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Author	Topic: Boycotts work! Letter writing works! Petitions work!	Topic is locked Back to Topics

LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,725 Points:1,662,680 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jun 25, 2008 11:23:35 PM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse Just as the people did who wrote Microsoft, emailed the, sign petitions, called them, etc., it all works. Join us, especially those of you who have cut back in your driving, or that are car pooling now, etc. Just as it did with Microsoft, it will work with Exxon, Mobil, Shell and others! And write those letters to Congress, big oil, the automakers, etc., and tell them you want more fuel efficient vehicles now, more development of alternative energy now and more drilling of and production of oil and gas here in this country NOW! Don't boycott for a day, weekend, week or a month, boycott until it's over. We will be successful in getting the oil and gas prices down, but we also have to bring demand down. Take the bus, bike, walk, car pool or whatever you choose to do to cut back. Just as many have said, those high prices are a drain on the economy and more jobs will be lost if they continue; maybe even yours. Microsoft listened to the people and go read this about the extension that Microsoft is providing for all of us. People only wanted a one or two year extension; they've made the extension longer than what was asked because of those who took out the time to write, petition, and even from the fact that people wouldn't buy Vista and chose XP in many cases over Vista and still do. Exxon is the biggest player, and until they start to use their profits to drill for and produce oil and to develop alternative energy sources more, we can't be satisfied.

LanguageMan1

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Tampa

Posts:11,725
Points:1,662,680
Joined:Apr 2008

Message Posted: Jun 25, 2008 11:23:35 PM

Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse

Just as the people did who wrote Microsoft, emailed the, sign petitions, called them, etc., it all works. Join us, especially those of you who have cut back in your driving, or that are car pooling now, etc. Just as it did with Microsoft, it will work with Exxon, Mobil, Shell and others! And write those letters to Congress, big oil, the automakers, etc., and tell them you want more fuel efficient vehicles now, more development of alternative energy now and more drilling of and production of oil and gas here in this country NOW! Don't boycott for a day, weekend, week or a month, boycott until it's over. We will be successful in getting the oil and gas prices down, but we also have to bring demand down. Take the bus, bike, walk, car pool or whatever you choose to do to cut back. Just as many have said, those high prices are a drain on the economy and more jobs will be lost if they continue; maybe even yours.

Microsoft listened to the people and go read this about the extension that Microsoft is providing for all of us. People only wanted a one or two year extension; they've made the extension longer than what was asked because of those who took out the time to write, petition, and even from the fact that people wouldn't buy Vista and chose XP in many cases over Vista and still do. Exxon is the biggest player, and until they start to use their profits to drill for and produce oil and to develop alternative energy sources more, we can't be satisfied.

