>> ^imstellar28:
^SDGundamX
It is regulation, and regulation alone that have created "barriers to entry" into to alternative energy market. The threat of price controls and regulation is the only barrier preventing people from tapping into this $1,000,000,000,000 market. If it wasn't for government intervention, specially in the Department of Energy, we would probably have kicked out dependence on foreign oil by the 21st century.
I really think you need to look deeper into United States history. All the answers are there. I mean, honestly, both examples you provided (steel and railroad) have been complete disasters in government regulation. And before you respond to that...again...you should look into the history--I'm not just making these things up. I can write at least a couple pages on those two examples alone, and provide figures and numbers...but I implore you to look into it for yourself first.


I was quibbling mainly with your blanket statement that no government regulation is a good idea. No government regulation at all--I'm talking zero interference, zero oversight--results in market imbalances such as a corporation that gets big enough being able to create either a vertical or horizontal monopoly that corners the market--something that happened with steel and train transportation in the U.S. in the past. Such monopolies actually wind up killing competition and stifling a free market, which is why government oversight to some extent is necessary to prevent their emergence.

Monopolies are not inherently bad, of course. They are absolutely necessary in certain instances, like utilities, to ensure a fair distribution of resources vital to survival such as electricity and water and to prevent the mass confusion and unrest that would result from every company attempting to lay its own electric or water lines. But utilities are heavily regulated and for good reason--in California we had rolling blackouts back in the 90s due to a deregulation of electric utilities that caused electric prices to go through the roof.

I'm not saying the government should set prices for all goods and services. I'm saying that in order to maintain a free market some government oversight and regulation is absolutely essential. How much oversight and regulation is necessary is what most people debate about. Few people believe in total laissez faire because I think history has shown it to result in market imbalances that wind up forcing government intervention to occur in the end anyway.

^SDGundamX

It is regulation, and regulation alone that have created "barriers to entry" into to alternative energy market. The threat of price controls and regulation is the only barrier preventing people from tapping into this $1,000,000,000,000 market. If it wasn't for government intervention, specially in the Department of Energy, we would probably have kicked out dependence on foreign oil by the 21st century.

I really think you need to look deeper into United States history. All the answers are there. I mean, honestly, both examples you provided (steel and railroad) have been complete disasters in government regulation. And before you respond to that...again...you should look into the history--I'm not just making these things up. I can write at least a couple pages on those two examples alone, and provide figures and numbers...but I implore you to look into it for yourself first.

>> ^aaronfr:
I'm with you on most of what you said, imstellar. In fact, taking the time to find these differences highlighted for me how minute and often insubstantial they often are. At the same time, you chose issues on that list which there are not great differences on.
Obama has clearly and definitely backed away from any support of the Bush Doctrine (which you'll find in the link provided above) and has a much more progressive income and corporate tax policy. Also, there is a difference between their Iraq policies, although McCain is slowly moving towards Obama's position. Furthermore, Obama's health care policies are actually a step forward (albeit a small one) whereas McCain's health care plan is a regressive tax on the middle-class. SO... I believe there are fundamental differences between the two parties and the two candidates.


I tried to choose issues which are of the greatest importance to economics, foreign policy, personal liberties, and national security. It just so happens that the candidates are practically identical on most of these issues.

Obama's healthcare plan is actually a very large step in the very wrong direction. Compare it to the socialized healthcare system that already exists in Britain: the NHS. It is a complete nightmare for everyone involved--except the bureaucrats and government officials who are profiting wildly. The number of hospitals and paitients have declined--despite waiting lists up to 18 weeks and the denial of many treatments--while the number of supervisors and budget surpluses increased!

Obama and McCain's foreign policy is likewise very bad for our economy and for our national sovereignty. We have been at war, hot or cold, almost non-stop for the last 100 years, and are currently fighting two wars, with the addition of a third (iran), fourth (pakistan), and even fifth (russia) maybe coming soon!

It is hard to really fathom just how much government regulation affects your life--because the consequences are often subtle, far-reaching, and depended on several factors. However, keep this in mind:

Before the creation of the ICC, shipping costs were up to 75% cheaper than the years immediately after it, and our railroad system was the best in the entire world. Now, whens the last time you took the train?

