I wasn’t born yet on this date in 1941, but those alive at the time remember vividly the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Franklin Roosevelt called it “the day that will live in infamy.”

One of the reasons cited for the Japanese attack was because the U.S. had halted oil exports to the oil-starved island nation.

The “Greatest Generation” gave up its beliefs in isolationism and quickly rose to the occasion. What ensued was the greatest war ever fought in the history of this world.

Today is Pearl Harbor Day and I beg those of you like me - those not around during World War II - to remember your parent’s, and your grandparent’s sacrifices because, truly, without them you would now be living in a third-world country, praying to a strange God and enduring the tyranny of an unsympathetic ruler. Remember their bravery.

http://www.ericwilder.com http://www.gondwanapress.com

Someone sent this to me today.  Very interesting.

$100 oil. Will this be the iceberg that rips open the prow of our economy? Perhaps I have an odd take on this, but when I look at 'C' note oil I still see a bargain for the user. Consider what petroleum provides us: hours of additional leisure each day, freedom from the exhaustion of providing our own locomotion, travel in relative comfort instead of exposure to the elements. And is $100 really all that much for 42 gallons of freedom? Consider some other liquids:

Coke Zero (NYSE: KO): a barrel of oil holds 42 gallons, or 5,376 oz. A 12-oz Coke Zero at vending machine prices would cost $448 a barrel.

Deer urine: Used by hunters to attract their prey, runs $10 for 2 oz. for the good stuff, fresh from a buck in rut, from Timber Valley Freshscent ("100% Fresh Urine. Shipped Cold From Our Deer To Your Door."), or $26,880 per barrel.

Starbucks latte (NASDAQ:SBUX): at around $4 for a 12-ouncer, this black gold will set you back $1,792 a barrel.

Whiskas: a milk specially made for lactose-intolerant cats sells for $1.29 for a 6.75 oz box. A barrel would retail for $1,027.

And while oil provides essential transport, it pales by comparison with fluids that offer divine regard. In that respect, how could one complain about the cost of a Transparent Virgin Mary full of water from Lourdes, the site of St. Bernadette's miracle. The bottle sells for a mere $26.71 for 350 ml, or roughly $11,996 a barrel.

Oil -- it seems like a bargain to me.

Barrel of home printer ink: $114,508

Barrel of Dom. Romane Conti 1997: $325,946

Barrel of 12oz. Cokes: $448

Barrel of holy water from Lourdes : $11,996

Oil -- it seems like a bargain to me.

http://www.ericwilder.com  http://www.gondwanapress.com