Today was National Bike to Work Day. I rode as I do 3 to 4 times per week. In light of the recent admissions by our Fearless Leader on how he has stopped playing golf, it was the least I could do. There are many reasons why I ride: money saved from gas, health benefits, time saved (I get a 1 hour ride, but it only costs my family ½ hour), mental health benefits (My ride makes me easier to get along with). All of these are good reasons to ride, but that is not what got me on my bike today. At 7:30 am, it was raining hard in Bedford, PA, but my thoughts were not on the cold, or the wet, or the wind. Rather, they were on our fine men and women lugging 100+ lb packs in 100 degree heat fighting this Godforsaken War for Oil.
It was a small act. I have no illusions to the contrary. But, it was a positive act. Throughout the ride, I thought much of our men and women fighting in Iraq. I thought of the courage that they must find in themselves to carry out their duties in the face of roadside bombs, suicide bombers, and endless deployments. I thought of the courage their loved ones must find on a daily basis. Mothers, Fathers, sons, daughters, cousins, aunts and uncles—these people, the soldiers and their loved ones, are making the supreme sacrifice so that we can fill our cars up with gas. George Bush's sacrifice? He quit playing golf. Atta Boy!
I have no idea how my opponent, Bill Shuster, spent the day, but I do know that yesterday he voted against the GI Bill for Veterans and ending the Iraq War in 2009. What a guy! That is the way to support the troops! Oh yeah, he also recently put out a piece of literature that claims that the US has plenty of oil to run 60 million cars for the next 60 years. Oh really, I wonder if he knows that world oil production peaked in the fall of 2005? I wonder if that has something to do with the present record high oil prices?
Sorry about that. I was starting to rant. The truth is that this country is in a bad spot. This is a hole that we are not going to drill ourselves out of (Actually, drilling is a bad way to get yourself out of any hole). Rather, we are going to have use those good ol' American qualities—ingenuity and elbow grease. Our current leaders, Bush and Shuster, aren't real big on either. That is why it is time to get rid of them.
I believe that we can solve our problems: the conditions that led us to declare War on a country that was not threatening us (aka Peak Oil), global climate change, and globalization BY creating good jobs here in Central PA and the US. I know this may sound like a whole lot of snake oil, but it's not. The snake oil has been Bushenomics. I don't peddle snake oil; I won't claim that this process is going to be easy. It is going to take work, sacrifice, and ingenuity.
This may sound like a bitter pill to some, but I disagree. There is a funny side effect that occurs when people start working hard and sacrificing for the common good. Like Charley Daniels noted "...They're walkin' real proud/ and Talkin' real loud/ Again/ In America..." Toss in the fact that we will start using our brains again to create, not scam, and we have a full fledged Rebirth on our hands.
So, I might have had a chip on my shoulder when I got on my bike this morning, but I also had a smile on my face. The time has come to take our country back. Me, I'm advancing on my bike. Many small acts result in one huge ACT. Join me! You can find out more about my campaign at http://www.tonybarr2008.com Like Freddie Mercury sang, "Get on your bikes and RIDE!"