The only way to resolve the middle east/Iraq mess

[DianeG5385]

Will be for some clever person to invent an energy source which is not oil based, or for the darn stuff to run out. I suggest we bone up on our agrarian skills and find and make sure we have generators than can run on non-petroleum based fuels. I know that's extreme, but I have always been one to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. It's hard these days.

Just to let you know how pervasive oil is to our everyday life,it's not just gasoline, it's just about everything you touch and use and wear that is not made from leather, cotton, wool or steel. It's basically not just the gas but the entire car it's everything made from plastic. It's pantyhose and Teflon and nylon and spandex and the list is endless!!

WE will never be out of the ME or treat their citizens with common decency(I don't think the PTB are capable of this, the American people are, but not those in control of the US and they are not the gov't)until we have squeezed every last drop of oil out of them. The Iraq play is an attempt to get it "for free" Hah, Hah, what a miserable failure that was! I wonder how strong our support of Israel will be when the oil runs dry? Isn't it amazing that in a short hundred years, the industrial age potentially could be the death of us all. The next big move will be to corner water resources.

The rest of the world is leaving us behind and in some respects, gladly so, I'm am sure they are sick to death of groveling up to us. The EURO was a stroke of genius. I hate to sound condescending, but what the hell is this country doing wasting it's time on all this religious crap?? It's like we are in self-destruct mode and those of us who don't agree are like lookyloos passing an awful crash who rear end the car in front! Taking power back in this country has never been more important.

[DianeG5385]

1. Brilliant and pithy

keeck

[RubyCat]

2. Vegetable oil fuel

I think we should take a closer look at vegetable oil as an energy source. Agriculture is one of America's strengths. Imagine if we could grow our way out of our energy problems.

Isn't vegetable oil just a fossil fuel that hasn't yet been fossilized? It's supposed to have about the same "energy density" as diesel fuel. A gallon of vegetable oil takes you as far as a gallon of diesel fuel. How much does a gallon of vegetable oil from the supermarket cost?

The cost can be further reduced when considering that the oil doesn't have to be at a grade high enough for human consumption. Vegetable oil cars run just fine using old oil that's discarded from the fryers of restaurants.

Is it possible to genetically engineer plants so that they produce higher levels of oil? That's an avenue of research that might be worth pursuing.

[DianeG5385]

3. You know, during all the Y2K conversion period,

I rode the bus with a guy who quit his job, moved to Colorado (rural) to become a survivalist. He was convinced that Y2K was going to bring the economy down BIG! I (internally) laughed at him, thinking what an idiot!!! Well guess what?? For all I know in the five years hence, he may have a head start and no, he was NOT a RW wacky wack!