Daily Blague

Have you come across the following in your in-box?

Subject: gas tooo high

IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES DID NOT PURCHASE A DROP OF GASOLINE FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.

AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OF OVER 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OIL COMPANIES.

THEREFORE SEPTEMBER 1ST HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT UP THEIR @$$ " DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A SINGLE DROP OF GASOLINE THAT DAY.

THE ONLY WAY THIS CAN BE DONE IS IF YOU FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN AND AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO GET THE WORD OUT.

WAITING ON THIS ADMINISTRATION TO STEP IN AND CONTROL THE PRICES IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REDUCTION AND CONTROL IN PRICES THAT THE ARAB NATIONS PROMISED WEEKS AGO?

REMEMBER ONE THING, NOT ONLY IS THE PRICE OF GASOLINE GOING UP BUT AT THE SAME TIME AIRLINES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES, TRUCKING COMPANIES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES WHICH EFFECTS PRICES ON EVERYTHING THAT IS SHIPPED. THINGS LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING, BUILDING MATERIALS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES ETC. WHO PAYS IN THE END? WE DO!

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IF THEY DON'T GET THE MESSAGE AFTER ONE DAY, WE WILL DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.

SO DO YOUR PART AND SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND MAKE SEPTEMBER 1ST A DAY THAT THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES SAY "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"

PLEASE FORWARD THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU CAN!!!!

(Pardon the caps, but I couldn't bring myself to retype this thing.)

This document interests me more every time I look at it. I suspect that the increased interest may be a sublimation of the fear that I ought to be feeling instead.

What we have here is a testament to American free-market democracy, where, because everyone can speak up, all opinions are equal. Where authority of any kind is resented and, if possible, ignored, often because of the underqualified people who are poorly paid to exercise it. Where leaders have long since ceased to lead - to identify the problems of the future and to propose plans for meeting them. Where politics is a beauty contest that masks the wholesale appropriation of the res publica by private interests. This is home of the free-market; this is where free markets are widely misunderstood.

So it's "the oil companies" that are raising prices? Pity the fools who believe that! And watch out for them, too, because when they decide to "take action" - because it feels better than doing nothing - there's no knowing what foolishness they may get up to. A half-century of prosperity has lulled many people, including most of my own generation, into regarding comfort and convenience as a birthright. For millions dependent upon oil heating, the coming winter is going to be neither comfortable nor convenient.

And as the tone of the manifesto makes clear, far more time is likely to be spent assigning blame and pointing fingers than in accepting situation and dealing with it.

(An outfit called Gasoline Boycott Day has called for a boycott on Labor Day, 5 September. It appears to have a more sophisticated objective and to be capable of more lucid thinking. Keep Googling, and you'll come across Alabama Gas Prices, from I was led to this pretty tune. The president is not popular with this contingent!)