I was shocked to see a television ad decrying our dependence on foreign oil that said,”We can’t drill ourselves out of this.” Then, I was floored as it suggested wind and solar power as the means to wean ourselves off carbon based fuels. Then I nearly threw up in my mouth as I saw none other than T. Boone Pickens appear to tell us he would lead us with his new plan. I might be crazy, but he doesn’t seem to be on board with the McCain campaign here. It could all be a rouse to gain support among environmentalists and those hurt at the pump on board with the rethugs, but I don’t know.

CNET has a story about our favorite swift boat vet for truth’s new energy campaign. Some highlights::

Oil mogul and corporate raider T. Boone Pickens launched an energy plan and social-networking campaign on Tuesday that calls for replacing Middle Eastern oil with Midwestern wind. The so-called Pickens Plan would exploit the country’s “wind corridor” from the Canadian border to West Texas to produce 20 percent of the country’s electricity.

What about the offshore drilling and gas tax holiday you ask? Not a word. WTF is going on here. An oil man is trumpeting renewables. Something must be rotten in Denmark, because it is not only against his self interest, it’s against his party’s platform. I feel like I’m taking crazy pills here.

Further analysis leads me to believe that this corporate raider is looking for an opportunity that will further increase his fortune.

I am calling on the next President and Congress to take immediate action in the first 100 days of the new Administration to do whatever is necessary to make this plan a reality. We are asking the American public to get behind this plan and to help us reduce our dangerous dependency on foreign oil. This has to be the number one priority in the country starting today and that’s what this campaign is all about. I am also calling for a monthly report on the reduction in foreign oil imports and a monthly report on progress in the development of natural gas vehicles in this country.

He knows, as all of us have long known, that renewables are the future. Even a rethug POS like him can see which way the wind is blowing. Personally, I choose to believe that he is fairly certain Obama will be our next POTUS, and he knows the Apollo like Green Energy Project is inevitable. He may have given up on his man. That’s not to say he won’t still try to get John McShame in office, but he must be certain he will fail. Otherwise why would he be so sure that green energy would be more profitable than oil?

Why do republicans hate America? Starting with Reagan, why have they been intent on bankrupting and destroying the United States? Many of my fellow citizens have fallen for their false credo that government is the problem not the solution. .. To that I say baloney. A fully functioning and financially stable government is necessary for the benefit of society. A financially stable government would be able to ensure adequately inspected food products, lead free children’s toys and adequate responses to natural disasters.

What the republicans are adept at is cutting taxes to the point where the federal government is unable to provide services to the level of third world countries. Why do republicans hate Americans? According to republicans the working poor don’t deserve healthcare. According to republicans the rebuilding of Iraq’s infrastructure is more important than fixing America’s infrastructure. As a matter of fact, McCain would term infrastructure repair as unnecessary pork. Why do republicans care more about Iraq than the United States of America? They really aren’t very patriotic. Are they trying to destroy America?

Under the republicans many important industries have been deregulated - banking, energy, insurance, to name a few. Look how well that turned out, Brownie! In Banking we are experiencing predatory lending, outrageous interest rates (sans usury laws) and fees. Deregulation wasn’t enough, the republicans had to stack the deck against the consumer even more by changing the bankruptcy laws to the detriment of the average American – even though the majority of bankruptcies are the result of catastrophic illness and being saddled with outrageous medical bills. Why do republicans hate consumers? When utilities were closely regulated speculators had a stable stock to invest in. You weren’t going to make a killing but a stable return on your investment. Utilities were only allowed to make a certain percentage on what they spent. It paid to upgrade your infrastructure because the more you spent the more you made. Now Electric utilities neglect preventive maintenance, trimming trees away from electrical lines and have put off upgrading infrastructure for decades. Why do republicans want to drag our infrastructure to third world status? Insurance – Do I need to say more? Why do republicans hate 40 to 50 million uninsured Americans?

Wake up America – Republicans are uncaring, unpatriotic and marching down the path of destroying the United States.

Cross posted on DailyKos 4:26 PM CDT

One word… Zogby,

Can we stop acting like Hillary will score a massive blowout in Pennsylvania? In a poll released this morning Hillary Clinton’s lead in Pennsylvania was reduced to one percent, 45-44. This poll was conducted from the 14th through the 16th, and as such does not reflect the effect last night’s debate may have. Why is this not in the news, regardless of how important Barack Obama’s bitter comment is. Let’s not forget that people by a 2:1 margin said it wasn’t an issue. Tonight David Gregory’s round table basically agreed, all except Rachel Maddow, that it was an issue as was Barack’s patriotism. This is getting ridiculous, and I may have to limit my MSNBC viewing to KO from now on.

Now that Rachel brought up John McCain’s campaign Co-Chair in Florida getting caught soliciting a police officer in a bathroom in Florida, can we ask him why he associates with people who solicit prostitutes, regardless of gender, in public bathrooms. How can Joe say that he won’t engage in a debate with her about a candidates acquaintances? Before she brought this up he was assailing Barack’s character in the exact same way.

If you must remain sunken to these depths, of hashing and rehashing the actions and words of acquaintances of the candidates, I demand you ask pundits on air about how this will hurt John McCain, and keep this on air for 5 days straight. Repeat in every segment how his campaign co-chair was at the very least attempting an act of public indecency.

