A couple presidential elections ago, a certain politician, one of the candidates, stood before a group of people and said, "Who am I? Why am I here?"

I don't think he was really as confused as that thought seemed to imply, or that the media grabbed onto and made him seem, but the point is that You and Me know who We are and We know why We're here. We are here because of the fossil fuel substance noted below.

It's simple economics 101 - The Law of Supply and Demand - that effects the price of oil and petroleum by-products. The price goes up when the supply goes down. You have probably sat in a line such as this, after some news report of a gasoline shortage, when everyone panicked.

As of 2008 there are over 250 million registered vehicles on the roads of America. And, the great majority of those vehicles are powered by gasoline.

The great majority of those 250 million vehicles, that burn gasoline, cause America to use 390 million gallons of gasoline EACH DAY. And the share of total oil use for gasoline is 70%. And we import about 60% of that oil from foreign countries.

390,000,000 gallons of gasoline EVERY DAY. Numbers like those are almost inconceivable. Put into perspective, that is 843 acres of land covered by one foot of liquid, one and a half times.

That is equal to the amount of land that covers Central Park in New York City, one foot deep., ONE AND A HALF TIMES- EACH AND EVERY DAY. That is one big toxic pond, EACH AND EVERY DAY.

Who has benefitted from the use of oil and oil by-products, specifically gasoline? Well, there are probably some retired school teachers who have a handful of oil company stocks in their investment portfolio, but mostly those profits have benefitted only a very few wealthy individuals. Those persons are the ones who control the monopoly of America's oil addiction. How would you like to make $14,000 each and every second?

Why is there the daily up and down, mostly upward, swings in the price of oil and oil products?

Guess what? Even if the economy improves ( hopefully, When - not, If ) , the price of oil will rise because of:

What do those already very wealthy individuals who control the oil monopoly do with all that money? This is a picture of a Saudi prince's newest toy. This dandy little bass boat cost over $350 million to build.

How about a nice little $500 MILLION dollar airplane to scoot around in?

Another so-called 'Prince' of the so-called Saudi 'royal' family recently spent some of his petro dollars on a new car. Look at that shiny stuff on the body. This is a diamond encrusted Mercedez - value at $4.8 million bucks. The next time you fill up your gas tank in your beat up but faithful ole banger, think about this.

Sound check ... Hello, hello, anybody home? There are over 1,000 of these 'princes' in the extended Saudi family. These are just three examples of their play-things. Google it yourself if you need hundreds of more examples.

In the meantime, what is happening here in America, due to the greed and monopoly of the oil suppliers and investors? Do you think the price of oil and gas could be having an adverse effect on the American economy and American jobs?

Next is an example of good ole American know-how and manufacturing prowess being sent overseas. Chrysler sold it's "best assets" to Fiat, and get this - they did it AFTER the U.S. politicians gave them $6,600,000 of taxpayer money! Over 6 billion dollars of tax-payer money, then send the manufacturing prowess and JOBS overseas! Who's side are our elected officials on anyway?

What else is going on in the Land of the Free, And the Home of the Brave?

Americans by the hundreds of thousands have lost their homes. Kicked out of their homes by the bankers. By the bankers who so far have received over $1.4 TRILLION dollars in taxpayer money bailouts. Taxpayer money that was given to them by our elected officials. ($700 BILLION from the Bush administration in the fall of 2008 + $700 BILLION from the current administration.)

Remember the bank 'Stress' tests that were recently in the news? A measure of 'Stress' a bank was suffering was how much money they had lost from unpaid mortgages. Do the math on that: A bank would be eligible for taxpayer bailout if they were under 'Stress'. The more people they kick out of their homes, the more money they lose from unpaid mortgages, the more 'Stress they are under, the more bailout taxpayer money they receive from the government. Do you think those Americans who are being kicked out of their homes might be under some Stress too?

This is not just an American problem. The effects of the addiction to oil, and it's damage to the economy is worldwide. And, it's not just an economic problem - it's also an Environmental problem. There is some debate as to whether Global Warming is really happening, or not. Well, do your own research. And, there is some debate as to the causes of Global Warming. Well, do your own research. Just please don't hide your head in the sand or get your research from the National Enquirer or the Petroleum Industry Magazine.

Look at that paragraph in the middle of the page: "The United States was responsible for 20% of the global greenhouse gases emitted in 1997". And look at the paragraph to the right of it. "Most of the world's emissions are attributed to the United States large-scale use of fuels in vehicles and factories".

