Over the last several years I've been excited to see the fracking energy revolution in our country. It's been a great benefit to the US by raising the standard of living and increasing energy independence. It's also giving me the personal satisfaction of once again seeing the Doomsday Prophets and the Peak Oil magpies proved wrong.
Despite all the benefits to individuals and our country, the Left has been rabidly opposed to fracking. I've been a bit baffled as to why, other than they can't stand to see people become independent and our country do well.
The hammer the Left has used to beat against fracking has been the usual Luddite environmental arguments, but the link between more, cheaper energy and global warming didn't seem strong enough to justify the zeal they have for shutting fracking down.
I've recently read a couple items that have made the reason more clear. The first is an excellent book by M Stanton Evans called, Stalins' Agents, about Soviet infilttration of FDR's government.
The second was an article I read in the Wall Street Journal this weekend which was about how Putin is running diplomatic circles around western politicians despite having a country on the decline. In the article it states:
But time isn't on Mr. Putin's side. Russia's failure since 1989 to build an effective economy keeps his reach short. U.S. diplomacy may be wobbly, but U.S. development of shale oil and gas attacks the core of Russia's strength. With the U.S. out of the gas-importing business, a lot more natural gas is on world markets, and Gazprom's OGZPY +0.82% customers are demanding better terms. Fracking hurts Mr. Putin in the wallet, and Russia has never had much cash to spare.
As I read this, the gong went off in my head that this sounded exactly like the tactics the Communists used in the 30's and 40's, when they used NGO's (front groups) and government infiltration to influence US policy to favor the USSR.
The article also states:
The Edward Snowden caper was a stunning Russian success—and an embarrassing U.S. failure. An old KGB hand, Mr. Putin knows that intelligence and propaganda were among the Soviet Union's greatest assets—and now, Russia's spooks and spinmeisters are back.
Is it a far stretch to believe that Russian intelligence, agents in the US, and fellow travellers are once again actively manipulating credulous and sympathetic government officials in subverting our own best interests in favor of once again propping up Russia? In light of the rabid attacks on fracking by the Left, it doesn't seem too far fetched.
I'm glad I'm able to give up 30% of everything I work for so that I can do my part to support higher education. I'm appalled at the conditions these professors are forced to toil in. How can a society that purports to care, treat the most vulnerable and necessary people in our society this way. A society is judged by how it treats it's professors, and ours will be judged rather harshly I'm afraid. Fat City | The Weekly Standard
We were driving down to the property last week and were stunned to see the old Sambo's restaurant had burned down. Apparently, it was caused by faulty electrical equipment in the early morning hours.
We're really going to miss the place, even though Sambo's had shutdown and been turned into Poppy's. There was nothing better than stopping by for $9.99, all you can eat ribs after canoeing all day.
Some of my favorite memories are of eating there with Mom and Pops on their visits, when they would stay at Henry Horton. I think the best one was when we were chowing down on a Saturday evening, when in walks a gal in her wedding dress. I guess she'd just gotten married and had to get some ribs before heading off on her honeymoon.
I'm not sure what caught my eye about it, but something did, because I started it up, to play in the background while I was working.
A few minutes in, I heard them mention Jesco White, which caught my attention because it sparked a memory about a line from the Big and Rich song "Coming to Your City", in which one of the lines mentions that same name.
I'd always thought they were saying Jessica White and could never figure out who that was, but after watching this movie, I finally put two and two together. It's Jesco White that they're talking about. Now the line about "partying like real hill billies" makes a lot more sense.
I found a couple clips on YouTube that show Jesco in his younger years. The guy is a total maniac and probably has about 3 brain cells left with one on the critical list.
However, one thing about him, he just oozes charisma. You just can't stop watching him. It's understandable why all the country 'rebel' singers can't get enough of him.
I'm not sure what it is about these hillbillies that makes so many of them this way. I remember working with an Okie down in AZ that was the same way. The guy was a total train wreck. In and out of prison, always in trouble, always down on his luck, but somehow, just drew people like flies.
Maybe it's just the reckless lifestyle. People like the idea of freedom, but, thank goodness, usually don't want to pay the price.
