More From The Road To Malaise -- What Does The World Get For It's Investment?

But keep in mind, you're right, we can't tell them don't grow. We can't drive our SUVs and, you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on, you know, 72 degrees at all times, whether we're living in the desert or we're living in the tundra and then just expect every other country is going to say OK, you know, you guys go ahead keep on using 25 percent of the world's energy, even though you only account for 3 percent of the population, and we'll be fine. Don't worry about us. That's not leadership. (CNN Transcripts)

Can I just make a couple of points here?

I saw the uncut version of Obama's Sunday Oregon statement and (other then again pointing out that we are all gonna be hungry and cold) provide a little context on Mr. Obama, his world view, and the Democrats.

First aren't we closer to 5% of the worlds population? 6.5 billion divided by 330 million is about 5.1%.

Second the left loves to make the point that the US uses about 25% of the worlds natural resources it is rarely mentioned that the US produces 21% of the worlds food (http://www.fas.usda.gov/wap/current/toc.asp) and (if you include The Green Revolution) are arguably responsible for up to 60% of the worlds total food production.

In addition the US creates 27% of the worlds annual wealth (2006 world GDP figures). That is money spent worldwide that people earn to feed and clothe their families that they wouldn’t have if it wasn’t created here (and don’t even start the argument between the haves and the have-nots. Wealth is not a zero sum game where one has to loose just because another wins.)

So, it would appear to be an overall effective use of the extra natural resources. Drop the amount we use and risk reducing the food produced that helps feed the world, something we have already seen with the ethanol debacle.

When you realize that we produce so much of the worlds food and wealth it puts that little canard of using 25% of the worlds resources or produce 21% of the greenhouse gases for only 5% of the worlds population in a VERY different light.
DKK

Oil Imports Drop - First Time Since 1977

The US is starting to break its “addiction” to foreign oil as high prices, more efficient cars, and the use of ethanol significantly cut the share of its oil imports for the first time since 1977.

The country’s foreign oil dependency is expected to fall from 60 per cent to 50 per cent in 2015, before rising again slightly to 54 per cent in 2030, according to the head of the Department of Energy’s statistical arm.

(...)

The US decline in foreign oil dependency is already becoming more visible, with imports making up 57.9 per cent in the first three months of this year, down from 58.2 last year.

Guy Caruso, head of the US Energy Information Administration, said that that trend was set to continue as people adjusted to high oil prices and the impact of the Energy Independence and Security Act, which became law in December 2007, was felt.

“The 1970s is the last time we saw any significant decline in net import dependency in the US. It shows that markets do work, policy changes do work, technology does work” Mr Caruso said.

Fixed that quote for Mr. Caruso, by the way, he never mentions that 1977 was the year the Trans-Alaska Pipeline came online, gee, perhaps that had something to do with, "the last time we saw a significant decline in net import dependency in the US?" Maybe?

DKK

Financial Times -- In Depth - US begins to break foreign oil 'addiction'

It's Like Black and White -- Carter, Obama -- Malaise Part Deux

This remarkable bit of footage from Barack Obama's appearance in Oregon last night is now floating around on YouTube. It might be useful as an undergraduate course exam: how many errors can you spot? Obama apparently believes that Iran and other rogues states (he lists Iran, Cuba and Venezuela) "don't pose a serious threat to the U.S." Iran, specifically, he tells us spends so little on defense relative to us that if Iran "tried to pose a serious threat to us they wouldn't . . . they wouldn't stand a chance."

So, taken literally, he seems not much concerned about Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons, its sponsorship of terrorist organizations, its commitment to eradicate Israel, its current actions in supplying weapons that have killed hundreds of Americans in Iraq, and its role in eroding Lebanon's sovereignty through its client Hezbollah.

This sealed the deal for me. In the closing years of the 1970's our enemies understood Jimmy Carter's knee jerk reaction was to talk. They understood that anything short of a nuclear strike would merely set the telephone ringing. As a result the Soviets invaded Afghanistan and dramatically increased their political and social influence in Central America, right here in our own hemisphere.

More closely related to today, the Terrorist Regime in Iran at the learned quickly that a weak reaction from the US to an overt act of war would was a winning proposition for them. As a result they held the hostages far longer then originally intended.

This led to humiliation as photo's of the hostages reached a worldwide audiance.

Is this really the change we want for America? Back to the Future?
DKK

American Thinker Blog -- Obama Tells 75,000 Oregonians Iran is "not a threat" to US

It's Ask Al-Qaeda

A prolific jihadist sympathizer has posted an ‘explosive’ study on one of the main jihadist websites in which he laments the dire situation that the mujaheddin find themselves in Iraq by citing the steep drop in the number of insurgent operations conducted by the various jihadist groups, most notably Al-Qaeda’s 94 percent decline in operational ability over the last 12 months when only a year and half ago Al-Qaeda accounted for 60 percent of all jihadist activity!

DKK

Gateway Pundit -- Wow

In an Obama Nation

As a new feature, based on Obama's declaration that Americans will have to do with less I present to you,

In an Obama World Nation (duh, I should have used this to begin with)!

This is what I want:

Alfa Romeo Spider Mille Miglia



But this is what I will have to settle for, for the sake of leadership -- damn that is ugly.

Nissan Cube
DKK

But It's Just Diplomacy

Interpol confirmed documents today showing that US Congressman James McGovern (D., Mass.) (pictured), a leading opponent of the Colombia free-trade deal has been working with a go-between, who has been offering the FARC terrorists help in undermining Colombia's elected and popular government.
Colombia is America's closest ally in South America.

