Quick Fix for the Gas Addicts

By
Thomas L. Friedman

The New York Times - OpEd Page
Published: May 31, 2006

Is there a company more dangerous to America's future than General Motors? Surely, the sooner this company gets taken over by Toyota, the better off our country will be.
Why? Like a crack dealer looking to keep his addicts on a tight leash, G.M. announced its "fuel price protection program" on May 23. If you live in Florida or California and buy certain G.M. vehicles by July 5, the company will guarantee you gasoline at a cap price of $1.99 a gallon for one year — with no limit on mileage. Guzzle away. As The Associated Press explained the program, each month for one year, G.M. will give customers who buy these cars "a credit on a prepaid card based on their estimated fuel usage. Fuel usage will be calculated by the miles they drive, as recorded by OnStar, and the vehicle's fuel economy rating. G.M. will credit drivers the difference between the average price per gallon in their state and the $1.99 cap." Consumers won't get any credits if gas prices fall below $1.99.
"This program gives consumers an opportunity to experience the highly fuel-efficient vehicles G.M. has to offer in the mid-size segment," Dave Borchelt, G.M.'s Southeast general manager, said in the company's official statement. Oh, really?
Eligible vehicles in California include the 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban (half-ton models only), Impala and Monte Carlo sedans, G.M.C. Yukon and Yukon XL S.U.V.'s (half-ton models only), Hummer H2 and H3 S.U.V.'s, the Cadillac SRX S.U.V., and the Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick Lucerne sedans. Eligible vehicles in Florida include the 2006 and 2007 Chevrolet Impala and Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix and Buick LaCrosse.
Let's see, the 6,400-pound Hummer H2 averages around nine miles per gallon. It really is great that G.M. is giving more Americans the opportunity to experience nine-miles-per-gallon driving. And the hulking Chevy Suburban gets around 15 miles per gallon. It will be wonderful if more Americans can experience that too — with G.M.-subsidized gas.
Our military is in a war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan with an enemy who is fueled by our gasoline purchases. So we are financing both sides in the war on terror. And what are we doing about that? Not only is GM subsidizing its gas-guzzlers, but not a single member of Congress, liberal or conservative, will stand up and demand what most of them know: that we must have some kind of gasoline tax to compel Americans to buy more fuel-efficient vehicles and to compel Detroit to make them.
Where are the presidential aspirants on this issue? I have yet to hear John McCain, Mitt Romney, George Allen, Al Gore or Hillary Clinton support at least a $3.50 floor price for gasoline, so that it will never fall below that level and the alternatives can really flower and spread.
But if you go to G.M.'s Web site, here's what you will see: an ad with a young African-American boy saluting an American flag, above the following offer for U.S. military personnel: "In appreciation of your commitment to our country, G.M. extends a $500 exclusive offer to active duty military and reserves when you purchase or lease select 2005, 2006 or 2007 G.M. cars, trucks and S.U.V.'s — just show your military ID!"
That's really touching. First G.M. offers a gasoline subsidy so more Americans can get hooked on nine-mile-per-gallon Hummers, and then it offers a discount to the soldiers who have to protect the oil lines to keep G.M.'s gas guzzlers guzzling. Here's a rule of thumb: The more Hummers we have on the road in America, the more military Humvees we will need in the Middle East.
You want to do something patriotic, G.M., Ford and Daimler-Chrysler? Why don't you stop using your diminishing pools of cash to buy votes so Congress will never impose improved mileage standards? That kind of strategy is why Toyota today is worth $198.9 billion and G.M. $15.8 billion. G.M. is worth just slightly more than Harley-Davidson, the motorcycle company ($13.6 billion).
President Bush remarked the other day how agonizingly tough it is for a president to send young Americans to war. Yet, he's ready to do that, but he's not ready to look Detroit or Congress in the eye and demand that we put in place the fuel-efficiency legislation that will weaken the forces of theocracy and autocracy that are killing our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan — because it might cost Republicans votes or campaign contributions.
This whole thing is a travesty. We can't keep asking young Americans to make the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan if we as a society are not ready to make even the most minimal sacrifice to help them.

I recently experienced the frustration and fear of being at the mercy of someone who had a moment of absolute power over me. A police officer, a lieutenant at that, who decided this was his day to take over his little piece of the world. It was sobering. I read about police officers overstepping their authority and causing harm or death to innocent people in the name of their warped sense of justice, I listen as my African-American friends warn their sons not to run from police but politely submit and all will be sorted out later. I watch the accusations of racial profiling and stopping citizens for no apparent reason. I have watched frustrated people fight and argue with police in vain. I have watched it on the street, seen it on TV and read it in the newspapers and magazines, but reading about it and experiencing it is far different I can tell you.

