> > Much
> > more than half of all imported oil is used to provide fertilizer, 
> > pesticides, transport, cooling, packaging and distribution of food.
> >   
> 
> 
> Cite your source, please.
> 

Harpers magazine... Some months ago. Google finds:
http://www.energybulletin.net/5045.html

http://www.harpers.org/archive/2004/02/0079915 "The Oil We Eat: Following
the food chain back to Iraq"

http://www.blog.thesietch.org/2006/03/28/oil-we-eat/

The government web site appears to contradict me... Either my source was
exaggerating (possible) or Monsanto, et all, have some influence in the
government. Nah... That's crazy talk.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=monsanto+executives+EPA+OR+FDA
http://members.aye.net/~hippie/monsanto.htm

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/analysis_publications/oil_marke
t_basics/dem_image_us_cons_prod.htm is a good example of a graph that could
be misleading. Stack the "Other" (could it be fertilizer and pesticides?) on
top of "Distallite" (Diesel fuels used to transport food) and you are higher
than "Motor Gasoline" Then consider the Motor Gasoline used to go pickup
food at the store rather than walking into your back yard like they do at
http://www.pathtofreedom.com

Please allow me to change tack here... Even if I'm wrong about the
percentage of oil used in food production, and oil is actually used almost
entirely in transportation instead, planting a garden is STILL something we
CAN do to help. Most of us MUST commute to feed (grin) our families so
cutting out the car is a no-go (grin again). 

But growing some food at home is something we CAN and SHOULD do. More
plants, more O2 less CO2, less trips to the store (we have about one meal a
week entirely from the back yard), less plastic packaging, less storage of
food at the store, less fuel used to transport food to the store, less
pesticide and fertilizer (of whatever sort) transported to the farm AND...
Less money required to purchase the food in the first place.

Not to mention how much better real eggs, herbs, spices, spinach, saturn
peaches and many others taste compared to the "plastic" crap you get at the
store.

> > How about a social web site that shows an overhead picture of your 
> > garden and invites people to play a "game" of nuking your weeds, 
> > complete with CGI explosions of the targets. The aggregate result, 
> > less protected areas where you know there are plants, can 
> direct the robot to weed the area.
> 
> Who needs games when there are herbicides and GMOs?  Monsanto 
> gave farmers have round-up ready crops, so now you just need 
> round-up ready 
> vegis.  Spray it all but only the weeds die!  Right, James?    :)

ARRRGGGHHH!! Gag, choke.... Your just pulling my chain right? Please just
Google for "farmer percy" and I'll bite my tongue otherwise...

http://www.percyschmeiser.com/ Follow the cycle: Farm must buy Monsanto
seeds and pesticide, farm makes less money, farm applies for federal
bailout, your tax dollars went via farm to Monsanto. Perfect example of
hidden corporate welfare.

---
James.
 

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