Pakistan is a complicated place. Its not so much the Pakistanis that are the problem, its the ones in Kashmir. And of course an Indian lady is gonna talk sh*t about Pakistan, they hate each other as much as Israelis and Palestinians.
I don't doubt that we have plenty of what we need for the time being. What I'm saying is that the large-scale transition to alternative fuels will take a very long time to fully implement. If we wait too long to begin that transition, there could be some serious consequences to deal with. I completely agree. I was speaking more in terms of when govn't officials are asked about our reliance on foreign oil. The only difference b/w the government and the private corps, however, is that, at least to some degree, the govn't holds the best interests of its people. Right now, the oil corps just want to cash in as much as possible without trying to spend more money on advancements. I don't think I've ever heard an oil company (besides BP) advertise that they want to move in that direction.
Not to hijack the topic, but I'm curious about methanol. What modifications do you have to do to the car? How does it work out? Where do you get fuel and what does it cost? May be a new thread is called for over on the roundtable, but I'd like to hear more from an actual user, not from corn-state web sites. I wonder why Methanol couldn't be a product for Louisiana cane growers. If you can make it out of corn syrup, you can make it out of sugar.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,162597,00.html The article above is about a possible London-Pakistan connection with the bombings National Id card? I'm wondering if this would really work? I have my doubts this would work right now because of our borders being so open. I would hope everyone knows how I feel about this right now but before you totally bash George Bush I will say that there is no way either party will touch this hot potato. Even if our borders were more secure, people more than likely could still find a way across some how, by boat? I really have to laugh about how secure we seem to be making buildings on the inside when they are easily targeted on the outside. Its a lot easier for these groups this way, not to mention all the easy targets out there like railroads, nuclear plants? I'm wondering just how close you would have to get to one to do some damage? I remember seeing the one in Florida that was accessible by boat. I wonder with todays technology, just how easy or hard a national Id card would be to duplicate? Then these terrorists could always come over here and steal someones Id card? I just don't think this would work unless you made it to where people couldn't buy or sell without it and then it could be stolen or the terrorists could pay someone to buy things or rent a Ryder truck?
Indeed it is. Pakistan is our biggest potential threat in the Middle East. Proliferation of nuclear technology is a serious problem and the worst perpetrator of illegal nuclear technology transfer is our good buddies in Pakistan -- An Islamic country that actually already has nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and an unstable and unpopular government. Pakistan helped both Iran and North Korea develop bomb-making technology. The Taliban still openly operate in Pakistan, where an American Embassy has been attacked and burned with a Marine killed. Osama lives there, of course. In terms of possible nuclear weapons in the hands of terrorists, there is no bigger threat than Pakistan. The US-friendly strongman in power has little support among the population and the military, who actually support the Taliban and Al Qaida. Musharrif courts America only as a counterweight to India, Pakistan's blood enemy. But he could be overthrown and replaced with a radical islamic government at any time. Pakistan is not to be trusted.
Ten years ago , I would have objected to a National ID as a "Big Brother" infringment of personal privacy. But today . . . we have little privacy already. We can be tracked by our cell phones, our credit and ATM cards, cookies in our bowsers, etc. Since the Patriot Act our catalog orders and public libraray reading list can be accessed. So I no longer think a National ID compromises our privacy. We have none. I do think it would be a major help in tracking and catching illegal aliens of all kinds including terrorists. And it would help to fast-track legitimate citizens through security to keep our lives efficient and productive while providing more resources to to slow-track persons with insufficient security parameters and send them through the bomb-sniffers while computers scan international files for terrorist links. Modern technology can make cards with computer chips imbedded that are practically impossible to counterfeit. You swipe the card to provide the system with your identity/security information. It would have photographs, thumbprints, retina scans and other identification measures contained. Then you get you thumbprint instantly scanned to verify that you are the person the card identifies. The system compares the print the the one in its files and you can be instantly verified. Legal foreign workers, students, and tourists with visas would receive a version coded with their status. When their time expired it would start ringing bells at INS when they used it. Without the NID, one couldn't get a drivers license, apply for government aid, or be hired for a job in any state. Not only foreigners, but home-grown terrorists could be tracked more easily.
Interesting... My wife thinks children should have a computer chip embedded in them somewhere? A gps tracking devise. This way when children come up missing they are easier to find and it could capture pedaphiles before they do their evil deeds some of the time. Ten years ago I would have objected also. How about embedding these things into people? I'm actually against this because I am old fashioned and the mark of the beast scares the hell out of me!!!! Another thing that scares me is that if this was embedded into children or adults, someone could take them out if they wanted too, such as a pedaphile so it might not work in that case? I don't know, sounds kind of gruesome also. Maybe a gps tracking devise can be put in different places?
You guys know good and well that the ACLU would never allow any national ID card like you're describing. It doesn't bother me because I don't have anything to hide--other than an addiction to sports forums...
I dunno...the tracking systems are fine as long as there is a "good" government. But, a la 1984, could be a disastrous infrastructure to already have in place, when things turn south.
That's my biggest beef. Any government, benevolent or otherwise, always desires further exertion of control over its people. The easiest way to do this is to gather as much information (remember, we are in the information age) as possible on the individual parts. By the folly of man, power and control often lead to abuse.
