So I was thinking about this whole Republican Convention thing all this week, as really, how could I not? And amid the whole chaos and anger and back-slapping and self-congratulatory craziness, I was reminded of a number of things.
First off, we live in a terrifying world, I mean after all roving bands of illegal immigrant criminals and hordes of killer radical Islamic terrorists roam the streets of a once great nation, ravaging our wives and daughters and slaughtering our sons and fathers. Even the gay ones! It’s horrible and awful, and, and, and…
Out of this apocalyptic doom only one man stands ready to act. The man with no plan (I’ll tell you when I’m ready), no experience and no hope of fixing a problem that doesn’t exist. Thank our lucky stars that Batman is around. Wait, I mean Spiderman. No, Superman. Underdog? Nope, just Cheeto Jesus – the Donald…
The second is the power of the vote. Let’s face it, no matter how much people despise Donald Drumpf and what he stands for, he was selected by a plurality of primary voters and certainly has momentum with the delegates nominating him. He followed the rules and won fair and square, there is no debating that.
People who oppose him within the Republican ranks tried their weak maneuvers at the convention but at the end of the day, it was just for show, the time to oppose the Donald for Republican operatives and alternative candidates is long past.
But coming up is really the only poll that matters – the general election in November when the American people – Republican, Democrat, Independent, Marijuana Party, Libertarian, Black, White, Hispanic, Muslim, Asian, Gay, Straight, Man, Woman get to go “the polls” and mark their choice on their ballot and decide who they actually want to be president of the United States, not who the media tells them they should choose or breathless polls tell them has momentum.
So this goes for Democrats and Republicans alike, including those who say they won’t support him but can’t vote for someone else. If you think Donald Drumpf is bad for your country, then you need to vote, preferably for someone credible aside from him. Your opinion only matters if you vote. And if you don’t want him and you still vote for him because you can’t vote for the other candidate, well you actually wanted him. The electorate always gets the government they deserve.
The final thing I was thinking about was Dr. Seuss and one of his earlier stories that he ostensibly wrote pre World War II, about a dictatorial turtle king who was undone by one of his lowly subjects exercising his free will. I have read this story countless times to my kids and it is quite brilliant. So I figured I should wreck it for everyone.
So herewith, keeping in mind the power of the vote and in the spirit of blatant plagiarism, my take onYertle the Turtle.
Donald J Drumpf seemed clear in command.
A nice little place. It was orange. It was neat.
It featured his name branding schools, wine and meat.
The lemmings had everything lemmings might need.
And they seemed quite happy being angry indeed.
They were… until Donald, the king of them all,
Decided the kingdom he ruled was too small.
“I’m ruler”, said Donald, “of all that I see.
But I don’t see enough. That’s the trouble with me.
From this tacky throne, I look down on my stuff
But I cannot look down on other places enough.
This gold chair that I sit on is far too low down.
It ought to be higher!” he said with a frown.
“If I could sit high, how YUGE would I be!
Believe me! he bellowed! I’d be Yuger than Yugeness can be!”
So Donald J Drumpf, lifted his hand
And Donald, the Lemming King, gave a command.
He ordered nine lemmings to answer his call
And, using slave labour, he built a big wall.
He made each lemming stand on another one’s back
And he piled them all up in a nine-lemming stack.
And then Donald climbed up. He sat down on his wall.
What a wonderful view! He could see urban sprawl!
“All mine!” Donald cried. “Oh, the things in my thrall!
I’m the king of Republicans! And I’m the king of a Wall!
I’ll be king of a white house! And, what’s more, beyond that
I’m the king of Ted Cruz and Chris Christies’ cat!
I’m Donald J Drumpf! Oh, marvelous me!
For I am the ruler of all that I see!”
And all through the campaign, he sat there up high
Saying over and over, “A great man am I!”
Until ’round ‘bout November. Then he heard a faint sigh.
“What’s that?” snapped the Donald
And he looked down his wall.
And he saw, at the bottom, a lemming named Paul.
Just a poor lemming below. But this plain little lemming
Looked up and he said, “Beg your pardon, King Donald.
I’m looking for substance, but you appear to be lacking.
How long must we wait here, and watch your poor acting?”
“SILENCE!” said Donald J Drumpf “you’re a loser.”
“I’m king, and you, you’re a lemming, a schmoozer.”
“You stay in your place while I’m on my soapbox.
I have lots of money! My wife is a fox!
I know what is best to make America Great!
But that isn’t all. I can sell you some hate!
My wall must be higher!” his Trumpy voice thundered,
“So pile up more lemmings! I want ’bout two hundred!”
“Lemmings! More lemmings!” he bellowed and brayed.
And the lemmings in the electorate, they were afraid.
They trembled. They shook. But they came. They obeyed.
From all over the country, they came swimming by thousands.
Whole families of lemmings, with uncles and cousins.
And all of them stepped on the head of poor Paul.
One after another, they climbed up the wall.
Then Donald the Drumpf was perched up so high,
He could see forty miles from his throne in the sky!
“Hooray!” shouted Donald. “Let’s make America great!
Who needs immigration! I’m king of the states!
I’m king of the nukes! King of the press!
Ah, me! What a wall! What a sign of progress!
I’m Donald the Drumpf! Oh, marvelous me!
For I am the ruler of all that I see!”
Then again, from below, at the base of the wall,
Came a groan from that plain little lemming named Paul.
“Your Trumpiness, please… I don’t like to complain,
But your policies can’t help but lead to great pain.
