To: westpacific who wrote (80373 ) 6/22/2008 9:15:47 PM From: benwood Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 116555 West, thanks for your comments. That exact paragraph your quoted is the one which stood out the most for me, as it explains so much. If solar really would be doable, then all of Africa would be energy independent. Who knows what would happen then? I've said for several years that invading Iraq was not to steal their oil, but to *control* their oil. The dots I'd never connected before though was the connection with controlling the prevailing energy source and empire. We continue to support/elect policies and "leaders" of the old guard, refusing to move into the next era. Eventually, energy will not be controllable... or will it? As you said, that will be the purpose of the upcoming wars. Can the sun be controlled, e.g. from Space? Or infrastructure controlled by war (e.g. Iran and Nuclear). Most people on the planet would favor easy access to energy, but as you observe, if it were readily available now, then population would continue to climb. Maybe a die-back is in the cards, horrific as that may be (in practice). People in America have no idea how much their lifestyles are subsidized by oil. All of suburban sprawl... Kunstler's blog documents this well. Your comments re: Europe rang true with me. My brother-in-law has a German girlfriend. She moved over to NYC to be with him, and was aghast at the auto-dependence in the US. In her small town in Germany, it was just as you said -- she could get anywhere by foot or by her 1-speed bicycle. Beyond that, to visit her mother, for instance, it was just an easy train ride. For myself, I rode my bike 35 miles on Friday and 40 today. I'll be ready <g>