Future Shock Now Realized

Finally attaining a day off after 10 straight days of working in the hot sun, I spent most of my time in front of "this" damned machine - my computer. One thing that relentlessly caught my ear and eye was the latest "hype" emanating from "the media" regarding the next high water mark for gas and oil. Though I've heard rumblings and mumblings of this for weeks, it was made "official" today by a number of economists "in the know". This proclamation announced that gas will likely hit $7 a gallon in the not so distant future. Here's a link to the report:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90277453

Naturally, the price for oil surged to yet another all time record high after this new "prophesy" which sadly and assuredly, will ultimately become self fulfilling for the market speculators and other such ilk who care nil for you, me, or most anyone outside their "bottom line". I don't buy into this manufactured crisis for an instant. Do a little investigating and you will quickly discover that the whole sham-scam reeks of pure artifice. As for the cries about China and India demanding more oil, someone needs to tell corporate America to *STOP* sending our manufacturing infrastructure to those places of which is assuredly helping to enable their respective ever increasing "appetite" for oil and such.

I personally have no qualms about any nation coming into its own and establishing itself as a world power - just as long as it is not at the expense of another. American jobs are being outsourced by the score to these places which obviously costs American citizens job prospects and diminished quality of life. If China, India, or any other "recipient" of the outsourcing of American industry wants to improve their lot, let them build their own infrastructures and cull the wealth from such efforts - NOT at the loss of and to the detriment of The United States and its people.

I am not a xenophobic, nationalistic sort of guy. But in this case, I definitely will step up to the soap box and speak up. Somehow, I don't think China and India would be as willing to "redistribute the wealth" of the respective fruits of their countries' labors if the shoe were on the other foot. That is unless, the corporate elites in their countries were looking for a better deal here if such conditions were present. Like Susan Powter once said, "Stop The Insanity!"

With such dire portents in mind, I managed an exercise bike jaunt of a number of miles to the northern edge of town. I found myself at the newly constructed seawall in the Anglesea section of The Wildwoods. Climbing the wall to get a pristine nighttime view, I was treated to a panorama of soothing surf and distant lights on the horizon. While taking this in, I had my MP3 player on and a long forgotten tune popped up of which I loaded onto it. It's an old more obscure Bruce Hornsby & The Range song that charted exactly 20 years ago this summer titled "Look Out Any Window". I recall buying the cd this tune originated from and taking a liking to it. However, I never really delved into the lyrics too deeply until tonight. I would have to say this song is pretty prescient, foretelling the world to come as well as what already was taking root. It's not a grandiose song, but a good one. Here's a sampling of the lyrics:

Bruce Hornsby & the Range - "Look Out Any Window"

There's a man working in a field
Sees the rain and it's burning.
He's saying this can't be real
As he sees the color of the fields turning.
Far away, the men too busy getting rich to care
Close their eyes and let it all out into the air
Hoping nobody else would care

Look out any window
Look out any open door
Look out any window
See what's going on in the world around you

There's a man working on a boat
Pulling lines from the water
Just trying to stay afloat
Filling the nets is getting harder
Far away, they bend the rules so secretly
Close their eyes and let it all out into the sea
Hoping nobody else would see

Look out any window
Look out any open door
Look out any window
See what's going on in the air around you

Far away too many leaders let them get their way
Close their eyes and let it all out into the bay
Say they'll clear it up another day

Look out any window
Look out any open door
Look out any window
See that's going on in the air around you

Look out
Look out for the big boys telling you everything they're gonna do
Look out
Look out for the fat cat builder man turning this into a waste land
Look out
Look out for the back room boys that say the smoke is gonna blow away
Look out
Look out for the men who say it's okay sitting in a building far away

It seems that there's more real news in that 20 year old song than in most media sources as of late. And somehow, I am not at all surprised.