Since a great deal of my recent entries have had something to do with radio, I should probably start off by saying to those that do not already know what it means that, despite the “K-POD,” this entry is not about radio.

When I did my big “2007 US Tour” (some of which was discussed and presented on the old version of KoHoSo.us), I was inspired by one of the longest-running and overall best websites on the Internet — Astronomy Picture of the Day or “APOD” for short.  Sent out to all of my friends via e-mail on every day of my journey, I decided to do the KoHoSo Picture of the Day or K-POD.  Each night in whatever motel I stayed in, I would pick out what I thought was the best photograph I had taken that particular day — sometimes for natural beauty, sometimes for humor, and sometimes because I somehow managed to take a decent picture — and send it out along with a little description and maybe a tale or two of what else happened on that day.

While my current trip is not a vacation, that’s still no reason that I cannot stop for a few moments to take some photos.  I did not have very much to choose from today because I am dead-ass tired from packing, cleaning, moving, and just having done a 10-hour drive on very little sleep.

What is shown below in the return of the K-POD and the first one ever featured as such here on KoHoSo.us is the view out of my motel room in Redding, California.  Looking out to the east, this is the Lassen Peak volcano also known as Mount Lassen.  It was particularly hazy all through the Central Valley today so it’s not the sharpest photo ever seen of this great natural wonder.  However, for me, it was a welcome sight not only for its beauty but also for it marking the beginning of a much cooler drive for tomorrow and, I hope, a much cooler place to live in the future as I look for new employment.

Before I close, the K-POD will not necessarily be a daily feature during this time I am spending trying to find a company in this recession that might be hiring somebody with my skills and talents.  However, I will be taking my camera with me at all times for the foreseeable future so, when I have something worth at least a quick look, I will slap it up in the evening US Pacific Time.

Lassen Peak on Thursday, July 1, 2010 - Copyright © 2010 by KoHoSo

Unlike a lot of people taking up space on the World Wide Web, I like to think that I am always open to changing my opinion or at least reassessing if a previously-stated opinion was correct.  In light of my previous entry here where I said that the City of Los Angeles’ boycott of the State of Arizona over its new “Papers, please” law was worse than the law itself, some recent events have made me wonder if my stand was right.

This all started because I approach my road trips very similarly to the way a jazz artist or a rock band like the Grateful Dead approach a song.  They all know the basic structure of the melody and the places where it absolutely has to turn but, between those points, things are open for at least a little exploration if not a sudden turn down a road for which there is no map.  Thus, I sketch out the places where I need to hit the first verse (an intersection), the bridge (that one works both ways, doesn’t it?), take in what the other band members are doing (good restaurants and gasoline stations), and a place to take a break between songs (rest areas).  In between those points — some of which can be passed over if not desired such as the Dead deciding they don’t want to go on and do the second verse of Dark Star — it is completely up to my feelings and motivation.

The problem in my mind arose as those points I was marking out on my route began to become like certain songs.  As with any band that is around for a while and has amassed a decent-sized catalog of music, they have to leave behind certain tunes.  Mostly that is because a concert can go on for only so long just like any stretch of a road trip.  However, there are other reasons as well…the song doesn’t mean what it used to…they get tired of playing it…the performances become stale and predictable…or, as Jerry Garcia said several times to crowds about St. Stephen, “We had to stop playing that song because you all liked it too much.” XD

In my case with planning this latest trip as I hope to finally and forever escape the heat and despair of the Inland Empire of California, the “songs” I wanted to avoid were ones that often contained, shall we say, sour notes.  The things I would find “off key” and no fun to “play” would be cities and towns known for having speed traps, poorly maintained infrastructure, uncontrolled pollution, and — the key to all of this — the tendency to elect people to political office with whom I vehemently disagree or allow a police department to run amok.

It did not take long before I recognized how I could easily be accused of some serious hypocrisy for boycotting certain cities along almost the entire length of Interstate 5 after having just written a big steaming pile of words stating that a certain other boycott was bad.  I felt I had to be serious about this as I thought it might be a good possibility that I would have to think about revising my position on the stupid prick-waving dick fight going on here in the American Southwest between Los Angeles and Arizona.

