Mike & Friends Blog
Cindy Sheehan
Cindy Sheehan's oldest child Casey was killed in Iraq on April 4th, 2004. Since then she has been on a mission to end the wars and hold George W. Bush accountable
You'll Pry My Car Out of my Cold, Dead Hands
The scope of the tragedy of the undersea oil gusher in the Gulf of Mexico is shocking. Please don’t call it a “spill” the gash in our Mother Earth is literally hemorrhaging oily death-blood.
British Petroleum, the company who owns the offshore well, gave “liberally” to candidates in the 2008 election cycle, with the largest donor receiving $71,000 for his campaign — Barack Obama.
We should scream bloody-murder about BP and boycott them straight to bankruptcy. Additionally, the company that everyone on the “left” loves to hate: Halliburton probably shares a majority of the blame for this catastrophe of biblical proportions, too.
BP and Halliburton should be forced to pay for the clean up and all the future disaster, but will their tools in Congress make them do that? Will the courts force them to pay for their crimes against the planet? Has Exxon had to pay fairly for its crimes when the Valdez crashed and burned in Alaska? It’s been over 21 years since that calamity and Exxon has paid only two-billion in cleanup and a paltry one-billion for damages — a figure that was slashed by a District Court and the Supremely Corporatist court from the original five-billion dollar award. And the cleanup and adverse affects from the Valdez disaster continue until today.
This world is addicted to the death-blood of fossil fuels. Big wars and little wars are being waged all over the world for this “black gold.” Here in the U.S it’s no different, and probably even worse than other parts of the world.
I don’t own a car myself, but each one of us uses fossil fuel products to some extent or another. Fossil fuels can be found in everything from paper to clothing — and the ubiquitous plastic that is found everywhere and in almost every manufactured thing.
You know one of the major reasons we are addicted to war in this country is because we are addicted to petroleum. Our cars are precious (Freudian?) extensions of ourselves and their use is encouraged by the relative cheapness of gas — the average price for a gallon of gas is about 50 cents lower than a gallon of milk.
We can sign petitions to demand that offshore drilling leases be terminated or not granted, but the oil companies own our government in large part. What can we do besides taking the profoundly simple and effortless step of signing a petition? We can become more responsible for this planet and the future of ALL life on it.
No matter how much, or little, petroleum is in our life, we can reduce that figure. Here are some steps that we can take — I remember some of these from the “energy crisis” during the Carter Administration.
1) BOYCOTT BP AND ALL OF ITS PRODUCTS AND SUBSIDIARIES.
2) DRIVE YOUR MAYHEM-O-BILE LESS.
3) USE LESS PETROLEUM PRODUCTS FROM ANY COMPANY.
4) WALK, BIKE, OR USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
5) WALK OR BIKE TO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.
6) USE LESS ELECTRICITY.
7) IF YOU HAVE TO BUY GAS, TRY TO BUY FROM CITGO.
8) INVESTIGATE PRODUCTS MADE FROM HEMP OR OTHER ALTERNATIVES TO PETROLEUM.
9) BUY LOCALLY GROWN PRODUCE AT FARMER’S MARKETS.
10) DON’T STOP PROTESTING THE OIL WARS.
11) SELL YOUR DINO-CAR.
Even though we are propagandized through the media and Madison Avenue, most of us are not wholly owned subsidiaries of the corporations, yet.
These steps will take a little more effort than signing a petition, or calling your Congress criminal, but these steps are urgent to overcome the stranglehold Big Oil has on our government and our lives.
The U.S. Military Industrial Complex is the world’s number one user of fossil fuel and our efforts can but make a tiny dent — but as I like to say: “How does one eat an elephant?”
One bite at a time.
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Mike's Blog
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June 5th, 2013
Here's How We Built a Movie Theater for the People – and Why the MPAA Says It's #1 in the World
This past week, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the main federation of Hollywood's six major studios, posted on their web site a list of what they believe ...
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March 23rd, 2013
This evening is going be a big moment in turning our country around on the issue of gun violence. That's why I desperately want you ...
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March 21st, 2013
I am hosting a nationwide series of house parties this Saturday night where tens of thousands of people will gather together in living rooms to ...
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March 15th, 2013
The response to my Newtown letter this week has been overwhelming. It is so very clear to everyone that the majority of Americans have had ...
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March 13th, 2013
America, You Must Not Look Away (How to Finish Off the NRA)
The year was 1955. Emmett Till was a young African American boy from Chicago visiting relatives in Mississippi. One day Emmett was seen "flirting" with ...
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February 26th, 2013
My Final Word on Buzzfeed and Emad Burnat's Detention at LAX
Thanks to everyone for bearing with me as I spend so much time on what happened to Emad Burnat. It's important to me because he's ...
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February 26th, 2013
Michael Moore Responds to Buzzfeed Story on '5 Broken Cameras' Co-Director Emad Burnat
On Tuesday, February 19th, Emad Burnat, the Palestianian co-director of the Oscar-nominated documentary '5 Broken Cameras,' was detained with his wife and son at Los ...
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September 11th, 2010
If the 'Mosque' Isn't Built, This Is No Longer America
OpenMike 9/11/10 Michael Moore's daily blog I am opposed to the building of the "mosque" two blocks from Ground Zero. I want it built on ...
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December 14th, 2010
Why I'm Posting Bail Money for Julian Assange
Yesterday, in the Westminster Magistrates Court in London, the lawyers for WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange presented to the judge a document from me stating that ...
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May 12th, 2011
Some Final Thoughts on the Death of Osama bin Laden
"The Nazis killed tens of MILLIONS. They got a trial. Why? Because we're not like them. We're Americans. We roll different." – Michael Moore in ...
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November 22nd, 2011
Where Does Occupy Wall Street Go From Here?
This past weekend I participated in a four-hour meeting of Occupy Wall Street activists whose job it is to come up with the vision and ...
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September 22nd, 2011
A STATEMENT FROM MICHAEL MOORE ON THE EXECUTION OF TROY DAVIS
I encourage everyone I know to never travel to Georgia, never buy anything made in Georgia, to never do business in Georgia. I will ask ...
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December 16th, 2010
Dear Swedish Government: Hi there -- or as you all say, Hallå! You know, all of us here in the U.S. love your country. Your ...
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November 2nd, 2010
This letter contains (almost) no criticisms of how the Democrats have brought this day of reckoning upon themselves. That -- and where to go from ...
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