant doing things that you might not have wanted to be doing to keep a roof over your head and pay your bills. For me, well since I had only been out of the Marine Corps about a year when the construction layoff came - I really considered going back in to the Corps.

Instead, I made a plan to join the Marine Corps Reserves to keep my rank and looked for a job in anything that I could find. Give myself a year, and than if I couldn't find some work - well I could always go back to my beloved Corps. Besides, I should have never gotten out in the first place - but that's a story for another time.

Since I had so much experience in security in the military, a friend asked me to work for him in the private security field.

I worked in security and put myself through a nearby community college. After getting my degree in Criminal Justice, I started putting in applications with police departments.

At the same time, I had the chance to get back into construction. Since I'd always enjoyed working with my hands. I jumped at the opportunity for many reasons - mostly it was to get away from working nights and weekends.

Working in construction was good and bad. I enjoyed building things, whereas unlike security, you can actually see the fruits of your labor. But frankly, I might have made more money an hour than I ever had at that point in my life - but I made a lot less money a year than I ever did in my entire life.

The layoffs, the jobsites not being ready, only working 7 months out of the year, it was a killer. Frankly, if it weren't for the fact that I did Security Consulting on the side - I don't know how I would have made it and kept from ending up on the street.

So what does any of this have to do with ground-water contamination?

Well, the construction company that I worked for built and remodeled gas stations throughout Northern California.

For a few years there, that's what I did. Along with my foreman, the company that we worked for sent us all over Northern California building and remodeling gas stations.

It was while I was working in that field that I got my first look at soil contamination from leaking underground fuel storage tanks and how bad it was.

Lately, there are people out there who are trying to say that fracking which takes place 5,000 to 8,000 feet beneath the earth is responsible for contamination of ground-water in different locations around the country.

Of course, the problem with this is that they can't explain why there is the same sort of soil contamination in areas where oil and gas drilling operations are no where near - or that the ones that may be close don't use fracking?

My belief, and this is based on what I saw years ago, is that leaking underground fuel storage tanks are to blame for a lot of what people are experiencing.

The reason that I'm writing about this is that I have received e-mail from readers who read my article Fracking - Let's Talk About It

It seems that they want to know more about what I said in that article about ground-water contamination from service stations (gas stations) tank leakage.

Following World War II and the boom in automobile manufacturing in the United States, the construction of thousands of gasoline stations across the country was also at a fever pitch.

At these new stations, bare steel tanks were installed underground to store gasoline. The average life expectancy of a steel tank was 30 to 50 years depending on the rate of corrosion of the steel.

In the early 1980s, corrosion of these steel tanks, along with faulty installation and operation, have resulted in all sorts of ground-water contamination by gasoline.

Back when I was working construction, way before anyone even heard about "fracking," I knew a man who lit his house water faucet on fire because of all of the gasoline in his well water.

Today, because nearly half of all Americans depend on ground-water for their drinking water, leaking gasoline tanks represent a significant public health hazard.

Leaking gasoline tanks can also present the risk of fire and explosion because vapors from leaking tanks can travel through sewer lines into buildings.

The majority of these underground storage tanks (USTs) contain petroleum products which include gasoline, diesel, heating oil, kerosene, and even jet fuel.

Many other substances classified as hazardous by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ("Superfund") are stored in USTs.

Today, these leaking tanks, the USTs, are called LUSTs.

In September 1999, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was monitoring about 370,000 LUST sites in the United States.

About 21,000 site cleanups were planned for fiscal year 2001. Cleanups are funded by the EPA's LUST Trust Fund, which is currently funded at a level of about $70 million per year.

So how much gasoline does it take to contaminate ground-water - and subsequently our drinking water?

Well, prior to the EPA's 1988 UST regulations and their final implementation deadline in 1998, a slow leak from a 10,000 gallon gasoline storage tank at the neighborhood service station was virtually undetectable to the station operator - but is still hazardous to nearby groundwater supplies.

The hazards of gasoline are mainly attributable to the BTEX compounds. BTEX compounds are benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes.

The benzene content of typical gasoline is 0.76% by mass (gasoline composition).

A spill of 10 gallons of gasoline which is only 0.1% of the 10,000 gallon tank, a quantity that is undetectable by manual gauging and inventory control, contains about 230 grams of benzene.

The EPA's Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for benzene is 5 parts per billion, or 5 micrograms per liter, in drinking water.

What this means is that the benzene in a 10 gallon gasoline leak can contaminate about 12 million gallons, of water.

So now, you really think fracking is what's doing it?
Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes together are the most common hazardous components of gasoline leaks - and subsequently ground-water contamination.

Benzene is the most hazardous of these compounds. Long-term exposures to benzene in drinking water at levels above the MCL increase the risk of cancer.

Toluene and ethylbenzene are not considered carcinogenic or cancer-causing. Over the long term, toluene and ethylbenzene damage the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system.

Xylenes are a mixture of compounds. Xylenes also affect the liver, kidneys, and nervous system, but they are not considered nearly as hazardous as the first three - benzene, toluene, and ethylbenzene.

MTBE (Methyl tertiary butyl ether) is an additive used to increase the oxygen content of gasoline to improve air quality.

In the language of the 1990 Clean Air Act, oxygenated gasoline is referred to as "reformulated gasoline" or "oxyfuel."

At concentrations as low as 20 parts per billion, MTBE makes drinking water unfit for human consumption because of taste and odor.

MTBE is classified as a potential human carcinogen, but as yet there is no Maximum Contaminant Level for drinking water.

So, as many as 9,000 community water wells in 31 states may be affected by MTBE contamination.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports that about 20% of groundwater in areas where reformulated gasoline is sold is contaminated by MTBE.

Concerns about air quality will kill us by way of the MTBE in our water.

MTBE is highly soluble in groundwater. The high solubility of MTBE allows it to be readily dissolved into groundwater from leaked gasoline and transported over great distances.

In some cases, MTBE transport has exceeded the transport distances of BTEX compounds by 10 times.

Compared to MTBE, the BTEX compounds are less soluble and more readily sorbed to aquifer sediments.

groundwater contaminant plume

So yes, when I said, that back in the 1980s, I remember that inspector telling me that the underground fuel storage tanks leaked as they got older and were a genuine problem for us all - I believed him.

I remember him saying that he trailed one set of old tanks 40+ miles as he tested the water from one service station to another down the peninsula.

Since ground-water runs on plates beneath the surface, I have no doubt that he did in fact trail that ground-water contamination as far as he did.

The compounds in the ground-water that is cancer causing isn't the result of fracking thousands of feet below the ground-water tables.

In many if not most cases in the United States, it is the result of old tanks at gas stations leaking some amount of fuel that have compounds which even in the smallest amounts can cause us all great harm.

Story by Tom Correa