Alternative fuel. His it really what we want?
What history tells us
Okay we are starting to see hybrid cars, some electric only vehicles and even some self-driving buggies out there. One of the claims we are hearing. Is that we need to get away from fossil fuels and dependence. Upon things like pipelines and oil tankers etc. Well it’s not like pipelines can cause any social. And political or environmental controversy—right? And. Large ships going through small man made canals haven’t ever been muchof a headache—right?
So having brought this to light it seems that the relatively new concept of creating fuel from renewable biofuels doesn’t seem all that radical. Well...before we go praising our modern thinking...let’s get some facts about our automotive history.
Yesterday marks the anniversary of the halt in production. Of what is probably America’s most famous antique car and the one that put moving assembly line manufacturing on the map—in 1927 Ford rolled out it’s last Model T.
Here are some things. We think we know about. Ford’s Model T.
Ford did say you can have a Model T in any color you’d like as long as it’s black...and yet for the first six years of it’s production you could get a model T in some other colors including green and red. It was only when Ford wanted. To make the3 assembly line faster and cars more affordable that the color restrictions came in. Also Olds—the car company had the first assembly line they just didn’t make it move. Ford got the idea from meat packing plants therefore the model T was related to the T-Bone?
Anyway ... we will get to the peace and joy and modern day implications soon...just one more diversion...
The 1908 price of the model T was about. $800. In 1927 the price was down to $290. This meant many many more people could afford one. Oh and the fuel thing. If it hadn’t been for “STANDARD OIL” being a monopoly driving the price of gas ...Ford was ready to switch to a plant based biofuel such as ethanol. Imagine if our foreign policy hadn’t been driven. By dependence upon foreign oil or our domestic politics weren’t clouded and fractured by debates over oil reserves, fracking, and pipelines? Instead of Texas Oil Tycoons we might have Corn Cartels?
So what does this have to do with seeking peace and joy?
Choices we make in life and that purified or stripped of historic context often become mythic and have far too much influence on today. Sometimes we become afraid to change because things have always even this way...well maybe? After all we may think there is no greater spiritual division than. God and the Devil—-and yet... at one time Satan did work FOR. God.... Things are not what they. Always were and THEY CHANGE.
So in seeking peace and joy it is perfectly acceptable to use change and experiment and accept change. Also history can educate but let’s not let it dictate. Ultimately we will make decisions and we can help each other. By making sure. That others understand them in order that we all can learn from each other’s great ideas and mistakes. In short it’s not all (or only ) black and white and we can always find different sources of energy to fuel all the things we want to move forward in this life—even the Model % that reached a max of 20 horse power and 45 miles per hour... Oh and by the way just to end up on a final note the Model T —the American classic was modified to be a truck a saw mill power plant and grain processing engine a mobile chapel and some other crazy variants.... So even back then we knew that standards could be set and bent a little for the needs of people and seeking peace...and the definition of joy has flexibility too.
Well I must get this down the road
I heard once that as Henry Ford was scouting out locations for his horseless carriage, he went to the largest horse carriage factory in the world, in Dubuque, Iowa. He told them they could simply add an engine to the carriage and diversify and they told him they weren't going to mess with success. Just think, it could have been the Dubuque Tigers instead of the Detroit tigers.
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