I have always thought myself to be a self aware, savvy and tough New Yorker. I see myself as open minded, fair and forgiving. I naively believe the world around me follows the rules in the same way I do. I have, as a white adult woman, looked at the world as relatively fair. My boyfriend, who is not white, has experienced the world quite differently. I have seen, even himself, during his career as a NYC Police Officer, experience racial profiling and prejudicial treatment from his own fellow officers. I have listened to horrifying stories of his experiences on the job, that if he had not been a Police Officer, would have led to his arrest, injury and yes even once his death. All because of the abuse of power that some Police Officers exercise in the day to day business of living in society. It has always disgusted me. It has always angered me. It has made me pray like a child, for the authority over all those who abuse power so they would learn what their world is like without their authority. It is a fantasy I know, but a fantasy that I am sure many people have prayed for at least once in their lives.

I see now, how awful, how degrading, how dehumanizing it is to experience having to cow tow to an asshole and swallow my pride to preserve my freedom and safety. How easily it would be for an out of control Police Officer to simply write me a summons or worse yet charge me with a crime and arrest me. How helpless and angry I felt having to sit there and allow myself to be castigated and embarrassed, and be forced to apologize to a man who was frightening me and was clearly the aggressor. I suddenly had to urinate. Badly. I felt dirty. I needed a shower. I needed to go home and have a good cry for myself. I wanted to call someone who would come to save me. That mysterious hero who would arrive and save the moment and my honor. But there I sat. Helpless. Frightened. Angry.

It all started as I began my drive home from work. I reached an intersection where there was a vehicle in front of me making a right turn. The vehicle to the left of her was at first making a left, but seeing the traffic, decided at the last moment to go straight, thereby almost colliding with the young lady making the right onto the same street. They untangled themselves and proceeded down the street to the next intersection. Another vehicle and then myself, made the same right onto the same street, behind the two of them. With the light red, the man in the first vehicle, pulled along side the young lady, and began to converse with her, I am assuming, about the incident moments before. The light turned green, the man did not proceed. The light turned red and green again, and he was still holding up traffic. I honked my horn. Nothing. I honked again several times more. And then it happened. The guy, still blocking the traffic, exited his vehicle and stormed back to me, approaching me at my driver’s side window. Road rage. For sure. Believing my immediate safety in jeopardy, I immediately sought to flee, squeezing past him into the bus lane, in an attempt to flee. The guy really frightened me.

Well, two things happened. I apparently tapped him with my side view mirror, and I got stuck at the light before I could make the left turn at the corner. That is when he ran back to his vehicle, turned on all his lights and sirens and ran up to me, NOW wearing his Police Shield around his neck. A lieutenant’s shield at that. After that, nothing I could say or do, no matter how inappropriately he behaved with myself and the young lady before me, I was wrong. I was a criminal. I was in deep trouble. He would not allow me to pull over to the side. We continued to block all traffic behind me. He FORBID me from moving my vehicle. He demanded my i.d.. I showed him my job i.d. card as I am a Govt employee, which he took and walked away with. There was a foot patrol Officer across the street, which by the way, was the one I was trying to get to when this maniac got out of his vehicle to approach me. I was intending to flee for help TO the Police and it turns out I was running FROM the Police. He walked over the Officer, but kept him across the street when he returned with my ID card. He never asked for my license, registration, proof of insurance. Nothing. He yelled and castigated me. He frightened me. He embarrassed me. People were staring. People were stopping. He was standing there with absolute power over my future. I shook, and I apologized. Over and over and over. I took a humble tone of voice, I basically ate shit. A lot of shit. It angered me. My inner voice kept advising me to just take it because if I opened my mouth as my personality dictates, I would now be spending the long holiday weekend at Riker’s Island. He would be spending the long holiday weekend laughing at me while eating his BBQ chicken and drinking his cold beer. I did not try to obtain his identity or the command he works from, because that wise inner voice of mine said that requesting that from this maniac would have surely been my undoing. I never found out his name. A lieutenant’s shield does not display a shield number. He knew me. I did not know him. I was in no position to find out either. No report was filed, no official action was taken. A “courtesy” given to certain other agencies in city government. Otherwise I would have been arrested. I was however told, as a parting remark, that this man would notify my supervisors at my employment the following day. I was finally allowed to leave the scene.

