Hey guys. Just running a test of the commenting system on the new Boone Cam video blog.

Contacting members of Congress is great and all, however, we ought to be contacting people running for office and asking them if they will pledge to support Picken's Plan (something similar to the Sunlight Foundation's http://pass223.com website tool - would greatly assist coordinating the efforts of the volunteers to call and ask candidates).

I have used the link to send all of my states elected officials and I even got a nice reply from Russ Feingold. But his email to me also asked to resend the email individually. I hear both Obama and McCain talking about what sounds like the Pickens Plan!

I have been pushing the Pickens Plan with many people, however some people had seen other ads on TV too. Well finally I have seen 3 other organizations that are trying to follow Boone's lead. I am not sure what their goal is, but I think that they should all team up together, instead of pushing evertying independent of each other. As for contacting our Government, that is a lot easier said than done. Most of the messages sent are processed by people who do not care about what is going on, just as long as they get a pay check they could care less what they say. The suggestion of a quick link for Members would be of a great help, that would make them pay more attention, but sending single messages is quite useless most of the time. After sending several hundred messages about things the Government is to handle, I have received a single response, which was very simple "We will check into your issue." That was over 5 years ago when I got that. It has to be in a FORM letter style before they will respond. Their filtering software finds matches and then sends them to humans to be processed. A good idea, but not good for those of use who really want to make contact. Calling is about the same, if you get through, you might get a reply from someone in about 4 years. No one will talk to you from Missouri, so here we just spin our wheels and get no where. Sorry so down on all of this, but experince with this has shown what works and what doesn't work, not to mention having talked to the people who process the emails, they will tell a lot when you talk to them enough. End result here is we need a form letter that we can email, and a place that gives us current and active addresses. Thanks to all. Aaron

I contacted my representative in congress (Eric Cantor) several weeks ago

But lets not forget, Mr. Pickens, you played a role in giving us George W. Bush. We will be lucky to recover from that disaster any time less than 15 years, if then. I hope it taught you a lesson.

I have tried to send your video to Govenor Manchin three or four times I don't know why it will not take it. I did send your Picken's Plan to the WV congress. I am telling everyone I can about your plan thanks for your help keep up the good work, this the first time I can say I really believe your plan will get through to the people that count.

You didn't get rich by being a moron, you are now acting like we are morons. All of your ideas are spot on but why do we need congress, part of our failed government to make this "Plan" happen? Private enterprise will do it, With the kind of money and backing you have why do we need the government? bone up the cash start selling wind energy to the power companies, they have to buy it as you know and private investment will support more of it. Once the wind is blowing in your favor get the CNG going. are you not a businessman? we are the common guys you made all your money off of the first time around, give us a break, if you care so damn much about the energy crisis and the economy use your money make the investments as you have already, and have your friends do it too. The plan is a good one but if you really believe you'll become the new Warren Buffet over this deal take the risk, the hell with congress, the economy will bear this beast if you offer it. Use the free enterprise system and make it work, if the government gets involved in this it will only mess it up like everything else it handles. Your name might as well be Jethro from the Ozarks, Slim Pickens do you think we're idiots? this is all about you making a huge pile of money and having us lobby the government doing your dirty work. Pull up your damn boots and work it without working us. Make us energy independent without using us as pawns and you'll be the richest man in the world and we'll be proud of you! Jason Henry

This new alternative energies thing is bigger than what private enterprise, and wealthy inidividuals can pull off. We need to involve our elected officials. Sa far, Boone is right-on, and I suggest we do as he asks.

The reason we need Congress's support is because this is a national problem, not a private enterprise problem. We need an overall redirection of resources, a national commitment to halting our bucks to the folks overseas. Mr. Pickens's plans is not only the sole plan out there, it makes sense. Sure he and his rich buddies have the dollars to get this thing started, and they already have. But the voices of a million American citizens, united behind a man who already has a powerful voice in Washington makes the possibility of change even stronger. I did contect all my elected representatives and have been greatly disappointed by their repsonses (if any). I agree whole heartedly with Andrew MacRae above... get commitments from those who are trying to unseat the incumbents in EVERY race this fall to sign on to the Pickens Plan.

I believe your plan is essentially a good one and I have recruited all my family and friends to join, but will our government support it? Hmmmm, I wonder. Why not get the ones in charge of Congress (the Democrats) to dig in their fat wallets and donate the millions of dollars they have taken from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? If they are serious and want to do something to bolster our economy, this would be the place to start.

I don't think everyone listen to your plan. It is to attack the Big Trucks 1st then on to the automobiles. It will take years but we had better start ASAP. As far as getting billionaires to support this with cash why not the little guy. I could see a new Corporation selling stock to raise the capital. Everyone can buy shares or own a mutal fund that is buying shares. When it suceeds everyone will make money and can feel proud that they supported the effort to free America from foreign oil.

Boone, Of course your plan is right on target. The problem is that it is NOT the only plan. I also have a plan every bit as comprehensive as yours. What you mean is that you're is the only one with a sufficient portfolio and/or pulpit to put a plan out there and have people pay attention to it. My plan is born of nearly fifty years of study, research and clinical experience, and the first two phases of it can be found in my book, 'Seven Deadly Threats To America' -- carried online at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble, among other distributors. You should read it. I find it more than curious that in all this time of signing up for your team, and supporting your plan, that you give almost no opportunity for those of us with complementary ideas to get in touch with you, and share our own findings. Specifically, my plan complements your plan, in that mine gets us independent of adversarial sources of foreign oil in one year, whereas yours takes ten. It then gives your plan the time and money to rid us of dependence upon all foreign oil, including that from friendly nations. If you are as concerned as you say you are about 700 billion going out to foreign governments every year -- many of whom do not wish us well -- would you not want to get us independent of them in a matter of months instead of years? Since I know you are genuine in your efforts, I think it is just a lack of awareness that "ordinary citizens" can have essential additions to your efforts. Do you read these messages that we, in all good faith, write to support your efforts? Surely one does not have to be one of the favored few who were invited to the lavish parties that Democrats and Republicans had at their conventions, while the oi polloi were left to vote and stuff envelopes. Hopefully, you have a way for members of your team actually to reach you. It will be essential for your success. You can talk all you want about your plan being the only plan, but it is not. My plan also allows for the money and time for your plan to work, as it specifically addresses the threat you all too seldom discuss -- the attainment by Iran of a nuclear capability, and/or the effort by Israel to prevent such an event. Did you think Iran is not fully prepared to block the Strait of Hormuz, thereby shutting off 40% of the world's oil supply, and sending global financial markets into even more chaos than they are now? My plan handles that. Yours does not. In fact, if we can't manage the Iranian threat along with our current financial meltdown, we may not even get to your plan. Your plan takes months and years. My plan takes days and weeks. Your plan presumes we have a quantity of time that we may not have. So is it all that difficult to find a way to get together with you on one of your many travels to support your plan? My wealth is a wealth of knowledge. Your wealth is a wealth of astute and bold management of resources. Surely these can be combined. If not, then you will indeed have a plan that takes months and years. But keep in mind, it is going to be a very long winter. With best regards, Curtis Bernard Schmidt, Ph.L., S.T.L., Ph.D. Clinical and Developmental Psychology National Security, Domestic and Foreign Policy Fmr. Chaplain, U.S. Army Europe [USAREUR] HQ, Heidelberg, Germany Author: Seven Deadly Threats to America - Campaign 2008: Approaching the Point of No Return

Pauline Seeber above seems to think that Congress is rolling in dough because of the takeover of Freddie Mac and Fannie May -- not true. The government took Freddie and Fannie over because they are broke. Congress and the President have bailed them out, we taxpayers will get the bill to pay for it. In this day and age you need to get your facts straight. Right now, Freddie and Fannie (and all the others Lehman, AIG, etc.) are liabilities -- not assets. Also, there is a bit of angry, arrogant bi-partisanship showing up in these pages. This divisiveness can torpedo the best plan out there, to say nothing of a once great country. There is nothing worse than angry groups of opinionated jerks yelling at each other while the ship slowly sinks. The divisiveness itself is very destructive. We need to pull together, stop the bi-partisan bull crap, and start working on this. T. Boone Pickens does not need to be doing this. He doesn't need us. He is doing it for the country that has been so good to him. I probably would not have agreed with anything he did 10 years ago. But he has become a true patriot. So far he is right on target. If Boone can do this, at least the rest of us can go along and help get started. I'm on board. Do you just want to hurl uselsess data and opinions, or help get us going?

My passions about this election are strong. But it doesn't matter who, really, wins. We only really need one thing from the government--to get out of our way. Between confiscatory tax rates and limitations on where we can do what, government has been our biggest handicap. We can argue over global warming, if we like. But neither side is being very helpful. The global warming fruitcakes seem able only to whine, but have nothing to suggest, while the "there's no proof" crowd just want to bury their heads in the ground. We're in trouble and we don't want to discover who's right by experimental evidence! Our enemies can destroy us without firing a shot. They need only wait until we are too fractured, too dissipated to stand and fight. Al Gore's group, wecansolveit, want's the government to fix it. They want Uncle Sugar to step in an impose a solution. Since the embargo in the 70's our government has made no moves to fix the problem and has, I'd argue, done their best to get in the way. The solution, whatever it is, will come from private industry. Mr. Pickens has already put his money up with the windfarm in Sweetwater. Even he can't fix it if what he does bankrupts him. What is needed is hundreds, maybe thousands of entrepreneurs stepping in with their businesses, building solar plants, bio-fuel extracting plants, wave generation plants, water current turbines, and more wind farms, as well as, eventually, more nuclear plants using safer technology than we had in the 80s and 90's. Even the revamped power distribution grid can be done by private enterprise if private enterprise can figure out how to make money doing it. The day of the monster power company, using one source of electricity to smother out its competitors is gone. We can't afford it any more. We need thousands, maybe millions, of solar arrays feeding the grid, earning a living for the owners while the public uses the electricity. We need hundreds, maybe thousands, or small wind farms feeding the grid, earning a living for their owners and paying back the investors. I think you see the trend. No one can do it for us. We have to do it for ourselves. Mr. Pickens has given us the vehicle. Among us are the people with the technical expertise, the organizational skills, and the financial knowledge to make it happen. Let's go do it.

Too many forget, or aren't old enough or weren't even born the last time around. I'm referring to the mid 80's when Alternate Energy was just starting to take off. People were installing systems at home a few tried to build bigger noes, R

I think Jason hit the nail on right on the head with his statement "You didn't get rich by being a moron, you are now acting like we are morons. All of your ideas are spot on but why do we need congress, part of our failed government to make this "Plan" happen? Private enterprise will do it, With the kind of money and backing you have why do we need the government? bone up the cash start selling wind energy to the power companies, they have to buy it as you know and private investment will support more of it. Once the wind is blowing in your favor get the CNG going. are you not a businessman? we are the common guys you made all your money off of the first time around, give us a break, if you care so damn much about the energy crisis and the economy use your money make the investments as you have already, and have your friends do it too. The plan is a good one but if you really believe you'll become the new Warren Buffet over this deal take the risk, the hell with congress, the economy will bear this beast if you offer it. Use the free enterprise system and make it work, if the government gets involved in this it will only mess it up like everything else it handles. Your name might as well be Jethro from the Ozarks, Slim Pickens do you think we're idiots? this is all about you making a huge pile of money and having us lobby the government doing your dirty work. Pull up your damn boots and work it without working us. Make us energy independent without using us as pawns and you'll be the richest man in the world and we'll be proud of you!" Jason Henry

Pickens I am behind you whole heartedly. Reading some of the comments and laying the problems at George Bush's feet, is unbeliveable. Who do you think signed the bill letting people get into houses with no down payment and only paying interest. Bill Clinton!!!!! Do your homework people. I'm a registered democrat. We need to put all by-partisim aside and work on energy. I have contacted my congressmen and hope they do as they say.

ONLY THING CERTAIN IS CHANGE, WE ALL KNOW IT IS TIME, EITHER ONE IS PRO-ACTIVE OR ALLOWS FEAR TO KEEP THEM STUCK. THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME, UNITE FOR THE COMMON GOOD , ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS, CHECK OUT SWEETWATER TEXAS, TALK TO FOLKS THERE, IT IS AN INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENT. ONE STEP AT A TIME, IT IS A PROCESS.

T Boone Pickens There is no one solution. Wind power is great where there is wind in Texas and the midwest. We need a natioanal charge as if we were at war to be completely off oil as a fuel in 10 years. Oil is still needed to make plastic. There is a 3D solar that is 80 % efficient that needs money to develop. This solar would allow panels to be placed anywhere on a roof where there was no shadowing with no tracking needed. Ground source heat pumps is another answer would save up to 50% on heating and cooling. (geothermal) Earth sheltered homes is a little extreme but they are the best chance to have zero carbon footprint homes. (geothermal) I have a design in mind Plasma Converters is a Technology that Japan is embracing that runs on the renewable energy garbage with zero emmissions. By Products are hydrogen, process gas, a metal slag, stone like material that Japan is using in their roads and power. The incredible heat produced is used to power a steam generation plant to make electricity. So it not only produces power but it gets rid of toxic waste and cleans up the environment. So Your plan is great but it is a little conservative. A country that could put a man on the moon in a decade surely can solve the oil crisis in a decade. All we need is leadership, resolve and the will to get it done.

The Pickens Plan is the most likely to succed, as any thing I've heard from Obama or others in DC. I like the plan except, we need a mandate from congress to the general public that says every retail gas supplier will have at least one natural gas station for every 50 pumps they service in each area within 3 yrs. The Government will provide a low interest loan to each applicant that is quilified to provide this service. Then reqiure all auto mfgrs to produce 5% of their vehicles to be powered by natural gas each year stating in 3 yrs. This does 2 things, first it sends notice to ALL oil producing countries that we are moving away from dependency on their oil, second it will help all polution areas including green house gases. If the government will pass the laws to mandate these reqiurements,