[V8] Gasoline Rant (con't)

[michael.a.flynn@us.army.mil]

I like Brads idea of the 50/50 mix, easy on the wallet but the car wont get far, LOL.
But I want to tell you, we are blowing 6 BILLION a week over there plus the lives of many good people. (My SSG was KIA 30 feet from me last Nov, took me 4 hours just to recover his body) and they cant even get their own oil. The MOI (ministry of oil) is so corrupt they make the Teemsters look like girlscouts. (no offense, to the Teemsters, or the girlscouts:-)

Not only can they not get gas but Kerosene, which they use to try to stay warm. It gets very cold there. LP, which is what the ones who are rich enough to afford a stove to cook on use to heat the food. Oh, dont get me wrong, one can buy it but at 800 to 1200% markup over what the government rate is. So many people stay cold, and eat less then warm food. Unless its summer, and few very few have A/C. I have seen some in the cities with generators and such, but most of the time they are former Saddam big wigs, or are in the corrupt system. Ok, now lets talk about gas(Benzene). Is of a grade that would have the feds at your door if you even tried to burn leaves in your yard with it. Gas can only be sold on certain days, and with AK carrying security and pistol packing pumpers. Folks take vehicles and convert them into rolling fuel tanks and buy up to 250 gallons (makes a great VBIED as well) thats what we call rolling bombs. Then they sell the gas to others who cant make it to 
the government gas station for a, shall we say small profit? From 20 dinar (cost) to 300 (markup)dinar Per gallon
. Nice, bone your neighbor. And the nice part I forgot to mention, if you don't line up the day before you wont get any. So you get in line Sat morning about 0800, wait all day in 130 degree heat, have your kid ride his bike to bring me a meal Sat night, try to sleep in the car with out someone steeling the tires off it. Don't laugh it happens. The when your car runs out of gas you have to push it on Sunday morning the 2 miles or so that the line extends. Then you have to push it around the car whos driver died or was killed, and thats happens too. You cant push the car out of the way due to the tires being stolen while the guy was dying, and the police may show up at some point but by that time you are a mile ahead. You can see the pumps, but it is a mass of cars and yelling and confusion, so you take the extra money you needed to by food for your kids and use it to give to the security man (who's there for your safety) to let you in ahead of the guy waiving a crow bar at y
ou. And of course the guy at the pump tells you that the nozzle is having a problem but for a few dinar he can work on it. Gee it worked for the last 750 cars and now it's broke? Oh, here is some more dinar, praise Allah. it works! 36 hours later you have a full tank. You are happy, you have a smile, your family will adore you when you and your dust cloud arrives at the mud brick house. But alas is too good to be true, in your happiness you didn't notice the road block that was not their 2 days before. As you start to slow down, the 19 year old PFC from Alabama who has had you in the sight of his SAW for the last 400 meters opens up, cause he can. And while you are face down on the ground you see steam coming from the radiator and worse, gas running all over the road. Then you get drug away, just in case it blows. So there you are no gas, no car, no money, hungry and tired and have to try to explain to someone who doesnt like you and cant speak your language that you were not
 trying to kill him, you just didn't see him.

So we don't have it so bad do we? The hundreds of billions we lost and continue to lose there will never be recovered, nor will the lives lost. Plus we will end up paying them inflated prices on the oil they pump using the equipment and technology we provided them. Do something about it, email write or call your elected-type person and tell them how you feel about it all. 3.50 to 4.00 per gallon here is too much overnight. We know its coming, but not like this.
Audi content: I did see a new A8 over there, was a mess, had a broken out right tail light and 4 very unfriendly, dirty and rough looking Americans who were military but not wearing uniforms. They did not consent to any pictures.