Now for the “crime” of honking my horn at some guy blocking the flow of traffic, as he gave another driver a hard time, I was nearly arrested by a guy who turns out to be driving an unmarked police vehicle, driving in street clothes without anything identifying himself as a police officer. Honking my horn when the light turned green, red and green again while he continued to give that other driver a hard time for whatever he perceived as an offense to him, was enough for a trained police officer, a lieutenant, to lose his temper, exit his vehicle and storm over to my vehicle. I thought it was a case of road rage. I thought I was in danger. He did not identify himself or his vehicle. I tried to protect my safety by fleeing. If this officer was angered by what he perceived as bad drivers, then he should have taken official action and identified himself and his vehicle. He should have followed PROPER procedures in pulling the first vehicle over. He should not have blocked the lanes of traffic and especially during the rush hour, because of his selfish need to exert his power over the rest of us. Either drive as an anonymous citizen of this city with all the rules of the road, or identify yourself. A police officer should not be allowed to show himself covertly to the citizens he serves, when he gets a little pissed off in traffic.

I am fortunate in that I have the limited protection of “professional courtesy”. I am extremely fortunate. But had I not had this protection, I would have surely been arrested by a man who was clearly in the wrong, but by authority of his employment, held the power of life and death over my future. It is a frightening thought. So many, so many, have lost their freedom, their safety and their lives to hot tempered, unqualified and unstable Police Officers. In a city that is home to 13 million people from hundreds of countries speaking hundreds of languages, our men and women in law enforcement are extremely lacking in understanding and dealing with the demands of their jobs. Most come from and live outside the city, many have had no experience with the many cultures this city comprises. Many have no desire to understand or assimilate. Many are bigots. Many are unstable. Yet we give them a gun and shield and absolute authority over the citizens of this city, and hope they will serve with honesty and dignity. They have a difficult and dangerous job. No one denies or doubts this. But they CHOOSE to take on this job, and along with it the responsibilities and requirements that come with serving the citizens of this city. It is not carte blanche to run through this city doing as they please to whomever they please without fear of punishment or reprisal.

This was sent to me via email today. I thought I'd share it with all of you. Have a wonderful day and God Bless.

 

A minister passing through his church in the middle of the day, decided to pause by the altar and see who had come to pray.

Just then the back door opened, a man came down the aisle, the minister frowned as he saw the man hadn't shaved in a while. His shirt was kind of shabby and his coat was worn and frayed, the man knelt, he bowed his head, then rose and walked away. In the days that followed, each noon time came this chap, each time he knelt just for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap. Well, the minister's suspicions grew, with robbery a main fear, he decided to stop the man and ask him, "What are you doing here?" The old man said, he worked down the road. Lunch was half an hour. Lunchtime was his prayer time, for finding strength and power. "I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away; as I kneel here talking to the Lord, this is kinda what I say:"

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD, HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY. SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN TODAY."

The minister feeling foolish, told Jim, that was fine. He told the man he was welcome to come and pray just anytime. Time to go, Jim smiled and said "Thanks". He hurried to the door. The minister knelt at the altar, he'd never done it before. His cold heart melted, warmed with love, and met with Jesus there. As the tears flowed, in his heart, he repeated old Jim's prayer:

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU , LORD, HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHER'S FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY. SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY."

Past noon one day, the minister noticed that old Jim hadn't come. As more days passed without Jim, he began to worry some. At the factory, he asked about him, learning he was ill.

The hospital staff was worried, but he'd given them a thrill. The week that Jim was with them, brought changes in the ward. His smiles, a joy contagious, changed people, his reward.

The head nurse couldn't understand why Jim was so glad, when no flowers, calls or cards came, not a visitor he had. The minister stayed by his bed, he voiced the nurse's concern: No friends came to show they cared, he had nowhere to turn. Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile; "the nurse is wrong, she couldn't know, that in here all the while, everyday at noon He's here, a dear friend of mine, you see, He sits right down, takes my  hand, leans over and says to me:"

"I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, JIM, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN. ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY, I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY, AND SO, JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN TODAY."

If this blesses you, pass it on. Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. May God hold you in the palm of His hand and Angels watch over you. But those of us who are already His, He not only holds us in the palm of His hand, but has engraved our names there, and we are continually in His sight (Isaiah 49:16)

Please pass this on to your friends and loved ones. If you aren't ashamed. Jesus said, "If you are ashamed of me, I will be ashamed of you before my Father." If you are not ashamed, pass this on. But only if you mean it. Yes, I do love God. He is my source of existence and Savior. He keeps me functioning each and every day. Without Him, I will be nothing. Without Him, I am nothing but with Him "I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)

Anonymous

 

 

 

The 16yr old nephew of a coworker of mine was gunned down outside a local deli the other night. This young man, an honor student, 2yrs ahead in school, a computer genius with a bright future lost his life senselessly. He was getting soda and chips on the way to play basketball with his friends.

