The Glade 4.0

We really need *either* of these things? Pipelines to pump more Canadian oil to overseas customers?

A multi billion dollar wall that's logistically ridiculous, physically impossible in some places, ecologically problematic, and possibly ineffective. We need this?

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Holy shitsnacks!

No, not "we", but, "he".

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This cold and dark tormented hell
Is all I`ll ever know
So when you get to heaven
May the devil be the judge

The US has, arguably, gone to war over oil. It's critical to the future of the US and to the rest of the world. Today, there is no other safer, abundant and commercially available energy source that has as great an energy density as petroleum based fuels. Building an infrastructure and positioning ourselves as a supplier seems to make sense to me if you want to do the things Trump has promised he'd do, which is add jobs and strengthen US economically. Use the profits from that to fund development of clean and safe nuclear power sources.

The border wall is not something I can justify except as an immediate, low tech job creation effort. I understand the problem - $24.6 billion is a great incentive for Mexico to either ignore or encourage illegal immigration, but I think it would be easier to follow the money and stop the flow from the source.

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In time, this too shall pass.

Here's the thing about pipelines: If we don't build and maintain them (which sometimes means replacing aging ones when standards improve), we end up transporting oil by rail or highway.

And the trains and trucks have to cross all the same rivers and watersheds, and are a lot more prone to failure (read: crashes). Trucks are abysmal in comparison, and trains trade a marginal reduction in overall quantity spilled (more, smaller spills than pipelines) for a dramatic increase in danger to humans by virtue of requiring humans nearby at all times (engineers) and the railway system, by design, passing through populated areas.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

This. The concerns over water and the environment are a smokescreen for the real issue - the Indians are mad that the pipeline doesn't actually cross their reservation. They want the fees associated with that, and were denied. That's why we keep hearing "water", not "land". Because the tribe objecting doesn't have the pipeline on its land. In reality, railway cars are much more likely to spill. I'm a huge fan of trains, but it is what it is.

As for the wall, a wall channelizes alien and narcotic traffic and makes it easier to catch. By itself it isn't a solution.

But the real objection to the wall is an objection to "poor 'brown' people from other countries might have to follow the law."

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

I just can't wait until we make one to keep all the damned Canadians out.

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The Dude abides.

If you ask the average Canadian these days, I think you'll find they would view a northern wall the other way around....

A northern wall for Canada to keep out the Whitewalkers?

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The Dude abides.

Nah, a southern wall to keep out all the annoying celebrities self-righteously fleeing Trump.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Pipelines are cheaper, more effective, and safer than trucking and rail for transport of oil.

However, I think that's one of the big issues folks have. Once a pipeline's built, it costs almost nothing to keep it going - so all of the tar sands oil will be exploited. Folks want to stop fossil fuel use, so it's not about the spills, but making it more costly to drill out the oil.

As far as safety goes, pipelines are the safest, except when they do leak. Then they are very bad. You can crash a lot of trucks before you make up a major pipeline leak. So maintenance and location are key.

Stop it. I got sick of people threatening to go to Canada after three elections of people throwing temper tantrums about their candidate losing. I'm pretty sure Canada's pretty **** tired of it, too. Those bastards lied. They're still here. I wish they had gone to Canada, because this country would be a much better place without them in it. Canadians are probably glad those people were too chickenshit to leave.

From now on, Canada is off limits. Anybody who wants to leave in protest of the president has to go to Mexico.

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Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

I love you man.

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In time, this too shall pass.

That should be a requirement to prove they're not racist.

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The Dude abides.

Just so we're clear: That rule stands for the next time a Democrat wins the presidency, too.

Judging by Trumps current shenanigans, that might be pretty soon.

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Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

Can Canadians still go to Mexico in protest of the winter?

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

That's between Canada and Mexico.

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Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

Which describes the USA.

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Well Ali Baba had them forty thieves, Scheherezade had a thousand tales
But master you in luck 'cause up your sleeves you got a brand of magic never fails...
...Mister Aladdin, sir, What will your pleasure be?
Let me take your order, Jot it down -You ain't never had a friend like me
█ ♣ █

Screw that. If racists want to leave, let them leave. What do we care which country they go to?

I don't think you got the joke. They all want to go to Canada because they hate Latinos and want to be around a mostly white people. You see, it's funnier when I explain it...

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The Dude abides.

That's true. They don't want to have to take care of all of the Mexicans themselves, just lecture us about it.

I say Mexicans because Mexico is engaging in quite a bit of new "border security" of its own. Unmentioned in all of this is the real reason Mexico hates the wall - they'll be stuck with the Central Americans and other people that come through, because Mexico is still a decent place compared to most of those countries.

We're helping fund that, by the way. Mexico is all too willing to take U.S. aid for it's wall* but not interested in helping with ours.

*I say "wall" but I'm not certain to what degree its a wall and to what degree its other forms of border security.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Judging by Trump's shenanigans he wasn't going to win in the first place. The mood of the country is not what the press says it is.

(It's not what FOX News says it is either, but they're closer to right than any other network. The WSJ seems to have the best grip on reality of the newspapers, since the NYT and WaPo have come completely unhinged.)

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."