Quote from today's paper, "Still, this year's drop is dramatic enough t worry many energy experts. Gas prices in recent years rose so high that many Americans finally started driving less and buying fuel-efficient cars. Now, as prices plunge, will Americans go back to their wasteful habits? And if so, what will that mean for the nation's energy security and the fight against global warming?"

I wonder what the state of our economy, the environment and our national security would be today if we had learned a lesson from the gas shortages of the 1970s and had started driving fuel-efficient cars, lessening our dependence on foreign oil. We had a chance then, a golden opportunity, to improve the economy, the environment and our national security. All we had to do was change what we drove and how we drove it; we didn't. Because we didn't make the effort, today the economy, the environment and our national security are in worse shape now than they were in the 1970s and we have no one to blame but ourselves. By us I don't mean the U. S. government. I am not saying the government isn't partly responsible but we, the American people, could have voted with our pocket books and bought fuel-efficient cars and adopted fuel-efficient driving habits; we didn't.

I wonder if perhaps we as a species have a genetic defect that prevents us from changing our ways when there is no imminent crisis. Perhaps it is also a genetic defect that causes us to go back to our old patterns of behavior once a crisis has passed, even though it is those patterns of behavior that have caused the crisis to begin with.

The gas shortages of the 70s came as a surprise so maybe we can excuse our return to our old patters of behavior once gas became available again. But there will be no excusing a repeat of that behavior this time. Even though the cost of gas has fallen quickly recently, with the rising energy demands of countries like China and India, today's lower gas prices are only a respite from what will ultimately be permanently higher prices for gas if we don't act now while there is still some time left.

We Americans have a chance to significantly reduce our dependence on foreign oil by simply driving more slowly. By driving more slowly we reduce the price of gas, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and improve our national security, our economy and the environment. Will we look back one day and be able to congratulate ourselves on learning from past mistakes or will our children one day ask us why we were so set in our ways, so ostrich-like with our heads buried in our gas tanks, that we kept the pedal to the metal and sold our country to foreigners?

Now more than ever we need people who think along these lines to do their best to convince others that the most patriotic action an American can take is to drive no faster than 65 mph. Acting together, we can make a difference. The effort it will take to make a difference is small and the potential rewards are so very large and so very important to the future of America. Please, speak up!

I'm not quite sure what to make of the comment I received to my blog yesterday. I don't know anything about how they celebrate All Saints' Day in Europe but I do know it is a Holy Day for Catholics. I also know that Halloween, originally Hallow E'en (E'en being an abbreviated form of Even or Evening), is celebrated because it is the night before the feast of All Saints' Day. And while November 2, All Souls' Day, is not as holy a day to Catholics as All Saints' Day, it is still part of a remembrance of the dead.

El Dia De Los Muertos is not just a Mexican celebration but is observed in Latin and South America on November 1 and 2, the same days as All Saints' and All Souls' Days. If it's acceptable to celebrate Halloween, why is it not acceptable to celebrate Day of the Dead?

The more I read about El Dia De Los Muertos, the more I appreciate the sentiment behind it. Regardless of how the days are celebrated, they are meant to be a remembrance of those who have left us. While we the living are sad to think of loved one who are no longer with us, hopefully they have moved on to a better place and that's something the living can celebrate!

... and a good time was had by all.

Making traditional sugar skulls