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2008-05-01 Home Front: WoT

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Posted by ryuge 2008-05-01 06:08|| || Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top

#1 What ever happened to the Brave New World of alternative fuels and super efficient cars that should have been here, at the latest, this year?
And I'm not talking about ethanol, what happened to the new Hydrogen fleet? The electric car that would actually run far enough to commute to work, and possibly even go the speed limit? WTF? Where are they? I'm ready.

Posted by bigjim-ky 2008-05-01 08:46|| 2008-05-01 08:46|| Front Page Top

#2
After years of learning how to fight an unfamiliar war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to protect us at home, we are finally getting most things right. But if our soldiers and intelligence agencies have learned how to win, our politically correct diplomats and the American consumer haven't - and are doing as much at home to empower radical Islam as those on the front lines are to defeat it.

The danger is that in any successful endeavor work flows towards competency. The one branch of government that can adapt, modify, and change to fit the threat is not the one filled by politicians. That is why so much effort is made to define it 'not as a threat'. That ultimately leads to the undermining of democracy. In desperation the people will turn to those who will protect them. For the first responsibility of any government ought to be that which is unsaid but expected - to protect the lives of their citizens, their families, and their property.

Posted by Procopius2k 2008-05-01 09:11|| 2008-05-01 09:11|| Front Page Top

#3 In his latest desperate rant, a suddenly "green" Zawahiri was reduced to appealing to environmentally conscious Muslims to fault the United States for our supposed culpability for global warming!

Just throwing a bone to his most important allies: The American "left".

Posted by Excalibur 2008-05-01 09:39|| 2008-05-01 09:39|| Front Page Top

#4 Americans cannot find a substitute for imported oil. "cannot" implies that a real effort has been made. Americans haven't bothered to look. I am not referring to boondoggles like hydrogen and subsidized ethanol. A first step might be to stop subsidizing parts of the economy that depend on vast quantities of cheap imported oil (such as highways, auto & air travel), but that is beyond the scope of any acceptable discussion.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2008-05-01 15:16|| 2008-05-01 15:16|| Front Page Top

#5 As an example of what I meant from my previous posts, from today's news:
CSX Plans Ohio Terminals For Double-Stacked Trains

"CSX Corporation says it will spend $300 million on upgrades that would allow trains with double-stacked cars to run from the East Coast to the Midwest.

For the effort to go forward, the federal government would have to provide an additional $400 million to change 70 overpasses in six states that would be too short for the double-stacked cars to pass under.
...The railroad says double-stacked trains use about the same amount of fuel to carry more freight faster."
Look out for the NIMBYists and Lawfare warriors to substantially delay or kill this worthwhile initiative. You read it here first.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2008-05-01 17:39|| 2008-05-01 17:39|| Front Page Top

#6 BigJim,
I'm still waiting on my Jetsons car built with quality US made Cogsley Cogs.

Posted by Capsu78 2008-05-01 18:47|| 2008-05-01 18:47|| Front Page Top

#7 Hydrogen requires 2-3 times the energy inputs to power a car than does electricity. Even more if the hydrogen is made by splitting water.

I think the smartest thing the US gov can do is give $2000 (i.e. the cost diff between a Honda Civic and a Civic Hydbrid) to the auto manufacturers for every American who buys a hybrid car. After 5 years of 30% improved mileage cars, the equivalent of the entire US middle east oil imports won't be needed. After 10 years, the middle east and Venezuela won't be needed. Also after 10 years, the transition to electricity dominant PHEVs will be well under way and transportation energy will shift domestic control.

Posted by ed 2008-05-01 19:12|| 2008-05-01 19:12|| Front Page Top

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