Before the creation of the FDA, the average cost to bring a drug to market was $500,000 and average time to market was 25 months. In the years immediately after it, this rose to $54 million and 8 years!

The first nuclear power plant was constructed in 18 months. After the inception of government regulation, current construction takes over 12 years! Talk about progress.

There was not a single energy crisis or shortage of supply before the department of energy came into effect. The result of government intervention were long-lines as gas shortages in the 50s and 60s. Governmental regulation over 30 years ago killed the private market for research in alternative fuels--leading us to precisely the problem we face today.

Prior to minimum wage laws, the average unemployment rate for teenagers was 10%--high, but not much higher than that of the general population (5%). In addition--the percentage for both white and black teenagers was roughly equal. After the inception of the minimum wage laws, unemployment rose to 20% for the white teenagers, and up to 35-40% for black teenagers! How is an unemployed teenager better off than a teenager working for slightly less? Obama wants to raise minimum wage to almost $10 an hour, do you realize how many jobs that is going to eliminate? It also means that the untrained, unskilled, uneducated 15 year old who is unable to deliver you a cheeseburger without pickles is making up to 1/2 to 1/3 as much as college graduates with 4 year degrees! That single policy alone could send our economy into a recession.

The great depression has been shown to have been directly caused by the restrictions the Federal Reserve placed on open market trading of gold--the result of which shrank our money supply by over 66% in one year--causing what would have been a minor contraction to explode into a full-blown depression.

It's actually a bit astonishing to take a product or service, and trace back its history of legislation, lobbying, regulations and see how it has changed over the past 100 years. As a warning: most of what you find, will make you want to puke.

I like how this comes up just about every time I voice a non-liberal opinion. I don't watch Fox News and I don't listen to Limbaugh. Like I said before, we see the world in two entirely different ways. I've thrown my two cents in on this site about global warming multiple times and I am just not seeing this convincing consensus you are talking about. I see plenty of people ready to proclaim "the debate is over!" They just get louder as more contrary evidence emerges. I also think it is amusing that a lot of the people spouting global warming apocalypse demand so much change from America. Never mind China or India putting out far more greenhouse gasses they we could possibly muster up over here. I think it is a farce, and a chance to milk more money through building a regulatory industry.

I also find it amusing you keep referring to our discussion about oil like you are enlightening me on some great truth. I think we have both presented well reasoned arguments here. You gave me a department of energy report, and I pointed to why it was incorrect from their own faulty pricing estimates. With facts no longer supporting the idea that drilling is meaningless at this point, we agreed that alternatives are a good direction and that the price increases will help push in that direction. We diverge where I think that if we had been tapping new wells and increasing domestic production over the past twenty years instead of constantly blocking expansion we would be in a better position today. I see no problem with moving to increase supply. Your arguments, while well reasoned and representative of your views, are still speculative. No different than mine. I don't expect you to suddenly turn around and tell me I am right, and I most certainly don't consider discussing it a waste of time even though you are using the same talking points I hear from Obama and other Democrats (for the most part). Oh, and I think it is perfectly logical to assume a minor connection between talk of drilling and a quick temporary dip in oil pricing no matter what party announces it. Speculators bid on the future and can get nervous if it appears they could lose money. Making an announcement that indicates a possible future increase in domestic supply could most definitly cause a temporary price fluctuation.

According to Wikipedia, EIA may refer to:

* Edmonton International Airport
* Electronic Industries Alliance, a US trade organization
* Energy Information Administration, a part of the U.S. Department of Energy
* Environmental Impact Assessment, an assessment of the likely impact of a project
* Environmental Investigation Agency, a non-governmental organization
* Enzyme Immuno Assay, see ELISA
* Equine Infectious Anemia, a horse disease
* Equity-indexed annuity, a financial product
* Evergreen International Airlines, an American airline with ICAO code EIA
* Exercise-induced anaphylaxis, a medical condition
* Exercise-induced asthma, a medical condition
* External iliac artery, an artery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EIA

Chris Matthews did a great job embarrassing that guy, but he's not doing his job, he leaves the audience stupider going out then going in.