I know, up on top you no doubt think you’re right,
But people who move here, they too should have rights.
We lemmings can’t stand it. You must give up this wall!
Besides, we are hurt. We need healing!” groaned Paul.
“You hush up your mouth!” howled the mighty J Drumpf.
“You’ve no right to talk to the world’s smartest grump.
I rule from the clouds! Over land! Over sea!
There’s nothing, no, NOTHING, that’s higher than me!”
But, while he was shouting, he saw with surprise
That the moon of the evening was starting to rise
Up over his head in the darkening skies.
“What’s THAT?” snorted Drumpf. “Say, what IS that thing
That dares to be higher than Donald the King?
I shall not allow it! I’ll go higher still!
I’ll build my wall higher! I can and I will!
I’ll call some more lemmings. I’ll stack ’em to heaven!
I need ’bout five thousand, six hundred and seven!”
But, as Donald, the Drumpf King, lifted his hand
And started to order and give the command,
That plain little lemming at the base of the wall,
That plain little lemming whose name was just Paul,
Decided he’d taken enough. And he had.
And that plain little lad got a bit mad.
And that plain little Paul did a plain little thing.
He voted!
And his vote shook the throne of the king!
And Donald J Drumpf, king of rage, racism and hate,
The false prophet tweeter who would make America great
The king of bad sound-bites and a crass border wall…
Well, that was the end of Donald Drumpf’s thrall!
For Donald, the Drumpf king of all of the group,
Fell off his high wall and fell Plunk! in some *&%$!
And today the great Drumpf, that Marvelous he,
Is King of the Mud. That is all he can see.
And the lemmings, of course… all the lemmings are free
As lemmings and, maybe, all creatures should be.
Prices as at July 22, 2016 (July 15, 2016)
- The price of oil ended the week down
- Storage posted a smaller than desired decrease
- Production was up as an Alaska anomaly was corrected
- The rig count was up
- The market reacted to high levels of gasoline inventory
- Natural gas bounced around during the week, essentially on a “no news” week..
- WTI Crude: $44.19 ($45.94)
- Nymex Gas: $2.777 ($2.756)
- US/Canadian Dollar: $0.7607 ($ 0.7728)
Highlights
- As at July 15, 2016, US crude oil supplies were at 519.5 million barrels, a decrease of 2.3 million barrels from the previous week and 55.6 million barrels ahead of last year.
- The number of days oil supply in storage was 31.1, ahead of last year’s 27.8.
- Production was up for the week at 8.494 million barrels per day. Production last year at the same time was 9.558 million barrels per day. The change in production this week came from a recovery in Alaska deliveries and a drop in lower 48 production.
- Imports rose during the week to 8.134 million barrels a day, compared to 7.941 million barrels per day last year.
- Refinery inputs were up during the week at 16.863 million barrels a day
- As at July 15, 2016, US natural gas in storage was 3,277 billion cubic feet (Bcf), which is 21% above the 5-year average and about 17% higher than last year’s level, following an implied net injection of 34 Bcf during the report week.
- Overall U.S. natural gas consumption was up 2% during the week driven by power consumption
- A heat wave is expected to boost consumption in the coming weeks
- Production for the week was flat and imports from Canada rose 13%
- Oil rig count at July 22 was at 371, up 14 from the week prior.
- Rig count at January 1, 2015 was 1,482
- Natural gas rigs drilling in the United States was down 1 at 88.
- Rig count at January 1, 2015 was 328
- As of July 18, the Canadian rig count was at 93 (14% utilization), 65 Alberta (14%), 9 BC (12%), 19 Saskatchewan (16.5%), 0 Manitoba (0%)). Utilization for the same period last year was about 20%.
- US split of Oil vs Gas rigs is 80%/20%, in Canada the split is 20%/80%
- Offshore rig count was down 3 at 19
- Offshore rig count at January 1, 2015 was 55
Drillbits
- Halliburton released a loss for Q2 2016 of $3.21 billion, which included a charge of $3,52 billion related to its failed merger with Baker Hughes. The company also advised that it saw a pickup in activity coming as a result of the recent rally in commodity prices
- Encana released results for Q2 2016, posting a surprise positive operating profit
- Q2 2017 operating earnings were $89 million vs a loss of $167 million last year and a net loss of $601 miliion versus a loss of $1.61 billion in the same quarter last year
- Altagas reported an increase in normalized EBITDA of $153 million for Q2 2016 vs $107 million for the same quarter last year
- Kinder Morgan continues to recover from a disastorus 2015 and stregthen its financial position. The COmpany reported net income of $372 million for the quarter vs $333 million for the same quarter last year.
- Enbride announced that it would pay $172 million in fines and safety changes in a deal with the Justice Department regarding the Kalamazoo river spilll in Michigan
- According to Bloomberg, Shell is now a gas company following its acquisition of BG. Anxious developers and regulators in British Columbia await proof in the form of a green light to Shell’s LNG project there
- CNRL has surpssed Encana to become the number 1 operator of gas wells in Western Canada following a stealth acquisition program
- Husky Energy has a pipeline spill which has resulted in more than 1500 barrels of heavy oil leaking from a gathering system pipeline near Lloydminster. Compounding the problem, some of this oil has made its way to the North Saskactehewan River, which provides drinking water to a significant population downstream.
- Drumpf Watch – Look – he’s the nominee. Can we all stop apologizing for him and trying to put words or motivations into his mouth? He is what he is.
