Now what? - OT

Besides being an interesting article, I ***LOVE*** how predictable the responses will be. Watch, witfal. :-)

Besides

True. But the bottom line is corn ethanol will cost you far more than the imagined savings at the pump.

Check the cost of chicken and beef lately? Dog food?

I keep coming back to the same conclusion: Use less petroleum. There will always be a segment of the population that doesn't need a kick in the ass to do this. For the rest, I think a kick in the ass is overdue.

I wonder if there's a way to use public service commercials to the point where people are so tortured that they will do anything to stop them. Maybe even make a smarter choice when buying their next car.

I say keep producing biofuel. I love nitrous oxide!

The farmers are planting corn from ditch to ditch in order to grow enough corn. More ethanol plants are coming on line every day. Part of the reason gas prices have gone up to 3 dollars is to cover the cost of ethanol, which has risen. A lot.

Charles of Schaumburg

Its easy to see what turns you on, how labels and villains work for you. Here's something to help you sleep well tonight.

Actually, I have to echo F.H.'s sentiments, which seem to be focused on the term "eco-extremists". I'd propose instead that proponents of biofuels are the ultimate capitalists. I thought capitalism was worthy of blind worship in certain political circles.

If you are truly concerned about global warming and feel it is real then that is the only solution that will solve earths problem.

You first.

On the BBC the other day, they spoke with a UN scientist who said there is no way the rapid warming of the Earth could be attributed to man.

Later in the same hour they spoke to someone else, and the reporter's 'conclusion' was that man is causing the climate change and needs to scale back now to save the planet.

Two things: I would have more of a tendancy to believe a UN scientist than a reporter, and "the planet" isn't in trouble; it has seen much higher temperatures than this and bounced back. No, the "planet" will do just fine...

I'm curious: How many scientists do you have access to without someone like a reporter functioning as a conduit?

Using less is not a workable solution. Every other country's attitude is that the U.S. should cut back so THEY can consume more. It just isn't "fair" that the U.S. burns what they do. Never mind what we produce in the way of food for other areas.

Here the attitude is that it's up to someone else to cut back so I can continue to burn fuel at my current "comfort" level, similar to what happens during heat waves. Power companies ask that we reduce electricity consumption during peak hours, but most people run their air conditioning at 74 degrees and expect someone else to swelter.

The real solutions are not popular with eco-extremists. Nuclear power, more refineries, drilling off-shore, and similar actual real solutions are the only way we're going to reduce dependency on terrorist-funding oil purchases. Anything else is a pipe-dream at our current technological stage.

Uh oh. Blanket statements again. Be careful with the word "every". Do you think the Dutch want to use more, and are waiting for us to use less? Their cities are designed so people can use less oil. They don't claim to be hurting.

I think opportunism exists in every portion of the political spectrum. Al Gore owns stock in Occidental Petroleum, for example. Michael Moore owns Haliburton paper. See a pattern?

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the ELF or PETA own cattle futures.

Volatile, verbal extremism serves itself quite neatly and nicely, no matter the agenda.

I should have written that "many, if not a majority of countries...".

Point taken.

"The thing is you see what you want to see and you hear what you want to hear. You dig?"

The Rock Man (The Point, Harry Nilsson)

Huh?

A relatively small percentage of electricity is generated via oil in this country. As far as heating, I ***suspect*** that people who have it in their homes will be happy to get rid of it as soon as their current furnaces need replacement.

Perhaps. I'll still take the word of a Climate scientist over a reporter...

Not many. But the scientist was speaking himself.

So was the reporter...

Don't you mean climate Scientist?