Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Fossil Fuel Independence? I think not...

Twenty-eight years ago I returned home from a one year tour of active service on mainland Japan to spend thirty days leave before I was to report to my next duty station. Life circumstances brought me into close proximity to a man who I knew as a prolific gambler and sewing machine salesman/repair man. During my entire visit at home I heard this man talking about an engine that he had invented that "ran on air"... Compressed air, to be more specific.

Regardless of the details of the motor, I found it extremely difficult to buy into the notion that it was even remotely possible to power a motor that could power a drive train or a generator with the air that we breath. Or that a gambling sewing machine salesman could develop such a device.
On the last night of my leave from active duty, I was sitting in the Eagles Club in a college town in Arkansas listening to this man try to "sell" stock in the development and production of this motor. Frankly, I thought it was a con. And when the mark, or potential investor, left the table I told the sewing machine man that I just didn’t believe it.

He told me that the prototype was near by and he would show it to me. So, when the bar closed (had to close the bar! That’s what Marines and Gamblers did in those days.), we went to his shop and there in the middle of the shop floor sat a motor. On the wall all the way around the shop was models of the motor sliced in different angles to offer different views of the inner workings of the motor.

He started the motor up for me and I watched it run for over five minutes. In spite of my skepticism, I was now a believer. I will not go into the details of how the machine worked here. My only point is that IT WORKED! Imagine, an engine that requires nothing more than the air we breath to create power to do with as we may!

My friend tried for years to get his creation patented and every time he did, the big power and fuel companies blocked him. He eventually gave up and sold his creation to Exxon for little more than his expenses.
Fast forward thirty years. Now, they are developing "hybrid" vehicles that despite their apparent "greeness" are still dependent on fossil fuel and emitting green house gasses.

So, anyone who says that our government is "trying" to create better fuel economy and more environmentally friendly sources of transportation and power are simply lying. Nuclear, solar, wind, ... Not a single other energy source is as economic nor as clean as this motor. Yet, it is still not in development as an energy alternative.

Why? Because it is a one time, long term sale which requires little service...NO ONE CAN MAKE ANY MONEY ON IT! They can’t even think up a service, like telephone and cable, to continue to charge its users absorbent fees. You buy the motor, it runs for free just like we breath.
This war on terror is all about the oil, no matter what anyone says! And any effort by anyone to move away from oil and fossil fuels is blocked by the ones who benefit from all of the economically and environmentally costly power sources.

I have lived with this knowledge since 1979. Is it really any wonder that I am angry?

Now, who exactly has the money and is trying so hard to protect it? Well, I’ll connect capitalism and Christianity later. I’m mad and tired right now.