"large-scale use of fuels in vehicles"

Do you think that could mean the 250 million registered vehicles on America's roads and highways, most of which use gasoline?This is our Home.

Admittedly, that is an exaggeration. But, only someone with their head in the sand would deny that things are bad and they might get worse if we don't fix some of the problems facing Our Nation. If we don't fix them, and get started soon then Our Lives, Our Liberties and Our Pursuit of Happiness will assuredly suffer even MORE than it is now.

Which brings us to the discussion of the actual substitutions for gasoline. Let's discuss BioFuels.

There are some different choices for Fuels made from Bio-sources and there are some myths surrounding some of those choices. Not only are there myths, but there are myths about the myths.

One of the biggest myths concerning BioFuels is that they are not practical, efficient or ready for large-scale use to replace gasoline. In fact, that is true, but only as it relates to some sources of BioFuels such as corn and soybeans that only produce minimal yields and which are subsidized by Tax-Payer dollars, and furthermore, compete with food sources. Palm Oil is causing tropical forests to be slashed and burned which will contribute to global warming. Most of the other sources of BioFuels have drawbacks also. It is the purpose here to outline the sources that are efficient, practical and ready for large-scale use. In fact, there are two of them and from this point on they will be referred to as "BioDiesel".

A second myth about BioFuel is that its not possible to grow our own fuel. In fact, it is very possible to grow our own fuel and if you look below you will see a selection of possible crops that can be converted to BioFuels. One of the crops covered in this presentation is mentioned below. Let's look more closely at the two crops which are readily available, practical and efficient and ready for large-scale use.

The crops we will focus on in this presentation are Industrial Hemp and the other is Commercial Algae. Hemp and Algae. Let's look at these two crops in a little more detail. First, some production numbers: 100,000 gallons per acre from Commercial Algae and 1,500 gallons per acre from Industrial Hemp. Wow! Compare that to corn that only produces 35 gallons per acre!

And, since we're discussing the use of these crops as BioDiesel, let's also discuss the Diesel engine and the benefits of using that type of engine versus the gas engine. In Europe the Diesel engine has always been the standard. Look at these two cars made and sold in Europe that are powered by the Diesel engine.

50 and 63 miles per gallon in a Diesel engine car. And guess what? The Diesel engine is capable of being powered by BioDiesel. If Bio-Diesel was available and America used vehicles with Diesel engines, do you think Ford, GM and Chrysler would be in financial difficulties? No, they would be working 3 shifts seven days a week to build those vehicles. They'd sell like the proverbial hotcakes!

Let's look at the history of the Diesel engine for a moment. In 1896 Rudolf Diesel demonstrated his new invention at the Paris World's Fair, and he ran it on peanut oil. The Diesel engine was modified so that it must run on a petroleum product. That is not what Rudolf intended. Who modified it and why? Who benefited from his death?l

Rudolf Diesel was a passenger on a boat, the mail steamer Dresden, crossing the English Channel from Antwerp to Harwich in 1913. Mysteriously, he vanished during the night crossing. Shortly thereafter, the modification of his engine occurred. The fuel, number 2 diesel, which is a petroleum by-product, became the standard fuel for use in the Diesel engine.

Peanut oil. Hemp oil. Algea oil. Used french-fry grease from the local fast food restuarants. Any sort of fat from vegetable oil can be used to run the Diesel engine. Why then haven't we used those bio-sources, instead of petroleum products?

BioDiesel from Industrial Hemp. Let's look at that source of fuel in more detail. Industrial Hemp was a main crop in the early years of our Country. It was used for ship's sails, rope, clothing, paper and many other uses. It would have been used for BioDiesel if there had been a horseless carriage back then.

Thomas Jefferson was awarded the first patent from the new Patent and Trademark office for his Hemp Threshing Machine which made the harvesting of this valuable crop more efficient.

Henry Ford recognized the potential of Industrial Hemp and he made a HempCar. The body and interior panels were made form Hemp and the engine ran on Hemp BioDiesel.

Industrial Hemp is a long-root crop that needs no fertilizer or pesticides. It also rejuvinates poor and abused soil. The crop can be grown practically anywhere in the United States and it has a maturity to harvest of about 100 days. One acre of Hemp can produce approximately 1,500 gallons of BioDiesel.

There is a Historical Marker outside the Jessamine County Courthouse in Kentucky that details the the history and importance of this crop.

