Reply #5: Well, I don't believe in the easter bunny, either.

[Joe for Clark]

Here is a story - many years ago, I was in my third year at school. It was 1979 - there was an "embargo" on oil at the time. Gas kept going up and up. It was reported widely that gas was going to 2.00 a gallon at the time. I was scared. That would have meant more than half of my paycheck.

You know what Dad said to me - It can't happen. We can turn to synthetics for less than that price. I know he knew what that meant now - he bombed Zeitz and those plants way back when - so I KNOW what we can do if pushed. Damn, they knew how many years that would last - more than a thousand years at then current consumption levels.

I worked for Dad. The Mellons owned Gulf at the time. In all those years I think I got to meet some of the Mellon family once, as a tag a long to Dad. And I will tell you SQUARE IN THE FACE - they wouldn't consider B*sh as an equal - they shouldn't. HE IS NOT.

Now Dad got in cause he was high level "hired help" - I suppose. But my memory of it was that that family did have - ethics. You know??

I think they were good, just.

And they knew BS when they say it, too.

All these years later, I think something is going on - but I'll tell you - I doubt it is what it appears to be.

Joe