No Petrol Day

[orsolya]

I have got this as a chain email, I think the concept is workable, at least it is is worth a try!

"REMEMBER: 22nd September '05' - NO PETROL DAY

IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE IN AUSTRALIA DID NOT PURCHASE A

DROP OF PETROL FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES

WOULD CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.

AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OVER

4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OIL COMPANIES.

THEREFORE THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 22nd HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT"

DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A SINGLE DROP OF PETROL

THAT DAY. THE ONLY WAY THIS CAN BE DONE IS IF YOU FORWARD THIS E-MAIL TO

AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN AND AS QUICKLY AS YOU CAN TO GET THE WORD OUT.

WAITING ON THE GOVERNMENT TO STEP IN AND CONTROL THE PRICES IS NOT GOING

TO HAPPEN. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REDUCTION AND CONTROL IN PRICES THAT THE

ARAB NATIONS PROMISED TWO WEEKS AGO?

REMEMBER ONE THING, NOT ONLY IS THE PRICE OF PETROL GOING UP BUT AT THE

SAME TIME AIRLINES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES, TRUCKING COMPANIES

ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES WHICH EFFECTS

PRICES ON EVERYTHING THAT IS SHIPPED. THINGS LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING,

BUILDING SUPPLIES MEDICAL SUPPLIES ETC. WHO PAYS IN THE END? WE DO!

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IF THEY DON'T GET THE MESSAGE AFTER ONE DAY,

WE WILL DO IT AGAIN.

SO DO YOUR PART AND SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO

EVERYONE YOU KNOW. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND MAKE SEPTEMBER 22nd A

DAY THAT THE CITIZENS OF AUSTRALIA SAY "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH"

Cheers

[MrBumpy]

look this up on snopes.com for more info on why this isn't true

-bumpy

[occidentalis]

I've received this email. I think it's a bit silly really. Firstly, because it will have little financial impact, so it's value is primarily that of a statement. However, the statement that it is making is short sighted, selfish, and downright ignorant.

At the moment in my area petrol is going for around $1.30. One estimate of environmental damage caused by fossil fuel use puts the cost associated with private car use at $4. That leaves $2.70 unaccounted for. At some point in the future, someone is going to have to pay for that. And that is the immediate cost; because environmental problems often get worse if you ignore them, the cost increases over time. Remember, each time you buy a litre of petrol, you're getting a discount much better than Coles' 4 cents.

We're talking about oil companies. These are people that manipulate markets on a global scale, perpetrate unspeakable human rights abuses, profit from the destruction of the environment while creating 'science' to say they aren't, buy up any potentially competitive alternative energy technology, all the while bribing governments to ensure that they can keep doing it all. They are not nice people. They hold the world to ransom by ensuring our modes of economic development are dependent on the product they supply, and people are complaining about the price at which the sell it?

[Rev]

should be a national 'walk ' day instead

then people would realise how ridiculous an urban situation we are in

ie how far to the shops, to work, to necessary services

[Dodie]

Wouldnt it be a better idea not to use something that needs fuel? ie public transport, if your not going to fill up on that day you'll fill up the day before or after so thats where the companies would make thier money...

[spaced]

September 22nd is the "World car free day" and has been for some time, although it looks like this chain letter completely misses the point. It's not simply a matter of not buying petrol - you're not allowed to drive a car at all and have to use human powered alternatives. The idea isn't to drive down the price of petrol but to encourage alternatives to the automobile. For more information check out:

http://www.worldcarfree.net/wcfd/

And also these awesome quotes!

http://www.quotegarden.com/car-free-day.html

[occidentalis]

Thanks spaced, beautiful quotes

The one from RA Lafferty was particularly prophetic, if it is indeed from the 1800s, but the only RA Lafferty I could find on google was born in 1914.