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Total number of comments: 153 (since 2016-08-09 15:21:20)

David B. Benson

Showing comments 100 - 1
Page: 2 1

  • Only Putin is happy with Trump's NATO Bull-in-China-Shop Catastrophe
    • David B. Benson 05/26/2017 at 11:03 pm

      Then you would have lotsa poor to midlin' cars to try to pawn off to the American public.

  • Pope to Trump: Climate Change is Real and we have to act in Solidarity
    • David B. Benson 05/25/2017 at 7:41 pm with 3 replies

      As hard as it might be to believe, uranium is a sustainable source of energy, enough energy if used properly in fast neutron reactors. There is always more in seawater.

  • Trump in Absolute Monarchy during Iran's Election
    • David B. Benson 05/21/2017 at 8:00 pm

      Bioplastics are coming.

  • Trump calls Special Counsel a "Witch Hunt": But what is his relation to Russia?
    • David B. Benson 05/21/2017 at 7:41 pm

      The news organ is now named RT, being Russia Today no longer. Some of the stories are outright fiction. RT is another example of Faux Neuz.

  • Erdogan & Trump: Can the Confict over Syria be Resolved?
    • David B. Benson 05/17/2017 at 7:54 pm

      Juan Cole, please do not insult magpies.

  • "Can you believe the World we Live in?" Trump doesn't understand "Classified"
    • David B. Benson 05/16/2017 at 7:27 pm

      Juan Cole, you overrate The Donald's sanity.

  • Clapper Lied & Spied, now charges Trump w/ assault on Gov't Institutions
    • David B. Benson 05/16/2017 at 12:31 am

      Clap Clapper in the clapper.

      Give the key to Juan Cole.

  • GOP Greatest Single Threat to Mothers on Mother's Day
    • David B. Benson 05/14/2017 at 9:48 pm

      Not just on Mother's Day...

  • Is China Now the Adult in the Room? Xi and Macron Consult
    • David B. Benson 05/14/2017 at 6:36 pm

      Wittgenstein said that whereof we cannot speak we must remain silent.

    • David B. Benson 05/13/2017 at 11:13 pm with 2 replies

      Ordinarily I don't bother to state it:

      Words fail me.

  • NSAgate: Trump was warned (by Yates and Obama), and yet He Persisted
    • David B. Benson 05/09/2017 at 3:01 am

      Em-peach-mint

  • It was ISIL, not Hackers, who Hijacked French Election
    • David B. Benson 05/07/2017 at 11:56 pm

      Much more sensible analysis of the situation in France than that of Bret Stephens in TNYT.

  • Trumpcare is the best Advertisement for Nationalizing Insurance
    • David B. Benson 05/05/2017 at 2:57 am

      I certainly agree about single payer: Medicare For All! (Disclosure: two of my children are practicing M.D.s.)

      However, the existing utility structure is adequate, I opine. We just have to provide incentives for turning off carb dioxide emissions producers. Those more informed than I opine that a tax on carbon dioxide emissions will suffice.

  • India's Electric-Car Plans could Leave Trump & US in Dust
    • David B. Benson 05/03/2017 at 4:36 pm with 3 replies

      As I see it, the physics and chemistry of batteries means much greater energy density is most unlikely so smaller means less range.

      Rapid charge may be feasible.

  • On Day of Climate March, Remember advance of Solar globally
    • David B. Benson 04/29/2017 at 4:59 am with 1 replies

      Still, solar is a pipsqueep compared to thermal generators.

  • Planet Ravagers: How Trump & GOP are like Aliens in "Independence Day"
    • David B. Benson 04/28/2017 at 8:19 pm

      Please do not insult Neanderthals.

  • The Last time there was this much CO2 in the air, Florida was under Water
    • David B. Benson 04/26/2017 at 12:07 am

      During the mid-Pliocene with the same carbon dioxide levels as now the sea stand was about 25 meters higher than now and the global temperature was 2+ °C higher than now. So if carbon dioxide levels remain at the same level as now, and then, at equilibrium those same conditions will obtain.

      Source is the Wikipedia page on Pliocene climate.

  • For First Time, a US President backs a Fascist France
    • David B. Benson 04/24/2017 at 4:48 pm with 5 replies

      The American landings in Africa were resisted by the Vichy forces.

  • As Scientists March, Will Trump give away US Science Lead to China?
    • David B. Benson 04/23/2017 at 3:09 am

      And then there is the support of science and mathematics offered by music hence music education. One reason that the state of Washington does so well in a variety of high tech areas is the strong support for music education here.

