I've been thinking about this, and it seems to me that we ought to ask ourselves what happened the last time a dictator in the Middle East used chemical weapons on his own people.
To the best of my knowledge, the last guy who did so was none other than Saddam Hussein when he gassed the Kurds in the 80's. It might behoove us to wonder, where exactly did Saddam get those chemical weapons? Well, he got them from the United States, thanks to Reagan and Bush Sr.
But yeh, international standards are important to adhere to. There should be consequences for using them. Besides, if 1,500 people are going to die from have chemical weapons used on them, surely we can save the people of Syria by dropping bombs on their heads, right?
What the hell is Obama thinking? Does anyone really want to play a game of chicken with Vlad? I gotta think that this is really just retribution against Russia for taking in Snowden, and hopefully getting his name out of the papers.
How about we have pass a law that says the USA can only have 1 war at a time. Before we can go to war in Syria, we have to get out of Afghanistan first.
Of course, we would pay about as much attention to Syria as we do the Congo if it wasn't for our dependence on fossil fuels. So if you don't like starting resource wars, go buy a fucking Chevy Volt. I recently purchased a new Chevy. I got tired of taking my old POS to the mechanic. I figure car buying is one of those few big purchases you can make in life where you're guaranteed to lose money on your investment, so you should do it as infrequently as humanly possible. A week after I bought the car, my cat started screaming whenever he went to the literbox. Turns out his dick was clogged. After dropping 3 grand at the vet, he had to have surgery to turn him into a girl. What a shitty month it's been.
Oh, hey, what's this weird thing in this new car? A CD player? cool......
While I won't disagree that oil is the only thing that makes the entire region worth caring about, Syria is hardly a major oil producer, nor will it ever be.
As for your Chevy Volt, if it makes you feel better, fine. but the future of "non gasoline" automobiles is most likely going to be nat gas powered cars, which although still a fossil fuel (unless you listen to Pelosi of course) it is much more sustainable and less harmful to the environment than what we have now. I just don't see electric cars being the panacea that you do, they create just as many new problems as they solve.
Methane sounds interesting, I'm not convinced about it's sustainability
...and I'm guessing the batteries that store the power are lithium ion.
at least GM sells a two liter turbo diesel 4cyl. Something I never thought I'd see in America
I've owned 3 consecutive VW Golf diesels. They'e each been BRILLIANT. The current one regularly gets 26-30 MPG city, 32-36 MPG combination, and 40-45 MPG highway.
As soon as range and "Range Anxiety" issues are answered I'd fully be on board for an "Electric".
No oil or air filters to change, valves or timing belts to maintain, spark plugs or glow plugs or their wires to replace, nor expensive, complicated transmissions to go wrong. Just an innocuous 70-100lb electric motor with two moving parts developing 300 - 1000 pound/feet of torque from a walking speed to 100+MPH. All that pragmatic simplicity; and at $6.00 cost per charging.
I'm rooting for Tesla and other inovative electric automobile manufactures as well as motorcycle manufactures. The time is upon us.
I'm rooting for Tesla and other inovative electric automobile manufactures as well as motorcycle manufactures. The time is upon us.
I'm quite aware of the defensive being raised by the Texas "regulations" protecting the established "Dealership" business formula and how Tesla has been challenged by it. Ironic coming from a State so heavily steeped in a conservative 'Non-regulation' ethos.
I guess "small government" is great until someone comes up with a better mousetrap that doesn't need gasoline. Suddenly "regulations" become an honored principle of acceptable, safe and civilized commerce.
Can't wait to see another photo of that memory challenged, Dukes of Hazzard Boss Hog Texas Governor deep throating another corndog or pink slime burger.
Jethro Bodine for President!
Please don't try to make it any more complicated than that for the people who love the idea of an electric car. and whatever you do, don't remind them that electric cars come with a whole myriad of unsolved problems and are hardly the panacea that their "smug" (thanks Matt and Trey) owners seem to think they are.
...electric is far superior. It is amazing how much energy is lost using petroleum, due to evaporation alone. When you drive an electric this is more than obvious, you get so much more torque. You also have fewer moving parts, and the engine weighs very little.
Just imagine how inefficient it would be to run every engine off of petrol. Use gas to power a food processor? Or a vacuum cleaner? Or your average fan?
Hell, it only takes 3 to 5 volts to power the fan on my laptop.
When you calculate the weight of gasoline powered cars, with the weight of the passengers, it means you're having to move 1-2 tons of weight, just to get a 200 pound person from point A to point B. That's a 1:10 to a 1:20 ratio. Talk about inefficiency!
Tell me what fuel do you use in the power plant to generate the electricity to charge the battery in the electric car, coal ? oil? If everyone had an electric car we would need to generate more electric to charge the batteries thereby using more coal and oil than we do now in those plants.
