Every day I get up, look at the newspaper and see more and more stories about how the American people are becoming weary and disenchanted with the war in Iraq.  Are the American people going to turn this into another Vietnam?

You see, regardless of your personal stance on the war today, when it started, the vast majority of American people were for it.  Yes, the intelligence was flawed upon which our decision was made, but it wasn't only our intelligence, but also the British and Isreali intelligence information.  Doesn't make it an easier pill to swallow, but how many times in our own lives, with no pressure, have we made a decision which future developments and information prove to be wrong?  I'm definitely not saying we should follow whatever the politicians say blindly, but we also have to take our part of the responsibility in this.  Afterall, we did re-elect President Bush DURING the conflict!

So what does this have to do with Vietnam?  Everything!  If you talk to the troops who where in Vietnam (not the hippies over here) you might be surprised to find that very very few of them resented going.  What they resented was being sent into a war and not being ALLOWED to win it!  Without public support of our troops, the political support goes, and so does any ability to allow our troops to finish the job and come home.  But how many Americans have the fortitude today to actually do what it takes to end this?  War isn't supposed to be pretty, it's not supposed to be a bunch of neat, clean, tidy (if somewhat grainy) laser-guided video clips of bombs hitting empty buildings.  It's dangerous, it's bloody, it's heart-wrenching agony! 

This is not to say that I personally believe how the military is being used currently in Iraq is correct.  The US Military is NOT a "peace-keeping" force.  It specializes in coming in, kicking A$$, and taking over or coming home.  We knew from the beginning the goal wasn't to "take over" Iraq (as we did with Japan at the end of WWII)...  So let them finish the job and get home!  But that is a choice the American people will make, by their support or lack there of. 

If you don't support the war in Iraq politically, fine!  The election is in Nov. 2007 and we elect someone else.  If you really abhor the war, change the protests to "Impeach Bush" or whatever!  But coming from someone with both friends and family over there, support our troops and let them finish their job!  We asked them to do it, let's not ask them to relive Vietnam by not allowing them to finish it!

Alright, this is becoming a major pet peeve of mine, and the reason that identity theft has become not only possible but relatively prevelant.

You see, I spent the last eight or so years out of the "system" of state issued ID's.  No big deal, just basically meant I couldn't drive.  Hey, no car payment or insurance payments, so I wasn't complaining a whole heck of alot.  But when I decided to try and get back into the "system", I found a very interesting facet of disorganized government...

I DIDN'T EXIST!

Literally, I found myself in a never ending loop of needing a bank account to get a state issued ID or driver's license, and needing the ID to get a bank account...  Not so much to worry about right?  I mean, come on, how many people are going to be without a bank account or driver's license for that long?  While that may be true, it did get me thinking.

The Federal government bases all of it's identification on social security numbers.  It's what we pay taxes by and everything else.  Doesn't have a picture or anything else, just a number.  Unfortunately, what is acceptable to the feds doesn't float with most state governments.  Hmmm, maybe because the states are more interested in making money?  Don't know... don't care!

What I do know is, as a resolution to the problem I was having, a nice manager at my local Registry of Motor Vehicles advised me to go find a crooked bank employee and they would set me up with an account (without ID mind you) and that would satisfy the RMV's requirements.  So basically, a paper pushers requirements now supercede Federal Law...  Interesting!

But let's actually look at this...  If I was so inclined to do so, wouldn't it have been possible to find the same bank employee, set up an account under a complete fictious name, and STILL meet the RMV's requirements?  Hmmm...  and people wonder how ID theft happens!  It's called a system of identification that is now so convoluted and dependent upon "non-official" (or illegal) forms of identification that in truth it identifies no one anymore as a specific person!

Let's see here, King Fahd died, maybe now we can inject a little sense into our economy again!  And maybe a little sense in our society!

You think he didn't control it?  You don't even know who the man was?  Well, he was the King of Saudi Arabia, and also by luck, one of the most influential people of OPEC.  No, I'm not about to get into a rant about how the Middle East dictates a large portion of our economy over here and are an evil and plight upon the face of the Earth.

I will say this, though.  Oil is one of the few products that doesn't have it's price set by the old economic principle of "supply and demand".  In fact, it is the only product that the US Government allows anyone to "price fix".  We drove the steel industry out of this country by not allowing them to fix the price, leaving it up to "fair market value".  Why are we allowing OPEC to do the opposite?

Maybe it's because the Middle East is the largest oil producing region on the globe.  I would believe that if it were the ONLY one, but it's not. 

Hey, here's an idea...  We have the strongest economy in the world, and while I don't generally agree with any country strong arming another, I do believe in the ideals of "fair market value" and "supply and demand".  So, instead of allowing OPEC to artificially set the supply in order to get higher prices, why not work the equation from the opposite end.  We pay $45 a barrel, they supply enough to meet their economic needs!  Maybe then we can see gas prices back under $1.75 a gallon!

Oh, but wait, can't be doing that, because then we don't have enough oil for the gas, right?  WRONG!  The funny thing in all of this is that it is all a perception issue on where the power lies.  Never before has our economy been beholden to a supply issue.  OPEC seems to have forgotten, and wants us to forget, that in a free market, it's the consumer with the power, not the supplier.  If we are willing to let the oil they so graciously limit the supply on SIT, without buying it....

hmmm But maybe that idea won't work after all!  You see, it might mean that our cars would have to stay in the garage if we wanted to go to the store half mile away.  What becomes of the diet industry?  Without our lazy habits, and our refusal to walk anywhere, that would collapse, and then what becomes of the Atkins legacy?  Oh yeah, it ends up in bankruptcy court!  What a shame!