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CaptSquid Champion Author Billings Posts:25,658 Points:3,179,015 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Jul 3, 2008 3:48:25 AM Ignore CaptSquid Report Abuse Look up the definitions of both conserving and boycotting. What you are doing is CONSERVING, not boycotting. You aren't buying their retail product - DIRECTLY. Whoopee! WHICH retail product? Strangely enough, gasoline is not the only retail product made by ExxonMobil. What about Jet Fuel? Aviation Fuel? Diesel Fuel? Motor Oil? Just because you're not stopping at the pump and dispensing the fuel into your vehicle doesn't mean that you are NOT buying their gasoline or diesel. When you pay the fare on the buses you ride, you ARE buying diesel fuel. Who provides that diesel fuel? Do you buy bottled water? Who makes the bottles? Who transports the bottles, both empty and full? Who provides the petroleum to manufacture those bottles? You haven't answered another question posed of you. Who provides the fuel to the Tampa area? How do you know which refinery produced that fuel? Now for new ones -- Who is "WE?" How many minion are there besides Igor? Who appointed you spokesman for your group? What makes you think that ExxonMobil profits aren't being used to drill and produce oil? Do you know for a fact that they aren't trying to develop alternate energy sources? All you are doing is spouting rhetoric. You have yet to provide one iota of fact. As I said before, your needle is stuck. Change your tune.
LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,725 Points:1,662,680 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jul 3, 2008 2:21:36 AM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse We are conserving, yes! We ARE also boycotting. We're not buying the retail product and reducing their revenue. We are doing both!
CaptSquid Champion Author Billings Posts:25,658 Points:3,179,015 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Jul 1, 2008 7:37:22 AM Ignore CaptSquid Report Abuse LM1, who produces the fuel your bus line uses to power those behemoths? You are NOT BOYCOTTING! Get that through your head. All you are doing is conserving. Mind, you are doing an admirable job, but you are NOT BOYCOTTING. Don't call us blind when it is YOU who cannot see or admit to the truth. Your legal blindness does not give you cause to be legally blonde.
rumbleseat Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:22,929 Points:3,530,370 Joined:Oct 2002	Message Posted: Jul 1, 2008 7:18:46 AM Ignore rumbleseat Report Abuse Look LM1, there is no point insulting people. You have been lecturing and spamming intelligent people who have been advocating conservation since long before you came along, and we will be doing it long after you have gotten tired of us and gone away. You have no clue what the definition of boycott is. Nobody is boycotting if he/she is still using product, the only effect is shuffling dollars around the block. You refuse to understand that conservation is not part of a boycott, it is a practice in it's own right. You remind me of the televangelist exhorting people to believe HIS way, because he is the only salvation. 64 days, and almost 1,100 messages, unbelievable. Many of us do drive smaller cars, in my case for 32 years, many of us have been combining trips for years, many of us have avoided jackrabbit starts, in my case for 43 years. Many of us do not waste gas speeding, in my case, for 43 years. Many of us do maintain our vehicles in an effort to not only keep them efficient, but to make them last longer.
LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,725 Points:1,662,680 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jul 1, 2008 2:51:38 AM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse I hate to say it, but you people are blind. I'm just glad that everyone isn't. You're just like the other 60% in this country who are! You ought to go and read this and enlighten your minds a bit. We'll see if you do and if you get it. Again CaptSquid, I am boycotting by not going to an Exxon, Mobil, Shell, and others. Won't go there at all. Don't need any of their gas. I'm also conserving more than most by taking the bus instead of using a car, although I'm going to need a vehicle at some point. Haven't decided just what yet!
Alex9990 Champion Author Jacksonville Posts:7,186 Points:1,710,165 Joined:May 2003	Message Posted: Jul 1, 2008 2:21:51 AM Ignore Alex9990 Report Abuse Best word of the day for me.... Snore...... I'd rather not start on my long diatribe on this as I've already pointed out numerous times why NONE of this will work. BUT hey, if you have enough HOT AIR, then by all means, KEEP AT IT!
CaptSquid Champion Author Billings Posts:25,658 Points:3,179,015 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Jun 30, 2008 8:44:10 PM Ignore CaptSquid Report Abuse Still stuck on using the word AND to open sentences or paragraphs, LanguageMan1? What are you joining this opening sentence to? Please enlighten us. You don't seem to get it either. What you and your minion are doing is conserving, not boycotting. ExxonMobil (not just Exxon) probably doesn't drill in those leased areas because those areas might not provide the yield necessary to financially justify the expense.
LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,725 Points:1,662,680 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jun 30, 2008 5:08:29 PM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse And Sealer, you and many others just don't get it do you? We don't buy from other stations; at least not like we were! Some have cut back only 5 or 10%, others have cut back 50% or more of their gas expenses. That's why consumption has decreased here in this country. If it wasn't for those of us doing so, the prices would be higher still. As far as the drilling, I'm all for it! Only with one exception, Exxon doesn't get any new leases for the mere fact that they're not even drilling on leased properties they could have been. With Exxon and all the other companies not drilling and producing the additional oil, it helped to raise up the price. The supply didn't go higher while demand went higher! Wake up people!
