If you're still burning al-Qaeda Juice in your Flivver, do yourself a favor and ONLY buy Citgo Gasoline. Citgo again this year is helping poor New Englanders with Heating Fuel discounts. Citgo is owned by Venezuela, with refineries in texas. Friday, Exxon-Mobil filed a lawsuit in some court to freeze Venezuela's assets in this country. With the Political and Monetary clout that Exxon wields, this Kangaroo Court sided with them and froze $12 billion. Venezuela responded by cutting off Exxon-Mobil from their Oil sales.

So let's think this through. A multi-national Corporation (the same corporation that convinced Darth Cheney to commit our troops to the former Nation of Iraq), in a Captitalist Nation is suing a Socialist Nation for the Socialist Nation's resources. How does that make sense? When Hugo Nationalized their Oil, how does it matter what a Capitalist thinks, since the Nation is Socialist (Democratic Socialist i.e.)? How will this affect you and I? The price at the pump will go up. But only at Exxon stations, right? Wrong! They all look out for each other, and all will follow lead. So how and why does our Judicial System have any reason at all to consider this case? Didn't W say that he's against frivolous lawsuits? So, if it's one of his buddies, the lawsuit is not frivolous.

Corporations hi-jacked the Constitution back in the 1880's alluding to the 14th amendment. They achieved the legal fiction of Corporate Personhood. Maybe it's time Obama offer to amend the 14th amendment. Merely add Section 6 "Corporations are NOT People, and therefore are not protected by the US Contitution." In Today's environment, I'd think this amendment would pass with huge public support.

County mayor gives state of the county message

"There's a mind-set that business here is done by good old boys in dark, smoke-filled back rooms, and it's going to take a while for us to change that, but we're trying to make government as open and transparent as possible.

"Openness drives accountability and we're going to keep it open and look for ways to make it more open."

Mayor Cunningham gave his "state of the county" remarks to 50 members of the Blount County Chamber of Commerce. The guy is tone deaf when it comes to politics, and it overshadows what was an otherwise favorable report.

(I do find it curious that he seems to be satisfied with Blount County school performance as compared to Maryville and Alcoa. But the Mayor appears to measure it in terms of bond ratings rather than achievement, graduation rates, and the like.)