DailyKos article about accomplishments. Here is blog source linked from C&L.


Clinton's Successes:
S.694 : A bill to direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations to reduce the incidence of child injury and death occurring inside or outside of light motor vehicles, and for other purposes. (This is currently in conference committee to reconcile difference with the House bill)
Passed in the Senate:
S.CON.RES.27 : A concurrent resolution supporting the goals and ideals of "National Purple Heart Recognition Day".
S.RES.21 : A resolution recognizing the uncommon valor of Wesley Autrey of New York, New York
S.RES.92 : A resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional release of soldiers of Israel held captive by Hamas and Hezbollah.
S.RES.141 : A resolution urging all member countries of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service who have yet to ratify the May 2006 amendments to the 1955 Bonn Accords to expedite the ratification process to allow for open access to the Holocaust archives located at Bad Arolsen, Germany.
S.RES.222 : A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.
S.AMDT.666 to H.R.1591 To link award fees under Department of Homeland Security contracts to successful acquisition outcomes under such contracts.
S.AMDT.2047 to H.R.1585 To specify additional individuals eligible to transportation for survivors of deceased members of the Armed Forces to attend their burial ceremonies.
S.AMDT.2108 to H.R.1585 To require a report on the planning and implementation of the policy of the United States toward Darfur.
S.AMDT.2390 to H.R.2638 To require that all contracts of the Department of Homeland Security that provide award fees link such fees to successful acquisition outcomes.
S.AMDT.2474 to H.R.2638 To ensure that the Federal Protective Service has adequate personnel.
S.AMDT.2823 to H.R.3074 To require a report on plans to alleviate congestion and flight delays in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Airspace.
S.AMDT.2917 to H.R.1585 To extend and enhance the authority for temporary lodging expenses for members of the Armed Forces in areas subject to a major disaster declaration or for installations experiencing a sudden increase in personnel levels.

Obama's Success:
S.AMDT.1041 to S.1082 To improve the safety and efficacy of genetic tests.
S.AMDT.3073 to H.R.1585 To provide for transparency and accountability in military and security contracting.
S.AMDT.3078 to H.R.1585 Relating to administrative separations of members of the Armed Forces for personality disorder.
S.AMDT.41 to S.1 To require lobbyists to disclose the candidates, leadership PACs, or political parties for whom they collect or arrange contributions, and the aggregate amount of the contributions collected or arranged.
S.AMDT.524 to S.CON.RES.21 To provide $100 million for the Summer Term Education Program supporting summer learning opportunities for low-income students in the early grades to lessen summer learning losses that contribute to the achievement gaps separating low-income students from their middle-class peers.
S.AMDT.599 to S.CON.RES.21 To add $200 million for Function 270 (Energy) for the demonstration and monitoring of carbon capture and sequestration technology by the Department of Energy.
S.AMDT.905 to S.761 To require the Director of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education to establish a program to recruit and provide mentors for women and underrepresented minorities who are interested in careers in mathematics, science, and engineering.
S.AMDT.923 to S.761 To expand the pipeline of individuals entering the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields to support United States innovation and competitiveness.
S.AMDT.924 to S.761 To establish summer term education programs.
S.AMDT.2519 to H.R.2638 To provide that one of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5 million or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee certifies in writing to the agency awarding the contract or grant that the contractor or grantee owes no past due Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.2588 to H.R.976 To provide certain employment protections for family members who are caring for members of the Armed Forces recovering from illnesses and injuries incurred on active duty.
S.AMDT.2658 to H.R.2642 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.2692 to H.R.2764 To require a comprehensive nuclear threat reduction and security plan.
S.AMDT.2799 to H.R.3074 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.3137 to H.R.3222 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.3234 to H.R.3093 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
S.AMDT.3331 to H.R.3043 To provide that none of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used to enter into a contract in an amount greater than $5,000,000 or to award a grant in excess of such amount unless the prospective contractor or grantee makes certain certifications regarding Federal tax liability.
Senate Resolutions Passed:
S.RES.133 : A resolution celebrating the life of Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson.
S.RES.268 : A resolution designating July 12, 2007, as "National Summer Learning Day".

