Americas News
Mar 29, 2007, 19:59 GMT
Castro ends 8-month silence to slam US ethanol plans (2nd Roundup)
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Older Talkback
Castro is an evil dictator who holds power by military force. he is not to be celebrated.
Ethanol from corn is a terrible idea, using more energy than it produces, keeping us tied to consumption when conservation is the only answer, and driving up the cost of food, which will impact the ability of poor nations to feed themselves.
Is it really impossible to hold these ideas in mind at the same time?
Big Daddy,
You need to get your definitions and facts correct. There is no comparison between Bush and Castro. Your remarks show what your true political and philosophical leanings are.
Please move out of the country.
Thank you.
Castro is correct. There is no energy to be saved by burning corn, think about it, corn needs energy to grow, and not just from the sun. If all the arable land in America was converted to ethanol you would save about 12% of your oil consumption about the same amount that you could save by properly inflating your tires and bringing in strict new mileage regs.
Attacking Castro personally just shows that you cannot argue with his ideas. Cuba is not a perfect country, but at least they have not invaded Iraq.
Bravo Mr. Castro!
No Fidel Castro didnt come to power because the Cuban people where tired of ' Bush types' he came to power because he and his band of zealots killed and imprisoned anyone who stood in thier way.
bravo castro
absolutely dead on, speaking of the dead, castro has outlived more presidents than a washington madame
good for him, who the hell are the americans to preach? they're wasteful warmongers, hardly in any position to to honest or even believable when it comes to the environment
CASTRO NOT THINKING,...
Uh,... Castro,... Dude!!!! Fluorescent lights contain mercury!!!!! What other envrionmental changes has the Dude made to the country? Oh, yeah, I forgot, loss of all freedoms! That's environmental!
Using alternate energies to oil and the like, is a good solution. Living in the past is a very bad solution.
Of course, it will be many years before the best alternate energy will evolve,... but we must do it!
Sincerely,
As long as selfish north americans dominate the Internet and the mass-media, pieces like this will attract anti-communist churls like bad pennies, and the message will get somewhat drowned out in their bilious swill.
So it's a Good Thing that the masses of the planet will vote with their feet. And their AKs.
First off everyone who agreed with Tyrant Castro are Idiots and who ever wrote RE:Matt - is a simplified dumbass.
finding alternative fuel sourcees other than oil is a must for all Civilized countries as the middle east is an unstable and volitale source to rely on for fuel, or even habitation- oil is limited and running out, money from oil funds terrorists and thier sponsors.
Whether its corn, sugar cane, or seaweed,and whatever else it a much needed responce the the worlds energy crisis- of course weather permitting, those crops are easy to grow and maintain,the notion that using any one of those sources would cause a food crisis is absurd! the world is not even usings its full crop growing potential and in fact those harvests would give poorer countries money for food and higher living standards instead of wagerring nuclear ambitions to destablize the world. - 'crop for fuel' is not even in its 'beta' stage in north america but brazil is a perfect example of natual evolution from the use of fossil fuels and a richious demand that we at least try -
also Matt's sarcasism is right on the money - the United States gives billions not in petty crop but cash!!!! Castro's rheteric is just that- how can 1 country solve the worlds food crisis when some of those very starving countries hav dictators that starve thier people to the point that even if we send the hungry poor steaks, they wouldnt get it- the controlling party would even if it means to stockpile or destroy any extras. but at least WE try to help anyways
I know Castro is a tyrant but so is Bush.Castro though did make a great point in the way all countries should try to conserve energy.There is a drought that is going to come in years soon and the corn, soybeans, and sugar cane will not be enough to cover the food and fuel resources. The USA needs to go back to the table and think of other ways to help stop the global warming effects.
Before Castro's comment I felt that, as long as there are hungry people in this world, we are wrong, maybe even evil, to use food for machines. Of course, this philosophy also extends to housing and feeding the people of the middle east instead of killing them to gain territorial control and oil.
Don't worry too much though, the universe will adjust these mistakes sooner or later.
I think it's important to point out that human beings are incapable of even fully digesting corn on a cellular level... it never has been the best nutritional source.
This isn't turning grain or rice into combustables, but rather corn.
Besides, Castro... humanity has been turning food into fuel for a long time. Just because you're too sick now to enjoy a beer, vodka, whiskey, or any other alcohol produced for consumption by fermentation doesn't mean you should pick on others for it.
I dare you to try to tell your people that cerveza is evil. ;-)
Fidel saves energy by not providing any. The power works about 3 hours out of the day, old folks are made to ride bicycles (my grandfather fell 3 times at 80 and died), the US has a surpplus of corn, canada and brazil have been mixing high levels of ethenol with gas for years, and fidel is dead. Why the hell would a sick man (or dead)be talking about ethenol. This is part of the little communist group that includes Chavez, which is hurting for money since Americans have stopped buying citco gas. I can't say Bush has made relationships better, but the last time I checked people were still crossing the borders from these wonderful countries, which are all about taking care of the poor, right. Make the ethenol, close the borders, and watch the revolutions start towards democracy.
