Donny Miller, a self described "half PT Barmum, half Jesus, 100% man, continues his self-promotional crusade to end world ignorance with a pit stop at the pump to post some anti-oil company messages, gorilla style.
A little truth in advertising never hurt anyone, right?
Not that he's telling us something we don't already know.
Stumble This
Reddit!
I may throw up in my mouth a little in the process, but I gotta defend the gas stations/oil companies here.
We are babies. Dammit, we pay less for a gallon of gas than we do for a gallon of milk. And, unlike milk, gas brings unadulterated joy on the highway. Milk just slops over the dashboard when you try to balance it there.
Because we wet our pants anytime anyone even thinks of building a new refinery or drilling for more domestic oil or building a new nuclear plant, we've somehow earned the right to "protest" the local gas station?
Into the pit, sign-man. How many petroleum by-products, including oils, gas and plastics, did you waste by printing out those signs and DRIVING THEM TO THE GAS STATION AND THEN FILMING IT?
$4.49 for a gallon of premium?!?! Lucky devils. I paid $4.79 a few days ago... that is, when we had gas.
We're all out now.
DSB - you make a very valid point (even though I did get a kick out of those signs). The Sign Guy obviously missed that chapter in economics class called "Supply and Demand". And as a shareholder of BP, I demand he be found and SHOT! Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and count my money.
Can't you just buy someone from a sweatshop to do that for you?
How much exactly is a gallon og gas/petrol at the pumps in the UK today? Can anyone over the pond let us know?
I had some midgets that were my designated money counters, but Dave snorted them before he raped that Yeti.
(seriously, I don't own BP stock... so I don't want to hear any SHIT from some random reader, telling me that it's my fault that they're 16 year old daughter is giving hand-jobs in the church basement, just so she can afford to buy her school supplies!)
*[I meant "THEIR 16 year old daughter..."] - I wasn't at that book fair in New York.
How far does anyone have to drive in the UK, or Europe? They have passenger trains that go from town to town! I wish we had that here...
How much does it hurt to know the only thing you can do about it is bitch on blogs?
It's the damn environmentalists that are kicking our asses.
We need more refineries.
Drill the hell out of the Florida Coast. ( I don't give a damn if some old man has to look out in the water from his billion dollar home and see a Big oil platform)
Drill the hell out of Alaska. (Have you seen the hell hole that they are drilling in? Who cares, tap that ass.)
Drill the hell out of North Dakota. (They need the jobs and we need the gas.)
Refineries here, refineries there.
I Think our newest refinery is 30 years old?? How dumb is that.
Continue developing alternative sources of energy great! But while we are at it fricken drill and refine.
Checking our damn tire pressure isn't going to do it.
Piss on the environmentalists that have never and will never set foot in the areas that need drilling. They read shit from their Sierra Club flyers and have a damn opinion.
Douche Bags.
More importantly, what's the address of that church? Is it in driving distance?
Dave, I can see why you'd feel this way. You live no where near an oil stash. Neither do I. So I understand your frustration.
I'm all for exploring new sources of energy and exploiting our own oil, but I understand why people are fighting against it. And it's not just because of the animals and the environment. It's not the poor people who own beach front property that would be devalued if a rig was put up on the horizon. As for refinery's, there's loads of them right across the way in New Jersey and when I drive past them, I quickly realize why no one wants new ones built near them.
In this whole drilling argument, I realized I can't bitch about doing it elsewhere if I'm not willing to do it where I live. And I'm not that excited about seeing platforms off the Long Island Sound or in NY Harbor.
So....
Would you feel the same way if they found a stash of oil below or around your property?
What if Exxon wanted to buy some of your land for a new refinery?
If you answer is yeah: Drill Baby Drill on Dave's property. Then refine around Dave's backyard. Fine. Piss on the naysayer all you want.
Me, I'm not so sure I'm ready to unzip my fly and whiz.
Baier, this is no shit.
You know where I live. Google it, and look to see if I live anywhere near gas or oil production.
You will see that I live right on top of it.
Coal bed methane wells are placed at the center of every other 40 acre parcel of my ranch.
It doesn't hurt the wild life. The oil and gas companies reclaim any torn up ground and comp the hell out any type of work on a landowners property.
I worked for a major oil company up until a couple of years ago. I oversaw the construction of pipelines, roads, pads, power, and drilling over the entire area of production.
There wasn't a rancher or land owner alive that didn't welcome it. We were clean and gave them a lot of money. We rebuilt their roads, we donated to the community, we provided jobs.
Old poor ranchers went from not having a pot to pee in to hauling hay out of the backs of their Caddilacs.
It's not the land owners that opposed the production, it was some dumbass from who knows where fighting it.
