[Grimnir]

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/opinion ... tid=115981

Let's hope Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk summon the good sense to take the report they have received from the Peak Oil Task Force and file it under "T."

For twaddle.

The Peak Oil Task Force is part of a national network of groups obsessed with the catastrophe they believe will befall the Earth after oil production passes its peak and hits the skids.

They have made gas-guzzling autos Public Enemy No. 1, and they want us all to prepare for the doomsday that cars will inflict on us.

They are, to the left wing of the political spectrum, what the gun-toters living in bunkers in Idaho are to the right wing.

I gather they think PO preparation is a bad idea?

[Bleep]

... there is no evidence they are dangerous.

"Mostly Harmless"

[emersonbiggins]

Wow, I didn't know Wendell Cox moved to Wisconsin to become editor of a newspaper.
(please somebody get that inside joke)

[Dreamtwister]

They are, to the left wing of the political spectrum, what the gun-toters living in bunkers in Idaho are to the right wing.

The irony is, many of those "lefty nuts" are bunker-dwelling gun-toters.

And thus do we come full circle.

[frankthetank]

Dream, that was my first thought. What got up this guys ass? I guess geology doesn't do anything for him.

[Aaron]

I sent this reply:

The lack of good information in this piece demands a response.

"If you own a hammer... every problem looks like a nail".

Not only does the author mistakenly characterize the Peak Oil movement as "... to the left wing of the political spectrum, what the gun-toters living in bunkers in Idaho are to the right wing.", but the so-called Peak Oil Task Force fails to demonstrate even the most basic understanding of what Peak Oil is, & why we should care.

In my experience the Peak Oil pundits are largely academic, business, & scientific researchers. Of course elements of the political spectrum will attempt to "piggy-back" on legitimate scientific research like hydrocarbon depletion studies, but that hardly justifies the authors characterizations of the Peak crowd.

Socrates was mortal
Socrates was a man
Therefore all men are mortal?

I don't think so...

Unless you consider folks like T. Boone Pickens, Matthew Simmons, Richard Smalley or Lee Raymond whacked-out liberal nut jobs I guess.

Nobody disputes the concept & reality of Peak Oil anymore, except for the tin-foil hat crowd, we argue over "when" & the impacts. Even the US Geological Survey agrees with this...

The Peak Oil Task Force misses the simple & obvious truth that oil is a fungible commodity (it can be moved around), and any incremental gains achieved by conservation or efficiency measures only serve to make this mobile commodity more affordable for the growing Chinese & Indian middle classes.

If oil was like real estate, then conserving the resource would have a tangible impact, because real estate can't move.

But oil traders sell oil all around the world, in every market.

Not many people realize that the US exports oil... today.

Why?

Because domestic producers work out the best deal they can with customers from all over the world, who then refine and distribute the oil-based products they produce.

The point should be obvious to everyone... Peak Oil is not just a American issue, but involves the entire planet & cannot be addressed in a localized manor.

Any savings you achieve are quickly absorbed by the growth in consumption elsewhere, and you actually encourage further growth in consumption by lowering prices. So no energy savings & no greenhouse gas reductions... quite the opposite.

And even it it were possible to domestically solve our own energy problems, what then? Watch the rest of the world devolve into global conflict & wars?

I object to the ad homonym, baseless name-calling of the article of course... but I object to the Peak Oil Task Force's efforts to promote the conservation "business" even more.

A simple Google of this topic could have revealed everything I just wrote... just sayin.

Don't fear Peak Oil... fear your neighbors' reaction to it.

Respectfully,

--
Aaron Dunlap
Senior Administrator
www.peakoil.com

[Dreamtwister]

That's a great reply Aaron. With any luck, they will publish your rebuttal in the editorial section.

[NeoPeasant]

It looks like the "ridicule away things that scare you" reflex to me. I've heard it about a hundred times from those I've told about peak oil.

[dinopello]

It seems like "they wanna take away our cars" hysteria. Hence the Wendell Cox reference (I got it I think).

[fletch961]

Socrates was mortal
Socrates was a man
Therefore all men are mortal?

I don't think so...

I was under the impression that all men are mortal. Perhap if you reversed that last line to read " Therefore all mortals are men" you would make your case a little stronger.

[Aaron]

Socrates was mortal
Socrates was a man
Therefore all men are mortal?

I don't think so...

I was under the impression that all men are mortal. Perhap if you reversed that last line to read " Therefore all mortals are men" you would make your case a little stronger.