In 1937 the federal government outlawed the cultivation of this important crop. This was done for several reasons, the main one being graft and corruption. John D. Rockefeller didn't want the competition of BioDiesel from Industrial Hemp which threatened his Standard Oil monopoly. William Randolph Hearst didn't want paper made from Industrial Hemp competing with the pulp from his millions of acres of timber. Dupont Chemical had just patented nylon made from coal tar and didn't want the competition from Industrial Hemp which makes durable fabric.

Harry Anslinger was the head of the Bureau of Narcotics, and coincidentally, he was married to the niece of Richard Mellon of the Mellon banking fortune who was an adviser to the political machine that passed this legislation.

These capitalist robber-barons bought the political influence necessary to get the politicians to pass the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 that removed this billion dollar crop from the farmers fields, and removed this source of BioDiesel from America's citizens.

Then, in 1941, America was faced with a national emergency. WWII started and the Pacific Ocean was effectively closed to commercial shipping and the importation of manila and jute from the Orient was brought to a halt.

The politicians saw that America needed Industrial Hemp again so they mounted the "Hemp for Victory" effort.

The Department of Agriculture became involved in this vital war effort as did other government, educational and other institutions around the country.

That is some history, just some, of the usefulness of this corp that goes back thousands of years in the history of mankind on Earth. Indeed, Hemp goes back to the beginning of time as we see in Genesis, chapter one, verse 29:

And God said, "BEHOLD, I HAVE GIVEN YOU EVERY HERB BEARING SEED, WHICH IS UPON THE FACE OF ALL THE EARTH, AND EVERY TREE, IN WHICH IS THE FRUIT OF A TREE YIELDING SEED; TO YOU IT SHALL BE FOR MEAT."

The use of Industrial Hemp for BioDiesel is technologically possible and economically possible.

Let' examine the use of Commercial Algae as a source of BioDiesel.

Firstly, what is Commercial Algae? The word 'commercial' refers to certain strains that have commercial uses. Algae,of course, is just a simple one-celled plant that, depending upon what strain - or species - it is, contains between 50% and 80% ethyl alcohol.

Ethyl alcohol is the basic building block of BioDiesel. How do we convert algae to BioDiesel?

For comparison's sake let's look at some yeilds of ethyl alcohol that can be obtained from various sources.

35 gallons per acre from corn to make ethanol (which is used to supplement gasoline).
1,000 to 2,000 gallons per acre from Industrial Hemp to make BioDiesel.
100,000 gallons of BioDiesel from Commercial Algae.

That's right. 100,000 gallons per acre. And that is when it is grown in a vertical-array system in a photo-bioreactor. That sounds complicated but all it takes is a greenhouse type building and a setup such as this shown below.

Using algae as an energy source? Is this some new-fangled, hi-tech, ground-breaking discovery? No, it isn't. In the 1970's, after the first Arab Oil Embargo, the Department of Energy started the National Aquatics Species Program to investigate the use of this plant that contains a high ethyl alcohol content for fuel.

After spending about a dozen years and hundreds of millions of dollars of tax-payer money on this study it was proven beyond a doubt that extracting BioDiesel from algae was technically possible. What happened? Why didn't America start using this source of fuel then?

It's very simple; OPEC saw that a replacement for oil was on the table and they lowered the price of oil. The politicians said, "Oh, oil is cheaper now. We don't need the Algae BioDiesel" so they scrapped the study. That's right, the politicians disbanded the study, threw away the results and dumped the BioDiesel down the sewer.

For over a third of a century we could have been using Algae BioDiesel for an alternative to oil. I have a copy of that study, it is about five inches thick in a large binder. Would you like to see it?

Moving to the present, what are those few entreprenuers who are building the algae photo-bioreactors planning to do with the BioDiesel they are making? Who will use it?

DARPA - the Department of Advanced Research Projects Administration, is using Algae BioDiesel as an alternative for petroleum-based jetfuel. Why is DARPA and the Department of Defense doing this? Because they know that if catastrophe occurs, man-made or weather related, and the supply of oil is cut off then we will have a serious national security issue if the warplanes can't leave the runway and the tanks are parked.

Smart thinking, but, if the government knows and is using BioDiesel from Algae to power the war machine, why aren't they concentrating on the 250 million registered vehicles on America's roads? If we can use it for the one, why not the other?

It's not only military aircraft being powered by Algae BioDiesel, the commercial airlines are also doing it.

