As Senator Kerry and many others have pointed out, it would be nearly 10 years before any oil at all would be realized from new offshore leases. So your adorable 7- or 8-year-old would be just about 17 and clamoring for a license when this new oil started coming online.

Ok. Well, first off, they’re wrong. Drilling technology has come a long way since the 70’s, and it may take as little as 3 or 4 years to see some actual oil. But so what if it does take 10 years? If the Clinton Administration hadn’t blocked us from drilling 10 years ago, we wouldn’t be in this problem now. The shortsightedness is really quite astonishing. Not only would it drop prices sooner than 10 years from now, it would also provide for the Americans of 10 years in the future. Which will be us. So let’s think ahead, people.

Maximum capacity from these new leases wouldn’t be reached until 2030, when that 7- or 8-year-old is approaching 30, finished with college and graduate school, and very likely married with children.

And even then — after more than two decades and who knows how many graduations, weddings, funerals and family cars — even then, the amount of oil expected to come from these leases would have little or no effect on the price of gasoline at the pump.

Again, even if it takes that long, that alternative you’re offering is… what? Just wait it out? To have cars that run on Obama’s hopes and dreams by then? Please…

And to say that it will only have very little effect on gas prices ignores even our current situation with the deafest of ears. Like I’ve said, the only change in the last month has been the lifting of the Executive Order against offshore drilling. No new oil. Not even the lifting of the Congressional ban. Just a symbolic lifting of the Executive order. And oil barrels have dropped an incredible 23% from $147.27 to roughly $113.40. The average price at the pump dropped from $4.114 to $3.787. Almost $0.33!! To ignore this is engaging in a buffoonery of the highest order.

He then quotes the Energy Information Administration, a statistical agency that provides official data for the federal government. Given their dubious association, it’s not hard to believe they’re wrong:

“Because oil prices are determined on the international market … any impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant.”

Wrong. See above.

I wonder how [the chanting bikers at the McCain rally] would have responded if they had been told that lifting the offshore restrictions would risk serious environmental damage to the U.S. coastline over the next several decades while having no significant effect on the price of gasoline at the pump.

They’d know the second part was a lie given the prices they’ve seen with their own eyes at the pump lately, which would make them laugh all the more heartily at the first part. Seriously, how oblivious is Herbert? Has he not swiped the card himself at the pump lately?

Jimmy Carter, for all his faults, was on the case when it came to energy. He saw the challenge as “the moral equivalent of war,” and dared to ask the public to make sacrifices as part of a coordinated national effort.

Ah, yes, I’ve heard many stories about his daringness. I believe it only exacerbated the energy crisis, if I’m not mistaken. Obama’s energy policy seems eerily reminiscent of Carter’s plan. And as such, the Obama machine is hard at work trying to get people to rewrite the history of both the Carter and Reagan Administrations.

Former Vice President Al Gore has tried, more than any other public figure in recent years, to raise the consciousness of Americans by dramatically illustrating, not just the enormity of the energy challenge, but creative and practical ways of dealing with it.

I suppose no one has ever accused Gore of being a pragmatist. In his devising of creative ways he does seem to ignore the largest contributors to energy. Oil and coal. And nuclear. This new wave of radical environmentalism, backed by junk science, greatly exaggerates the current effectiveness of alternative forms of energy. Wind and solar are great, but even Captain McGreenie Al Gore can’t power his house using only alternative forms of energy. That’s why we need a multi-facted energy policy that encourages new technologies without first abandoning the only sources that currently produce abundant energy. That’s why McCain’s plan makes more sense. And why Obama is quickly headed in the same direction.

This morning I woke up and opened my laptop to find this:

What the…? What do I even say when I call in to AppleCare? “It looks like my computer zoomed in on the letters ‘n dun’ and won’t zoom out? And then the screen freaked out on me?”

I’m sure they love such detailed complaints. But really, what else do you call this?

I was able to see the cursor, and clearly things were changing on the screen. Can you see the dock? Lovely, isn’t it? I pressed the power key in hopes that I could get it to restart instead of just killing the power, but too many programs were open, and I’m assuming it was asking me if I wanted to save all of it. Yes. I do. But I can’t seeeeee you.

I should mention that this is my second Macbook Pro, the first one having been replaced by Apple after I started to have a better relationship with the AppleCare support techs than with my own family.

