ParanoiA

Looks to me like Peak Oil is a reality, the argument being when. Since oil sucks ass with all it's war and apparent monopoly on the american lifestyle - let's start trying to ditch it now. Who cares who made the graphs or provided the data? It's a good enough reason when we didn't really need another. (Looks kinda weak compared to Peak Oil Man's novella up there....)

You've got a sense of humor, IMM and I like it. But I have one question...does he know you'll choose a chimp over your baby if the cold ultimatum became a reality?

This seems like a perfectly fair question. Peak Oil Man provided data for his side, so how about you Pangloss? Seriously, I'd like to compare the two. I see where you're coming from Pangloss, so it shouldn't be hard to refute his data with yours.

Yes, it's realistic to admit bias. It's self denial and disingenuous to pretend you're objective and thus claim truth. but not without getting the last word huh? Look, I actually agree it could go either way, and everybody gets that, and already got that before your worthless post. However, I could be just like you and go through every post and find some stupid little tid bit to get snooty about and pretend like I'm important and insightful, when really it's just distracting and elementary. Let's try to stay on topic shall we?

You know I grew up with this idea that nuclear and "nucular" were two different things. I grew up in Oklahoma...

Perhaps you'd prefer keep it Objective. I'll keep it realistic..along with everyone else.

Yeah, he did undermine his own position by contradicting his text with his signature. He's way too excited about all this...

Well I can't say that I see a perfectly good reason for a lot of the behavior amongst the animal kingdom, but it does seem to be part of our genetic predisposition. We've been doing it for millions of years. Actually, all things considered, I wonder if we're becoming less violent now? Or perhaps we've just redirected it to cinema and video games and etc - which could still be considered the first step to shedding our violent tendency. Well, sure the other way around. And I don't think supporting my own country is sneaky or a petty prejudice. Since my point originated in the context of "we", obviously implying my petty preference of my own country, I had to be consistent.

Umm...I don't have a 2008 doom-and-gloom prediction in any part of my life. I didn't even hear about such a thing until this morning. Yup' date=' that's what you're saying. And that's ALL you're saying.[/quote'] I realize, at this point, you think you're responding to the Peak Oil guy. Like I said, I just read this thread this morning and it sounds like agenda activism alarmist jargon to me. However, what's wrong with it in the context of what's going on today? I'm tired of spending money and blood on oil. Haven't we had enough yet? Do we have to lose our whole way of life before we admit that oil won't last forever - even if we still have plenty in 2008? Can't you see how dangerously stupid we are to depend on something we can't replenish on our own? Especially when virtually every source hates us? That's why I say, quit calling Peak Oil activists nuts. We're the ones who are nuts. We live in a country that still can't see straight without oil.

But they have to work to be a deterrent. I think we are plenty mature enough for great big ole bombs. We have thousands of these things all over the planet and not one has been used. We dropped a couple at the end of WWII, and I personally think that was immature and unnecessary, by I'm not sorry either. Humans have a burning desire to be violent and dominate and we seem to be doing pretty good at not giving in to the ultimate WMD. But we need them too. Because if we didn't have them, the US would already be history and China, or some other nuclear power would be the superpower of the world.

So what exactly would we use it for then?

Oh, so it's religion. Yep, I smell WMD's on the horizon...

Actually, it sounds more like your first paragraph would be correct, albeit splitting hairs. I just thought the food chain was a visual way of defining the pecking order of the animal kingdom. Lions being above Tigers, even though Lions don't eat tigers. That sort of thing. I didn't think it was ever supposed to be a model of the dynamics of a biosystem. I thought humans were at the top since we can dominate and prey upon every animal on the earth, and no animal can seem to do that to us per their known behavior. But you're the expert here, not me.

Ok, so when exactly is any country "mature" enough for a nuclear bomb?

