So I promised a post on politics and patriotism. Where better to get your facts then movies, music and novels. The idea for this post started when I was listening to my ipod at work. I have an older ipod mini with only 4g of memory. That means I have around 1000 songs. I make playlist for a lot of reasons and some songs fall into the cracks and are very seldom heard. I put together a playlist of these songs. The list of songs includes a plethora (nice word huh?) of bands from Edison Lighthouse (Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)) to Shakira (My Hips Don't Lie) to Led Zeppelin (Going to California). In the middle of all these songs was Toby Keith's Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue. I know that Toby Keith and the Dixie Chicks had a public feud about the war in Iraq a few years ago and I don't agree with our present administration but that is a bit off point. Toby Keith was born in 1961, which means he's about my age and grew up in an America that I can relate to. After 9/11 he wrote this song and it touched my inner feelings of America and it had an attitude of the way we were brought up. When I was a kid we played war. We could buy plastic helmets and guns and hand grenades and everything else to outfit young soldiers at Woolworths. The hit TV shows of the time were, Combat, The Rat Patrol, 12 O'Clock High. Even the comedies were about war, McHale's Navy, Hogan's Heroes and Gomer Pyle. So I understand this song. Now in 2008, listening to this song only reminds me that the America that Toby and I remember is gone.

Now don't get all upset, open your mind and think about this. The world is getting to be a smaller place. You are reading this blog on the world wide web, Europe has gone to a unified money, the Euro. Remember how it was a pain to travel Europe and keep changing money at each country? In July, the 34th G8 summit will take place in Japan. Globalization. On the Agenda for the July summit is Africa, and the economic development of this Continent. Leaders of eight nations will discuss how an entire continent will develop? Are any African Nations part of the G8? No. Well South Africa is an invited nation; for partial participation. In North America there is a plan underfoot for the amero. This will be the by product of an economic and monetary union of the three principal countries of North America. So where is this all going?

I heard a news story the other day and the thought came to mind that if you went to the movies and saw a film about, greed and corruption it might go like this. The heads of the oil companies, who are making record breaking profits, see an end to their profits. The leader, who they hold in their pockets will be out of office soon. This President has had a strange relationship with the middle east, set up by his father, a former President himself, doing the dirty work for a country like Saudi Arabia, by ousting a tyrannical dictator of a neighboring nation. So who is the President working for, OPEC, the oil companies or the American people? A plan is set in motion to get the people behind the oil companies because the Administration has done such a good job in painting a picture of fear and death to Americans by the Arabs that Americans will never trust them. The oil companies start buying oil on the commodities market (remember frozen orange juice in Trading Places). Oil prices skyrocket. Gas prices skyrocket. The American people are outraged. The commodities market keeps soaring as oil is bought for higher and higher prices, gas reaches $4 a gallon. Mr. President you must do something!!! The President says we must lift the ban on oil drilling in American waters like the Gulf of Mexico. Yes, yes Mr. President we need more oil!!! You are the best! Wait a minute; there is no shortage of oil. This is not supply and demand. Why not put the money into alternative fuels? Now here is the big twist in the plot. The oil companies say it will take about five years to see the benefits of this drilling. Old President out, new President in, four years of higher gas prices, new President not voted in for second term and old President's brother elected. OPEC and Oil Companies have another patsy. Credits roll and you think, thank God this could never happen in this country.