Blame Congress For High Oil Prices Not Exxon

Like I’ve said for the last two years, Congress almost by itself is largely responsible for the current gas price crisis. It is also responsible for the U.S. having to import 57% of it oil needs. Like high prices, thank the Democrat party that is held hostage by the environmental whack jobs that seem to me nothing more than a front group for the old communists.
Check out the opinion piece from the Wall Street Journal, Click the link title to be redirected.


Which party blocked the development of new sources of petroleum?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling in ANWR?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off the coast of Florida?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off of the east coast?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off of the west coast?-- Democrat
Which party blocked drilling off the Alaskan coast?-- Democrat
Which party blocked building oil refineries?-- Democrat
Which party blocked clean nuclear energy production?-- Democrat
Which party blocked clean coal production?-- Democrat

Apache Fire

U.S. Army Apache guns an insurgent. It is amazing how quiet these helicopters really are.

Pic Of The Day

Air Force firefighters at a training fire for ARFF (Air Rescue Fire Fighting)
This is actually a lot of fun. Back in my day we wore full cover hoods with our proximity suits but other than that and the new high-pressure air packs this what it’s like at a pit fire.
Photo (USAF)

Phoenix On Mars

Phoenix made a successful landing on Mars over the weekend . here are some cool NASA shots. In the first
NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander can be seen parachuting down to Mars, in this image captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter on May 25, 2008. This is the first time that a spacecraft has imaged the final descent of another spacecraft onto a planetary body. The second is one of the first shots from the Lander of the artic area of mars where it landed.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Memorial Day 2008

Unfortunately another Memorial Day has passed and many people still forget what Memorial Day really is for. They are to busy running to the beach or setting up the grill. All I can say is never forget.

Ancient Tanker Delivered To the Boneyard

It boggles the mind that we have tankers almost this old still serving, another great job by the Air Staff taking care of replacing true global reach assets but instead buying gold plated fighters that will cost hundreds of millions more until they are at final configuration.
The 48-year-old aircraft was delivered for long term storage at the 2,600 acre facility after serving with the 151st Air Refueling Wing of the Utah Air National Guard for more than 20 years. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Burke Baker)

Number Of Chiefs Reduced

The Air Force decided that the number of Chief Master Sergeants will be reduced because of budgetary restraints over the next 3 years. MAJCOMS submitted 2806 request of which only 2483 will be authorized.
This of course is complete crap to put it mildly. When I entered the Air Force from the Marine Corps there were over six hundred thousands serving worldwide. The Air Force was truly second to none and we could blanket the skies with aircraft of all types.
During my twenty year career the Air force was in and still is today a continually downsizing. I can remember back in the early 90’s after the wall came down we suddenly had Wing commanders that were now a one star general when for the entire history of the AF back to the Army Air Corps days full Colonels got the job done. The Air Staff line was crap, the bottom line is that they were not willing to give up flag billets because god forbid we have less flag officers that the other services.
I have always thought it was laughable that there were always more O-5 and 6’s on active duty than E-8 and E-9’s, this was always because for what ever reason all airplane drivers and navigators had to be commissioned officers. There is no reason for this; if the Air Staff was honest with themselves they would realize that warrant officers pilots and navigators like the Army uses is the way to go. This goes for all the support non flying jobs. Hell I can count on one hand how many maintenance officers I knew that were with a damn. Decisions like this are why so may highly qualified SNCO’s bail and retire at twenty because we all know that the system is broke. In my own case I worked hard as a avionics technician for many years and served as a specialist flight chief all the while working on getting my B.S. After I got it I saw the writing on the wall and realized that my real life opportunities in the Air Force were very limited. It’s too bad even with my acknowledged expertise in my career field the Air Force had nothing left to offer me. After reading this release on Air Force link I can see a mass exodus of 20 year Master and Senior Master Sergeants retiring as soon as they can. I can guarantee this will end up hurting readiness because at least in flight line maintenance the officers assigned to us contribute almost nothing to actually generate sorties because they don’ know anything about the weapon system to help.

Oil Execs Finally Man Up

In the Senate on Wednesday the usual suspect grilled the oil execs from major firms again to day about their so-called excess profit. What make this a joke is either the Senators like Durbin and Leahy are totally stupid about the effects of supply and demand, you know basic Econ 101. Or are being totally dishonest in their presentation and questions as they are trying to demonize these companies. For My money it is a little of both. A few things to keep in mind are that 9% profit for a large international business is not unusual but should be expected. After all these are all publicly held companies and the stockholders want them to make money for dividends. Another thing to keep in mind is that oil companies make around 4% profit per gallon were taxes to the people who don’t do a thing to get gas into your tank the Fed and State governments averages 15%. The truth is want to drop the price of crude bring more supply to the market. These asshat’s in congress, mostly Democrats over the last 30 years have restricted drilling everywhere in U.S territory. Shoot if they actually want a free market let the government get out of the way and let these companies get to it instead of over regulating like they have for the last 100 plus years.
If you like 4 dollars a gallon thank a Democrat or a liberal from either side of the aisle. Below are some of the comments made in the hearing.

