Why buy an electric car? National security, says Iraq vet

[n2doc]

BY CHRISTOPHER MIMS
8 JUN 2011 11:01 AM



Tim Goodrich has served three tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he loves his all-electric Nissan Leaf. His basic message, for all the Vince Vaughan types out there, is that if Americans think electric cars are “gay,” maybe it's because we aren’t as in touch with what it takes to get the oil required to make a conventional vehicle go.

"How much sense does it make," he asks, "to send money to countries that don't like us, don't share our values, and sometimes find ways to get that money into the hands of terrorist organizations?"


For those of you who like terrorists and are immune to all but the most crude economic logic, Goodrich has you covered, too.

"Every year, we send at least $250 billion to overseas countries because the cars we drive have an insatiable thirst for oil," Goodrich wrote in a recent commentary. "In other words, about half of our trade deficit is due to imported crude petroleum." <…> "The whole world is positioning itself to secure energy reserves," Goodrich notes, "including what China is doing in Africa."

more

http://www.grist.org/list/2011-06-08-why-buy-an-electric-car-national-security-says-iraq-vet

[midnight]

1. K&R. Greate response to the gas lovers....

"if Americans think electric cars are “gay,” maybe it's because we aren’t as in touch with what it takes to get the oil required to make a conventional vehicle go."

[ejpoeta]

2. i've been trying to tell this to conservatives. it's a national security issue.

the countries with all the oil are the countries where the terrorists seem to live. if we were to find an alternative energy to run our cars, then wouldn't we make oil worth a lot less? so electric cars are a way to fight terrorism.

[azul]

3. Israel has been saying this for a while, and acting:

"The privately funded plan to build 500,000 recharging points and battery-swap stations for electric cars in the next 18 months has the backing of the government and president, Shimon Peres. Renault and Nissan will develop an electric car with a range of more than 100 miles to be mass-produced from 2011.

Mr Peres told the Financial Times that the plan would cut Israel's oil imports by half within a few years, and that Israel could cut the remainder by building solar energy-generating plants. "In one decade, we will not need oil.""

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?127413-Israel-relies-on-electric-cars-to-cut-oil-imports&s=c3fef4b512adce7e263fc515db3518ac

[wtmusic]

4. It's ok, because I won't be doing the fighting

That's why we have brave soldiers!

:sarcasm: