Remember the whole "hydrogen-powered car" business from the State of the Union address? Personally, I think the president was deflecting the criticism that he'd put Iraqi crude oil on his Aunt Jemima pancakes if he could. However, the use of hydrogen as a fuel source is probably the most important issue facing our nation today. No, not racism or terrorism or taxes. Hydrogen.

There are hurdles to using hydrogen. You need power to generate it, and what else do we have but already lambasted sources like coal, petroleum, and nuclear power? How to we convert gas stations to hydrogen stations? How do we increase demand when there's no supply? And what will Bike Week be like without the trademark "pop-pop" of Harley-Davidsons?

These changes, though, are worth it for cleaner air, independence from foreign oil, and lower fuel costs.

"But as an American citizen, I have a right to drive my SUV." No, you don't have a right to choose to drive a vehicle that gets terrible gas mileage. It's destablizing the world and polluting the air we all have to breath. If what you do only affects you, fine. It should be your right. If your actions affects me and everyone else in the world adversely, then it is not your right.

Read this. If we are to assume that Bush really wants $15 billion to go to hydrogen-powered cars, then this article is there to say that's not enough. If, after reading this article, you don't think changing our economy from one based on oil to one based on hydrogen is the most significant change this country could make, then you're a fucking Republican. Hell, you're a fucking Libertarian.

(Say, Arlo, how does a fuel cell work? Like this.)