John Hofmeister, president of Shell. "The fundamental laws of supply and demand are at work," said Hofmeister. The market is squeezed by exporting nations managing demand for their own interest and other nations subsidizing prices to encourage economic growth, he said.
In addition, Hofmeister said access to resources in the United States has been limited for the past 30 years. "I agree, it's not a free market," he said.
The executives pushed the idea that large parts of the U.S. that are currently closed to drilling - like sections of Alaska, the Rocky Mountains and the continental shelf - should be opened.
"The place to start the free market is in our own country," said one executive. [The drilling ban] sets the stage for OPEC to do what we are doing in our own country, and that is effectively limiting supplies."
John Lowe, executive vice president of ConocoPhillips, said Congress should enact a balanced energy policy. In addition to lifting the drilling ban, such a policy could include measures to encourage alternative energy sources, remove the ethanol tariff, promote energy conservation, cut regulations around refining.
"We must work together to find a real solution," said Lowe. "U.S. oil companies should be viewed not as scapegoats, but as assets."
The executives also named several things that Congress should not do, first among them being a hike in taxes or an undoing of the mergers of the late 1990s.
"Americans need companies that can effectively compete for access to new resources," said Peter Robertson, vice chairman of Chevron. "Punitive measures that weakened us in the face of international competition are the wrong measures."
The executives also frowned on a recently passed House bill giving the Justice Department the power to sue OPEC, saying it would have little effect in boosting production

Navy Viking Strays over Venezuelan Island

(Caracas, Venezuela) A U.S. Navy S-3B Viking aircraft strayed into Venezuelan airspace over the weekend, prompting a strong denunciation by Hugo Chavez's government. According to State Department spokesman Sean McCormack, the breach of airspace was inadvertent.
"While conducting a counternarcotics mission in international airspace, the pilot realized that a navigation error had occurred," Mr. McCormack said.

"He contacted a Venezuelan tower to report the error, stating that he would immediately return to international airspace. The exchange was polite and professional."
Not so, said Venezuelan Defense Minister Gustavo Rangel. It was deliberate and another link in a chain of provocations toward Venezuela, said Rangel. Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro has summoned U.S. Ambassador Patrick Duddy to provide an explanation.

The S-3B Viking incident occurred around the Venezuelan island of La Orchila and another island about 80 miles off the coast. The island of La Orchila has a military base and Hugo Chavez's presidential retreat.

The breach of airspace also occurred concurrent with an alleged incursion of Colombian troops about 500 yards into Venezuela on Friday. Both occurrences play into Hugo Chavez's accusations that the U.S. and Colombia are colluding to invade Venezuela.

Interestingly, Defense Minister Rangel remarked that violations of Venezuelan airspace likely happened before but nobody knew because they didn't have the equipment to detect violations. Now they do.

Syria's Covert Nuclear Reactor

An interesting video released by the government a few moths ago detailing the covert reactor that was destroyed by the Israeli Air Force last fall. I wonder what San Fran Nan thought about her buddies in Damascus after the raid and the release of the updated information?

Obama, Trade With Cuba Not Columbia

Only in the twisted world of a Marxist can one say like Obama did in 2004
"I think it's time for us to end the embargo with Cuba... It's time for us to acknowledge that that particular policy has failed."

But he will throw one of our staunchest allies under the bus, Columbia. as he said back on April 8, 2008

"I will oppose the Colombia Free Trade Agreement if President Bush insists on sending it to Congress because the violence against unions in Colombia would make a mockery of the very labor protections that we have insisted be included in these kinds of agreements."

Only folks from the loony left can justify these statements.

Quote Of The Day

God Bless Chesty Puller

Pic Of The Day

A good shot of an F-15E Strike Eagle getting ready to taxi on a combat sortie over Iraq.
(Photo USAF)

Joe Lieberman Gets It

Senator Lieberman gets it again today with his comments on the Presidents speech to the Israeli Knesset.
“President Bush got it exactly right today when he warned about the threat of Iran and its terrorist proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah. It is imperative that we reject the flawed and naïve thinking that denies or dismisses the words of extremists and terrorists when they shout “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” and that holds that—if only we were to sit down and negotiate with these killers—they would cease to threaten us. It is critical to our national security that our commander-in-chief is able to distinguish between America’s friends and America’s enemies, and not confuse the two.”

Of Course the left went crazy from Obama, to Biden and San Fran Nan. I guess when the President talked about people who want to appease without actually naming anyone hit a raw nerve with the Deafeatocrats.

The President also said in his speech that earlier in the day he and the First Lady visited Masada, the ancient desert fort once the scene of heroic Jewish resistance and defeat in the face of Roman Occupation. A place of special symbolism,"Masada will never fall again."

Another Obama Moment

How can you elect a man who has no idea what he is talking about?
The latest from the South Side Kid, Via ABC news online.

“We don't have enough capacity right now to deal with it -- and it's not just the troops," Obama, D-Ill., told a crowd in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

Obama posited -- incorrectly -- that Arabic translators deployed in Iraq are needed in Afghanistan -- forgetting, momentarily, that Afghans don't speak Arabic.

"We only have a certain number of them and if they are all in Iraq, then its harder for us to use them in Afghanistan," Obama said.

Maybe if he actually attended a meeting of the committee he allegedly is a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations he might get a clue card. Obama the gift the will keep on giving.