However, after some serious thought, I have concluded that it is not hypocritical to be against boycotts between governments within the United States of America but still be for my own boycott of certain cities for being festering holes of inequality and downright hate.

The difference is that a government is supposed to represent all of the people over which it rules.  Within the United States, our various local governments wield quite a lot of power despite how portions of it have been taken over by Washington, DC (for better or for worse).  As I stated before, this is not a matter of local governments deciding to divest themselves of holdings in truly heinous countries like Myanmar (Burma), Iran, and Red China.  This is going on within our own borders in a country where we stand under the motto of E pluribus unum (out of many, one) and we have a constitution that allows for local governments to rule themselves within the proper framework and well-defined system within which to challenge those laws that some feel are unconstitutional.

In my view, the City of Los Angeles has made this a personal battle for all of its citizens whether they agree with the City Council’s position or not.  Thus, everybody gets thrown into the same basket as, at the moment, Los Angeles and Arizona hurl virtual rocks at each other…and, as I said in my previous entry, putting us all on that slippery slope toward the breakdown of our American bonds.

A boycott of Arizona and its terrible “Papers, please” law should indeed be vigorous but not engaged in by any government other than in Washington, DC as it is their responsibility through the Justice Department to review controversial state laws that might be unconstitutional and send them to the federal court system for review.  It is private citizens and corporations that should be doing the work of organizing such boycotts, not local governments that already have too much on their plates being ignored in the first place.

These “private” boycotts are actually going on right now as thousands if not more completely legal US citizens of foreign descent have already moved away from Arizona and deprived it of their imagination, innovation, manpower, and — most importantly — tax money.  Outside of the state, corporations of all sizes are choosing on their own to avoid Arizona both on personal moral grounds and in the name of good business sense to not be seen supporting this poorly thought-out law and be boycotted themselves.  As for individuals, we may never know how many people decided to not visit or move to Arizona over the past few weeks and instead spend their money elsewhere.  In a state that features one of the greatest natural wonders anywhere in the world, the Grand Canyon, this will hurt them far more than any one city or state government ever could…and, without all of the hassle, and horrible implications for the future that I spelled out the last time I was in here typing my sticky fingers to the bone.

Again, what I am saying is that governments within the United States should not be standing off against one another.  No matter how bad one might hate Arizona’s new law, it is not another local government’s business to speak for 100% of its citizens in such a manner.  Of course, local elected government officials should feel free to speak out on this if they wish and encourage others to boycott with them as individuals.  It just shouldn’t be mandated because that is when things get serious as far as our long-term survival as a viable republic is concerned.

I hope that clears things up for any time that I might come in here and say that Entity X should be boycotted.  As I have thought this through, I will also be able to continue my own boycotts with a clear conscience because I am not forcing anybody into the consequences of such boycotts…well, unless somebody will miss whatever goes out of business or changes dramatically because I and enough other people stopped giving it money.

Hey, that’s the free market system, right?  If one doesn’t like something, don’t support it.  I can only imagine what would happen if everybody that said they don’t like Wal-Mart actually stopped shopping there.  If they did, then there would be one more instance where local governments would not have to get involved when Wal-Mart wants to come into a new town and it raises the inevitable years-long, money and time-wasting shit-storm that we have seen repeated all across this nation for years now…because, if people showed some willpower on their own, Wal-Mart would either be a much better corporate citizen or be just as dead by now as Sam Walton.

