Cross-posted at Left in Alabama
I got a letter today from someone I know who has asked me to blog about the letter, because he thinks it’s urgent. He’s a former member of the military, has worked in the nuclear industry, taught psychology and other sciences. He also sent me a link to a manual that was done for FEMA several years back that tells you how to power tractors and vehicles with wood. He thinks everyone ought to at least know it can be done, and he thinks everyone should have a set of plans. Here’s the body of the letter:
This is a summary of our conversations about EMPIRE. My opinions have been formed by watching the government and their actions, and the public and their responses over my lifetime. I will remind you of my training in science and psychology and my military experience. I also rely upon my late father's knowledge of history and politics.
The first thing to note is that there has historically been a class of privileged people who view themselves first as above the law, second as entitled to power, and third as entitled to wealth beyond most citizens aspirations. This is not abnormal and has lead in the past to a plutocracy or monarchy. Our country's founding principals were intended to limit the power and privilege of all citizens to the point where they could not interfere in another's basic rights. What enabled the colonists to rise up and seize the power of democratic government was their essential self-sufficiency. That and the fact that they owned armament equal to the king's armies. This owning of armament was not a right enjoyed on the home island of Britain, where citizens were not regularly owners of sophisticated weaponry. Arms in the colonies were an accident of continued war with France, Spain and Native Americans. It is notable that preserving the right to bear arms was a prominent concern in the fledgling nation. Thomas Jefferson spoke of the need for a people to rise from time to time and water the tree of liberty. But could we rise if we had to?
I have a concern with today’s Americans and their dependent state. We no longer grow food locally (rich agro-conglomerates control food and its distribution). We do not control our energy or means of transport. Our factories and industries have left our shores; today we cannot even rise up and seize, control our most basic necessities. This has left Americans in the position of dependent children at the whim of what corporate America with the complicity of our government, (via campaign contributions and lobbyists) cares to dole out. The message hit home over the last two years. By impacting futures and commodities trading with the timing of military oil acquisitions, our government has insured that oil prices have risen. No other viable forms of energy have been given a chance, regardless of their unqualified success in other civilized countries. The oilmen who befriend our politicians are now even wealthier than the average citizen who struggles to keep up. The rise of prices at the gas station has far exceeded the actual impact of rising per barrel prices. The result is a doubling of price over a short period. Recently our civil liberties have been amended and those who have broken our laws have engineered a reversal of those laws to avoid the consequences. Can you imagine those hot blooded colonists putting up with tea or stamps doubling with little or no response? They would have gone to ground and fought for control.
We have been reduced to voiceless children by the dumbing down of our schools and the removal of resources from our control. Our lack of survival skills leaves us frightened and unable to respond to government bullying. And they, now, know we can be bullied. In short, we have lost our belligerence, resourcefulness, and frontier know-how.
The same situation existed in the Roman Republic just before Julius Caesar declared himself Emperor. The populous no longer had leverage and were reduced to reliance on bread distribution and circuses. Bullies learn fast. The government has been using a process called hysteresis to get us to accept the unacceptable. Scare them with a change that ensures panic, then back off just enough to allow a little relaxation, then panic them again. This process works well with both rubber bands and people. With hysteresis you can stretch the populous further than with any other technique. The U.S. Government hires a huge percentage of the psychologists and social scientists in our country. The goal of psychology is ultimately to control the minds of those studied. I would call the recent gasoline hysteresis experiments by our government an unqualified success.
There have been no loud protests and barely a blip in buying activity. Well done government oligarchs! Beware of what comes next, dear plebes.
Is there something we can do? Resoundingly YES! All Americans need to slowly gather a one to two year food supply. This can be as simple as canned popcorn and supplemental cans of meat and powdered milk, the cheaper the better. In addition, some form of transport that does not rely on oil is a must for all of your transport needs. Have a horse, wood or ethanol burning car, not electric (that is out of your control), bike, or your own stockpile of petroleum. The last thing our government wants is ethanol, as that would allow the people control of energy. Buy local foods and goods. Arm yourself and keep a good supply of ammunition. In other words, like an adult, plan to be able to do without, so you get a say in what happens to your country. Join a local club that advocates a voice in government and educate them about resource control. Approach local members of the Guard and the Army and remind them that they defend the Constitution not the government or their C.O.’s assess where they stand in any attempt by the government to thwart the people's voice.
If we can get Americans back to the basic values of self sufficiency and self control, we might just avoid EMPIRE. (Frankly I believe it is already here and we will need to go to ground once again at some future time.)
And finally, the link:
http://www.gengas.nu/...
You'll see in the introduction to this manual that the instructions were written by a scientist who worked at Oak Ridge Laboratories at the time, and who had experience with this technology during World War II. He made some refinements in the design, and if I understand this correctly, you can use paper and leaves as well as wood chips. Since the request for the manual was made by and paid for by FEMA, that should make it public domain.
I don't think it's a bad idea for us to be looking at workable alternatives to oil and to be prepared to say, "No. I'm not going to buy that." I also think buying local and supporting local industry and business is a good idea. The way the economy is looking, when we crash, we're going to crash hard. With some preparation, we can survive as a civilization, and maybe even keep our republic.
If the link stops working (as government links sometimes do), the Biomass Energy Foundation has made a publication of this at a reasonable price. In fact they have several publications for various woodgas products. The upside of this is the exhaust: water and a very small amount of carbon dioxide.
Update: Mooncat over at Left in Alabama left this comment, which I thought was very much to the point:
This is neat (0.00 / 0)
I know the engineers in the crowd will appreciate it and as gas prices rise many of us are going to be looking for alternative ways to get around. About 3 weeks ago I saw a man riding what looked like a powered skateboard down the county road in front of our house. Crazy, but he probably gets 90 miles per gallon.
Your friend's second paragraph sums up my feelings pretty well:
The first thing to note is that there has historically been a class of privileged people who view themselves first as above the law, second as entitled to power, and third as entitled to wealth beyond most citizens aspirations. This is not abnormal and has lead in the past to a plutocracy or monarchy. Our country's founding principals were intended to limit the power and privilege of all citizens to the point where they could not interfere in another's basic rights. What enabled the colonists to rise up and seize the power of democratic government was their essential self-sufficiency. That and the fact that they owned armament equal to the king's armies. This owning of armament was not a right enjoyed on the home island of Britain, where citizens were not regularly owners of sophisticated weaponry. Arms in the colonies were an accident of continued war with France, Spain and Native Americans. It is notable that preserving the right to bear arms was a prominent concern in the fledgling nation. Thomas Jefferson spoke of the need for a people to rise from time to time and water the tree of liberty. But could we rise if we had to?
Americans haven't openly been under the heel of the aristocracy for a long time. Are we poised to go back under that heel now? It could happen. The internet is a great leveller in terms of information and it really scares the autocratic class who view being well informed as their right and privilege.