So in answer to your question. I have already said "drill baby drill."
I live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. I will send pictures if you would like.
The community that I live in is rich, housing prices are continuing to climb even today. (I will send proof if you need it.)
I have never seen an animal or any wildlife for that matter harmed through any of the production. (Except for a few rattlesnakes that the roughnecks kill).
Seriously, when I have visitors out, I have to physically point out where any well head is you just don't notice it.
All pipelines and most of the power is piped underground.
When all of the gas or oil is tapped dry, all of it is reclaimed.
Iv'e written the contracts, I know how much has to be done.
All the negative is media bullshit.
I could go on and on.
I have experienced it.
I live it.
I profit from it.
The beauty has not been compromised
The animals have not been hurt.
Our economy is strong.
The housing market is strong.
And there are a bunch of high school dropouts making 100K a year.
That truly is shitty.
So then Dave I guess you can piss on the naysayers all you want.
PS - Ever think about using our video comment thingy? It strikes me that this kind of verbal smackdown is exactly what that feature was meant for.
I don't have a cam on my work computer, and rarely do I even get on the internet at home.
I actually think it would have translated better over a video comment.
I wish the smile on my face would have translated through most of the statement.
I just sent you some pictures of my ranch, to prove my point.
Let me know if you got them.
Yours in Jeter.
Dave
The best way to talk and exchange views is with a smile and half seriousness.
This beats the yelling and screaming I see on TV between pundits.
I will however take issue with "Yours in Jeter". Don't start bringing the world's greatest shortstop, Derek Jeter, into this debate.
Bro,
I agree with you on Jeter.
I am a Yankee's fan, I thought you knew that.
Jeter=The worlds greatest shortstop.
Period.
No Debate, just agreement.
If I were looking to make myself look like a true dumbass I would debate Jeter.
Seriously, If I wanted to look like a total sports buffoon, I would talk about how great Seattle is or something like that.
Come on!
Jeter's ok but hes no Tulowitzki.
You guys are half right. Jeter plays next to the best shortstop ever. Give yourselves 6 points for getting the Yankee thing right.
As far as this whole drill or not to drill or the warming of the planet or whatever major crisis the planet is in, (the planet is only in peril in the USA btw, the rest of the world couldn't give a shit less) I think it's rather naieve to think we control anything to do with what the planet decides to do. If it makes you feel better to stomp your feet and scream at the moon, feel free, but once the planet decides we are done here, we don't get to sue the earth over it. We don't get a choice, just ask the dinosaurs.
And you all thought it was smoking and unprotected sex that wiped the dino's out.
Well, I simply have to get involved here. This is too rich.
Regarding drilling. What Dave said ... right on. I'll add one more thing. Apply all the same arguments against drilling to another precious resource we mine: Coal. Where are all the environmentalists trying to shut down the coal industry? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are a few dumbasses who try. Until they get run out of town by all the hard-working coalminers and their families that depend on the income. Damn good income too, by the way. Personally, I don't see how the issue is any different for the coal mining communities than it is for the oil drilling communities.
And honestly, the 'not in my backyard' argument isn't really applicable here. How many coal mines are actually in urban areas? Why would we expect oil drilling to be any different? Most are in rural areas, and the locals welcome the jobs, the higher standard of living, the community involvement, and the sense of belonging to something important to the country.
Oil refining? Different story altogether. It's cheaper to refine it closer to the destination. So, that's where the refineries will go.
But that's just my opinion.
Regarding Jeter, I don't think I'll argue against it. BUT, I think that even Jeter would tip his cap for both Ernie Banks and Ozzie Smith.
Great post, Phatlard. Well said.
Here's a map of gas prices around the world, it will make you feel so much better about what we pay here on our side of the ocean, right up until you look at Turkmenistan, $0.76 a gallon! http://www.portfolio.com/interactive-features/2008/08/Gas-Prices-Around-the-World
Tim, speaking as a local in coal country, I don't believe that "something important to the country" has much at all to do with it. The jobs are dangerous, the profits go to the fat cats, and the toll on the environment, not to mention the infrastructure, is enormous.
Perhaps what the oil companies need to do is to hire Apple or Target's design team to come up with a cool looking rig which won't blight the coast lines so much.
A cool looking oil rig. Everyone would want one or five off their beaches. They'd become status symbols and tourist destinations. I can see it now reducing our dependence on foreign oil and looking good doing it.
Miss C-
I think your perception of Coal mining is taken from a 1970's perspective.
Coal mining and safety has changed dramatically.
With the inception of MSHA, every mine in the U.S. has to adhere to strict safety procedures.
A worker cannot set foot in a coal mine without 7 days worth of SAFETY training and an MSHA safety certification.
