posted on June 1, 2002 08:05:04 AM new
Reamond - I was of the mind set that if only we could bring down the price of oil to $2.00 a barrel, that would eliminate the power the mideast has on us. Thanks for presenting the larger picture.
On "..the US will continue to be 'latinized' from the influx of people from central and south america" Besides the issue of our country being an English speaking nation [I agree with that whole-heartedly] another issue being discussed now is changing the school text books to re-write history. I watched an interview where some in Texas are wanting change because teaching this bit of history [The Alamo] is offensive to those from Mexico....like a 'we won the war against you' kind of thing. Never know...maybe soon the Germans will want us to change our history books so we don't 'offend' any of them. etc.
Just read also that the EU is looking at limiting the influx of immigrants. I think we should too for many reasons.
On the Kyoto treaty, I agree. And now that the EU has voted to approve it...there will be even more pressure on our nation to do so in the future.
posted on June 1, 2002 08:44:48 AM new
Not to worry. Who pays attention to someone who expresses a hope with "[i]There are some economists, business leaders, and scientists that can not imagine a dynamic economy without petroleum or nuclear as the main energy source. We can only hope they are wrong{/i]" yet goes on to adopt the very arguments of those hoped wrong as his own?
posted on June 1, 2002 09:36:05 AM new"Imagine China building electric generating plants fueled by dirt cheap petroleum."
Look. Let's go beyond the patriotic and political and move onto pollution. You have to add the costs in human suffering, misery, and death, as well as Quality of Life and that of the environment into the cost-savings equation. I didn't want to mention the "touchy-feelie" aspects before due to derisive comments from those who think that living in polluted muck is just swell. Add to that having China getting engaged in endless land wars for Oil, getting marketed as The Great Satan by the locals who will blow up their embassies, barracks, and military units, crash suicide-flown airplanes into their high-rises, constantly having to thwart plots to blow up targets at home by said terrorists, and the list is endless. No, it may look like an "edge" to some on paper, but when you really add up all of the costs, more expensive alternative energy is not really more expensive after all.
posted on June 1, 2002 09:49:20 AM new
The problem with nuclear power is not it's basic nature - it is the safety level at which they want to operate the plants. The navy has never had a loss of a ship due to it's power plant failing but they have a completely different level of design for their reactors. As long as they want to make civilian reactors on the cheap without sufficient controls people are right to be scared of them.
Nuclear "waste" is not a loss. It is a resourse if you use it right but there are too many barriers to using the waste in a sensible way due to fear of it being made into weapons.
I don't ever see these problems being overcome so solar/ geothermal / fuel cells and orbital power seems more likely.
posted on June 1, 2002 09:55:52 AM new
krs-The only arguments I "adopted" are basic economic facts, which you obviously never pay attention to.
But if you have a rational theory why alternative non-polluting energy is not available, we're all ears. But remember, keep it rational and based in reality.
posted on June 1, 2002 10:12:22 AM new
Bor- There are countries around the world that will suffer pollution for economic prosperity. You have to remember the living conditions of these folks. So what if 2 of my children die from asma and 1 from cancer, 4 died this year from starvation.
posted on June 1, 2002 10:33:14 AM new
Linda- immigration changes democracies.
France is having a real problem with the terrorists war because they have a huge muslim population, Germany has the same problem.
What they don't want to happen is to get involved in the war, and then all hell breaks loose domestically.
The synagouges being burned was a sample of what the muslims would do if France and Germany didn't cool it.
We will sooner or later face the same issues as we are latinized. Everything from language to text books, and our relations with Central and South America will be infused with this new political reality.
A good example of this is how thw American Cuban community dictates how we interact with Cuba.
posted on June 1, 2002 10:47:40 AM new
REAMOND: I agree a Civil War is not an impossibility. In fact, that was what I was thinking when I was expressing gratitude for the right to own and bear arms in the NRA thread.
IFORGOTWHO:>>>>Reports are saying since our war on Afghanstan the terrorists/Al Qaeda
have moved their operations into Pakistan where they have found a large amount of support.<<<
The mountain "Tribes" (areas) don't consider themselves part of Pakistan per se, so I wouldn't use them as a representative example of Pakistani support. They would fight *alongside* Pakistan, if you will. From what I understand it is quite primitive there. I don't think they even have schools.
posted on June 1, 2002 11:19:25 AM new
Pakistan had al Qaeda within its borders long ago. Musarif supported the Taliban as well as al Qaeda - they all had a common enemy- India. Al Qaeda was sending terrorists from Pakistan into India as far back as 1996.
Musarif had to do some back pedaling after 9-11. That's an example of the shifting allies and enemies I referred to earlier.
We probably leveled a pretty clear threat to Musasriff after 9-11 and stated in no uncertain terms that we would help India take a part of his a** if he didn't cooperate.
While Musariff has seemed to cooperate, the population of Pakistan is by no means in tune with his public statements. There is always a disconnect between dictators and their populace.
posted on June 1, 2002 11:50:31 AM new
I remember the Hearings on the safety issues related to nuclear waste (radioactive filth).
some goof ball Government type who got his job because some power company had lots of consumers money to lobby and contribute with.,sat there and told the senate that his agency would be able to guarantee the safety and safe handling and safe care of this waste.
it was then that dr. Gorfman one of the leading atomic and research scientists asked him, let me get this right your agency is going to be able to guarantee the safety of this waste 250,000 times longer than your agency has existed ? 20,000 times longer than since this country was created or 2,000 times longer than since the birth of Christ ?
the human pimple had no problem answering yes.
Dr Gorfman (i MIght be spelling his name with an r where there is none) was at one time a favorite scientist of the feds until he would not lie about test results.
even as we bicker your mother and your daughters and your sister have radioactive
isotopes in the milk they would feed a child. This is a war crime nothing less. 7 billion people have been poisoned by corporate terrorists and political terrorists who hold or have held positions of power thru the use of illegal force.
I term illegal force the use force against ones own population.
I see Bush had nothing big to say when china yesterday locked up 2 democracy activists
for trying to get the red government to pay the workers at a steel mill there. Kind of like Reagan firing the air traffic controllers.
I see China is going to get by with the violations of Japanese sovereignty. in a convoluted piece of garbled nonsense,
worthy of Clinton's lawyers,
justifying the assault by saying they were fighting terrorism
each journey (towards war) begins with a single step.
Pakistan a Muslim country can reach Israel with missiles if she wants to go down fighting.
