Politics

[375 Ruger Fan]

In all fairness, last winter here in Texas owed a lot to failure of NG providers to winterize their lines. NG will freeze up, too.

But, that doesn't change the underlying problem that every W of energy spent building those giant boondoggles is a an absolute waste, and costs us more, no matter how you slice it, than if that fuel had just been burned in a conventional ICE.

A single typical wind turbine has
a base made of 2500 TONS of cement
a tower that's 900 TONS of steel
maybe 100 tons of non-recyclable plastic

just think of the logistics of moving all that out to where they're going to build the tower. Even if we assume a cement truck will carry 50 tons at a time, that still 50 trips worth of Diesel and wear and tear. Nevermind the insane amount of fuel it takes just to make the concrete and refine the iron ore into 900 tons of steel.

All your figures and facts may indeed be true, but the economics are there. Companies wanting to build windfarms typically have to bid a cost per kwh, with the low figure winning. Some types of commercial risk are actually pretty low. There are no dryholes for windmills, assuming they did their homework on wind availability at the proposed location. The central US, from Texas up to Canada has the been said to be the potential Saudi Arabia of wind power.

To drill and frac some wells, over 500,000 gallons of fuel is consumed on location with the drilling rig and frac equipement. Does not include all the trucks delivering stuff (pipe, sand, cement, fuel, etc) to the location.

A deepwater drillship burns 10,000 gallons of fuel per day. Total spread cost (drillship, supply boats, helicopters, people) for a deepwater well operation in West Africa was around $1million per day. When oil prices are high, these are very profitable operations.

 

[sgt_zim]

isn't "green" energy heavily subsidized? if that doesn't factor into the calculus, we're just whistling past the graveyard.

I've see numbers as low as 3-5 cents/kWh for wind. That's harder to swallow than a vaseline sandwich.

 

[Wheels]

Or can this possibly be Russian disinformation to weaken international support to Zelensky and Ukraine????? Let's do an audit, starting with Hunter Biden.

If you had a billion stashed away, would you stay and fight or would you leave?

This could absolutely be true, but considering the source (not you @Wheels ), this probably should be vetted.

The fellow making the claims is, if not actively sympathetic to Russian demands, seems to support a negotiated settlement that recognizes them. He has loudly opposed Zelensky - even when his country is fighting for its life (note the date of this communique). I am sure Putin will be grateful. Still, it could be true. But a real vetting would be helpful.

I am not sure how much if that story is true if any. A Billion in a Costa Rican Bank? In Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Cyprus, sure. Maybe Luxembourg, Jersey, Cayman Island, Bahamas, Pamama and some others, but Costa Rica?

Even the most basic research shows that the Party for Life and Ilya Kiva are pro-Russian anti-western Putin puppets. Ask yourself why your giving oxygen to their propaganda.

Hats off to all of you for questioning me on this.

Obviously I reposted an article without much consideration or research.

Good job keeping me on my toes.

 

[Wheels]

 

[Brent in Az]

Call Putin's bluff. Only a total mad man would launch a nuclear strike.

Damn the torpedo's........

 

[Tundra Tiger]

Speaking of airplanes during a time of war... maybe this'd be better in the joke section; I'm putting it here...

 

[Hunter4752001]

"Only a total mad man would launch a nuclear strike." may well describe Putin. Psychopaths will often kill themselves, and everyone else, in preference to being beaten. If the looks on the faces of his generals (during the nuke speech) and the reports that the FSB tipped of the Ukrainians about the Chechen commando hit teams, is correct, then its possible that they may remove him before the situation gets terminal.

Unfortunately we can't count on that happening so a full on military response must be on the cards. Having to think the unthinkable.

 

[Brent in Az]

Who was responsible for talking the Ukrainians to give up their Nukes? It was Bill Clinton, and some others that I cant remember.
I bet they regret that decision.

If Putin succeeds in overthrowing the Ukraine, I doubt if he will stop there.?

IMO, this invasion has the stench of Democrats all over it.

 

[Ray B]

I wonder what the response of Putin and the oligarchy would be if USA envoys had a meeting with Russia and told them that due to the events in Ukraine the US has changed its energy policy. It will no longer purchase any products from Russia AND the various pipelines/drilling permits/fracking permits/ export permits were being reversed to Trump era status. In addition, tax breaks would be given to energy projects. the goal is to reduce the price of oil to $25/barrel and provide a stable and reasonably priced source of oil and LNG to Europe and Africa

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

"Only a total mad man would launch a nuclear strike." may well describe Putin. Psychopaths will often kill themselves, and everyone else, in preference to being beaten. If the looks on the faces of his generals (during the nuke speech) and the reports that the FSB tipped of the Ukrainians about the Chechen commando hit teams, is correct, then its possible that they may remove him before the situation gets terminal.

Unfortunately we can't count on that happening so a full on military response must be on the cards. Having to think the unthinkable.

Indeed. There is no doubt that Hitler, who chose suicide rather than capture and had ordered his nation to fight to the last man, would have used nukes without hesitation had they been at his disposal.

I don’t know that Putin is that deranged but it’s certainly something to consider.