MSHA really gave the rights back to the workers by essentially saying that if you even have a gut feeling that something is un-safe you can refuse the work without penalty.
I'm not saying that accidents don't happen, but the accidents that do happen are so publicised that it seems as if it happens all the time.
Coal mining in reality isn't "unsafe", hell if you want elmination of unsafe jobs, lets get rid of Taxi Drivers. I hate to see those stinky bastards dieing off on us, that is seriously some dangerous shit.
Back in the day, hell yeah, people were coming down with black lung and getting kicked by donkeys that were hauling the coal.
But today it's an even different story.
As for the "enormous" toll on the environment. That's bullshit. I too live in coal country, in fact I would bet that my coal country would make your coal country look like charcoal country. (I will provide numbers if needed).
Coal companies are required to reclaim any mining operation, and I have witnessed the major reclamation on the worlds largest open pit mine "Black Thunder" The only evidence of reclamation are the perfectly lined rows of grass from machine placed seeding. Give that a couple of years and the grass wont look as nice and will be back to normal.
As for clean air... That too is bullshit.
Most of the coal mines out there actually have to dump dirt in with the coal because the coal is too clean for the power plants.
If we are worried about the power plants, start exploiting the hell out of nuclear power. That shit is clean. Sure a nuke failure is catastropic but who gives a shit. The Sierra club would rather see people die than a few trees.
It's a give and take, damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.
Start implementing coal gasification, hey there is a thought.
We have so damn much coal in the US. WE WILL NEVER RUN OUT. By the time the coal is spent, our great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandchildren will be able to jump in their flying delorians and come back in time to tell us about cold fusion.
Finally, the statement "the profits go to the fat cats". Is also bullshit.
You show me a work site where an uneducated man, equipped with a GED, can hire on as a haul truck driver with absolutely no experience with a starting wage of 50-75K a year and I'll show you a coal mine.
That's pretty damn good for a GED if you ask me.
I'm Dave and I'm MSHA certified and I approve this message.
Miss C,
I will grant you that it may not be the prevailing attitude, but I have 2 relatives that work there and they feel pretty darn good about the contributions they make. The downside? Drug use is rampant, depression is the norm and the health risks are enormous. Still, they do the work because the pay is good and it allows them to provide a respectable life for the family. They are proud that these jobs have been in the family for generations and can't imagine living anywhere else.
As far as the environment is concerned, there is probably nothing nastier than a working coal mine. How could I possibly argue otherwise? I know that I wouldn't want to live near one. But, isn't it true that corporations today do a much better job of returning the environment to normal than in the past? Sure, it has taken many years of public outcry and litigation to get them to get to this point, but aren't today's corporations much more responsible?
I don't know. My aunt says that things are much better than they use to be but, like anything else, can be made much better. They are thankful to have the jobs; because without them, there isn't much hope to go elsewhere. It's the only way of life they know and they resent outsiders telling them how to live it better. They certainly put me and my educated ass in place from time to time. The brotherhood (if you'll allow me the use of that term) is very strong among miners, every bit as strong as policemen, firefighters or the like. They have a strong community, great history and it's the only place they care to live. I know that you're not arguing that point but, I guess what I am trying to say is ... who are we to take issue with the environmental issues when the people living in it are proud of what they do, where they live and satisfied that progress continues to be made on issues they set forth?
Anyway, hopefully that helps explain my earlier comments.
Damnit Dave, we keep saying the same shit. Use the batphone!
Tim, the voice of reason will always say the same thing.
Tim and Dave - Just so I'm clear, better fuel and energy conservation doesn't play into any of this? At all?
CLC - Absolutely, it does. As responsible consumers, we should all look to better ourselves and our environment all the time. That includes conservation through the use of better technology and other alternatives. We should always strive to leave things better than we found them. Regardless of progress made, that responsibility never ends.
BUT, being willing to do something and being told to do something are two entirely different things.
If Jeter was any good, his Mets would be in the playoffs this year.
PS - Dave, nice photos. You certainly have loads of space and some beautiful scenery. Still, I'm not sure I'd jog naked around the property - you've got a hippie side I don't.
Anyway as for the development, the gas/oil stuff on your land is undetectable to me in these photos - not that I really know what I"m looking for. So point taken.
I wish the same could be said for the rigs along the coastline.
Right back at ya Tim.
We are nowhere close to fixing the energy problem in the USA, even if the retards in DC decide to lift bans on drilling. It will take some serious sign of comitment from the goverment before the oil co.'s invest in drilling. Would you run out and invest and drill knowing the history of DC politics in the last 20 yrs?
I would hate to be a earth first hippy fagot in the next few years. Wait and see what happens when people don't have heating in the winter. People get kinda weird when they are freezing to death.
Can i get a batphone?