LNG or LPG is not a bad idea.
You’re Welcome
2014 = GOP house and Senate
BTW how is that solyndra deal working out
The internal combustion engine is, by it's very design, very inefficient. A car engine pumps petrol into a chamber and ignites it with a spark. A large amount of the petrol is wasted, due to losses in evaporation and heat.
Even modern petrol car engines only have a total efficiency of 25%. This means that about 75% is wasted as exhaust without doing anything useful.
Even with an electric vehicle getting it's power from a power plant that uses fossil fuels, it's still more efficient. The oldest coal-fired power plants run at about a 28% efficiency, while the newer ones run at about 40%. Electric vehicle motors run at about a 76%-80% efficiency.
What would be far more efficient, would be to for the gov't to subsidize home owners like they do in Germany, to have solar panels installed on their homes. Then you could just plug your electric vehicle into them. You wouldn't have to worry about the losses of rectifying AC to DC.
The costs alone, even with a coal-fired power plant makes this worth while. The equivalent MPG for a 100% electric vehicle like a Nissan Leaf is about 115 MPG. With subsidized solar power, the cost would be pennies!
And I'm not talking about the solar panels of old. Today we have photovoltaic roof shingles. We have photovoltaic glass. Imagine if entire skyscrapers were built using photovoltaic glass? Every building could be a mini-power plant.
Can use nuclear (cheapest), solar, wind, waves, methane & LNG to name a few.
Don't respond by saying nuclear waste. US is the only country with a huge waste problem. Others reprocess.
"Of course, we would pay about as much attention to Syria as we do the Congo if it wasn't for our dependence on fossil fuels. So if you don't like starting resource wars, go buy a fucking Chevy Volt."
The "Railroads" have been very successfully using "Diesel-Electrics" since the late 1940's for reasons of "fuel economy" and low maintenance. the Oil industry has been doing everything it can to impugn and impede "Electric" power for our personal transportation since for equally as long. The "Volt" is similar to a Diesel Electric locomotive in that the Volt's gasoline engine generates "electric" power recharging the batteries and supplementing when batteries are low. I've been questioning for years why this technology had not sooner been utilized.
We've been spilling military blood & treasure in that fuck'n sand-trap known as the Middle-East for 50 years at the pleasure and profit of Big Oil. Meanwhile if a country has no major marketable/exploitable natural resource valued by America it will be the Peace Corps or a non-profit humanitarian group with Sally Struthers or Angelina Jolie as spokesperson to come to your aid.
We have the technology already on the shelf to allow us life without Middle East oil. It is about time we tell Exxon-mobil that they are on their own "over-there", and learn to live with what we have here
Why don’t; guys Google US Oil imports and find out before spouting tired old drivel. Willy was thinking with what?
we do import oil from the Middle East - not a real high percentage of the imports but it is there.
I don't think you have it right implying that the international oil companies profit in a big way from oil production in the middle east. Virtually all of that oil production has been nationalized so it is the countries themselves that profit. I will note that I think there is some LNG production that has not been nationalized. We in the U.S. need stability in the region for oil price stability, even though per my post below not that much of our oil supply comes from the region...But the world is round as they say and if there is an event there impacting oil supply, the price of oil everywhere on the planet will go up.
...sympathy - write a letter to Cat Fancy magazine.
Speaking of letters, now that your cat is a "girl", I expect to see a letter from you in Penthouse Forum.
-- Modified on 9/15/2013 3:11:47 PM
buying an electric car AND owning a cat??? There are several words for those kind of people that come to mind, but I would hate to get myself moderated. Even here most of what I would have to say would be unacceptable.
...except when they cost you 3 grand. Besides, having a cat is more eco-friendly than passing a crying, foul mess from the fruit of your loins. Plus, they smell infinitely better than dogs.
As I said earlier, it's "cat people" who are strange.
but notice I did say "might", no amount of weed in the world would be enough to get me to like a POS like the Volt.
okay you can report my post now .
Laffy man. It's now in your face just like the cocks you chug and you can't deny it anymore because you know it's truth.
your country too and if that piece of shit would sell out an ambassador who talked him up at every change he'd piss on your sorry ass in minute . Hell, he already has but you're used to being the whipping boy aren't you .
even mice know when they're time is up and they take a stand . People like you just flip on their back and comply . What a life ! You've been wrong and you can't admit it . I feel sorry for you. Your golden BOY is a sellout and now that the truth is at hand you can't handle it . It started the day he , an American President , bowed to a Saudi King and it ended when he rolled over in bed and didn't answer the phone . Yea you're right , it's all about Syria.
Worthless cowards !