Free Republic

There seems to be a similarity between international trade disputes and Texas Hold’em. There is always a certain amount of bluff that is part of the negotiations. The question is, how much is a bluff and how much is not. The Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has just revealed that they are going to use their stake in rare earth minerals production as their show card. Make no mistake -- the communist government is not bluffing. However, one good card does not make a winning hand. To understand the problem, we first must understand where rare earth mineral deposits are...

Going NuclearCan small reactors rescue the nuclear-power movement? With the arrival of the Tea Party in Washington, a huge rift may be opening up over the future of nuclear power. On the one hand, the Tea Party and new Republicans are foursquare in favor of energy development. “Pass an All of the Above Energy Policy” was item No. 8 in the Contract from America. “This would include off-shore oil drilling, clean coal, nuclear, renewable, and everything else,” says Ryan Hecker, the Houston attorney who organized the document. “The important thing is to develop domestic resources.” Yet virtually everyone in the...