But don't forget, effective June 1, 2009, the implementation of the “Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative” (WHTI).

As of June 1, 2009, even U.S. citizens are officially prisoners in the USA, or exiles barred from entering our own country without the government’s permission. We are now forbidden by Federal regulations from leaving or entering the USA, anywhere, by any means — by air, by sea, or by land, to or from any other country or international waters or airspace — unless the government chooses to issue us a passport, passport card, or “enhanced” drivers license (any of which “travel documents” are now issued only with secretly and remotely-readable uniquely-numbered radio tracking beacons in the form of RFID transponder chips), or unless the Department of Homeland Security chooses to to exercise its standardless “discretion” to decide — in secret, with no way for us to know who is making the decision or on what basis — to issue a (one-time case-by-case) “waiver” of the new travel document requirements.

The Moderate Voice

My take all along has been the oil speculators, not Big Oil, have been screwing the American motorists from the get-go. This story reinforces that suspicion.

Just speculators and NOT Big Oil.

Methinks there are plenty of screws to go around.

We have peak oil. There is going to be continual speculation and manipulation, henceforward.

The EIA has changed its tune on peak oil. The reserve numbers worldwide are suspcious, especially with OPEC which limits members production to a percentage of stated reserves. Overstate the reserve and one can produce more. Overproduce and you damage your fields.

OVER CONSUME AND YOU DAMAGE YOUR PLANET.

Michael Klare, Goodbye to Cheap Oil, TomDispatch here

The question is WHEN will we all wake up to the understanding that the six billion plus of us live on this small pile of rock and it is a finite system.

We must immediately begin massive conservation. But alas, everyone knows what became of Jimmy Carter after he tried to tell us that we needed to sacrifice. It would have far less painful had we started in 1977.

Instead we got Ronald (the great charlatan) Reagan who said don't worry, be happy and consume (and borrow the money while you are at it).

Today, the new energy bill is completely delusional in its long term projections and proposals.

The EPA analysis thereof talks about numbers in 2050. There will not be a 2050 at the rate we are going.

House climate bill wouldn't cut U.S.
oil dependence much

Renee Schoof - McClatchy

here

excerpt:

The nonprofit American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy examined the bill's efficiency provisions and concluded that they would save 1.4 million barrels of oil per day in 2030. That's roughly 10 percent of the projected use of 14.3 million barrels a day in that year, according to the government's Energy Information Administration.

(Alice X) We will not be anywhere near 14 million barrels a day in 2030 (we are over 20 mbd today). Peak oil (steeply declining production), world demand, competition and thus the price will guarantee that.

The Environmental Protection Agency put the oil savings at 700,000 barrels a day by 2030. The EPA looked mainly at the bill's terms that would put a declining cap on the amount of emissions of heat-trapping gases allowed each year and create a pollution-permit trading system.

(Alice X) The EPA is not as optimistic on the savings but they are even more delusional on the total numbers

EPA's analysis showed only a modest decrease because the bill would have little impact on the price of gasoline — and thus little impact on people's driving behavior and choice of cars. EPA estimated that gasoline prices would go up about 25 cents a gallon in 2030 as a result of the bill.

(Alice X) 25 cents a gallon in 2030 as a result of the bill and $200 (OR $2,000 or TWO MILLION) a gallon as a result of peak oil, peak dollar and peak USA.

EPA also projected that U.S. oil use would hold fairly steady from now to 2050.

(Alice X) The most delusional statement of all. At the rate we are going there won't be a 2050.

.
Happy Fourth! My consumer reports on "Public Enemies" & the new Star Trek movie, just in time for the DVDs.

Hollywood needs your money. They're really just living The Life for YOU, peoples!
.