[nicmarlo]

What passes for our federal government can block anything like this that it wants to block on grounds of national security -- if they can possibly remember what that phrase means...

It's unlikely that this government understands what AMERICA's national security means....check that...it is highly likely that they DO understand what America's national security means......so.....why are they doing whatever they can to undermine it???

In other news.................

NEWS IN AGRICULTURE Fertilizer shortage a risk to our national security?
January 20, 2007 ] Dean Stites | The Morning Sun

Ask any farmer what the current first and foremost problem in crop production today is and the answer will be the cost and supply of fertilizer. The reason for this is that fertilizer prices have reached unprecedented highs in the last two years. In addition to the high cost, the supply of various fertilizers has become very limited as well. So limited, in fact, that there is some question whether farmers will be able to acquire all the fertilizer they are going to need this year.

To put the problem into perspective, it is important to realize that fertilizer is a critical component of crop production. This is especially true of nitrogen since it must be applied every year and most crops will not produce without it.

The fertilizer shortage may not be a temporary thing....

American producers are no longer able to manufacture fertilizer at a competitive price so many plants have shutdown and are no longer manufacturing fertilizer and others are likely to stop production, so this manufacturing deficit is only going to get worse.

As it stands now, more than half of the nitrogen fertilizer used by American farmers comes from places like Saudi Arabia, South America and Russia where natural gas is cheaper....once again we find ourselves importing a very critical resource from countries that may at some future date, decide, for political reasons or other, to stop the supply of nitrogen fertilizers coming into this country.

At some point, all of this could lead to food shortages in this country as production cycles down dramatically due to fertilizer shortages. If we have inadequate food supplies, we have a bunch of hungry people or we start importing more food due to the shortfall in production. So, maybe this really is a threat to our national security.....

[jedward]

I’m too irrirated to even post :)

[calcowgirl]

all of this could lead to food shortages in this country as production cycles down dramatically due to fertilizer shortages.

Why do all the politicians scream about energy independence (while touting huge investments in alternative fuel and green energy)
and not mention anything about food independence?