      I'll just remind us that Einstein was a superb violinist.

  • Top 5 Ways Bill O'Reilly gave us Trump and cheapened America
    • David B. Benson 04/20/2017 at 3:40 am

      Won't enough people recognize that it is Faux Neuz?

  • In 3 months, Trump has Charged into 4 Mideast Wars, to no Avail
    • David B. Benson 04/15/2017 at 4:20 am

      Non compos mentis.

      Impeach now.

    • David B. Benson 04/15/2017 at 4:16 am

      16 million

  • Washington's Supreme Hypocrisy on Chemical Weapons and Civilian Deaths
    • David B. Benson 04/06/2017 at 6:04 am with 1 replies

      I fear nothing will make this tragedy better.

  • Has Trump deferred to Russia in Syria?
    • David B. Benson 04/03/2017 at 8:56 pm

      It is Tillerson's policy. The Donald is too ignorant to have a policy thought of his own.

  • Putin joins ranks of Climate Denialists in support of Trump
    • David B. Benson 04/02/2017 at 1:31 am

      That is at best debatable, Jim. Already Russia has suffered massive wildfires and super heat waves.

  • Was Michael Flynn Russia's “primary channel of communication with the Trump team”?
    • David B. Benson 03/31/2017 at 7:51 pm

      Flynn is a flake, not to be trusted to separate fact from fiction. That he made it to lt. general does not speak well of the military.

  • The simple Number that will Defeat Trump's attempt to Roll back Obama Energy Policies
    • David B. Benson 03/30/2017 at 2:55 am

      Not exactly off-topic: here is a profoundly ignorant law maker
      link to m.huffpost.com
      I suppose he is a lawyer. Are all lawyers so ill-trained in the sciences?

  • True, Trump hasn't Criticized Putin for Navalny Arrest; but Navalny is more like Trump
    • David B. Benson 03/27/2017 at 4:07 am

      Thanks.

  • The Russian Job: The Plot Thickens
    • David B. Benson 03/23/2017 at 3:41 am

      Certainly won't fall on their pens, which are mightier than swords...

  • Top 4 Worst pieces of Climate News from WMO in Age of Trump
    • David B. Benson 03/22/2017 at 4:20 am

      Good summary.

  • Trump picks fights with US Allies: Germany, NATO, EU, Britain etc.
    • David B. Benson 03/19/2017 at 3:52 am

      "Allies? Don't need no stinkin' allies. America First!"

      Ah, the kakistocracy in action...

  • Wind Power Juggernaut Really doing for 100K Workers what Trump only Promised
    • David B. Benson 03/19/2017 at 3:48 am with 2 replies

      While wind turbines work well in the Midwest, here in the Pacific Northwest no more wind farms are under construction; all the best sites have been taken.

  • Hawaii Judge: Trump's Muslim Ban 2.0 still Violates the Constitution
    • David B. Benson 03/17/2017 at 7:57 am

      Thank you.

    • David B. Benson 03/16/2017 at 12:44 am with 2 replies

      A small point but as far as I know the Japanese-Americans in Hawaii were not interned during World War II.

  • Close the Coal Plants: How to Reply to Pruitt's Lie about CO2 & Climate
    • David B. Benson 03/11/2017 at 8:33 pm

      The most important replacement is not using so much electricity, called energy efficiency. Installing LED lighting, etc, leads to the utility turning off the least efficient generators. That is usually the old coal burners.

  • Syria: As 400 more Troops go in, What's Trump's Mission?
    • David B. Benson 03/11/2017 at 12:55 am

      This is more of The Population Bomb going off in the Middle East.

  • Is the Public turning on Trump over Russia Ties, Sessions' Perjury?
    • David B. Benson 03/10/2017 at 5:02 am

      Kakistocracy in action!

  • Why Trump EO is Still a Racist Muslim Ban
    • David B. Benson 03/07/2017 at 4:54 am

      Apply the 25th amendment. Quickly!

  • Trump covers Rockwell: Sometimes it Feels like, Obama's Watching You
    • David B. Benson 03/06/2017 at 1:32 am

      Apply the 25th amendment. Now!

  • Sorry, Trump, China's cut-back on Coal Dooms Industry
    • David B. Benson 03/02/2017 at 12:34 am with 1 replies

      Carbon sequestration is easy and permanent. Its called coal and remains in the ground for many tens of millions of years.

      Carbon dioxide sequestration is a bit more difficult. As the link shows you don't want to store it in just water. However, pumping supercritical carbon dioxide with just a little water added into any mafic rock, basalt for example, turns the carbon dioxide into carbonate rock in only two years. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, down the road a bit, recently concluded just that test.

  • Top 5 Ways Obama is Behind Leaks, Protests against Trump
    • David B. Benson 03/02/2017 at 12:22 am

      I'm scared.

  • Should Bannon Resign? He and Milo Fake-Newsed Hillary as Pedophile
    • David B. Benson 02/21/2017 at 10:33 pm

      Yes, drain the swamp of Bannon.

      Apologies to swamps for the insult.

  • Top 8 Signs someone is a White Terrorist, e.g. plotting to Blow up Mosque
    • David B. Benson 02/19/2017 at 12:52 am with 2 replies

      Well, no. Arabs are not "people of color", for example.

  • All of Putin's / Trump's Men
    • David B. Benson 02/15/2017 at 5:05 am with 2 replies

      Will we survive this?

  • Could NSA Flynn face Criminal Charges over Russia Ties?
    • David B. Benson 02/11/2017 at 2:37 am

      Who is going to file charges?

  • The real Victors in Judges' ban on Trump's Ban: US Universities
    • David B. Benson 02/11/2017 at 2:34 am

      Washington State University has 136 students affected by the ban which is now stayed.

  • Yemen withdraws blanket approval for US action after Trump's botched Raid
    • David B. Benson 02/09/2017 at 2:35 am

      Another example of the population bomb going off.

  • Trump's Wrong on non-Coverage; But, Top 6 things actually Wrong with Terrorism Reporting
    • David B. Benson 02/07/2017 at 11:29 pm with 1 replies

      I have known 4 people who died in automobile accidents and 2 by suicide. None via so-called terrorism.

  • In Shocker, Federal Judge in Seattle Halts Trump Muslim Ban
    • David B. Benson 02/04/2017 at 9:02 pm with 1 replies

      A bold action by the judge which the 9th circuit may well sustain.

  • Trumpworld Fake News: Iran attacks US Navy, Iraqis Massacre Bowling Green
    • David B. Benson 02/04/2017 at 2:19 am

      This is what its like inside Bedlam.

  • Here we go Again: Trump Admin Threatens Iran
    • David B. Benson 02/02/2017 at 7:13 pm

      Well, you know what they say about people with tiny hands...

  • Trump Can't Make America Great Again without Immigrants
    • David B. Benson 02/01/2017 at 4:02 pm with 1 replies

      Robots and other automation will increasingly be the entities doing the work.

  • Torture works . . . to produce Fake News (and that's how we Got into Iraq)
    • David B. Benson 01/28/2017 at 11:30 pm

      A few paragraphs down to read the research substance on why torture does not work:
      link to sciencemag.org
      Destroys memory and other brain effects.

    • David B. Benson 01/27/2017 at 5:36 pm

      Only possibly off-topic, watch out!
      link to theguardian.com
      Aiii is coming after you...

  • Iraqi Leaders Denounce Trump over Oil, Jerusalem; US Troops in Political Crossfire
    • David B. Benson 01/26/2017 at 7:28 pm

      Avatar of the God of Chaos.

  • Trump's Visa Ban is about anti-Muslim Bigotry, not Security
    • David B. Benson 01/25/2017 at 9:52 pm

      Invoke article 4 of the 25th amendment.

      Quickly!

  • Trump to al-Sisi: Syria's al-Assad is a Brave, steadfast Man (Beirut Report)
    • David B. Benson 01/25/2017 at 3:31 am

      Pontius Pilot is said to have uttered "What is truth?"

      With The Donald we now inhabit Bedlam...

  • Trump to CIA: We now have 2nd Chance to take Iraq's Oil
    • David B. Benson 01/25/2017 at 3:26 am

      Small point: some communities in Alaska run diesel generators for electricity.

  • All the terrible things Trump plans to do to Women (besides that one)
    • David B. Benson 01/22/2017 at 11:07 pm

      The Donald is so incompetent that likely nothing will happen outside of twitterland.

  • Along with pardoning Manning, Obama should have repealed 1917 Espionage Act
    • David B. Benson 01/18/2017 at 11:32 pm

      I doubt that there is the will power in Congress to repeal...

  • In the Age of Trumpian Reaction, is MLK's Legacy to the 99% being Reversed?
    • David B. Benson 01/16/2017 at 11:24 pm

      An almost square grey state should be labeled NM.

  • All the President's Deniers
    • David B. Benson 01/13/2017 at 7:41 pm

      Can anyone be considered successful at running what is widely called "the cowboy ******* agency"?

