Doug's alternative BS

[Terrance]

Doug Millison wrote:
> 
> http://www.tompaine.com/news/2001/10/11/index.html

AND 

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2001/09/26/MN70983.DTL

Example of why Doug should stop posting as he does. 

Both of these essays on oil are total BS. Why post them here? I
understand that Doug doesn't know a  an oil future from the GDP. That's
OK. But it's no excuse for turning  this forum into an alternative news
program and insulting us, the listeners. 

We don't want this sort of crap to set the tone and dominate the
discussion here. 
None of us wants this. We are not hiding our heads in the sand. We are
not, for the most part, experts in geo-politics, or oil, or terrorism,
or media.  And obviously, neither is Doug. Even if he knows a lot about
the Press and the Media, he's not doing us any favors by forwarding 
half the articles he reads everyday to the Pynchon list. Imagine if we
all did this? We are all big readers and we know where to find articles. 

  We can surely discuss these things, but we are here to talk Pynchon.
We may not be experts on Pynchon either,  but at least this is what we
agreed to discuss when we subscribed. And we have common texts. The
Pynchon texts. These are what we have all agreed to read and discuss.
Not Doug's crap. It is sad. Many of us agree with Doug's politics. Many
find the causes he champions worthy ones. But we don't want it shot down
our throats by Doug Millison. And we surely do not have to sit back and
permit him to dominate the list with his political ranting. This is the
Pynchon list. P Y N C H O N

Today Doug posted a passage from GR. He posted an essay with it. I
replied. 
But he rarely explains why he has posted a link or essay or article. We
are to know as he knows. "Think Blicero!" That's good enough for Doug.
If we don't get what Doug has in mind and we dare to ask him, we are
insensitive, out to lunch, snoozing, smoking crack, crazy, because we
don't get it. If we disagree with what seems to be implied in Doug's
post or with the essay or article Doug has posted and we post our
opinion or ask for clarification, Doug tells us to take it up with the
author. 

For this list to work we need to post things about Pynchon that others
can reply to. We can't reply to Doug's posts because he is not the
author of 85% of what he posts (the other 35% being insults and tag
team, yeah do the math). This kills discussion. 

I'm not suggesting we can't discuss all sorts of things here, politics,
oil, films, books, news, whatever. Some of the most interesting posts,
many of the best dialogues here, are not about Pynchon. But this list is
not alternative news--Doug. This list is not the Bush Bashing chat room.
Is it? 




Afghanistan and Oil 

http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/afghan.html

Fossil fuels have been an inexpensive energy source for the entire 20th
century.
Crude oil is now the source of 38% of the world energy. Coal and natural
gas
provide 25% and 22% of world energy, respectively. All three fossil
fuels (oil, gas,
and coal) are nonrenewable resources and have been created through
geologic time
from solar energy.

The total proven oil reserves of the Central Asian countries were
estimated in this
study as ranging from 15 to 31 billion barrels, and proven gas reserves
estimates
vary from 230 to 360 trillion ft3 of gas (Table 2). Central Asian
reserves represent
approximately 2.7% of the world total proven oil reserves and 7% of the
world gas
reserves.


http://www.rice.edu/projects/baker/Pubs/studies/gppca/gppca.html