What we love about the United States of America

I love that people have been willing to sacrifice their very lives so that the rest are able to continue living free.

i love that we are all free to post our opinions about political issues.
i love that people can protest peacefully when they feel the need.
i love that every 4-8 years we can elect someone new to office-if only it were that way for the house and senate

I love that we have so many beautiful places to go and see, and that we're so big, it's all kinds of different beautiful.

I also like that we, so far, have set much of this aside and protect it, so it stays that way.

i love that we are all free to post our opinions about political issues.
i love that people can protest peacefully when they feel the need.
i love that every 4-8 years we can elect someone new to office-if only it were that way for the house and senate

Say what? We CAN elect new congressmen and women in similar time frames. We're just too dumb or lazy to do it. 🙂

I love the insane amount of wealth, our homeless people are better taken care of than the working class of many countries.

I've been to a few places, wouldn't want to live anywhere but the USA.

I love that people like Alana can voice their political views without fear of retribution like being put in prison or flogged in the middle of the town square or worse beheading. That is what I love about America. I just wished the left felt the same way instead of trying to force their views on everyone.

term limits is what i was referring to

i love that we are all free to post our opinions about political issues.
i love that people can protest peacefully when they feel the need.
i love that every 4-8 years we can elect someone new to office-if only it were that way for the house and senate

Say what? We CAN elect new congressmen and women in similar time frames. We're just too dumb or lazy to do it. 🙂

I love that we have so many beautiful places to go and see, and that we're so big, it's all kinds of different beautiful.

I also like that we, so far, have set much of this aside and protect it, so it stays that way.

I absolutely feel the same. I've seen a good amount of this beautiful country and hope to see much more. It's large, different and breathtaking in places

This is why we need to have a consensus of understanding when it comes to energy regulations, which I agree with some, but not to the point that it keeps us dependent on foreign countries for all our energy, just as I do not want to have windmills, pipelines or oil rigs spoiling the natural beauty of our national and natural wonders. So there needs to be a happy medium there.

mike

The need for diesel fuel will not end for a long time. Mainly because as of yet there are no answers for a replacement of a fuel to move large loads or heavy weight. However if hydrogen cells were perfected to fuel passenger cars and motorcycles that would eliminate our need for foreign fossil fuel. That would be a great start.
Fusion technology one day will also be perfected. All the benefits of nuclear energy without the nasty side effects.
both of those technologies are completely clean emission wise.

did you know that wind turbines account for 1/10 of all unnatural bird deaths

did you know that wind turbines account for 1/10 of all unnatural bird deaths

That statement is kind of meaningless by itself, especially if you meant it as an argument against them. Need to compare with fossil fuel bird deaths on a per unit of electricity generated basis. And you also need to look at the impact of the structure and siting of all forms of generation, as we keep learning and improving. I don't believe there's a study out there that's definitive on that yet. Too many contested variables.

Because of wind turbines, the lesser prairie chicken is nearing extinction. Soon come, too.

http://www.newsweek.com/2015/05/15/wind-turbines-are-killing-lesser-prairie-chicken-328288.html

Because of wind turbines, the lesser prairie chicken is nearing extinction. Soon come, too.

http://www.newsweek.com/2015/05/15/wind-turbines-are-killing-lesser-prairie-chicken-328288.html

And yet, there's this:

KSU Study

So do we believe Newsweek fluff or actual KSU research?

My brother is one of the biologists working on trying to save the LESSER prairie chicken. He has little hope for that species survival. It took over an hour of explanation on nesting behavior, mating and the species range. He convinced me these birds will not survive wind turbines on the great plains.

The KSU article was about the GREATER prairie chicken - a different species.

BTW I have no reason to suspect Newsweek as an unreliable source for information. It's has had its operational issues though.

Because of wind turbines, the lesser prairie chicken is nearing extinction. Soon come, too.

http://www.newsweek.com/2015/05/15/wind-turbines-are-killing-lesser-prairie-chicken-328288.html

And yet, there's this:

KSU Study

So do we believe Newsweek fluff or actual KSU research?

I missed the distinction in the study. Sorry. But you did get me to read more about it.

Interesting to note that wind energy companies have been getting better at adjusting design and siting over time to minimize loss. Also interesting, as indicated above, that wind turbines are often blamed, without specifying other factors leading to the killing of birds and other animals - power lines, roads, fencing, walls, farmland and building structures.

Also interesting that I read other conservationists' statements who believe the lesser prairie chicken is not destined for extinction. And most of those I read do not blame wind turbines as the main culprit, but interruptions (by man) in their range area - particularly farmland and roads. So, again, more study is needed for concurrence.