  • Trump does Poor imitation of Tin-Pot Dictator at "Press Conference"
    • David B. Benson 01/12/2017 at 6:05 pm with 1 replies

      But I thought it was an excellent imitation.

      Then again, not just an imitation...

  • For Russian hold on Trump, follow the Money, not the Sex tapes
    • David B. Benson 01/11/2017 at 10:05 pm

      Hope he is impeached and found unfit soon.

    • David B. Benson 01/11/2017 at 5:00 pm

      How many bankruptcies has The Donald gone through? Question his competency at ever level.

  • Welcome to Psychopathocracy
    • David B. Benson 01/11/2017 at 1:14 am

      You provide no evidence.

    • David B. Benson 01/10/2017 at 3:53 am

      Welcome to Trumpistan, the kakistocracy to end all...

  • Meryl Streep calls out Trump: Having Bully-in-Chief Coarsens whole Culture
    • David B. Benson 01/09/2017 at 5:19 pm

      The Donald lacks the intellect and the emotional stability to be a fascist.

      Fit to be a denizen of Bedlam.

  • Circus of Liars: How Trump & GOP are Twisted into Pretzels over Putin Hack
    • David B. Benson 01/07/2017 at 12:53 am

      Welcome to Trumpistan.

  • Preparing for the Normalization of a Neofascist White House
    • David B. Benson 01/03/2017 at 3:07 am

      Kakistocracy. The Donald isn't organized enough to play Benito.

  • The Chinese Solar Juggernaut that Trump Can't Stop
    • David B. Benson 12/29/2016 at 5:23 pm

      Solar panels are now so inexpensive that it doesn't matter what The Donald tweets.

  • Now is the time for Obama to Recognize Palestine
    • David B. Benson 12/27/2016 at 2:22 pm

      Kevin Drum speaks my mind.

  • Trump blames Muslim immigrants for Turkey, Berlin Violence
    • David B. Benson 12/22/2016 at 8:41 pm

      I shudder in anticipation...

  • Demonization of Putin as "Personally" behind Clinton Hack is old Propaganda Technique
    • David B. Benson 12/16/2016 at 3:27 pm

      As the article in TNYT makes clear, it was the Russian military intelligence unit which hacked the DNC with the results indirectly forwarded to Wikileaks and others.

      The inference is that Putin approved at least the last step.

  • Why do GOP Presidents get to go Hard Right, and Dems are just GOP Lite?
    • David B. Benson 12/15/2016 at 8:02 pm

      The DNC Democrats are centrist, at best. I stand with the progressives, not found in the Democratic Party.

  • Sorry, Garrison Keillor: Keith Ellison for President could have beaten Trump, and still Can
    • David B. Benson 12/14/2016 at 1:03 am

      So promote him, already. Cannot be worse than The Donald or his opponent.

  • Is Bruited Sec. of State Tillerson allied with Iran & at war with Iraq?
    • David B. Benson 12/11/2016 at 7:04 pm

      War is Peace

  • No, America, it wasn't Russia: You did it to Yourself
    • David B. Benson 12/11/2016 at 1:32 am with 1 replies

      What makes you think that it is not already too late?

  • White Terrorism in the White House? Did Trump's Bannon, Breitbart inspire Pizzeria Shooter?
    • David B. Benson 12/06/2016 at 11:11 pm

      In this town discharging a firearm gets one tossed in the clink.

  • Why Trump & his Cabinet's Jihad against "Political Islam" will Fail
    • David B. Benson 12/05/2016 at 12:40 am with 1 replies

      Pakistan only pretends to oppose the Taliban. Actually, I opine, a branch of the Pakistan government provides some support for the Taliban.

  • Russian Pundit: Fall of East Aleppo a Geopolitical Turning Point toward Multi-polar World
    • David B. Benson 12/03/2016 at 2:55 pm

      A pox on all their houses.

  • Now that SecDef thinks Israeli Occupation is Apartheid, will the Lobby Blackballing Fail?
    • David B. Benson 12/02/2016 at 7:48 pm

      Mad dogs are caused by rabies.

  • 5 Trump Headlines more outrageous than the "Hamilton" Tiff
    • David B. Benson 11/21/2016 at 8:21 pm

      In some of Shakespeare's plays the actors speak directly to the audience.

      Good for the 'Hamilton' actor!

  • Is Lt.-Gen. Flynn Right that Islam is not a Religion?
    • David B. Benson 11/20/2016 at 10:48 pm

      Flynn has "Flynn facts" and appears to be no longer sufficiently sane to be reasonable.