Sealer Champion Author Charleston Posts:5,653 Points:838,850 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jun 30, 2008 9:50:24 AM Ignore Sealer Report Abuse The price of globally-traded commodities like oil and gas is dtermined in the free market by global supply and demand. If you're not doing anything to reduce demand (actually using less gasoline), you are having no affect as a consumer. Buying your gas at a different station doesn't reduce demand. Writing a letter or signing petition has no affect on demand (except for the slight increase in demand from the postal service for delivering your letter). If you really want to be helpful, find ways to use less gas and get the government out of the way so the markets work to increase supply faster (open up places like ANWR to drill and allow the markets to choose the best alternative rather than dictating a politically-selected alternative like corn ethanol).
Mortarpsg Sophomore Author Charlotte Posts:226 Points:301,230 Joined:Jul 2005	Message Posted: Jun 29, 2008 9:08:08 PM Ignore Mortarpsg Report Abuse Wow; the language. While I don't think letter writing and boycotts are gonna chage anything, name calling really won't.
CaptSquid Champion Author Billings Posts:25,658 Points:3,179,015 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Jun 29, 2008 5:42:54 AM Ignore CaptSquid Report Abuse I have done nothing special to reduce the fuel I consume. I've been driving the same way for 37 years. It's quite apparent that your memory is flawed. Your "boycotts" don't work; letter writing doesn't work; petitions don't work. Again, you flatter yourself by thinking that you make a difference. But, if you wish to continue thinking in that fashion, knock yourself out.
LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,725 Points:1,662,680 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jun 29, 2008 3:29:57 AM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse Fellas, it would be worse if we weren't doing what we're doing and what others outside of the boycott are doing as well. Perhaps you'd like to pay $5 a gallon already for gas. What about $6? What about $7? That's why we should do all we can to reduce what we're using. Even CaptSquid does that if I remember correctly from some of his others posts as well as others, but it's not enough yet. And sorry Squid, I don't flatter myself on this subject at all. Even if I managed to convince 10 million people to join up with us and others, I wouldn't flatter myself. You presume incorrectly.
CaptSquid Champion Author Billings Posts:25,658 Points:3,179,015 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Jun 28, 2008 11:36:58 AM Ignore CaptSquid Report Abuse You still flatter yourself by thinking that you make a difference. You make about as much difference as a single grain of sand on the beach.
rumbleseat Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:22,929 Points:3,530,370 Joined:Oct 2002	Message Posted: Jun 28, 2008 6:47:05 AM Ignore rumbleseat Report Abuse LanguageMan1 spake thusly: "We are making a difference, and gas and oil would be higher than what it is if it wasn't for our efforts." Gee thanks, I don't know what we would do without you! We can really see the difference in the market! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Friday, June 27, 2008: NYMEX West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil for August delivery closed up $0.57 at $140.21 per barrel. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,725 Points:1,662,680 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jun 28, 2008 6:02:30 AM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse Actually, I work in the computer field too! I do know what I'm talking about. It's just the lack of people who don't pursue those things like you and the other who just let them walk all over you and all of us that allows them to do what they want to do. When you people start losing your jobs or houses, or can't pay the mortgage or rent like many others I know, then maybe you people will wake up! And CaptSquid, think and say what you will, you're going to anyhow; and so will I. We are making a difference, and gas and oil would be higher than what it is if it wasn't for our efforts. Even those who are necessarily boycotting or calling for a boycott are making a difference when they're taking the bus or walking or biking. Same thing even with the people puttin in their own garden; even they're making a difference. Prices would only be higher. [Edited by: LanguageMan1 at 6/28/2008 6:05:04 AM EST]
Joe322 Rookie Author Philadelphia Posts:72 Points:2,960 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jun 27, 2008 8:51:01 AM Ignore Joe322 Report Abuse Actually LanguageMan again you don't know what your talking about! I work in the IT Field and if Microsoft wants to get rid of XP then so be it. I cringe at the thought but I can make it work. Companies who think the world cant live without their OS's are foolish! Have you ever heard of knopix? Its a free OS! I can connect to any VM with a knopix disk and it doesn't matter what OS is on the workstation. Its people like you that think that writing letters to Microsoft actually work. Did you ever stop and think...Gee maybe just maybe Vista is the new ME and Microsoft has now decided that it doesn't have the man power to support this wretched OS? They decided to extend XP because simply it works and Vista is horrible! People were not buying things because it had vista on it hence the extension of XP. Now try applying that to gas! It just doesn't equate! Your letters may actually raise the price of oil because the oil companies will have to hire another person to deal with your stupid letters!
stealthncool Sophomore Author Cincinnati Posts:177 Points:18,775 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Jun 27, 2008 8:27:54 AM Ignore stealthncool Report Abuse actually the fuel consumption has nothing to do with that. The main reason is that a hybrid car uses so much petrolium and which cars are currently selling out? Hybrids. They do not conserve fuel.
CaptSquid Champion Author Billings Posts:25,658 Points:3,179,015 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Jun 27, 2008 5:08:03 AM Ignore CaptSquid Report Abuse Once again, LanguageMan1, you launch into a lengthy disjointed diatribe in a feeble attempt to defend your somewhat precarious position. Just what are you joining the opening sentence to? Nothing precedes it. There is NO reason to use the word AND to begin a sentence. When I said you were but one voice in millions, I didn't mean here! I meant worldwide. You flatter yourself by thinking that you are actually making a difference.