Not really

The point is that even though we know this is true... my inductive reasoning does not prove it.

[Grimnir]

The newspaper has an online forum; it might be a good idea to copy your response there, Aaron.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20352

[MattSavinar]

I sent this reply:

The lack of good information in this piece demands a response.

"If you own a hammer... every problem looks like a nail".

Not only does the author mistakenly characterize the Peak Oil movement as "... to the left wing of the political spectrum, what the gun-toters living in bunkers in Idaho are to the right wing.", but the so-called Peak Oil Task Force fails to demonstrate even the most basic understanding of what Peak Oil is, & why we should care.

In my experience the Peak Oil pundits are largely academic, business, & scientific researchers. Of course elements of the political spectrum will attempt to "piggy-back" on legitimate scientific research like hydrocarbon depletion studies, but that hardly justifies the authors characterizations of the Peak crowd.

Socrates was mortal
Socrates was a man
Therefore all men are mortal?

I don't think so...

Unless you consider folks like T. Boone Pickens, Matthew Simmons, Richard Smalley or Lee Raymond whacked-out liberal nut jobs I guess.

Nobody disputes the concept & reality of Peak Oil anymore, except for the tin-foil hat crowd, we argue over "when" & the impacts. Even the US Geological Survey agrees with this...

The Peak Oil Task Force misses the simple & obvious truth that oil is a fungible commodity (it can be moved around), and any incremental gains achieved by conservation or efficiency measures only serve to make this mobile commodity more affordable for the growing Chinese & Indian middle classes.

If oil was like real estate, then conserving the resource would have a tangible impact, because real estate can't move.

But oil traders sell oil all around the world, in every market.

Not many people realize that the US exports oil... today.

Why?

Because domestic producers work out the best deal they can with customers from all over the world, who then refine and distribute the oil-based products they produce.

The point should be obvious to everyone... Peak Oil is not just a American issue, but involves the entire planet & cannot be addressed in a localized manor.

Any savings you achieve are quickly absorbed by the growth in consumption elsewhere, and you actually encourage further growth in consumption by lowering prices. So no energy savings & no greenhouse gas reductions... quite the opposite.

And even it it were possible to domestically solve our own energy problems, what then? Watch the rest of the world devolve into global conflict & wars?

I object to the ad homonym, baseless name-calling of the article of course... but I object to the Peak Oil Task Force's efforts to promote the conservation "business" even more.

A simple Google of this topic could have revealed everything I just wrote... just sayin.

Don't fear Peak Oil... fear your neighbors' reaction to it.

Respectfully,

--
Aaron Dunlap
Senior Administrator
www.peakoil.com

Well-delivered bitchslap.

[NeoPeasant]

It seems like "they wanna take away our cars" hysteria. Hence the Wendell Cox reference (I got it I think).

Americans fear carlessness like they fear death, or more accurately they consider it pretty much the same thing.

[emersonbiggins]

It seems like "they wanna take away our cars" hysteria. Hence the Wendell Cox reference (I got it I think).

Yes, thank you. It reads very much like a Cox op-ed; I wouldn't be surprised if it was lifted straight from one of his so-called 'seminars.'

[gego]

I love articles like this. Anything that discredits peak oil and related issues lulls the masses into a sense of security. That is bad for them and good for me as I will have less competition for survival when the dieoff happens.

I have often posted that it is idiotic to share this information with the general population, given that the room on the lifeboats is limited. Why do you want to help others to your own detriment? If you tell everyone, what chance will you have to get a little bit of sustainable paradise as everyone runs for the door at once?

The more this idea is identified as the paranoid thinking of distorted minds, the better.

One thing that the article does get correct is that this is a thought that is held mostly by left wing minds, most of which the world would be better off without; this probably means you.

[th1nk3r]

Great response Aaron... except it's "manner" and "ad hominem".
</spelling police>

[shakespear1]

I like the use of "left" in that article when attacking issues. It is not the merits of the argument and information used but where you can be put on a scale that in reality is completely meaningless in todays political arena.

However it is useful in conjuring up images in people minds

[neocone]

Americans are siamese twins with the 1 ton cage and glitter barge.

Without it they can't walk
Without it they can't patrol the streets of Baghdad
Without it they can't have sex
Without it they can't multiply and pollute

=> Destroy oil and what feeds the 1 ton cage and the world will get rid of the american nightmare

[Aaron]

Great response Aaron... except it's "manner" and "ad hominem".
</spelling police>

meh... spell-checker sucks... & so do I.