Well, we need corporate sociopaths then. People don't go into business to provide jobs. People go into business to make money. Jobs are a by product of sucessful business trying to grow. So, a non-sociopath who worries about how folks are going to survive without this job when they lay them off, may not make that decision, despite the necessity. The business could then suffer more long term damage as a result of keeping them on, thereby putting the entire workerbase in jeopardy, to the point the entire business sinks. Then everybody there doesn't have a job - rather than the prefered logical smaller number of folks initially on the chopping block. I say this from the perpective of a white collar computer corporate peon that is to be displaced or terminated anytime now. There's nothing cute and cuddley about business. So people who are concerned with feelings and guilt don't do well in it. They cause more harm than good because it's not in the design. This would be like meat-eating predators in the wild suddenly being morally righteous and converting to herbivores...

A co-worker said it best, but I don't remember exactly how he put it. Something to the effect of, the fact that more money is spent on getting the job, than the salary of the job position ought to tell you something. I agree with you. But the major majority of americans do not. We get the government we deserve. Americans demand liars and salesmen to be leaders, because only liars and salesmen can be shallow enough to appease the ruling pop culture without revealing they're human. When I saw John Edwards take a media beating and get relegated to vice presidential status for candidacy, all because he got a little excited and screamed "beeyow!!" in a motivational speech - I knew this would never change. Americans are just not real deep, ya know? We apparently will always want "consciousless opportunists" in "positions of public trust".

Not if it was included as an amendment. That would take too much effort to change. Not to mention, how many folks really wouldn't like it, or at least appreciate it? Jury duty sucks, but I wouldn't repeal the whole concept if given the opportunity either. I would demand a better compensation system. I believe that would be key to keeping the institution. I think you can have a draft without fear of repealing said draft by draftees.

Ok, so let me get this straight...oil is not a finite resource? Most scientists believe we will always have oil for the foreseeable future? Most people believe oil is really great and we should keep drilling for it and sacrificing the lives of our kids to fight for it? Because, while peak oil doomers may be a little premature and disingenuous, it sounds fairly sensible to me. I've always thought oil was a limited resource and due to all of the environmental and economic problems - and war - why the hell do we want to keep investing in it? I say more power to the peak oil propaganda. Maybe this little bit of payback to big oil (for crushing all anti-oil technologies and patents over the decades) will speed up alternative fuels before we find ourselves blackmailed by OPEC. Big oil cares about big oil - and will do so at the expense of our country's future. Just about any capitalist will. Oil seems to be the blood of our country and key to the technologies that shape our way of life. They've done a great job of marketing it and crushing all competition. We, the people, have done a great job of buying into all of the shiny things that are made with it and / or need it residually. So we, the richest and most powerful, hated nation in the world put all of our proverbial eggs in one basket - a basket we can hardly contribute much to, and is mainly controlled by those who hate us - OPEC. And Peak Oil faithfuls are nuts???

I could have sworn there was a southpark episode on this...

So why not a draft?

Oh sure, don't sweat it. In a few hours I will be doing the same.

Yeah, I'm inclinded to agree with Dak. I don't see how you can possibly view drinking and driving as a mild offense in the least. I would expect them to be punished severly.

Well' date=' I don't think registering yourself as democrat or republican defeats the purpose of a secret ballot. Most people vote across party lines here and there, some more than others. I'm a registered Independent, but I vote libertarian 90% of the time. As for invasion of privacy, you're not [i']required[/i] to provide information at exit polls. Most people don't care, so they happily share their vote with the public. But there's no invasion of privacy going on. However, exit polls do undermine the integrity of the election though. It can prompt or disuade folks from even leaving the house to go vote when they see the exit poll results before the deadline. I can't stand it. It just seems like a product of the competitive news networks trying to get a leg up on each other to be the first to report crap. And "crap" is all an exit poll is anyway. Awesome. It's nice if you can learn the lessons of others rather than learning them yourself, the hard way. I think our country suffers from this romanticism with the way our constitution came to be. It's a great story, and should be taught and appreciated, but I'm a little sick to death of this automatic assumption that our forefathers were all knowing wisemen - the likes of which have yet to be duplicated since.

Cool, thanks. Well, that was my fault. I did use the term "eat", but I meant kill. Interesting. So is this a fairly accepted idea in science or is this your take? Not that you don't have any merit, I'm just asking. And what is at the top of the food chain?

Yeah, I always got as far away from school as I possibly could no matter what I was doing. Sometimes even when I was supposed to be in school.