I’d been thinking about upgrading to 4gigs of RAM, but now I’m worried that I’d have to keep the old RAM around for fear of some loon at the Green Hills Genius Bar accusing all my woes on the third-party RAM.

From what I’ve heard, this is the state of Apple products now. I’ve got friends who still have old Powerbooks and iBooks and have never had a single problems. What’s the deal with Apple’s Quality Control. How much do they test their new products? Or is the obsession with releasing new, smokin’ gadgets before anyone’s even heard of them causing Apple to relax their standards? PLEASE, Steve, I beg of you– the reason we all love Apple so much is because they’re not supposed to be a hassle. They’re supposed to “just work.” But it looks like the new era of Apple, Inc. means generation after generation of faulty computer products. Get with the program, Apple.

“It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood.”

- James Madison

Perhaps we need to think about this rationally. Historians can easily tell you about the mini ice age the world experienced between 1600 and 1900. And since then, we’ve gone back and forth on our predictions of doom. Might the Earth’s temperatures naturally fluctuate, regardless of the existence of man? And shouldn’t the fact that the media has issued no less than four dire warnings of alternating nature in a century tell us that even our own effect on nature is inconclusive? I think it’s about time we start thinking reasonably about it all. Of course we need to be good stewards of our environment. But when we start mindlessly legislating and subsidizing specific industries and fuels as the result of a movie? Stuff like this starts to happen to the rainforests. (And yes, that last article is published by the NY Times, one of the major pushers of every “climate change” scare. Hmm… perhaps they’re just in it for the sensational effect rather than solid journalism…)

Parton, 62, said on Monday she would postpone her upcoming North American tour after doctors told her to take it easy for six to eight weeks to rest her sore back.

“Hey, you try wagging these puppies around a while and see if you don’t have back problems,” the folksy singer-songwriter said in a statement.

When people speak of McCain, it’s like they’re talking about cold, coagulated and unsalted mashed potatoes with no gravy; he even looks like that sometimes.

- TERBOcongress

And that’s from a Republican running for Congress. He points out some good stuff in his blog though. He’s not sure exactly how McCain won it. Everywhere, all you hear is people talking about how they don’t like McCain. No one seems to be a fan of him. I’ve seen ONE house with McCain stuff out in front here in Tennessee (specifically Nashville). Sure, I’m a Ron Paul supporter, but I think I’ve actually seen more support for Tancredo than McCain.

So here we are, wondering just how this could’ve happened. Sure, we can hope for the best, praying at least Obama gets the nod instead of Hillary. But let’s stop kidding ourselves. Most likely, this November Americans will have their choice between Hillary–who is easily already as hated as Bush–and McCain–an angry war vet that seems to think his being a POW gives him keys to the White House. The guy brings it up as much as Giuliani did with 9/11. Ask him about any of his terrible legislation. He’ll tell you it’s irrelevant.

What does this mean for the American political landscape. I think that if there ever was a time for the formation of a viable third party, that time is now.

And I don’t say that as a crazy RP supporter with dreams of him winning. I know he won’t. It’s cool. The incredible side effect of him running a spirited campaign is that the message got out. And people just like me, who had always watched politics with a cynic’s eye, may actually now get involved in the process. Imagine the effect of 20 or 30 congressmen or senators who actually uphold the oath they take to protect the Constitution. Suddenly it’s not a fringe group of crazies that love the gold standard. Suddenly people will actually look at the signed document and say, “Oh… look at that. It actually does say ‘gold and silver.’ I guess if we don’t like it, we should go by this part right here that says we can amend it instead of ignoring it.”

No, my dreams predictions of a third party are merely stemming from the overwhelming bad taste Americans have in their mouths for the potential options in the General election. Only one Democrat I know likes Hillary. (And actually, I’ve only heard stories about this person. Fables, really.)

“I’m not voting for that guy,” continues to come from the mouths of Republicans concerning McCain. The man can barely hold back his disdain for his counterparts on the platform. Look pal, I thank you for your service to the country. But you have terrible ideas; there’s a reason so many liberals and illegals love you.

When we all prayed for unity in politics, I don’t think this is what we had in mind. I guess we’ll wait and see what happens with it. I know if there is anyone worth voting for third-party instead of this joke we’ll have with McCain/Hillary… I’ll vote third-party.

