over food shortages is a complete non-starter:
LinkUN Expert Calls Biofuel 'Crime Against Humanity'
By Edith M. Lederer, Associated Press
posted: 27 October 2007 09:40 pm ET
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- A U.N. expert on Friday called the growing practice of converting food crops into biofuel "a crime against humanity,'' saying it is creating food shortages and price jumps that cause millions of poor people to go hungry.
Jean Ziegler, who has been the United Nations' independent expert on the right to food since the position was established in 2000, called for a five-year moratorium on biofuel production to halt what he called a growing "catastrophe'' for the poor.
Scientific research is progressing very quickly, he said, ''and in five years it will be possible to make biofuel and biodiesel from agricultural waste'' rather than wheat, corn, sugar cane and other food crops.
Now, think of this "stupidity" from a political viewpoint here in the US (like in the Midwest). Explain to me exactly how you are going to get (a) Max Baucus (D-MT); (b) Tom Harkin (D-IA); Evan Byah (D-IN), or virtually any other US Senator from the Midwest (Democrat or Republican) to advocate working with the UN, and in effect just handing their potential opponents an issue over dissing their farming base of supporters.
You aren't going to get a one of them to support you, because imagine telling a farmer that because they support Ethanol, they are part of committing a "crime against humanity" - just because they FARM for a living.
I mean, how stupid can you get???
Ethanol production from corn just isn't an efficient idea. Ethanol from sugar cane is much better (than corn) from a production standpoint. But talking smack to the farming community is a sure-fire way to make sure you get nowhere fast.
/rant off
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