Continental Airlines, Boeing, GE Aviation, Virgin Airlines and more; they are all using Algae BioDiesel as a replacement for petroleum-based jetfuel.

Think about that for a moment. If you are in an airplane, 30,000 feet up in the sky flying along at 500 miles per hour, wouldn't you want to be confident that your fuel in the tanks was going to work properly?

Well, this works and I ask once again - IF PLANES, WHY NOT CARS?

Why? Because the politicians are bought and paid for by the corporate interests. Their only concern is how much money they can accumulate in their Campaign War Chest's so they can buy enough advertising to get re-elected.

What else is BioDiesel from Algae being used for? In Venice, Italy they are harvesting the algae growing in the canals and using it to run an electric plant. What? Look at this.

{reprinted from the article, "The Future of Energy"page 43}

"The canals of Venice, Italy may soon provide a green power source for the city's seaport and prove that algae-derived energy can meet commercial electricity demand ... by burning diodiesel fuel made from canal algae."

"To get the fuel for the plant, algae harvested from the canal will be cultivated in 26-foot plastic bioreactors (and fertilized with carbon dioxide from the plant itselt) ... the plant could generate 40 megawatts, which would be used to power the city's seaport and channel the excess electricity -33 megawatts- to docked tankers and cruise ships, all with zero net carbon emissions."

Algae can also be fertilized with the water from sewage treatment plants, so the photobioreactors could be built in municipalities adjacent to those utility infrastructures, cleaning the water as it is passed through the piping.

Also, it can be grown using the carbon dioxide from coal-fired power plants as it's food source, which is being done now at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (search YouTube for "MIT, algae and Alan Alda")

Why aren't the politicians in America utilizing this source of renewable energy? Again, the answer is bribes, graft, corruption, lobbying, campaign donations from corporate influence - in other words: Politics as Usual.

Algae can be used as a source of bideisel. What else can algae do? How about cleaning the environment?

One last item of interest concerning algae as a source of energy. You've heard the hype about the 'Hydrogen Car of the Future' and how it will be the solution to all our problems, right? Well, that's nifty, but where will the hydrogen come from to fill up the fuel tanks of the 250 million registered vehicles on the roads? How about from algae?

So, we've examined how BioDiesel can be made from Algae and Industrial Hemp. This is a technical fact. We've seen how these two sources of Clean, Green and Renewable crops can power the 250 million vehicles on America's roads. One more thought on the subject of Industrial Hemp.

Why aren't we using these sources of fuel? Because the politicians won't see the light of day or the light at the end of the tunnel. What is their solution? Well, one thing they're promoting is to paint the world white. That's right, their answer to Global Warming is to paint all the rooftops white to reflect the sun's rays. You think this is a gag? Look at this.

Is this a good idea or a goofy idea? Your choice. The point is that that is a whole lot of paint. Most paints have as their base substance petro-chemicals, and we would need a lot of oil to make the paint. The demand for oil goes up, the price goes up. ECO 101.

Prior to the idiotic 1937 ban on growing Industrial Hemp most paints manufacturer's used the oil from Industrial Hemp as the base solvent for their products. The politicians want to make paint? Well, let them make it from a Renewable source - not Oil.

Another brilliant idea the politicians have is to use your tax-payer dollars to 'loan' you money to buy a newer, more fuel efficient vehicle. The only problem with that is you will still be getting a vehicle, in the greatest majority of the cases, that must be powered by gasoline, because the politicians have consistently blocked the building of vehicles with Diesel engines..

The only thing this could possibly serve to do is to be a short-term boost to the economy by selling cars, and to make the politicians look like hero's when the economy rebounds. That short-term bubble didn't last. What are these guys thinking about, anyway? Or, do they think?

We keep referring to 'They' and the 'Politicians'. Who are 'They' anyway?

Hah, hah. You think that's funny? Well, it's not funny. Those politicians, the Stooges, are the ones who are supposedly making the decisions that will insure Our Lives, Our Liberties and Our Pursuit of Happiness here in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

There's no need to pick out anyone in particular to point the finger at. No. There's no need to identify them individually because as a group, a collective, they are all stooges. Just look at the news coverage of their doings and going-on's and it is apparent that they are like mentally deficient inmates on the playground of some institution .

And, look at their professional capabilities and accomplishments. All they can do is to battle each other like Tribe A versus Tribe B. When one side wins the most recent election, the other side does everything in their power to stop the winning side from doing anything that is good for America. Why do they do that? So they can say, "Look what a bad job those other stooges did. You need to vote for me so I can fix what they messed up!"