"btw i would rather have one nuclear power station than seven gajillion acres of inefficient turbines. They are not made of recycled paper, you know?"...

"If you like progress, and you think a fucking windmill is progress, then you're mental."

You're comparing plastics with nuclear waste and you're calling me mental? At least plastic can be recycled. Nuclear power plants aren't made of recycled paper either, and they must continually be re-fueled every 18 months. Do you think they that fuel grows on trees? Wind turbines require no fuel, and need very little maintenance.

Progress is building more safe, renewable resources for power such as wind, hydro and solar power plants, not building more nuke plants.

I know all about Chernobyl and nuclear reactors, I used to work at one. I know the designs are different, my point is that it only takes one accident and the effects on the environment and life lasts for generations. Do you realize how many nuclear accidents there have been, besides the two major ones (TMI and Chernobyl)? There's more than just accidents at nuclear plants, accidents occur during the manufacturing, transport, storage, and disposal of the nuclear fuel. They may not be as big as Chernobyl, but the damage to the environment has been done, and the "pollution" will be around longer than you or I.

Here's a list of just some of the nuclear accidents in just the US alone:

July 1959 - Boeing-Rocketdyne Nuclear Facility in Ventura County, California, A clogged coolant channel resulted in a 30% reactor core meltdown, which led to the release of the third greatest amount of radioactive iodine-131 in nuclear history.

July 1956 - Sylvania Electric Products' Metallurgy Atomic Research Center, Bayside, Queens, New York, nine people were injured when two explosions destroyed a portion of the facility.

December 1958 - Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in New Mexico. A nuclear criticality accident killed 1 operator.

1959 - Santa Susana Field Laboratory in Simi Valley Hills, California. A partial sodium reactor meltdown occurred.

January 1961 - National Reactor Testing Station in Arco, Idaho. A reactor explosion, killed 3 technicians, and released radiation. The men were so heavily exposed to radiation that their hands had to be buried separately with other radioactive waste, and their bodies were buried in lead coffins.

October 1966 - Detroit Edison's Enrico Fermi I demonstration breeder reactor near Detroit, Michigan. A sodium cooling system malfunction caused a partial core meltdown.

November 1971 - Northern States Power Company's reactor in Monticello, Minnesota. The water storage space filled to capacity and spilled over, dumping about 50,000 gallons of radioactive waste water into the Mississippi River.

1972 - The West Valley, NY fuel reprocessing plant was closed after 6 years in operation, leaving 600,000 gallons of high-level wastes buried in leaking tanks. The site caused measurable contamination of Lakes Ontario and Erie.

March 1972 - A routine check in a nuclear power plant in Alaska indicated abnormal radioactivity in the building's water system. Radioactivity was confirmed in the plant drinking fountain. Apparently there was an inappropriate cross-connection between a 3,000 gallon radioactive tank and the water system.

December 1972 - A plutonium fabrication plant in Pauling, New York. An undetermined amount of radioactive plutonium was scattered inside and outside the plant, after a major fire and two explosions occurred resulting in its permanent shutdown.

May 1974 - The Atomic Energy Commission reported that 861 "abnormal events" had occurred in 1973 in the nation's 42 operative nuclear power plants. Twelve involved the release of radioactivity "above permissible levels."

March 1975 - Browns Ferry reactor, Decatur, Alabama. A fire burned out electrical controls, lowering the cooling water to dangerous levels, before the plant could be shut down.

1979 - The Critical Mass Energy Project tabulated 122 accidents involving the transport of nuclear material in 1979, 17 involving radioactive contamination.

March 1979 - Three Mile Island nuclear plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania. After cooling water was lost, the top portion of the reactor's 150-ton core collapsed and melted. Contaminated coolant water escaped into a nearby building, releasing radioactive gasses. A study by Dr. Ernest J. Sternglass, professor of radiation physics at the University of Pittsburgh, showed that the accident led to a minimum of 430 infant deaths.

July 1979 - Church Rock, New Mexico. A dam holding radioactive uranium mill tailings broke, sending an estimated 100 million gallons of radioactive liquids and 1,100 tons of solid wastes downstream.

August 1979 - A nuclear fuel plant near Erwin, Tennessee. Highly enriched uranium was released. About 1,000 people were contaminated with up to 5 times as much radiation as would normally be received in a year. Between 1968 and 1983 the plant "lost" 234 pounds of highly enriched uranium, forcing the plant to be closed six times during that period.

January 1980 - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (where large amounts of nuclear material are kept). An earthquake caused caused a tritium leak.

September 1980 - Two canisters containing radioactive materials fell off a truck on New Jersey's Route 17. The driver, en route from Pennsylvania to Toronto, did not notice the missing cargo until he reached Albany, New York.

1981 - The Critical Mass Energy Project of Public Citizen, Inc. reported that there were 4,060 mishaps and 140 serious events at nuclear power plants in 1981.

February 11, 1981 - Tennessee Valley Authority's Sequoyah I plant in Tennessee, 110,000 gallons of radioactive coolant sprayed into the containment building, which led to the contamination of eight men.

July 1981 - Nine Mile Point's Unit 1 in New York state. A flood of radioactive wastewater in the sub-basement caused approximately 150 55-gallon drums of high-level waste to overturn, some of which released their highly radioactive contents. Some 50,000 gallons of radioactive water were subsequently dumped into Lake Ontario to make room for the cleanup.

January 25, 1982 - Rochester Gas & Electric Company's Ginna plant near Rochester, New York. Fifteen thousand gallons of radioactive coolant spilled onto the plant floor, and radioactive steam escaped into the air after a steam generator pipe broke.

January 1983 - Browns Ferry power plant, Athens, Alabama. About 208,000 gallons of water with radioactive contamination was accidentally dumped into the Tennesee River.

February 1983 - Salem 1 reactor in New Jersey. A catastrophe was averted by just 90 seconds when the plant was shut down manually, following the failure of automatic shutdown systems. The same automatic systems had failed to respond in an incident three days before. Other problems plagued this plant as well, such as a 3,000 gallon leak of radioactive water in June 1981 at the Salem 2 reactor, a 23,000 gallon leak of radioactive water (which splashed onto 16 workers) in February 1982, and radioactive gas leaks in March 1981 and September 1982 from Salem 1.

December 1984 - The Fernald Uranium Plant, a 1,050-acre uranium fuel production complex 20 miles northwest of Cincinnati, Ohio. The Department of Energy disclosed that excessive amounts of radioactive materials had been released through ventilating systems. Subsequent reports revealed that 230 tons of radioactive material had leaked into the Greater Miami River valley during the previous thirty years, 39 tons of uranium dust had been released into the atmosphere, 83 tons had been discharged into surface water, and 5,500 tons of radioactive and other hazardous substances had been released into pits and swamps where they seeped into the groundwater. In addition, 337 tons of uranium hexafluoride was found to be missing, its whereabouts completely unknown. The plant was not permanently shut down until 1989.

1986 - A truck carrying radioactive material went off a bridge on Route 84 in Idaho, and dumped part of its cargo in the Snake River. Officials reported the release of radioactivity.

6 January 1986 - The Sequoyah Fuels Corp. uranium processing factory in Gore, Oklahoma. A container of highly toxic gas exploded, causing one worker to die (when his lungs were destroyed) and 130 others to seek medical treatment.

December 1986 - Surry Unit 2 facility in Virginia. A feedwater pipe ruptured, causing 8 workers to be scalded by a release of hot water and steam. Four of the workers later died from their injuries. In addition, water from the sprinkler systems caused a malfunction of the security system, preventing personnel from entering the facility.

1988 - It was reported that there were 2,810 accidents in U.S. commercial nuclear power plants in 1987.