Remember, folks…boycott what you want on your own.  Let government do the things it is supposed to do like take care of schools, water, roads, safety, and so on.  If we let them start deciding our boycotts for us, it is just another avenue for the old tactic of divide and conquer…and one that, in this case, could end up being more divisive than any of us would really care to imagine.  Keeping the power of boycott completely for yourselves as individuals is yet another one of the ultimate ways that you can stick it to the man. >:-)

I don’t know if everybody else around the world has thought about this as I have no idea if they’ve seen the same commercials and other advertising that BP has been running in the USA over the past few years.  For me, I just cannot escape the overwhelming irony in how BP reintroduced itself to this country with its “Beyond petroleum” campaign.  It made its initials stand for that phrase instead of the traditional British Petroleum and came complete with cute little Internet-style cartoons on how they were going to be working so hard to supply the world with clean energy (as if such a thing really exists because, basically, energy = volatility).  Now they will be known for at least the next generation for nothing but being the company that caused the greatest ecological disaster in American history and made the Exxon Valdez look in comparison as if it were nothing but somebody that took a raunchy piss into the ocean from over the ship’s rail…which, considering the drunken captain that caused the biggest chunk of grief to come out of Alaska until the arrival of Sarah Palin, is probably what was actually happening when the ship ran aground.

Well…at least it is not Gary Burghoff — Radar O’Reilly from both the movie and television versions of M*A*S*H — being thought of during all of this.  Burghoff was a big part of BP’s first failed attempt at reintroducing itself on the west coast and elsewhere when they tried to kill off the ARCO and AM/PM brands.  In what must have been a desperate try to generate some new income since nobody can ever think of him as anything but Radar, poor Gary dressed himself up in and old-style gasoline station uniform and shilled away for BP.  Unfortunately for Burghoff, his paychecks from BP did not last very long.  As much as most of America still loves him, people on the west coast seemed to rebel hard against losing ARCO — almost as strongly as when ConocoPhillips tried to take away our beloved 76 ball.  I don’t even think that the campaign lased a year before BP returned the ARCO name to the stations it had already re-branded.  Goodness knows how much money it cost consumers to cover the cost for their marketing blunder.

In another irony, it is odd how most Americans distrust if not downright loathe “Big Oil” but, at least for the older ones, can still wax eloquently about some of the old stations, brands, and how things used to be before the 1973 oil crisis and consolidation (something proved by great websites like GasSigns.org and all of the various other “petroliana” sites and retailers available on the Net).  Worse yet is that there is no good alternative.  Unlike Wal-Mart where one can choose to get the same products from a more humane retailer, there is no such choice for gasoline.  It’s not just that the oil industry is a dirty business and that mistakes will happen.  It is the proven fact that each of the big oil companies remaining in the United States of America has an abysmal record in regard for how they use this Earth and the people that live upon it.  I’m not talking about the pollution emitted from motor vehicles — I’m talking about how their attempts to squeeze every single penny possible out of their companies leads to willful poisoning, never caring about basic human rights, and generally doing everything they can to continue on their merry way with absolutely no regard for how many people they sicken or end up killing.

It is a difficult choice for the American traveler.  One would have to be a freak about it like me and take a close read about the history of our current oil refiners, learn the many brands and associates under each of their corporate umbrellas, and balance that all out against the information from research institutes as to who actually makes the best fuel.  The latter is important to me as I like to take long trips by automobile and I have had too many instances in my life where bad gasoline has at least affected my mileage if not actually caused the need for expensive repairs.

When looking at each company’s record of corporate citizenship…well, I think it comes down to what each person cares about most and what types of transgressions one considers to be worse than others.  I have my own choices and pecking orders depending on where I am at in the USA as to what gas is actually good for my car and who is the least evil.  With prices so similar between major brands, I really do look for certain stations instead of just pulling in wherever.

As for those “off brands,” don’t think for a minute that most of them help one escape from supporting “Big Oil.”  With a very few exceptions, their fuel comes from the same sources as the big brands.  The difference is that the blends are usually not as good and, if used long enough, will indeed cause an engine to not have as long of a life as it would if a better brand was put into the tank.  This is regardless of the octane unless one lives in one of those states that sells it at 85 in which case I strongly suggest using 87…86 at the least…85 octane gas is bad news if you care about your car or truck.

So…yes, I stick with certain major brands and I try to use certain ones over others even though no one company is really all that better than the other when it comes to being a good corporate citizen.  Yet, I am not going to give my own personal list, as I really hate to endorse any of them.