Look at the mess they've gotten us into over oil ...

And if you think Iraq is bad (which it really and truly is) wait till you see what could be around the corner.

"China's need for energy is projected to increase by 150% by 2020. Its oil consumption grows by 7.5% per year, seven times faster than the U.S. U.S. - China relations will be increasingly influenced by access to Middle East oil."

Where did those words come from?

... would have the courage, determination, gumption and get-up-and-go to face and solve our problems.

What happened? Why have we allowed the politicians and their corporate masters to take away Our Freedoms? We have a serious choice to make, and we need to make it sooner rather than later, because later, might be too late.

We need to ...

Don't we owe it to their memory and sacrifice to do it again?

Well, yes, of course. But how do we do it? Talk is cheap. It's action that counts, and here is how we can perform this feat.

We let these people do it ...

Yes, it was your average, everyday American's who made the Manhattan Project work and who won that war. It wasn't the politicians or the generals. It was the troops, the workers and all those citizens who made sacrifices.

We need to start a Manhattan Project No. 2 that is focused on Energy Independence and we need to tell the politicians to pick up a shovel and get to work, or sit down and shut up - and by the way, we're going to use your inflated paychecks to finance the effort.

One word on the subject of politician's paychecks. Guess who decides how much the politicians get paid? The politicians themselves. The politicians get to decide how much they earn. They vote themselves pay raises, benefits, office allowances, while at the same time voting against an increase in the Minimum Wage. They've become another Monarchy.

Although, there have been a few politicians, a very few, in the recent past who have inspired us, instead of betraying us.

I believe that if we had the determination, the grit, the gumption and the get-up-and-go to do that, then we can solve this relatively straight-forward problem right here on Earth. What we're talking about here isn't rocket science - it's FARMING. This is something we can start and do and use today. We don't need any rocket science geniuses to figure this out.

All we need is to sow the crops: harvest the crops; use already determined techniques to process the crops into BioDiesel and fill up the tanks of our Diesel engine vehicles. Speaking of Diesel engine vehicles, instead of using 'vouchers' to trade in 'Cash for Clunkers' for another gasoline engine vehicle, let's build cars and trucks with Diesel engines so we can use BioDiesel. Think about this: When the car business is good, the economy is good. When the economy is good, the car business is good.

And, I challenge the politicians to stand up and be counted. I challenge you to "inspire us" instead of continuing to betray us.

IF WE CAN DO THAT IN LESS THAN A DECADE, THEN WE CAN DO THIS ...

WE THE PEOPLE MUST DO THIS.

If you think the politicians are going to fix this for you ... well, don't hold your breath. They have more important things to do, such as getting re-elected and continuing to draw their fat paychecks, setting up their retirement, solicit bribes and generally let the rest of America drown in that toxic lake of gasoline that covers Central Park each and every day.

WE HAVE TO DO THIS. How do we do it? WE ...

Just imagine for a moment fields of Industrial Hemp and Commercial Algae photo-bioreactors from Sea to Shining Sea. Imagine the potential and the promise. Imagine the strength of a revitalized economy and the strength of a Nation that is Energy Independent. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it will take more than hoping and imagining to get to the end of that tunnel.

The means to replace those 390 million gallons of gasoline we burn EACH and EVERY DAY that power the 250 million registered vehicles on America's roads, is within our grasp.

It will take hard work, determination, spit, elbow grease, gumption and get-up-and-to to get to the end of that tunnel.

Is this possible? Is it possible from a Technical point of view? Yes, it has been done and it is being done

Is it possible from an Economic point of view? Well, if you take the very possible Technical aspect and increase the scope of the endeavor from Sea to Shining Sea, you will get the economies of scale that will make the Economic aspect very possible.

Yes, from a Technical point of view and an Economic point of view, we can do this. And, if we do, it will solve one great big piece of the puzzle; the 70% of all the oil we use piece of the puzzle, the 390,000,000 gallons a day of gasoline piece of the puzzle.

But, the real question is - Is this possible from a human point of view? Do we as an indivisible group of Americans have the determination to make it possible?

In that group of Americans, the count does not include the politicians who have proven that their personal glory and greed is far more important to them than the USA. And, it does not include the corporations, which by definition are nameless, faceless immoral creatures that are driven by the quest to mazimize profits.

No, it only includes "WE THE PEOPLE". Can we do it? I think we can. What do you think? Are you ready to get started?