November 1992 - The Sequoyah Fuels Corp. uranium processing factory in Gore, Oklahoma closed after repeated citations by the Government for violations of nuclear safety and environmental rules. It's record during 22 years of operation included an accident in 1986 that killed one worker and injured dozens of others and the contamination of the Arkansas River and groundwater. The Sequoyah Fuels plant, one of two privately-owned American factories that fabricated fuel rods, had been shut down a week before by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission when an accident resulted in the release of toxic gas. Thirty-four people sought medical attention as a result of the accident. The plant had also been shut down the year before when unusually high concentrations of uranium were detected in water in a nearby construction pit. A Government investigation revealed that the company had known for years that uranium was leaking into the ground at levels 35,000 times higher than Federal law allows.

March 1994 - A nuclear research facility on Long Island, New York. A fire resulted in the nuclear contamination of three fire fighters, three reactor operators, and one technician. Measurable amounts of radioactive substances were released into the immediate environment.

February 2000 - Indian Point II power plant in New York vented radioactive steam when a an aging steam generator ruptured.

March 2002 - Davis-Besse nuclear plant in Ohio. Workers discovered a foot-long cavity eaten into the reactor vessel head. Borated water had corroded the metal to a 3/16 inch stainless steel liner which held back over 80,000 gallons of highly pressurized radioactive water.

Do you honestly think that more of this is worth not having to look at a field of wind turbines (they're not windmills btw, yes I get the refrence )? As far as I know, wind turbines have not killed anyone or released toxic and radioactive materials into the environment.

you might want to impeach cheney first though

take action:
The one click form on this page will send your personal message to all your members of Congress, with your vote on the the question "Should Vice President Cheney be impeached?"
http://www.usalone.com/cheney_impeachment.php

Why?

Lying to congress and the American people:
* Lie #1 - Uranium from Niger - Bush said "The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." in his State of the Union Address. The documents supporting that statement were forged.
* Lie #2 - Iraq and 9/11 - Bush led people to believe that Iraq was involved with 9/11 by repeatedly linking them in his speeches. This was so effective that at one point 70% of Americans actually believed Saddam was behind 9/11. Bush has since admitted that this was not true.
* Lie #3 - Congress Knew - Bush has stated that Congress had access to all the same information that the White House had. Thus he should not be blamed for making the mistake of going to war. But Bush was briefed many times about the falsehood of various stories and this information never reached Congress. [ZNet]
* Lie #4 - Aluminum Tubes - Bush, Cheney, Rice and Powell said that some aluminum tubes Iraq attempted to buy were intended for use in a uranium centrifuge to create nuclear weapons. These were the only physical evidence he had against Iraq. But it turns out this evidence had been rejected by the Department of Energy and other intelligence agencies long before Bush used them in his speeches. [NYTimes] [MotherJones] [CNN]
* Lie #5 - Iraq and Al Qaeda - Bush still insists that there was a "relationship" between Iraq and Al Qaeda. But the 9/11 Commission released a report saying, among other things, that there was no "collaborative relationship" between Al Qaeda and Iraq. The nature of the relationship seems to be that Al Qaeda asked for help and Iraq refused. Al Qaeda was opposed to Saddam Hussein because Saddam led a secular government instead of an Islamic government. [ZNet] [CNN] On 9/8/06 a Senate panel reported there was no relationship. [ABC]
* Lie #6 - Weapons of Mass Destruction - Bush insisted that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction but his "evidence" consisted mostly of forged documents, plagiarized student papers, and vague satellite photos. The United Nations was on the ground in Iraq and could find nothing. After extensive searches Bush was finally forced to admit that Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
* Lie #7 - Mobile Weapons Labs - Bush and his team repeatedly claimed that Iraq possessed mobile weapons labs capable of producing anthrax. Colin Powell showed diagrams of them at his speech before the UN to justify invading Iraq. These claims originated from Curveball, a discredited Iraqi informer who fed Bush many of the stories related to WMD. On May 29, 2003, two small trailers matching the description were found in Iraq. A team of bio-weapons experts examined the trailers and concluded they were simply designed to produce hydrogen for weather balloons. But, for over a year, Bush claimed these were part of Iraq's bio-weapons program. The expert's report was suppressed and only recently made public. [WashPost] [ABC]