  • Four years of Trump could really sink the planet
    • David B. Benson 11/12/2016 at 5:46 am

      Already sunk under a forthcoming 25 meters of sea rise unless there is a massive change to stop adding and start subtracting carbon dioxide.

  • Top 5 urgent Climate Change/Election Stories MSM Suppressed
    • David B. Benson 11/07/2016 at 1:14 am

      There is a way to remove significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Len Orstein with two coauthors have a free, published paper "Irrigated Afforestation of the Sahara desert and the Australian outback ..." which shows that growing all those trees will remove, per annum, about as much as burning fossil fuels adds each year. So if we soon stop burning fossil fuels the carbon dioxide concentration will lower at about the rate it has increased.

      Won't be inexpensive. If I understand the paper, they estimate $150 billion per annum. What is the DOD budget again?

    • David B. Benson 11/06/2016 at 1:16 am with 1 replies

      The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is now 400 ppm. The previous time that was so was in the mid-Pliocene, about 3 million years ago. From the Wikipedia article on Pliocene climate we learn that the sea level was 25 meters higher than now. As the ocean circulation then was similar to today's so was the climate system. So the sea level will continue to rise for about the next 1000 years, provided that the carbon dioxide concentration remains around 400 ppm.

      Possibly removing enough carbon dioxide could avoid some of the 25 meter rise.

  • Emails and Groping: Our Halloween Election keeps Scaring us to Death
    • David B. Benson 11/01/2016 at 12:16 am

      I want to switch to the reality channel.

  • China's Wind Co. Profits, share price soar by 60%: 2 Turbines an Hour being Installed
    • David B. Benson 10/23/2016 at 12:52 am with 1 replies

      2 MW wind turbines are on the small side. Think 8.

      But yes, everyone else is going to have difficulty competing with the Chinese.

      By the way, the usual abbreviation is UHVDC as the transmission lines are direct current.

  • Dylan, the American Left, and What We have Lost
    • David B. Benson 10/15/2016 at 3:08 am

      Well done, Juan Cole.

  • Clinton brings back Gore, talks Green, but still Opposes Carbon Tax
    • David B. Benson 10/12/2016 at 3:43 am

      Vastly too little, much too late.

  • 5 Signs that Wind Power in the US is suddenly going Massive
    • David B. Benson 09/19/2016 at 10:16 pm with 1 replies

      Long way to go. Carbon dioxide emitters produced 65% of the power in 2015; nuclear about 19%, hydro 8%, and wind but 5%.

  • "This Parrot is no More": The 2016 Presidential Election did not Take Place
    • David B. Benson 09/17/2016 at 2:44 am

      "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For His Hat"

  • US and Russia plan Joint Air Command to hit Terrorists in Syria
    • David B. Benson 09/10/2016 at 2:47 am

      Byzantine. We know what finally happened to the Byzantine empire.

  • Top 5 Ways Green Energy is already Helping American Workers
    • David B. Benson 09/05/2016 at 3:12 am with 6 replies

      In most of the USA, neither solar nor wind displaces petroleum from Saudi Arabia or anywhere else. Petroleum products are only used to generate electricity in some locations in Alaska and Hawaii. Possibly a few other off grid locations. Yes, diesels are used for backup in case of grid failure but neither solar nor wind will change that very much.

  • US: Turkish-backed campaign against our Allies in Syria 'unacceptable'
    • David B. Benson 08/30/2016 at 4:57 am

      What a nightmare.

  • America's Syria SNAFU: Pentagon's Militias fight Turkey & CIA's Militias
    • David B. Benson 08/28/2016 at 2:35 am

      All while Obama has a Noble Peace Prize.

  • French Court lifts Municipal Burkini Ban; & Why should you care what other people wear?
    • David B. Benson 08/27/2016 at 2:58 am with 1 replies

      Love using French art to help quash the ban.

  • Is Turkey's Pivot to Russia about Erdogan's Survival?
    • David B. Benson 08/23/2016 at 4:37 am

      I find this all quite frightening.

  • Iowa could go 100% Green with Wind in only 14 years, w/ Few Birds Killed, Mr. Trump
    • David B. Benson 08/09/2016 at 4:15 am with 1 replies

      A week or two ago a hot high pressure area stalled over most of the contiguous 48 states. As it was hot electricity demand for air conditioning went up. As it stalled, there was little wind to power wind turbines. As it lasted for about a week no battery storage could possibly take up the load for an affordable price.

      Here in the Pacific Northwest no one is building any more wind farms. Energy efficiency is to replace the need for more generators.

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