Newsweek and Time have a history of misleading articles, especially with respect to scientific issues, that goes all the way back to the 70's debunked global cooling scare they started. They're the Readers Digest of news magazines. So I take what they say with a grain of salt.

My brother is one of the biologists working on trying to save the LESSER prairie chicken. He has little hope for that species survival. It took over an hour of explanation on nesting behavior, mating and the species range. He convinced me these birds will not survive wind turbines on the great plains.

The KSU article was about the GREATER prairie chicken - a different species.

BTW I have no reason to suspect Newsweek as an unreliable source for information. It's has had its operational issues though.

Because of wind turbines, the lesser prairie chicken is nearing extinction. Soon come, too.

http://www.newsweek.com/2015/05/15/wind-turbines-are-killing-lesser-prairie-chicken-328288.html

And yet, there's this:

KSU Study

So do we believe Newsweek fluff or actual KSU research?

The problem is not roads and farmland. The lesser prairie chicken interprets turbine towers as trees - and they will not nest or mate anywhere near either. Range keeps getting boxed in by towers and the birds quit mating and nesting. Simple version.

I missed the distinction in the study. Sorry. But you did get me to read more about it.

Interesting to note that wind energy companies have been getting better at adjusting design and siting over time to minimize loss. Also interesting, as indicated above, that wind turbines are often blamed, without specifying other factors leading to the killing of birds and other animals - power lines, roads, fencing, walls, farmland and building structures.

Also interesting that I read other conservationists' statements who believe the lesser prairie chicken is not destined for extinction. And most of those I read do not blame wind turbines as the main culprit, but interruptions (by man) in their range area - particularly farmland and roads. So, again, more study is needed for concurrence.

Newsweek and Time have a history of misleading articles, especially with respect to scientific issues, that goes all the way back to the 70's debunked global cooling scare they started. They're the Readers Digest of news magazines. So I take what they say with a grain of salt.

My brother is one of the biologists working on trying to save the LESSER prairie chicken. He has little hope for that species survival. It took over an hour of explanation on nesting behavior, mating and the species range. He convinced me these birds will not survive wind turbines on the great plains.

The KSU article was about the GREATER prairie chicken - a different species.

BTW I have no reason to suspect Newsweek as an unreliable source for information. It's has had its operational issues though.

Because of wind turbines, the lesser prairie chicken is nearing extinction. Soon come, too.

http://www.newsweek.com/2015/05/15/wind-turbines-are-killing-lesser-prairie-chicken-328288.html

And yet, there's this:

KSU Study

So do we believe Newsweek fluff or actual KSU research?

Yeah, I got that the first time. As I stated, your post encouraged me to read up. While they all say the turbine height inhibits breeding and nesting for the reasons you stated, there are conservationists who disagree with your contention that this is the major problem, and cited roads and farmland as a larger problem. I'm really not inclined to go further with this discussion, unless you can come up with something more credible to show turbines are more of a reason than other environmental factors for the decline of this species.

The problem is not roads and farmland. The lesser prairie chicken interprets turbine towers as trees - and they will not nest or mate anywhere near either. Range keeps getting boxed in by towers and the birds quit mating and nesting. Simple version.

I missed the distinction in the study. Sorry. But you did get me to read more about it.

Interesting to note that wind energy companies have been getting better at adjusting design and siting over time to minimize loss. Also interesting, as indicated above, that wind turbines are often blamed, without specifying other factors leading to the killing of birds and other animals - power lines, roads, fencing, walls, farmland and building structures.

Also interesting that I read other conservationists' statements who believe the lesser prairie chicken is not destined for extinction. And most of those I read do not blame wind turbines as the main culprit, but interruptions (by man) in their range area - particularly farmland and roads. So, again, more study is needed for concurrence.

Newsweek and Time have a history of misleading articles, especially with respect to scientific issues, that goes all the way back to the 70's debunked global cooling scare they started. They're the Readers Digest of news magazines. So I take what they say with a grain of salt.

My brother is one of the biologists working on trying to save the LESSER prairie chicken. He has little hope for that species survival. It took over an hour of explanation on nesting behavior, mating and the species range. He convinced me these birds will not survive wind turbines on the great plains.

The KSU article was about the GREATER prairie chicken - a different species.

BTW I have no reason to suspect Newsweek as an unreliable source for information. It's has had its operational issues though.

Because of wind turbines, the lesser prairie chicken is nearing extinction. Soon come, too.

http://www.newsweek.com/2015/05/15/wind-turbines-are-killing-lesser-prairie-chicken-328288.html

And yet, there's this:

KSU Study

So do we believe Newsweek fluff or actual KSU research?

There are vastly more species extent, than alive today..

Why do we think this would stop?

Silly humans.