"Everyone was taking pictures of it," writes Daniel Johnston of Camano Island, WA. -- "I noted the unfairness of this. Here I was trapped in handcuffs in the back of a cruiser watching everyone but me take pictures of my car at the oil refinery which is what I set out to do and was currently in trouble for. I payed special attention to the reaction of the man that I figured to be the Fed as he took photos. His reaction was the dreaded head shake with pursed lips. I knew I was in definite trouble now." -- It all goes to show that like water, art cars don't mix well with oil. -- Humor and common sense, either, in this Age of Terrorism. -- Daniel Johnston tells a how creative and entrepreneurial spirit led him to find himself handcuffed in the back of a sheriff's car in Anacortes last week. -- We've posted a photo of the art car that got him into trouble
here. -- For more details on how the search for "a cool spacey looking backdrop for the pictures of [your] car" can land you in the hands of the Feds, read his detailed account, written with a wry eye for detail and posted here with permission.[1] -- But Johnston, who faces a day in court on Jul. 17, is in luck. -- Fortunately for him, the Tesoro Corporation lists among its "values and visions" a commitment to... "creative and entrepreneurial spirit."[2] -- Right. --
BACKGROUND: The Tesoro Corporation is a major oil refiner, having given up its upstream activities. -- It is now the second-largest refiner on the West Coast. -- Its products are marketed mostly in the western U.S., sometimes under the brand name Shell; the refinery in Anacortes formerly belonged to Shell.[3] -- You can see a picture of the Anacortes refinery, where Daniel Johnston was arrested on Jul. 5, 2007,
here, or examine an aerial view of the facility
here (but don't look too closely, you might get arrested). -- Or you can read Tesoro's description of the Anacortes refinery, which has a capacity to refine 115,000 barrels of crude oil a day, about 20% of Tesoro's total capacity.[4] -- Tesoro was founded (with only a $1,000 investment, it is said) in 1964 by Robert V. West Jr., a petrochemical engineer widely regarded as an entrepreneur of heroic proportions;
West died in 2006 at the age of 85. -- Tesoro's revenues are now on the order of $12 billion a year. -- Tesoro is a
major client of Halliburton, and in March Tesoro CEO Bruce A. Smith and Jeb Bush were the speakers in San Antonio, Texas, where Tesoro is headquartered, at a luncheon given by the
National Petrochemical and Refiners Association. -- Tesoro has done well in the Bush years: if you'd invested $1,000 in Tesoro five years ago, you'd have $18,357 today. -- For more on art cars, see
Wikipedia or the
DMOZ open directory page....
