DUMB AND EVEN DUMBER

Willie Nelson and Neil Young have announced that on Sept. 27 they will hold a "Harvest Hope" concert in Neligh, Nebraska. The purpose of the concert is to raise money and protest the Keystone XL pipeline that would run through tribal land in the state of Nebraska.

Down through the years, Willie and Neil have portrayed themselves as champions of the (take your pick) "underdog", the "little guys", the "downtrodden", "blue collar/working class" types. Apparently all their years of smoking ganja has fogged their thought processes. They consider the pipeline and oil companies to be the enemy. Below are 4 reasons why their anti-corporate, big government thinking is skewered:

1. Funneling more oil into the US will increase the supply, and when supplies are increased, gas prices stabalize and generally go down. That's good for  the little guy.

2. Willie and Neil are strong supporters of American workers, and the idea of "buy American." The pipeline will mean more oil will come from America, and less from the Middle-east and Russia. That's good for the little guy.

3. Building the pipeline will create more jobs. That's good for the little guy.

4. The bulk of these new jobs will be good to high paying jobs, rather than minimum wage. That's good for the little guy.

5.Finally, the concern over "tribal lands"  is a remnant of superstitious and mythical thinking. Tribalism is the crudest,most rudimentary and destructive form of social organization, and has no place in the  21st century. Violence in Africa, the Congo, and the religious wars in the Middle-east are primary examples of tribalism and the "my tribe is better than your tribe" mentality. Just look at the bloodshed in Iraq betwen the Sunnis and Sheeites.

So, Willie and Neil,  if you really want to help the downtrodden, snuff out the blunts, discard your 19th century socialist/collectivst thinking, and help put more money and self-respect into the hands of working men and women,.