DKK
Gateway Pundit -- Interpol Confirms: US Democrat Was Secretly Working With FARC To Undermine Colombian Government

Wait, Wow -- Obama, You'll Go Hungry!

I just reread Obama's Sunday declaration and WOW -- he really said as part of a Presidential campaign that we will have to do without -- possibly going hungry.

Is that really a winning strategy?

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.

DKK

Al Gore, You've Been Punked!

Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (OISM)

Who: Dr. Arthur Robinson of the OISM

What: release of names in OISM “Petition Project”

When: 10 AM, Monday May 19

Where: Holeman Lounge at the National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW, Washington, DC

Why: the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine (OISM) will announce that more than 31,000 scientists have signed a petition rejecting claims of human-caused global warming. The purpose of OISM’s Petition Project is to demonstrate that the claim of “settled science” and an overwhelming “consensus” in favor of the hypothesis of human-caused global warming and consequent climate damage is wrong. No such consensus or settled science exists. As indicated by the petition text and signatory list, a very large number of American scientists reject this hypothesis.

It is evident that 31,072 Americans with university degrees in science - including 9,021 PhDs, are not “a few.” Moreover, from the clear and strong petition statement that they have signed, it is evident that these 31,072 American scientists are not “skeptics.”

DKK
Michelle Malkin -- 31,072 scientists John McCain needs to talk to
She has details and will more then likely post the link.

Box Office and Preview

The Chronicle of Narnia saga continued and topped the box office with $56.5 million followed by Iron Man with an additional $31.2 million. That brings Iron Man's three week total to over $222 million on a budget of $140 million making it certain to break even for Marvel in their first foray as a stand alone studio.

Box Office Mojo has the chart for the weekend.

In addition to iron man I am really looking forward to seeing Narnia, Prince Caspian and another sequel, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Here are some pictures to whet your appetite.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

William Mosley as Peter


Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian






And Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Harrison Ford and Shia Lebeouf.

Obama, The Post -American Carter II

In the 1970's, as John O'Sullivan succinctly explains in his book, The President, The Pope and the Prime Minister, a myth sprung up that proclaimed, "the world was running out of raw materials and faced a future of inevitable shortages and falling standards of living." There was even a Davos-style group, The Club of Rome, that produced work statisticians called, "naive extrapolation,"claiming prices would rise until the world was plunged into a depression that could only be relieved by rationing.

As O'Sullivan explains, this nonsense, "appealed to the anti-market prejudices of intellectuals," and before long respected economists were claiming, the era of growth to be over and the era of limits here that had to be imposed by government.

The reality is that throughout the 1970's the government had already introduced controls, in small steps at first, that hampered production of raw materials especially production of oil and gas. "Lo and behold -- the era of limits descended upon us."

O'Sullivan identifies the Carter Presidency that appeared about this time as, "the first post-American presidency." As author John O’Sullivan explains, "the Carter Administration was the first to imagine a world in which the United States is not preeminent — and must pursue its policies accordingly."

Carter charged that among other things The United States was, "a frivolously wasteful power in its economic and environmental impact."

Carter believed, "the American way of life, combining freedom with prosperity, was no longer possible in a world where shortages of raw materials made controls essential and rationing perhaps morally obligatory. Most Americans still held the faith that the free enterprise system would deliver the goods unless government obstructed it."

Reagan understood, and profoundly believed that himself and proclaimed, "you ain't seen nothing yet," and he was right on the mark!

Sunday, May 18, 2008 Barack Obama made his appeal to voters in Oregon saying:

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.
AFP

Can anyone honestly claim that Obama's world view is not in lockstep with Jimmy Carter's? The romp over the flag pin, his willingness to -- and defensiveness over -- unconditional (wait, is it with preconditions or not now, I lost track) face to face diplomacy, his willingness to cavort with American hating associates, his wife and her new found American Pride. These are all like, "deja vu all over again!"

Just as in the 70's controls on the use of natural resources resurfaced in the 1990's and have gotten progressively tighter creating shortages that have pushed prices ever higher.

It has begun, we've been down this road, it isn't pretty, it ushered in international Islamic Terrorism, near economic collapse, decreased influence in the world, the belief by our enemies that they could recommit themselves to their expansion of influence worldwide (the Soviets felt emboldened in Central America and Afghanistan).

Which makes one wonder, since Carter negotiated with everyone, why didn't Obama include Carter in litany of famous negotiators? (hmmm, how did that negotiation go with the terrorists who held our people for 444 days? You know the same ones running the country now. The ones Obama will meet with face to face without preconditions?)

Could it be, like President Bush's comments last week, that would expose the man behind the curtain to be Jimmy Carter II?

Political memories are short, but when jarred the realization sets in, let's hope something jars it soon or get ready for Malaise Part Deux.
DKK

Update -- It just occurred to me, isn't that 72 degree number Obama mentioned the very number Carter gave us as our winter temperature -- and he suggested we put on a sweater! With Obama it sounds like we'll be wearing a parka.

Update II -- As I recall during the Iranian revolution they had serious discussions about taking the Soviet embassy but thought better of it -- they understood Carter's natural reaction would be to talk and the Soviet's wouldn't!

As of today I am certain they understand the same thing about Obama -- he will talk even as we are held hostage.
DKK