Well buzzincuzzin, for the sake of argument, let's assume you are one hundred percent correct and Big Oil has been begging since the Reagan Administration to drill in ANWAR as a smokescreen. In other words as you said, "there is no reason to drill another well anywhere".

Well then LET'S CALL THEIR BLUFF!!!!!

Let's demand that Congress allow drilling in ANWAR and when:

a: Big Oil doesn't drill

OR

b. the price of oil doesn't come down

then we will KNOW you are correct and our next action can be to demand that Congress break up the oligapoly that is Big Oil.

As someone who worked in Big Oil, I'm sure you are aware that due to government regulation, which drive the costs of entry into that market through the roof, the oil industry IS an oligapoly (very few companies just one step removed from a monopoly). For those who have been sleeping through the last hundred and fifty years of history, the oil industry started off with literally THOUSANDS of companies drilling for oil which over time has been reduced to like FIVE big companies due to the costs (most of which are gov't imposed). Haven't any of you wondered why NO ONE else is getting into the oil business when profits are so high?

So assuming you are correct and Big Oil is using the politicians as a fig leaf to hide their price fixing:

1. Let's remove the fig leaf.

2. If that doesn't do the trick, let's go after Big Oil and FORCE that market OPEN!!!

Let's breaks down into let us. Just exactly who is the "us" you fittin to climb on these boys with and who do you figger is gonna do the letting? Watch the 6pm news last night? Our entire political structure is focused on paritcianship in an election year. See c-span when the oil CEOs testified to "we-didn't-do-nothin-and-don't-know-what-happened-the-money-just-showed-up-so-we-took-it" song and went home. Your best bet is to move to Venezuela and blog from there. They are the only oil outlaws in the world right now and W didn't want to let them GIVE boatloads of fuel to New Orleans after Katrina.

Well buzzincuzzin I'm not to fond of Venezuela what with the tropical heat and military strongman form of gov't so I'll do this instead:

http://www.americansolutions.com/act...b-346a1e096659

It is an online petition started by a group affiliated with Newt Gingrich (I'm not the Grinch's biggest fan but he's right on this issue). When I signed it just now over 600,000 other American citizens had signed it.

Buzzin you mentioned it being an election year.... It sure is and there isn't a better time to yank the chain on those dogs who call themselves our leaders. If the American people could shut down THREE amnesty bills when the drive-by media wasn't really paying attention then we sure as hell ought to be able to get some results when1/3rd of the dogs in the Senate and all the dogs in the House are running for reelection!!!

At any rate it beats moving to Venezuela.

5/8/08,,,, Venezuela government subsidized gas prices......... $.12(twelve cents) per gallon. I SAY WE SHOULD CONSIDER MOVING THERE, maybe have a LEN-YARD SKIN-YARD tribute band and a beach bar. We could afford to drive BLOWN 69 BIG-BLOCKS with nitrous. That petition, to carry ANY real weight would need 6 million signatures about 6 months ago. Your vote does not count. We have super-delegates in a TWO-PARTY system.

And that is exactly what the drive-by media and George Bush told us about Amnesty. Bush even said, "I'll see you at the signing".

Well where is that signing? Oh that's right the American People tied up the Congressional phone banks for three weeks straight and those DOGS responded when we yanked their chain leaving Bush to look like as fool. Don't be a George Bush, buzzincuzzin.

Republicans, if you are paying attention, you have just been handed a HUGE gift. If you don't want to decrease in numbers in the Senate and House (or maybe even pick up a few seats) all you have to do is BRING THIS SHIT UP FOR A VOTE AND PUBLICIZE IT!!!!

If the Republicans brought it up for a vote the Democrats would vote against it. Then the Republicans EVERY DAY UNTIL THE ELECTION ought to run commercials, hold press conferences etc talking about how the DEMOCRATS favor high gas prices. You would have people who don't even now if THEY are republican or democrat crawling over broken glass to vote against the Democrats.

Republicans you have the opportunity. If you don't take it and lose as a result (which BTW it appears you are set to do), it will be 100% your own damn fault!!!!

Oh, and PS, buzzincuzzin, that petition has been up for less than a week and people like myself are just finding out about it and it already has over 600,000 signatures. The point is that it could easily top 6,000,000 at the rate it is going. In fact if it were put to a vote and the same number of people who voted in the last Presidential election voted, it could easily top 100,000,000.