Where I grew up on the Great Lakes, lamprey eels attached themselves with rows of teeth angled backward toward their gullets… attached themselves to large fish, feeding off their innards for days or weeks until the fish died. Then on to the next big fish.
Most of the world’s four-wheeled and 6 and 8 and 10 and 18 wheels’ nations are the big fish.
The Lampreys? You decide.
As I understand it– and trying to pry out the actual facts is like playing ‘the three walnut shells and one pea’ game with a con guy up near the wholesale district– less than 1 percent of crude oil production has been disrupted during the Libyan conflicts in the last many weeks. But, crude oil futures have been said to have spiked way beyond that meager 1%.
It’s said that ‘futures’ have puffed up 20 percent during the time that Libya’s lying, cheating, stealing dictator has been defending his wilted throne against ‘drug infested terrorists on LSD and crack cocaine.’
Meanwhile, gas prices in the US have climbed 50 to 70 to 80 cents, in the past two weeks: totting up in some parts of the country an additional two bits to 34 cents.
The blame game’s started. Finger pointing: India. China. Big users. Eu. US, Central and So America. The whole world. Pretty much.
Others blame speculators who have weak bladders, who are ‘askeered’ of unrest in the middle East. Like when would one not be concerned about unrest in the middle East in the last 3000 years.
Others say it is those greedy (fill in the blank with the latest weekly graft behemoth with unending stomach pangs) whoevers. Others say it is those rich cats with the diamond claws who insist on riding around in their personal metal thrones.
Meanwhile, I see a mom with an infant in arms, and her three little kids struggling through the fog and snow today, laden with grocery bags. The wind is so cold. I stop. Pile them into my truck. Take them home. Not far. There’s a car in the driveway. It works. They havent enough money for gas and for food. Both. One or the other.
What gets lost is more than cheap fuel. And it isnt even a ‘what.’ It’s a who. Many many souls struggling. While others blame the blamers and the blamers blame the blame-ees back.
On the Great Lakes they’ve built many low plate dams that allow the fish and the water to flow fast through them, but the lampreys which are poor swimmers, cannot keep up, and languish. That’s likely part of the solution about many things. Dont let the blood and gut suckers in to begin with.
Damage control before the fact. Rather than after.