People are not going to take these high gas prices much longer!

[Jamison]

The local media here in St. Louis is reporting that there have been a lot of drive-off gas thefts in the past 24 hours. Stations around here all might have to go to pre-pay. I wonder how long before people start to riot instead of just stealing?

[liberaliraqvet26]

1. i've never lived somewhere that you didn't have to prepay...

NYC, West Palm Beach FL. You always had to prepay in cities and high crime areas. Now the whole country will have to.

[stevietheman]

2. Why don't they just take public transportation?

St. Louis has buses and a commuter train. If they riot instead of "sitting next to the dregs" then that speaks volumes about these morons.

[Jamison]

4. STL city has good public trans, but...

it's a city with big-time urban sprawl, and the burbs are pretty well lacking in public trans. I would imagine a lot of the thefts are happening in poorer or more rural areas like North STL county or Jefferson county.

[Faygo Kid]

3. We may be seeing a general collapse

Of the economy, of civility, of hope. And the rise of anger. Maybe too dramatic, but unlike the dot.com collapse, we have no inherent strengths in the economy, like the surplus. Government and personal debt is higher than ever, control of the money is in the hands of fewer than since the 19th century, the housing market has propped us up, and if it goes, along with energy costs, look out. The fall of Bush? Remember who we are talking about, and his cronies. Look for Bush to start setting the groundwork for martial law.

[Eurobabe]

5. martial law, that's what fucking scares me

use any opportunity to lockdown.

[MercutioATC]

7. It's just high gas prices...

Yes, everything else will start to cost more too, but I don't think we're in for widespread civil unrest. People will adjust.

[Faygo Kid]

8. It's also Iraq, the economy, and a dawning realization

That we have been had. The energy costs are just one component.

[MercutioATC]

9. Yeah, but I still don't see civil unrest in the near future...

A LOT of bitching, but no widespread violence.

[Faygo Kid]

10. Not talking violence. His resistance to lawful opposition.

Wasn't even thinking violence, which is hopeless. I meant martial law if he feels his power is waning. He still has both houses of Congress and the Supreme Court; much of the media and all the money in the world. Formidable.

[MercutioATC]

11. Ahhh...I see.

You're right, but I don't see it coming to that. Widespread civil unreast would be the only reason to institute martial law...

[undergroundpanther]

6. I dunno

people rioting over gas need to look at the role profit plays in greed and blame the greedy and the institutions that support greed,and suppress alternative energies in the name of controlling markets to ensure profits instead of attacking their neighbors.
Greed,hierarchy/class ism,"winner take all/excessive ambition/ the myths like"I pulled myself up etc., along with profit are destructive short sighted concepts that are killing us all. People in Europe have paid prices way higher than we have for gas..and they can endure it better because their cities are designed around people not cars..And their culture does not glorify and tie self esteem to illusory concepts of displays of wealth and status..so much. Our culture is shallow disconnected selfish and it can't cope without the conveniences it has been conditioned to want and cannot imagine existing without.If we didn't let henry ford zone our neighborhoods for cars for maximizing oil and car manufactures profit among other things.We might be living in cities instead of isolated areas with big useless yards far away from the centers of a community with better public transportation when life was arranged around people more like old european cities are because they were built before cars existed.WE let business take control of our lives we trusted the corporation and they have destroyed our capacity to relate to each other , to plan a city around the lives people (vs commerce)and to sustain each other together.

[The Jacobin]

12. You're right.

I'm gonna start riding the train tomorrow (not in St. Louis).

I've avoided it until now, because the cost was the same (or even higher than driving) and I would have to get up half an hour earlier.

I guess the time to sleep in has passed like a storm in the night.