[Dialogue] gas prices - we can do

Tue Mar 18 10:43:36 EDT 2008

Unfortunately Adam, what you mean by "serious" and what many Americans 
think is serious are worlds apart.  Certainly those of us here who see 
what is happening are just as appalled about this nation's behavior as 
you and most of the rest of the world are.  If you have been following 
American politics for the last 10 years you know just how really mental 
we have become.  Any nation that spends a $100 million impeaching its 
leader for sexual hanky panky and then turning around and electing one 
of the cruelest administrations that lies to its constituents and leads 
the world's mightiest military force into illegal wars, spends trillions 
of dollars slaughtering other nation's innocents, and on and on and on 
without being held accountable and prosecuted is truly psychotic. 

America is a nation whacked out on consumerism and drugs of all kinds; 
so becoming "serious" for a people who appear to be oblivious to the 
world "going to hell in a handbasket" is not simply a task of telling 
the "badies" to quit it.  In our last mid-term election we voted in 
people we thought would bring some much needed change only to get just 
slightly less of more of the same.  Many of us are scared to death here 
that there is so much inertia in the world affairs that we will all have 
to have significant traumatic events personally and collectively before 
we will do something about it.  Hopefully, it won't mean the end of the 
human species before we change.

Adam Thomson wrote:
> I appreciate George's and Jim's comments - but as I see it the problem 
> is that we the world are going to hell in a handbasket unless we _all_ 
> get serious about global warming - and to my mind that means finding 
> alternatives to the oil economy.
>
> It means that, for US citizens in particular, there is a HUGE gap to 
> be traversed before there is even a half-serious nod made to the 
> realities of global warning. And it is indeed to the credit of Al Gore 
> that in the midst of his particular culture he has been able to decide 
> to devote his energy to getting people even to consider changing the 
> way they live for the sake of the planet.
>
> Apparently there is no alternative to the oil economy. If that is 
> indeed the case, then we are doomed.
>
> I learnt all I know about revolutionary and progressive theology from 
> the United States. I still fervently hope that the US can still be the 
> cradle for serious action on global warming.
>
> Love to all
>
> Adam
>
> END OF MESSAGE
>
> At 12:39 18/03/2008, you wrote:
>> The difficulty in this is that gas stations do not necessarily get 
>> their gas from an Exxon or Mobil "gas truck," even if they are a 
>> branded station. I've seen gas trucks deliver gas to independents and 
>> branded stations within blocks of each other.   If you are buying gas 
>> the oil industry is getting their money.  The price of crude and 
>> refinery costs are so manipulated from futures markets to local 
>> pricing that it would take more of a genius than I've met so far to 
>> explain how gas gets priced.  As Adam points out the U.S. has had 
>> some of the lowest prices in the world over the years, and it would 
>> seem the devaluation of the dollar that is causing the price of crude 
>> to rise.  If Oil begins to be sold using another currency such as the 
>> Euro (right now US dollars are the currency for buying oil in world 
>> markets) the price of gas in the U.S. will go much higher.
>>
>> The only answer I've seen is don't drive so much, get a Prius if you 
>> have the money, push and use public transport, use and push for green 
>> energy.  The world's economy is an oil economy.  It's not just gas, 
>> we use oil products in just about everything that's manufactured, 
>> grown, etc.  Getting people educated as to how oil economy works 
>> might be a more important component than we think.  I am always 
>> surprised at learning a little bit of how this thing works, and I'm 
>> not sure I know.
>>
>> George Holcombe
>> 14900 Yellowleaf Tr.
>> Austin, TX 78728
>> Home: 512/252-2756
>> Mobile 512/294-5952
>> geowanda at earthlink.net <mailto:geowanda at earthlink.net>
>>
>>
>> On Mar 18, 2008, at 12:36 AM, Kay Fulkerson wrote:
>>
>>> This will work---we must stick to it.  The one thing that will make 
>>> it fail is
>>> when they drop prices 25 cents, everyone may go to them because it is
>>> cheaper.  Please Don't!  Hold your ground and force it down more.  
>>> You will
>>> pay more this month, but the long term benefit will drive it down
>>> permanently.  The long term goal will outweigh the short term pain.  
>>> LET'S
>>> STICK WITH IT!
>>>
>>> This was sent by a retired Coca Cola executive. It came from an engineer
>>> buddy---retired from Halliburton. I f you are tired of the gas 
>>> prices going up
>>> AND they will continue to, read this please. This makes MUCH MORE 
>>> SENSE than
>>> the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign!  Join the 
>>> resistance!!!!  I
>>> hear we will hit close to $ 4.00 a gallon by next summer---or higher!!
>>>
>>> We need to take intelligent, united action.  The oil companies and OPEC
>>> nations conditioned us to think the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at
>>> $1.50 - $1.75.  We need to take aggressive action and teach them BUYERS
>>> control the marketplace---not sellers.
>>>
>>> The way to see the price come down is to hit the pocketbook by not
>>> purchasing their gas! And, we can do that WITHOUT hurting 
>>> ourselves.  Since
>>> we all rely on our cars, we can't stop buying.  We CAN have an impact on
>>> prices with a price war.
>>>
>>> For the rest of this year, DON'T purchase ANY gasoline from the two 
>>> biggest
>>> companies, EXXON and MOBIL.  If they are not selling gas, they will be
>>> inclined to reduce their prices. If they reduce their prices, the other
>>> companies will follow suit. We need to reach millions of Exxon and Mobil
>>> buyers---it's simple to do!
>>>
>>> I'm sending this to 30 people. If each of us send to at least ten 
>>> more (30 x
>>> 10 = 300) ... and the 300 send it to at least ten more (300 x 10 = 
>>> 3,000),
>>> by the time the message reaches the sixth group of people, we have 
>>> reached
>>> over THREE MILLION consumers.
>>>
>>> If those three million pass it on to ten friends, then 30 million people
>>> will be contacted! If it goes one level further---THREE HUNDRED MILLION
>>> PEOPLE!!!  Please send to 10 people.  The math when you simply 
>>> repeat the
>>> process.
>>>
>>>                                         acumulative number     total
>>> I sent it to 30 people                        30                   30
>>> They all send it to 10 people           300                 330
>>> They all send it to 10 people         3000               3330
>>> They all send it to 10 people       30000             33330
>>> They all send it to 10 people      300000          333330
>>> They all send it to 10 people    3000000        3333330
>>>
>>> If we all send to ten more people within one day of receipt, all 300 
>>> MILLION
>>> people could conceivably be contacted within the next 8 days!!!   
>>> I'll bet
>>> you didn't think we had such potential!  Let us make a difference. 
>>> If this
>>> makes sense to you, please pass this on.  Suggest not to buy from
>>> EXXON/MOBIL UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO THE $2.00 RANGE AND 
>>> KEEP THEM
>>> DOWN.   Keeping in mind, they will lower the prices if NO ONE BUYS, 
>>> BUT we
>>> must continue not to buy.  Don't give in when it falls lower than $3, or
>>> $2.50, hold steady until it falls below $2.00
>>>
>>> Let's really unite and serve each other and ourselves!
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Dialogue mailing list
>>> Dialogue at wedgeblade.net <mailto:Dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
>>> http://wedgeblade.net/mailman/listinfo/dialogue_wedgeblade.net 
>>
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