 

[nztimb]

 

[K-man]

To drill and frac some wells, over 500,000 gallons of fuel is consumed on location with the drilling rig and frac equipement.

That's an interesting statistic. Seems a bit high from my experience, do you have a source?
Not to be picky, I generally agree with the rest of your post.

 

[Pheroze]

Who was responsible for talking the Ukrainians to give up their Nukes? It was Bill Clinton, and some others that I cant remember.
I bet they regret that decision.

If Putin succeeds in overthrowing the Ukraine, I doubt if he will stop there.?

IMO, this invasion has the stench of Democrats all over it.

A fellow with quite a checkered background once said to me: the problem with carrying a gun is you feel you have to use it. Maybe it's a good thing there are no nukes there.

 

[Alistair]

With regard to the 40 mile long Russian convoy- it has been stated that the convoy needed to pass through a "choke point" but the news people didn't say where the point was. does anyone know where the point is and what the surrounding topography is?

Reminds me of trying to get a convoy through highway 9 to Khe Sanh.

You might be familiar with the spring rasputitsa, also known as General Mud. That happy period of time in spring when all the ground thaws, all the rivers breach and everything becomes waterlogged. Hitler was familiar with it, as was Napoleon, the Mongols and the Kaiser. None of them were a fan.

Long and short of it, for the next 2 months at least, anything that isn't a metalled road is going to be purest hell for the mobility of armored vehicles, infantry and their logistical supply chain.

As a result, all convoys are stuck on the highway and susceptible to ambush and obstruction. Any low lying land will be a chokepoint at this point.

Putin should know this, but obviously doesn't and I guess all his advisors were too scared to mention it when he planned this course of action. The downside of being an autocrat.

None of this means the Ukraine can win, but it does give them time to bleed the Russians enough that Putin might 'retire', it becomes no longer worthwhile or a diplomatic resolution can be met.

Remember that Putin is an autocratic leader. It's in his interest to cleave closer to Sun Tzu's principles than it is for the democratic leader, American fighting doctrine for instance.

That being the case "The skillful soldier does not raise a second levy, neither are his supply-wagons loaded more than twice."

The clock is ticking for Putin. Find 'treasure' or get supplanted.

"Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor damped, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue. "

Now I'm nothing but an enthusiastic student of history with no real world experience, but I guess it'll be an interesting couple of months. I'll be interested in continuing to read your thoughts, especially considering the depth of knowledge and experience that members such as @Redleg posess.

 

[Brent in Az]

A fellow with quite a checkered background once said to me: the problem with carrying a gun is you feel you have to use it. Maybe it's a good thing there are no nukes there.

I carry a gun, but I dont feel the need to use it, unless I was forced to. It gives me great peace of mind knowing its there as an equalizer.

Just sayin......

 

[WAB]

I carry a gun, but I dont feel the need to use it, unless I was forced to. It gives me great piece of mind knowing its there as an equalizer.

Just sayin......

Totally agree. No intent to use it unless I am forced to.

 

[lwaters]

In all fairness, last winter here in Texas owed a lot to failure of NG providers to winterize their lines. NG will freeze up, too.

But, that doesn't change the underlying problem that every W of energy spent building those giant boondoggles is a an absolute waste, and costs us more, no matter how you slice it, than if that fuel had just been burned in a conventional ICE.

A single typical wind turbine has
a base made of 2500 TONS of cement
a tower that's 900 TONS of steel
maybe 100 tons of non-recyclable plastic

just think of the logistics of moving all that out to where they're going to build the tower. Even if we assume a cement truck will carry 50 tons at a time, that still 50 trips worth of Diesel and wear and tear. Nevermind the insane amount of fuel it takes just to make the concrete and refine the iron ore into 900 tons of steel.

My son-in-law worked at a windmill factory in iowa. They built windmills for businesses or large farms. He said they required a lot of maintenance. He quit the job because he could see when the government funding quit the company would be bankrupt. He said when you really look at wind energy it wasn't all that great.

 

[lwaters]

Hats off to all of you for questioning me on this.

Obviously I reposted an article without much consideration or research.

Good job keeping me on my toes.

There a lot of stuff out there your article may be wrong but how would it be proved. Check out the AZOV Battalion I found a Newsweek article about them. They stated at one time that congress wanted to declare them a terrorist group. Interesting stuff.

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition

NASCAR Hall of Fame owner Richard Childress is offering to donate one million rounds of ammunition to the Ukrainian Armed Forces to help in the ongoing war with Russia, he said in an interview with Fox News on Wednesday.

"I was listening the other day to (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy say he didn't want out, he wanted ammunition," Childress said. "I called my good friend Fred Wagenhals, who is the Chairman of AMMO, Inc., and I said, 'Fred, we have to help these people. They need ammunition.' He stepped right up."

Childress, who is a member of AMMO, Inc.’s Board of Directors, has been in NASCAR for over five decades, first as a driver before becoming an owner in the early 1980s.

 

[lwaters]

Ukraine is flatter then Kansas. It is not wonder they have always been beaten down. How are these people going to eat. They may slowly annihilate the Ukrainian army. Putin looks like someone that has taken a bunch of steroids and could blow a fuse.