If anyone wants to have an intelligent conversation about energy and possible alternatives, it's been an obsession of mine for about 25 years. That and thermal engineering have been my focus in college (they are actually very closely related)

Biofuel is the best bet, but ethanol in it's current state is a losing proposition. Cellulose biofuel is extremely promising, and the prototype plants have proven that they can be profitable, but not as profitable (for the first so many years) as big oil is.

biomass power plants, coupled with solar farms of algae bio-reactors are extremely promising, but would need the implementation of the super-grid, which is still in development stages. They would actually be carbon negative, as some of the oil created by the bio-reactors would be used to make bio-plastics.

If the super-grid is actually created (a massive interconnected superconducting electrical grid) then places like the string of islands off the coast of Alaska could actually power almost all of North America... there is some SERIOUS wind there, and no ecosystems to disrupt. Parts of the super-grid are actually already in place.

Many of these things seem far fetched, and are played that way by the media (allegedly controlled by big oil), but are really very old technology. For example, there were 1 million (yes, one million) gasifiers built in Germany in WW2 when the fuel supplies to the country were cut off. These allowed everything from engine driven water pumps to cars to run off of coal and wood. The US especially had some pretty massive facilities to supplement fuel levels by distilling wood in ethanol.

None of this is new... time to start using it!

governments that want more power get that power from their populations by making them fear a foreign threat. hitler did it. stalin did it. and, george w. bush did it.

by making the terror threat worse than it was, congress gave the Bush administration permission to invade countries and to enact two Patriot Acts that grossly invade our liberties.

I am ashamed that so few of my fellow baby boomers who went through the vietnam era saw this post-9/11 and said nothing.

power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

lots of people spoke up Faithful

I think your POV is shared by more people than you know

I will mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.
Martin Luther King Jr

It takes the involvement of many countries like the US and their allies working together to stop all the Osama's of the world. We are more connected than ever before with all our technology, gone are the days of not being affected by what goes on in other countries. If we were the ones living under such horrible conditions be it in Afghanistan or in the Congo or any where, wouldn't we want the help of the rest of the world? I am so very thankful that I was born where I was and not a place like that.

Thank you Dr. King and TML. :)

"He who took a life, should lose his life". Somewhere in the Bible.

Venegeance is mine sayeth the Lord

Yep, and HE got his vengeance!

Vengeance for your sister and you too, Awesome.

I really hope this has helped you some my friend

Well, as someone who lost someone on that day, I just get no personal satisfaction from that. Just me I guess.

Thank you Tom

No, I understand

((((((( Awesome ))))))

Awesome, I'm really sorry for your loss, I didn't know.

I believe it has worked out the way it should. I don't think anyone really gets satisfaction, but I hope many get some closure.

Hugs, and I'm sorry.

Im sorry for your loss Awesome :(

I dont get any satisfaction from the recent event at all....... too much destruction has happened over the last 10 years...

Im just ready to see our troops come home. Their living conditions are deplorable and its just time......