As I write this, I have just finished watching the second segment of "60 Minutes" on CBS, dateline Sunday, May 7th, 2006, a report by Dan Rather on E85 Ethanol.  

It is now safe to say that those who have serious doubts about Ethanol have just lost the public debate on this issue.  

In the history of TV journalism, I have never seen such a complimentary report, such a fawning respect, and such an absolute play to all the right emotion of the American people on one specific idea.  Like or not now, it will be Ethanol.  But, how could you not LIKE IT?

In the report, Rather opened with the Brazilian example.  Within seconds we learn that, according to the report, "Ethanol had completely freed Brazil of expensive oil imports."  It was declared as clear as a jury verdict:  Brazils ethanol has been a complete success.  (no mention was made of Brazil's natural gas or it's home oil industry, including giant rigs offshore to assist in helping Brazil with energy security)

The the ploy to the "Heartland".  Sad photos of declining farm belt towns.  And then, like the ancient industrial mills of Britain's Coalbrookdale, rising on the plains, the "home brew" ethanol plants....and down to Earth true American co-ops running them!  Tons of "excess corn" carried in by tractor trailer, and a tour of the plant as it passed through the distilling process, where it becomes "beer", not the drinking kind, (opportunity for humor here), and then comes out, caught in a glass for Rather to show him what it looked like, clear as water!  It looked like the dawn of a new age, and rebirth of real America!

Before it would be allowed to cause any concern, in an outside photo of the plant where an exhaust stack could be seen,  Rather quickly pointed out that what was coming from that stack was "harmless steam, not pollution".  So touching this, has any news agency ever pointed that out about many of the cooling tower photos of fossil fuel plants....no mention of how the "more than 2000 degrees tempeture" mentioned earlier in the distilling process was achieved without making any smoke or pollution, no mention of a possible need for fresh water to run the process, no mention of any byproduct (is there any?).

And then down the stretch to the finish:  General Motors.  The standard photos of the nice big E85 trucks and SUV's (one wonders if E85 will actually only run in large vehicles, since GM never shows a small E85 car in it's promotions), rolling out on the car show floor, yellow and greens everywhere, and GM saying "E85 is here" there will be no need for advanced technology!

Buried in all the talk, it is barely mentioned, and I must give Rather credit for candor at least here, that "E85 may never make up more than a small portion of the total fuel cars consume, but it's a start."  But then, back to the tribute to the fuel that will save us....one rather dour Petroleum Executive said "we just don't want the risk of E85 making more promises than can be delivered and then underdelivering."  In the context of this report, he looked like someone who would have bet against the Wright Brothers being able to fly, a sad old timer out of the loop.

Of course, no mention was made of the fertilizer consumption, the natural gas used to make the fertilizer, the Diesel consumption in equipment, the process consumption, water, soil degradation, and on and on.....

After seeing this report, I myself, once a doubter, just want to go out and buy one of those stylish yellow and green big GM trucks and a fast stylish boat to tow behind it, and head for the lake.... and brag to the friends about how I can run it all on E85, after all,  it's clean, it's plentiful (or soon will be), I am helping the Amur I Can farmer, and givin' the finger to the OPEC gang who hate us....AND HERE'S WHAT'S COOLEST, I don't have to tolerate no new fangled technology, I don't have to drive some little funky hybrid thing...."It's morning in America....finally.....again......"

As the old Wall Street saying goes, "Don't bet against the tape."  Whether you know that E85 is a bit of a scam, even if you think it consumes more to make than it produces, and you know it can be nothing more than pure symbolism, don't now bet against it.  The American people now see it as the long promised savior fuel.  That argument is done, that verdict is in.
Roger Conner  known to you as ThatsItImout