I was just reading through my daily emails and one of the inspirational newsletters I get was doing a compare and contrast to the hoodlums of The San Fransisco Earthquake/Fire of 1906 and of Katrina from last week. The common denominator being that the folks that lost their minds came from poor areas. That was interesting in and of itself but then the cleric who writes these newsletters started in on the gas companies and took them to task for raising gas prices. This is the first time I can remember him going after any group of folks like this.

From “Watch the Hoodlums,” A Mountain Wings Original.

Perhaps the real disaster was neither Katrina nor the earthquake.
It was the conditions that created such neighborhoods in the
first place while all around them was excessive wealth.

Perhaps that is the real disaster, and perhaps the real hoodlums
don’t live in poor neighborhoods. The real hoodlums don’t use
ghetto guns. They don’t shoot at helicopters; they own them.

There is nothing wrong with being rich. But there is something
wrong with getting richer and exploiting others to make yourself
wealthier beyond what you will ever need or spend.

Tell me if you don’t feel robbed when you fill up your car.

Tell me if you don’t feel robbed when you get your heating bill
this winter and it is double the high bills of last year.

Tell me if you don’t feel robbed when you can’t afford the gas
to get to work or to take your child to baseball practice.

If you can’t afford the gas to get to work, guess which
neighborhood you are headed to?

While you were watching people wade down the street with a few
purloined items, did you notice that YOUR wallet was much lighter?

A real good pickpocket takes your money, and you don’t realize
he’s got it.

It’s called the art of distraction.

So sit back in your easy chair and watch the hoodlums.

I saw O’Reilly foaming at the mouth about this the other night but I’m not sure anyone’s really paying attention to him anymore, but when a man who normally spends his days writing inspirational bits to brighten your day turns his guns on you, I’m thinkin’ that perhaps the Oil Companies need to start paying attention.