What about the children? A child could have walked in on a sex act. Does John McCain favor sex in front of children? This is obviously an important issue about John McCain’s character, if one follows recent logic on your programming. This is certainly a deviation from the abstinence only education the Republicans have supported in the past.

If we are going to stick to only the words and actions of the candidates, yet still be sensationalist, ask how any woman could vote for a man who called his wife a “Trollup” and a “Cunt” as well as how any “Values” voter could vote for a man who uses profanity so regularly on the Senate Floor. Ask if political pundits think it is disrespectful to our nation as a whole when someone defiles that holy chamber.

Finally, don’t cast this letter aside as “hate mail.” It is constructive criticism for a network I used to hold in such a high regard. Stick to the issues. No one, not even “working class whites”, has failed to see through the amazing sea change of the past several weeks. We are smarter than you give us credit for. How about some fairness of coverage. Everyone has negatives that are non-issues, so air the other candidates as well if you intend to avoid real issues.

John McCain was interviewed by Chris Matthews today, and he seemed to be backtracking. He stated unequivocally that we must not torture. Wasn’t he against it before he was for it before he was against it? Though I must say, I liked his views on climate change. He said listen what have we got to lose if we’re wrong, when you have everything to lose if you deny it exists and do nothing. What got me though was when he said yet another thing I totally agreed with. I must say I was taken aback:

CM: Do you disagree with him on torture?
JM: Absolutely, and could I take a few seconds on that, because I think it’s important, because I think it’s what America is all about, and what kind of country we are. We should never ever torture anyone who’s in the custody of the United States of America, because… because the struggle we’re in with radical Islamic extremism, which is going to be with us for… decades, and that is that it’s a military/diplomatic/intelligence and ideological struggle. If we’re not any better than our enemies, then doesn’t [it] make it harder for young people to choose? I was in Baghdad over Thanksgiving last year, I met with a high-ranking member, former high-ranking member of Al-Queda. I asked him I said, “How did you do so well after the initial military success that the Americans and the [forces deleted] had? He said, “two things, one, was the lawlessness that [existed] in the environment after the Americans and [forces deleted] won the military victory,” he said, “but the second was Abu Ghraib,” he said, “Abu Grhaib is my greatest recruiting tool.” So my point is that for the future of this country, we have to make sure that we remain a nation that does not do things that our enemies do. And I promise you, my friends (eeeeeek) I’ll close Guantanamo Bay, and we will never torture another person in our custody again.

Wow. Flip flop, but at least he’s on the right side now. Maybe he’s not the devil, but I still pray he doesn’t win.

An awful lot has been said about the depths to which we have sunken, but what a glorious time is it when all three candidates decry torture. Wow (/snark) I mean seriously people when did it become bold to say that torture is bad, and Gitmo is too? I guess I don’t think the world will end anymore should John McShame win the white house, but I still bet my citizenship it will be Barack.

I have been told that peace in the Middle East is vital to our oil supply, but I came by some interesting information yesterday thanks to the USDOE. About 21.2 percent of our imported oil is from that region, and it accounts for only 11.66 percent of our total oil consumption. We could cut our consumption by 12 percent and forget that region ever existed. Before we meddled in the quagmire that is Iraq, and it was not to fight terror, regular unleaded sold for less than $1.40 per gallon. Imagine a sensible method to “fight” terror. We could limit our presence in the Middle East, and stop purchasing their oil. Someone else undoubtedly would, but we would not be directly financing the next generation of terrorists. Logic would demand an embargo on Saudi Arabia, origin of: 17.9 percent of our crude oil imports (9.8% of total consumption), as well as 19 of the 9/11 hijackers. An embargo may have increased the cost of fuel, though I would argue not by more than the ratio of the crude Saudi Arabia supplied to that of others. Conversely, maintaining demand in response to our embargo, OPEC would reduce prices to maintain production, resulting in decreased oil prices around the world. This is only an exercise in hypotheticals, an impossibility due to our ties with the Saudis as well as US oil companies, who would have undoubtedly cried foul. However, I would counter with another injustice. The Saudi’s provide stipends to the families of “martyrs of the intifada,” yet are not state sponsors of terror like Syria and Iran. Why do we have different rules for them? Because they are our friends? No. Because they are the good guys? No. Would an embargo against their nation be so unfair? We will not trade with Cuba because of their oppressive regime, but at least they allow women to drive and do not execute rape victims who cannot produce 4 Muslim men as witnesses. Which is worse?

Our task is simple. To effect change in a meaningful way, to undo the wrongs of the past, and most importantly to restore the ultimate primacy of the Constitution of the United States of America, we must believe that the civil liberties of all must be protected at any cost, even in the face of danger. In the words of Patrick Henry,“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” If we cannot restore America’s place as the great bastion of freedom and prosperity, then we must not be co-conspirators in its further descent. This is why I am betting that which is most precious to me, my citizenship, that America can be great once more, and that she can restore the glory, freedom, and prestige she once held throughout the world. I’m certain it is a safe bet, but please, help prove my case by speaking out against injustices, and castigate those who would use their power subverting the common good to serve themselves.