LanguageMan1 Champion Author Tampa Posts:11,725 Points:1,662,680 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jun 27, 2008 3:14:52 AM Ignore LanguageMan1 Report Abuse And what your mom and dad do is part of the problem our fuel consumption is so high here in this country stealthncool. You can laugh or think it's funny for now, but maybe you won't either in the future. Petej0, sorry to hear about what's going on there in New Jersey, and we have had our own problems here to say the least. But, the reason why the drilling has been in the media now is because some of the people in the media ARE aware of the petition, many in government are aware of the petition, more people and bigger names are joining it, and McCain, Obama and Congress all have had signatures delivered to them twice already! That's why McCain is for it. Obama's against it because he's not seeing everything as it is. We're not going to be able to support an additional three to 10 million electric vehicles on the road right now or even within a year or two, and it wouldn't be a good idea either. We need it all! Drilling and production of oil and alternative energy both. Oil only will only make it worse. To use the reserves is foolish because there won't be any left for when we REALLY need it; and we will. All it takes is a few other things to go wrong or for demand to increase in India, Brazil, China and elsewhere more. Actually Joe322, Microsoft's OS and other OS's ARE a necessity today. Gas too, as well as food. Most businesses couldn't run well today without computers and the OS's that run on them. But, when you have a couple of million or more people telling you something, and others not buying, you'd better listen if you want to stay in business. The same thing with big oil and especially Exxon as they're the biggest corporation in America now. Of course Saudi Arabia's national oil company is 10 times larger though, but they're either the only one or one of a few there. It's different here. Sealer, while I agree with you that it's predominantly the global supply and demand that sets the price, Exxon and other oil companies have the responsibility to drill and produce oil from the leases they have! If they did drill more instead of buying back their respective stocks, we'd have more oil on the market and therefore the price would be lower. Don't you see that? If they'd have moved forward with alternative energy more, we'd also be better off and wouldn't need as much. CaptSquid, I might be one of a million here, but there's hundreds of thousands out there that are sending out more than what I ever have or will. You're just not aware of them yet. You will be though as time goes on. And even when I do let it go to a degree here, the others aren't. Some ARE going to make a living from it as well. I'm not doing so, I don't believe. [Edited by: LanguageMan1 at 6/27/2008 3:16:07 AM EST]
CaptSquid Champion Author Billings Posts:25,658 Points:3,179,015 Joined:Apr 2004	Message Posted: Jun 26, 2008 12:19:07 PM Ignore CaptSquid Report Abuse You just won't let go, will you, LanguageMan1? You are but one voice in millions and if you keep singing the same old song, people will tune you out.
Sealer Champion Author Charleston Posts:5,653 Points:838,850 Joined:Jan 2008	Message Posted: Jun 26, 2008 10:26:31 AM Ignore Sealer Report Abuse Just because you say something is true deosn't make it so. There has neverbeen a successful boycott designed to lower the price of a product the boycotters wanted to buy. If you believe otherwise, please offer an example. As for letter-writing and petitions, they have their applications, but have no impact whatsoever on the price of a globally-traded commodity which is determined by global supply and demand in the free market (not by anyone who coulr be swayed by a letter or petition).
Joe322 Rookie Author Philadelphia Posts:72 Points:2,960 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jun 26, 2008 9:58:46 AM Ignore Joe322 Report Abuse LanguageMan, Here is the difference Gas is like food its a necessity! Microsoft is not! If you think writing letters will help then proceed but IMO..you would have an easier time writing Microsoft asking them to give you money for gas!
petej0 All-Star Author Allentown Posts:692 Points:20,395 Joined:Apr 2008	Message Posted: Jun 26, 2008 9:02:07 AM Ignore petej0 Report Abuse LanguageMan1, I really want to be on board with you. I really do, I think your ideas would be great in a perfect world. However all the petitions and letter writing will fall on deaf ears. Automakers will not give us what we want because it could hurt their bottom line. They will do what is in their best interest and the best interest of their stockholders. If they lose any money they will cry poverty and get bailouts from the government and then move all operations overseas claiming its the only way to stay afloat. Nobody in our current government will listen to us. They are too busy lining their pockets with pet projects and programs for their special interest groups. They will do whatever they want. Evidence NJ. The governor said no more borrowing money without the public's vote. They just passed a budget calling for $3.9 billion of borrowed money (not even voted on by the public ) for the school construction program ( a program that wasted $87 billion building a dozen schools, one of which had to be torn down after construction because it was built on contaminated land) to continue construction. The original amount to be borrowed was $2.5 billion but they threw on another $1.4 billion just to get it passed by the legislature. When challenged about why it wasnt put to a vote by the public they claim if it was put to a vote it woudnt have been approved because of the wasteful spending of the last borrowed amount. No kidding! [Edited by: petej0 at 6/26/2008 9:06:17 EST]
stealthncool Sophomore Author Cincinnati Posts:177 Points:18,775 Joined:Jun 2007	Message Posted: Jun 26, 2008 8:33:22 AM Ignore stealthncool Report Abuse haha. not really. My dad drives 50+ miles to and from work every day. My mom drives at least 65. Not everyone can boycott the gas prices.