What do you danged furners think...

[Ran]

If anything, it would be in Taiwan. I don't think there has been a US base in China since WWII. Then we have large military bases in Japan and South Korea. There is at least one base in Kryghstan that was set up after 9/11. I was offered a job there...its funny because they outsourced my military job to civilian.

And as far as I remember that spy plane incident, it was flying over international waters and collided with (or more likely rammed by) a Chineese fighter. It was forced to land in China because landing a plane in the ocean is usually bad. I'm sure you realize that the plane wasn't there because Bush told them to.

Isn't it great how manufacturing/construction costs, union demands, consumer demands, and safety laws in the US drive the business overseas? Now lets go buy more stuff from Walmart and increase the national trade deficit! o yes. I really wish there was a simple solution to the whole thing.

You know, I'm starting to hope that the next US President drives us into another isolationist era just to see what happens to the rest of the world.

[anarky]

I didn't say Bush told the plane to be in China.

I just said he mishandled it in a way that any other country would see as antagonistic. Given how he has invaded two countries since (one with cause, one without) and has made no secrets about wanting to invade at least one other, it makes us look bad.

Funny, though, how North Korea gets very little mention, despite it being a nation with a mad dictator, nuclear weapons, and a population that's been brainwashed for generations to hate the west.

[Snarf]

I still can't make any sense of your system, snarf snarf. But I cast my vote yesterday in Georgia, snarf snarf. Romney all the way, snarf snarf!

[JON]

I really wish there was a simple solution to the whole thing.

Energy independence would be a good start. Sadly, our entire suburbian Mcmansion SUV culture is designed around cheap energy.

[Ran]

So you're saying the hybrid Hummer isn't the answer?

[Ran]

I didn't say Bush told the plane to be in China.

I just said he mishandled it in a way that any other country would see as antagonistic. Given how he has invaded two countries since (one with cause, one without) and has made no secrets about wanting to invade at least one other, it makes us look bad.

Funny, though, how North Korea gets very little mention, despite it being a nation with a mad dictator, nuclear weapons, and a population that's been brainwashed for generations to hate the west.

Yeah, I figured that's what you meant. And as far as North Korea goes, there are something like 30,000 US troops in South Korea plus a bunch more in Japan, which is about a 2 hour flight away. The North Korean rockets aren't accurate at all, so chances are they won't hit what they are aimed at. The US and Japan rely on China keeping the North Koreans in line. The Chineese don't really want a war there either. I've read that China and the US both are content with how the Koreas act as a buffer between democracy and communism. I wonder if we'll see Korea reunified in our lifetime.

[anarky]

Have you seen the special on NGC where Lisa Ling goes into North Korea under false pretenses to get the first footage of the place in decades? That place is fucking scary. Two or three whole generations have been totally brainwashed to serve an insane dictator.

She accompanied a doctor from another country, who was going in to perform surgery that's insanely routine elsewhere in the world, which could cure hundreds of blindness. To the last one, young and old, male and female, they removed their bandages and praised Kim Jong Il for saving them, and promised to kill as many Americans as possible.

Whether it was truly believed or just a show each one put on to keep a bullet out of their head, it was bizarre, creepy, and scary as shit. They may be ass-backwards and have shitty missiles, but when you've got such a huge population that you're willing to sacrifice for any ends, and who seem loyal to you, you can still put a serious fucking hurting on other countries. (Witness Al Qaeda.)

[vynsane]

You watched the state of the union, vyn. Bush was talking about hydrogen cars. Just because he's done nothing pertaining to alternative energy in his first seven years in office doesn't mean he's not going to make up for it in his last year. That's totally possible. This was not a ruse to make the democrats happy so they'll scratch his back on the economic stimulus plan. He are serious. o yes

hydrogen power is a ruse in and of itself. true, hydrogen is the most abundant element in the solar system: if you live on the sun. most abundant on the planet? sure if you have enough ENERGY to electrolyze it out of water or smash it out of helium. that energy needs to come from somewhere. hydrogen fuel cells are simply a battery storing the energy used to create the hydrogen they contain. they're replacing one dependency (oil) with another one (hydrogen). both take a certain amount of energy to create/store. hydrogen is not the solution.

It looks like more car manufacturers are starting to pump out Hybrids. Did you guys see that last car show? Hummer of all companies is producing a hybrid.

that's like putting a bandaid on a great white shark bite.

The Air Force base out here is currently building the world’s largest solar power generation station. It's funny how some things don't make national news. This won't be the answer everywhere, but it would work in the southwest states.

solar arrays are a good start, but there's too much wasted energy for every mile of power conduit. it's just wasteful. the best solution is to use a combination of solar/wind/hydro (whatever is available) at the home-level. that's the most efficient way of doing it. you don't lose as much of the generated power that way.

I've heard California is having problems with those wind powered generators. They can be noisy and are killing birds.

interesting, though the most optimal place for the turbine is well above where birds fly, where winds are more constant.

[Ran]

Oh, you guys want to hear about a screwed up system of government? The Nevada legislative branch meets only for 120 days in odd years. The Governor has no power to choose or fire the Lt. General, Controller, Treasurer, Attorney General, or the Secretary of State.

[Antropov]

hydrogen is not the solution.

Especially considering that once you run out you can't refuel.

[Antropov]

Ah, shit. Now I simply have a vote to throw away in an effort to keep Bilary out of the White House. Boo.

[Ran]

Maybe you guys can answer this one:

Hillary is going to loan her campaign $5 million. After the election she will probably get it back. Wasn't she already at the top of the list for campaign fund raising and shouldn't this set off some alarms to her supporters? Or do I just understand campaign financing a lot less than I think I do (which isn't much in the first place).

[anarky]

I have no clue. She's not been raising much lately (it appears that she fucked her Hollywood supporters, and not in the intercourse manner), and Obama's raised something like $7 million in the past two days (literally).

I'm not sure how a loan works. I'd be more than pissed if I were to give a candidate money, then learn he or she used it to pay back a loan they'd made their campaign. It's your fucking campaign; any money you put in shouldn't be a loan.

Besides, if you can "loan" your campaign $5 million, go fuck yourself.

[Ran]

Actually, I'm pretty sure we(as in taxpayers) are going to pay her that $5M. After the election, she just has to file some paperwork as long as she meets certain voter levels. This is one way how the Republicans and Democrats screw 3rd party candidates. If I wanted to know bad enough, I probably can look it up in my political science book that I couldn't sell back.

I was just curious on how much money she's spending because she is in such a tight race with Obama. Now, with McCain as the frontrunner on the Republican side, I assume he wouldn't have to spend as much cash. I wonder how much of a financial advantage that would give him later on.

[anarky]

Thing is, Huckabee (now being his only opponent, since Ron Paul has zero chance) could feasibly invest a lot of money and overtake McCain. All joking aside, I wouldn't be surprised if some people have voted for him because of his appearances (read: free publicity) on Colbert, TDS, and Conan. (Which means McCain, being something of a regular on TDS, would be stupid to not re-visit the show as soon as the strike is over.)

I doubt it would happen, but it is possible.

I'm not sure if Hillary is going for the matching funds thing from the government. In the past few years, more candidates have opted out of that, since it places a cap on how much their campaigns can raise and spend. Looking at Obama's numbers, I think it's a safe bet he's opted out.

I'm betting he starts investing hard in appealing to Latino and Asian voters, since that's the only two groups still loyal to Clinton as a whole.