Dope Bag

Dope Bag - 5 Oz. of Pure Terror

COMING SOON: A LAW THAT SAYS I CAN'T GIVE OUT ANY OF MY SCIENTIFIC THEORIES BECAUSE YOU MIGHT BE DUMB ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY PUT THEM TO GOOD USE

Meanwhile, I'm putting together information on how to build a still. That way, when you don't finish your beer, you can recycle the valuable solvent ETHANOL out of it.

Producing alcohol is probably the oldest scientific process. We know that mankind has been brewing for at least ten thousand years, and distilling for almost seven thousand years.

By the laws of my own state, (depending upon interpertation) I can make up to 200 gallons per year for personal use. But, the Fed has implemented some hoops to jump through so you can't actually do it profitably. For instance, if I want to produce alcohol for fuel, I must get a permit. The cost of the permit depends on how much alcohol I want to make. Ultimately, this works out to mean that if I was going to save $3000 in fuel costs by producing my own, I would pay about $5000 for the permit. If I want to make alcohol to drink, my state says its okay, but the DEA and ATF have other ideas. If you want to make alcohol and do it legally, the Fed will at least make sure it doesn't compete with the oil industry.

Meanwhile, auto makers have been pretending to build "alternative fuel" vehicles. The "alternatives" to fossil fuel are electricity and natural gas. Natural gas is a fossil fuel and is produced by the same oil barons that have us "over the barrel" with high gas prices right now. And over 90 percent of the electricity produced in America comes from burning of fossil fuels. Sounds like the same old shell game.

Alcohol is basicly free to produce and infinitely renewable. That means the oil companies can't monopolize it with false shortages or production slow-downs for the purpose of price fixing. Our economy is based on oil and manufacturing of automobiles (which seem to be linked to fossil fuels - imagine that).

Did you know that any gasoline-powered car can be converted to run on alcohol? There are a few changes to be made, but they aren't expensive or drastic. Performance is not hindered noticably, and if auto manufacturers would design an engine to run on alcohol, they could eliminate the pecularities involved with converting a gasoline engine.

The emissions from burning alcohol are water and carbon dioxide. No ozone-damaging hydrocarbons. Does that sound like a good idea? So we have a fuel that is free to produce, infinitely renewable, works as well as gasoline, and doesn't pollute the atmosphere. Plus, anyone can produce it, so it is immune to monopolies. Why isn't alcohol seriously considered as the alternative fuel source?