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

- John Quincy Adams

- Benjamin Franklin

My life has been surrounded by political arguments lately.

A lot of people believe I am voting for a kook who wants to legalize everything that Christians see as wrong. I just want to take a second (maybe more) and explain why I am voting for Ron Paul.

Let me start off by stating my big issues. They are abortion and the economy. It’s one thing to say that, as president, you will “fix” these two things. It’s another to have proof that you have tried. I am not talking about attending pro-life rallies or cutting taxes a few times. I mean definitive evidence that what you are saying can be backed up. Otherwise, you are lying to me. Ron Paul’s congressional voting record and his personal life cannot be denied. He is known as Dr. No in Congress because he votes for what he believes, even if he is the only no. And he believes in cutting spending, drastically, to get us out of debt.

For him, everything goes back to the economy. And truthfully, everything does. Illegal immigration, abortion, health care, the war…it all affects the economy. What really woke me up was when I realized where our economy is heading. It’s not just about the numbers. It’s about my convictions.

I truly believe that the society of debt and wealth we live in is a disgrace. People live far above their means. As a Christian, I look around and see plenty of places our money could be better spent. But, we have created a society of faceless giving. The government takes care of the poor, the ministries in churches take care of the poor and hurting. So we give our chunk of change to Uncle Sam and we put our dollars in the offering plate and we feel good. There is no face to our giving. So, we build our big houses that we can’t afford, and we drive our big cars that we can’t afford and do not need. And we feel okay. This is a big problem in America. Greed, wealth, and the need to get ahead.

And our government does it as well. We borrow money from China at a rate of $1.5 – 3 billion dollars a day. Yes, billion. Yes, each day. From China. A communist country who has been accused of some horrible humanitarian atrocities. Who aborts more babies each day than any other country. Who has enormous leverage in Sudan because of their investment in Sudanese oil fields (and could help to end the crisis but won’t). As a Christian and a human being, borrowing money from this country is bad on many levels. Borrowing money like this from ANYONE is.

Ron Paul is one of the only candidates that directly addresses this issue. Many of them say they will cut spending and lower taxes, but when I took a look at their track records, few can compare to Ron Paul’s stance on this issue.

A lot of Christians won’t vote for Ron Paul because he “wants to legalize everything” from gay marriage to prostitution. Not true. He wants to live by the Constitution and not federalize these issues. Christians seem to believe that if we do not force everyone to live by our beliefs, then we will no longer be “a Christian nation.” The only thing stopping us from being a Christian nation is our own failure to be what God called us to be and do what God called us to do. He never says to make sure gay people can’t get married.

Instead, he tells us to love our neighbor. He tells us to take care of the oppressed and the poor, the widows and the orphans. If Christians spent more time loving people instead of telling them what they are not allowed to do, we could get a lot further. Making certain things illegal does not mean they go away. If something is not infringing on the rights of others, it shouldn’t be a federal issue, it’s a states issue. Making it a federal issue does not change hearts and minds, Jesus does. This “Christian nation” is in our hands, not the governments’ and governing by the Constitution will keep it that way without running over the rights of others.

How “Christian” is a nation that kills unborn babies, borrows money from a humanitarian horror of a country, and has hundreds of military bases worldwide so that we can intimidate everyone and keep them in line. The world knows us through two things, military presence and Hollywood…not very “Christian” things to see.

Somehow the Christian vote means voting for someone who can say everything just right, keep our troops in Iraq, and keep gay marriage illegal. In Isaiah 1, we are warned against leaders who “accept bribes and seek out gifts” but this never comes into play when deciding who to vote for. Ron Paul is KNOWN for not accepting bribes and gifts. Lobbyists are fiercely hoping he will not get elected.

I believe America is heading into a dismal state. There are already parts of the Constitution that we blatantly ignore. What happens when we ignore freedom of speech or religion? You may laugh and say that will never happen, but I am not so sure.

We are sacrificing the Constitution and freedom to keep a few key “Christian” issues. We are no longer the country we used to be. We are weakened, spread to thin, and in debt.

For goodness sake, our LIGHTBULBS are going to be outlawed! The signers of the Constitution are rolling in their graves I am sure. The government has no right to do this, not according to the Constitution. We are blatantly not living by the Constitution. When sworn into office the president is swearing to “uphold the constitution”.

Let’s elect someone who won’t lie to us their first day in office.