The wide variety of views is leaning toward the left in this one, signaling I believe, that Bush has (over) spent what little political capital he ever had, and that the average working stiff has had a real nightmare
over breakfast- there were (so many) killed yesterday (1500 days in a row), Gas is up to three dollars, there will never be hydrogen fuel, there will never be a balanced budget, or justice for that matter. Only the very wealthy are considered for political office. Where is harry truman when you really need a good tailor??? But Castro was a ball player and I think we have a future president in Jeter, if we can all get to 2012. The answer to ethanol is to make it from hemp, legalize cannabis, ferment the sticks and stems and outlaw alcohol for human consumption so it can go in the gas tank. by 2012 the public transportation BETTER be functioning, the airlines and buses. Some one must look ahead to make all this work. nzo
The wide variety of views is leaning toward the left in this one, signaling I believe, that Bush has (over) spent what little political capital he ever had, and that the average working stiff has had a real nightmare
over breakfast- there were (so many) killed yesterday (1500 days in a row), Gas is up to three dollars, there will never be hydrogen fuel, there will never be a balanced budget, or justice for that matter. Only the very wealthy are considered for political office. Where is harry truman when you really need a good tailor??? But Castro was a ball player and I think we have a future president in Jeter, if we can all get to 2012. The answer to ethanol is to make it from hemp, legalize cannabis, ferment the sticks and stems and outlaw alcohol for human consumption so it can go in the gas tank. by 2012 the public transportation BETTER be functioning, the airlines and buses. Some one must look ahead to make all this work. nzo
The U.S. would be out of debt if it had not spent 350 billion dollars on the war, much of which has gone directly out of our pockets into the profits of large corporations like Halibuton. I wish we had just written them the checks directly and not had to see the deaths of so many thousands in the process.
Why do we get so ugly when someone criticizes us? The problems of dwindling resources and increasing hunger warrant discussion. This is not a competition, us against them, anyone who disagrees with us deserves to die. Our 'elected' officials are not always right in their world views, and I wish legions of us had begun resisting long ago.
I am not threatened by Castro's views on using food to fuel our excesses. I feel that I am a patriotic American but would love for us to clean house before we throw stones.
Castro need not worry. Corn is only being used short-term to get things going. The U.S. and other countries are going to be making cellulosic ethanol from switchgrass and miscanthus grass. It's far more economical, it produces more and
switchgrass and miscanthus do not require much fertilization. You can read more at Wikipedia.
to bigger daddy - as a proud memmber of our nations military i can assure you that my facts are based on personal experience. i served from 1980 to 2000 with in theater experience in the first gulf war as a volunteer combatant. i have voted for democratic, republican and independant canddates since i was first able to in 1976.
since that time we (the us) has never had a sitting president that was so out of touch with the electoriate about an issue that was as important as iraq.
i should mention i'm all for us doing the job in afganastan where the 9/11 enemies of the us originated/organized (it is documented fact that all but 2 or 3 of the hijackers were of saudi origin - but you'll never see bush go after his cronies)
i currently work for he dod as a civillian and am proud to do so. but i'll tell you this - if i were still in uniform i would refuse orders to iraq and gladly spend my time in jail.
you are truely an idiot to invite me to leave the us as dissent is the reason for the existance / foundation of the us.
using food for fuel instead of food is morally wrong. there are plenty of other ways to extract the components needed for ethanol production. but you won't hear about them because the current republican party establishment is firmly in the pocket of the american farmer. why else do we pay farmers to not grow crops and to use price controlls and subsidies to encourage farmers to produce unneeded harvests?
Barry my friend people like you are the only reason why i try not to generalize in my thoughts of Americans (obese, close minded, i let the people on tv do the thinking, consumerist ignorants)...If only there where more Americans like you.
willam - what do you suppose the british called the leaders of the american revolution? i suppose zealots might be one of the nicer words they used. a revolution can't come about unless the populace generally supports it. take a look at all of the failed revolutions that the us has funded - created around the world - they fizzle out pretty quickly. the people of cuba would have tossed out castro long ago if they were that dis-satisfied. i'm not saying what they have is what thy want - but it's better than what thaey had under batista - an american placed puppet.
As someone born in Cuba, I enjoy watching these little twerps get so hysterical about the 'evil' Castro...I guess any government that provides health care and education, free of charge, to all citizens, regardless of income, must be 'evil'.
In fact, I thank my lucky stars that I live in the US, where education and health care are considered consumer items that you can purchase for the right price.
And if you can't...well, stay ignorant and die young. Money talks. And 'human needs' are bullshit. You know, for 'losers'. Like the kid with cancer.
I don't care. I've got mine. And I'm the only one that counts.
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