Not that it mattered whether this child was an honor student or not, don't get me wrong, that is not the point. He was his mother's son. A life is a life. All life is precious, and the senseless violent taking of any life is a tragedy, no matter what.

It seems, according to what the TV and papers have put together, that this young man was with his friend when his friend was robbed of a leather jacket. The father of this friend, apparently confronted the people who he believed to have stolen the jacket, possibly gang members and engaged in a heated argument days before. It seems this shooting may have been in retaliation for the confrontation. It is unclear whether this is in fact the story, and also whether this young man was the intended target or just a case of mistaken identity. But the bottom line was that this bright, beautiful child was taken from his mother by an act of senseless violence. A violence that is all too common in the housing projects within the City of New York. Senseless.

I remember when disputes were settled in a much less violent manner. When we as youths, would just go outside and fight. You win sometimes, you lose sometimes, but in the end, the fight was over and everyone moved on. The loser did not come back with a gun and kill the winner. Young men and women did not pull out guns and knives and shoot and stab each other without regard for the taking of a life. People did not get shot for having looked at the wrong person in a way that they perceived as a threat, or for stepping on a foot or bumping into someone accidentally. People did not get shot or killed over schoolyard infractions or wearing the wrong color to school. What has happened to our children? When did they become so desensitized? When did life become so cheap and expendable?

It became huge topic of discussion at my job these past couple of days. What do you do in a situation like that? Do you fight when your property is being demanded from thugs in the street? Do you give it up? Do you fight for your child's property? Do you tell yourself, no. I will not confront them. My child is safe. I will not risk his/her safety over a jacket or IPod. Some have said yes. Let them have the property, it is better to give up the material then lose a life.

But then others have said absolutely no. Fight. Don't let them take over. Because if you allow them to rob you, then after that what is next? Rape, murder? We must stop them, and if someone gets killed fighting for their quality of life, then it is collateral damage. Because we have to show the thugs and gangs that that is not tolerated in civilized society. I have a coworker that said if that was her child, she would march right down and confront the dirt bags and demand his jacket. If his friend gets killed in retaliation, then so be it. She went on to say that the fault is not hers for standing up to the thieves, but it is the murdering thieves who killed him. It is the fault of the police for not making the neighborhood safe. She would do it everytime because she works too hard to let some thug come and take what belongs to her.

The police are outnumbered. The gangs know this. The people who live in the projects and neighborhoods with them also know this. They know that "snitching" can be a death sentence. There can be 100 people standing and watching someone gunned down, yet no one saw what happened. The police do fight a sometimes losing battle and always an uphill one. It is not easy to stay safe. It is not easy to keep your child safe.

Yet many people live their whole lives in public housing. They raise families and live quiet law abiding lives and raise honest hardworking and successful children. It is not all bad. Yet the danger exists, and the odds are higher that you will be a victim of violence living in public housing than anywhere else in the city.

Now I am a fighter. I acknowledge that I can at times be combative. I have confronted (not violently mind you) that which I believe is unjust. I have stepped in without thinking first and fought those fights which I had no business butting into. It is my nature at times to fight other people's battles. It has gotten me in trouble more than once. It has cost me at work and outside of the workplace. And I will more than likely do it over and over again until the day I die. So I cannot judge those that fight the unpopular fight. But I hesitate when my instincts tell me that someone is dangerous. I can be intimidated easily at times. I do not respond well to bullies. My defense at times is to shut down, tune out and "erase" that person or persons from existence. I ignore. I turn the other cheek so to speak. It is an offense that is also a good defense. My temper is bad, so rather than lose it and get myself into a bad or worse situation, I retreat. I have been wrongly perceived as a coward when I am actually in self preservation mode. Sometimes it makes it worse, sometimes it defuses a bad situation.

So what would you do? Would you fight? Would you retreat? Would you report the crime to the police? Would you stay silent? Would you stand up? Would you get involved? What would you teach your child? What do you think?

My heart and prayers go out to this young man's family as they bury their precious child this weekend. May he rest in peace in God's love and everlasting Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.

Must..... have ......Donuts.......

 

Okay Coppers....... hand over those Donuts or i'll shoot see!!