12 Comments so far

1. walkingbear March 7th, 2007 3:56 pm

   I wondered when an alternative would arrive that will cause the US to sit up and notice…and dont you just know it..the CIA are already in there…checking it out.

   Iraq, Iran…and possibly Cuba? Could be?
   Is that a bay of pigs I see coming over the horizon? Better check whose giving Castro his medicine could be he’s already gone from any possible/probable US takeover of Cuba, “grace à” CIA intelligence (misnomer).

   Seriously though, as the US looks homeward to ward off any Chinese/European competition the need to bring Central and South America into the “States” becomes more and more likely..and later on of course Canada.

   “I run my Car on Coca Cola” bumper stickers…some bright entrepenuer get onto that right away eh?
   Ho
   WalkingBear

2. ezeflyer March 7th, 2007 4:09 pm

   One further step would fade support for internal combustion engines, if only to slow down our unnatural, ever accelerating pace to let us smell the flowers. Substitute ICE vehicles for electric cars (and Air Cars? http://www.theaircar.com/), trains, bicycles, horses and horse drawn carriages. Yes horses. we all love them and they work well for the Pennsylvania Dutch. It is a beautiful and sustainable way to ride, plus horse manure is great organic fertilizer that will replace oil based fertilizers. Many of us would like to buy the farm when we retire so we can have horses and farm animals. Why wait?

   Cuba is one of the few places where though not by choice, has become sustainable in spite of conservative’s cruel embargo. However, it does not enjoy the luxuries possible in a sustainable society…yet. Luckily, with Chavez’s help, they are thinking beyond petroleum and about green energy.

   We can use appropriate technology to make us energy independent forever right now. With photovoltaics or small wind generators on every roof connected to the grid, we can sell our excess power to the utilities by making the meter run backwards, or use the utilities power when we need extra? http://www.homepower.com/

   The knowledge and technology is here to use. Chavez is leading the way.

3. johnny hempseed March 7th, 2007 4:19 pm

   All well and good for Cuba and Venezuela,however for the North American continent Industrial Hemp is the best Bio-fuel ,diesel,Food ,Fiber,methanol.,or cellulosic ethanol crop.And you have ;a food crop and a food oil/bio -diesel crop, a fiber crop,and a waste crop for ethanol/methanol production.Low fertilizer input,when rotated with legumes,no ,irrigation ,herbicides or pesticides ,an ideal panacea for the family farm.Call your Rep.ask them to co=sponcer H.R.1009 Rep. Ron Paul(R. Texas) This Bill Would give “the States the right to regulate the versatile Hemp crop” There are at least nine Democratic co-sponsors including Dennis Kuccinich(D Ohio)Barney Frank(D.Mass).Presidential candidate Barrack Obama is also pro- Hemp decriminalization.
   If bio-fuels are to be a viable stop gap energy source they must be efficient,and not a drag on the food /commodoty market.Corn is a perfectly bad example,look at the damage N.A.F.T.A.and the ethanol runup have done to the poorest Mexican farmers and the entire Tortilla eating public!
   Switchgrass is another,for other reasons,like bio-diversity. Peace out

4. Gail March 7th, 2007 6:35 pm

   My goodness, that terrible dictator from Venezuela is making the leaders of the United States look like a bunch of pre-schoolers. No wonder Chavez continues to be on the s**t-list of American politicians.

   Meanwhile, Charlie Rangel is suggesting to trade guru Schwab that “we” have to find a “language” to convince the public that “Free Trade” is a good thing. Yeah, let’s find the right language and continue on the same devestating path. That makes good sense. We can’t wait to see what you and the rest of the gurus come up with.

5. ezeflyer March 7th, 2007 9:38 pm

   Johnny hempseed and Gail:

   I agree. Thanks for letting us know that Congresspersons Frank, Obama and Kucinich are co-sponsoring Rep. Paul’s Bill on Hemp. (It made me give Obama a second look.) George Washington told us to grow hemp and Jefferson grew it on his farm realizing it’s great benefits.

   It’s ironic that with the sordid history of the marihuana laws, people have bought into the fascist anti-hemp agenda. That marihuana laws are being used by opportunistic lawmakers like “free trade” Charlie Rangel to frighten and further their careers adding to our prison population at the expense of our youth of color.

   That the conservative DLC will not endorse hemp legalization is understandable in terms of their sucking up to conservatives of all stripes. But if the liberal majority is ever able to get together on something, this bill would easily pass.

6. bahippie March 8th, 2007 10:53 am

   Gimmee a break. Ethanol is not an enviromentally benign fuel no matter what you grow to make it. This cheery little article is a bogus piece of propaganda. How many farmers have stopped growing food to grow sugar cane for fuel? How many chemicals do they dump onto their non-food crops? How much gasoline to they use in production? How much land is being slashed-and-burned to make more sugar cane plantations? I’ve enjoyed Common Dreams for many years. They present an alternative view to the Mainstream press, but I’ve always noticed a certain “liberal spin” on many articles, especially those from Inter Press Service. Just tell the truth, please. There’s no need to spray perfume on crap. B. A. Hippie

7. Rebel Farmer March 8th, 2007 12:49 pm

   I think the point here is that the ethanol wagon is already on the move and can’t be stopped. If that is true, than using a non-food crop to produce it is the only way to minimize the impact of this one renewable approach to energy. It’s not as if this is the only train leaving the station either. Wind and solar energy also need to be pushed HARD!

   As for Cuba slashing and burning, using agri-chemicals, or using non-sustainable farming practices, this is not true. They were forced to go organic because they couldn’t afford any oil based inputs after Russia stopped funding them. Further, the “food” benefit of the sugar cane has already been removed before converting the leftover biomass to alcohol. They seem to have taken a reasonable approach to providing an alternative fuel. The same cannot be said of the U.S.

8. senorpescado March 8th, 2007 4:43 pm

   HEMP OF COURSE
   the only way for immediate solutions
   see my site http://www.fairtradefish.org for links to sites with more information
   thanks to Obama for sponsoring this bill,
   Common sense, is not common,
   however with some leaders looking at the future, it is common.
   SenorPescado

9. ericf March 9th, 2007 12:40 am

   A recent U of Minnesota study found that native prairie grass consisting of a mix of species produces more ethanol with less intenisve farming than corn. It grows on marginal land that requires lots of CO2 emissions for growing corn. Since this isn’t good cropland anyway, it doesn’t cut so much into the food supply.
   http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/12/11/midmorning1/

10. ezeflyer March 9th, 2007 1:56 pm

    ericf:

    The question is, what about the species that live in the native prairie grass? We all oppose clearcutting of old growth forests among other things, because of the loss of species diversity in these stable ecosystems. Wouldn’t this be its equivalent?

    Placing the needs of our species above all others is pushing our biosphere toward ecocide (global warming, resource depletion, species extinction, overpopulation, pollution, war, crime, etc.).

    Hemp can be grown easily without petroleum based chemicals on land designated for growing corn for ethanol, giving a higher yield and many other products such as nutritious food, cloth, paper and building materials.

    It’s a funny thing. the hippies and back-to-the-landers in the sixties are coming back to the forefront, because these are the people with firsthand knowledge of sustainable organic farming in a post-petroleum world.

11. bnxezycakypa December 10th, 2007 3:49 am

    tittocepureze…

    exhevuxutena…

12. bnwecopanyhe December 26th, 2007 9:07 pm

    titkocyvenasi…

    expapezyxozy…

Join the discussion:

You must be logged in to post a comment. If you haven't registered yet, click here to register. (It's quick, easy and free. And we won't give your email address to anyone.)