However, there are certain ones that I never use and I will be glad to list one of them here.  Even before any of us ever dreamed that they could cause an oil spill that could potentially ruin the entire Gulf of Mexico, I never used BP or any of its other brands which include ARCO, AM/PM, and still a very few Amoco and Standard stations (NOTE:  By “Standard” I mean the ones with the oval and torch logo, not the ones that use the Chevron logo…all still a leftover from the breakup of the original Standard Oil Trust and a very long and sometimes confusing story that everybody will have to look up for themselves if they give a shit).

The reason for this is two-fold.  For one, most BP et al stations charge customers extra if they pay for anything, gas or otherwise, with a debit card.  In this world where traveling with cash is not usually a good idea, I find that despicable.  However, the main reason to not use BP (etc.) gas is that it is just plain shitty.  None of BP’s brands have ever made the cut on the Top Tier Gasoline tests and come nowhere close to getting an endorsement from the Terror-Free Oil Initiative (a controversial organization so investigate them thoroughly for yourself before deciding whether or not you want to consider their advice when choosing what gasoline to purchase).  Strictly on anecdotal evidence, it always seems to be an ARCO station (remember, they’re owned by BP) that is being exposed in the local media for watering down their gas or fiddling around with the pumps in order to make one think more gas was purchased than actually received.  In addition, from my personal observations, the last five vehicles I have owned have all run like shit on ARCO, BP, and Amoco as opposed to most of the other major brands available in the western portion of the USA.  Their fuel just has no power and makes a car run sluggish.  In my view, in my area of the USA, the only brand that’s worse is Valero and its associated brands of Beacon, Diamond Shamrock, Total, and Ultramar (and some but not all Thrifty stations).

So…for me, a boycott of BP for what will probably end up being their criminal negligence in using faulty equipment and not being properly prepared for such a disaster is not big deal to me since I finally said “enough is enough” to their shitty ARCO gas after yet another round of my car running like total crap with a tank full of their swill.  As I recall, that was over 11 years ago and I have only stopped at a BP station once since that time and that was only because I was in the middle of bumfuck Kentucky and had no choice.  Even then, I only bought $5 worth so I could get to where I could put in some good gas as well as a bottle of STP fuel treatment to clean up any junk left behind by BP’s shit-tier gasoline.

Still, I again say that it is never a perfect choice when choosing a brand of gasoline.  However, I do recommend that people should make a top choice plus a few others underneath for a pecking order when that brand is not available when traveling as none of them are in every state and province any longer even under different names.  Trying to stick to the same brand of gas most of the time will make your car very happy.  Better yet, in most cases unless one owns a performance-based vehicle, there is no benefit in paying for anything above 87 octane (86 if it is available).  In fact, when it comes time for a smog inspection if needed, a lower octane is actually more likely to help a borderline vehicle pass (at least in California and Colorado) than something more expensive (check with your mechanic first on that though before taking an iffy vehicle to a smog inspection…this is something that can vary from vehicle to vehicle not to mention state to state).

Just remember, a good-running car or truck runs more efficiently and thus saves fuel and emits less pollution.  Think of it just like your body.  You can eat nothing but McDonald’s all the time, feel like crap, take some of the nastiest shits that have ever flopped out of your ass, and have it start clogging up and eating out your innards.  Gasoline is the same thing as it is your vehicle’s food.  Even if you don’t care about pollution or, dare I say it, global warming, at least think of your pocketbook.  Paying a little more for good gasoline in the present goes a long way toward preventing a huge repair bill in the future.  In other words, for those old enough to remember the old Fram commercial which is probably one of the best examples of actual truth in advertising in American history…you can pay me now…or pay me later.

I hope that gives everyone a little something to think about especially since most people make their choices in fuel with hardly any thought at all.  If a decision cannot be made on good corporate citizenship, at least make it on what is best for the car.  Remember, being an informed consumer is one of the best ways in this whole modern world in which you can stick it to the man. >:-)