Bull. Total bull.

I’ve been to the oil conferences and seen the figures. Prudhoe Bay is unquestionably in decline. The total reserves are not enough to meet US demand, nor is the projected production rate adequate to make up the shortfall from other US production.

You should not be so credulous when oil company CEO’s talk airily about there being endless supplies. It is definately in their vested interest to make sure that the public doesn’t panic and decamp enmasse into oil alternatives. They need market demand to stay high, so that the oil price and company revenues are maximised.

The oil company execs don’t care about the upcoming financial shock to the economy from rapidly declining oil reserves, any more than the tobacco executives or the James Hardy executives cared about terminal negative outcomes to others. Perhaps this is an unfortunate result of a market economy and stratospheric remuneration to the execs, combined with the type of personality that often reaches these positions?

Insert “near” between “nowhere” and “Reagan”.

Well, where I come from, it’s considered pretty infra dig to laugh at your own jokes or process excess ‘expensive whiskey’ through any channel but your urethra.

Now a few words in favour of Warren Harding for whom I’ve always harboured a soft spot. By all accounts he was a genuinely nice, affable and entertaining old bloke, he shrewdly read and reacted to the populace’s desire for “normalcy” and the corruption of his administration was actually pretty average by US standards. Certainly nowhere Reagan administration levels.

But you do not really mean to say you believe Obama was unaware what the phrase in the Constitution preamble meant when he used that line in Germany?? What else uspet you about the German speech? Or are you referring to the ‘A More Perfect Union’ Speech?

Now that speech has been hailed by some of your countrymen as the most significant speech on race relations in America for generations. It has been said to be his most important speech, a speech which greatly assisted his ascent to office. So I am bemused – why is he a lying sack of shit exactly?

BBB, aren’t you breaching your brave freethinking code by directing me to ‘wake up’? You don’t take sides, remember?

Please refer to learned texts to check this if you need but my point is that nothing is gained by dismissing those who don’t agree with you by failing to recognise they can have a different point or view or opinion or set of prejudices and instead deciding that they are ” nutjobs ” “fruitloops” or any other term disparaging to the metally ill.

When did I do that murph? I’ve read plenty of ‘learned texts’ on this subject and, having encountered this illness up-close, I don’t need you to tell me from a great height that it’s no party game. I know whereof I speak and all I said is that they meet more than a couple of the diagnostic indicators for NPD. That’s just a descriptive, even clinical, observation and had none of the derogatory overtones or undertones you ascribe. Methinks you do assumeth too much.

Being as knowledgeable about the ‘learned texts’ as you purport to be, you’d be well aware that meeting a few diagnostic indicators is a country mile short of a diagnosis, which only a professional can make. Like all spectrum disorders, probably as many as 1-in-5 people would meet at least 1-2 of the diagnostic criteria. I think even a casual non-professional observer could discern that for themselves. All the diagnostic indicators are is a sign that you could go talk to a professional to see whether there is in fact a diagnosis to be made, or if they’re just false alarms. But, being as well acquainted with the ‘learned texts’ as you are, I guess you knew that.

Murph, the internet is full of people ready to question the mental health of those with opposing views. I’m not one of them. I never have, and I never would. Don’t over-ascribe that particular predilection to me, thank you.

But on another note, being overly-precious about mental illness helps nobody, least of all those with a mental illness. Greater awareness and understanding goes a long way towards destigmatisation and losing the “shame”. And that means frank discussion, like the one we’re having. Reacting with the ‘hush-hush’ tone like you do actually feeds the perception that there’s something shameful about mental illness. We don’t think there’s anything shameful about catching the flu or breaking a limb, so why be so precious about diseases of the mind?

Hope his keyboard survives…