Jed,
I agree with you that it all depends on how fast the LENR community gets
the truth out. Therefore, as much as I would prefer your scenario over
Eds, getting the truth out is exactly the problem IMHO: The media will
brainwash people and the big energy lobby will brainwash the
politicians. Let some mass media promote the idea that "cold fusion"
involves a nuclear reaction (also including some gamma rays) and nuclear
reactions are bad (just look at Fukushima). Just some stupid statement
like this and it will become much more difficult and will take a longer
time to get the truth out. Additional time which will help lobbyists to
force some political actions regarding "the protection of the economy"
(which is not that far fetched regarding a short term view and this is
what it is mostly about today, sadly enough). Therefore you would have
fear for your health (gamma rays...) and fear for your job. It's fear
which helps you steer the people.
Wolf
Google, Wikipedia and many other web sites are campaigning against the
proposed laws governing the Internet, the so-called SOPA and PIPA
acts. Key supporters of the acts in Congress have already bowed to
public pressure. The acts are not likely to pass. See:
http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2012/01/16/jimmy_wales_wikipedia_blackout_to_protest_sopa_on_wednesday.html
If it becomes generally known that cold fusion is real, and that it
will save thousands of dollars a year per person, there will be an
enormous brouhaha in the mass media. There is likely to be opposition
to cold fusion from the fossil fuel industry, the DoE and others. Some
people, including Ed Storms, predict that it may take many years to
push aside this opposition to allow reactors and commercial
development in the U.S. I suppose that is possible, but I predict
another scenario. I predict that people will be outraged when they
learn that vested interests are preventing them from saving huge sums
of money. Nothing excites people more than money. Nothing is more
likely to trigger widespread activism. I predict the voters will raise
hell, the way they are today with SOPA and PIPA. Within months, or
perhaps even weeks, the opposition will be swept aside.
I predicate this prediction on the hope that the public becomes fully
aware of the potential of cold fusion. It is possible this potential
will not be reported in the mass media. Perhaps the mass media will
continue to report the kind of nonsense Mark Gibbs in Forbes has been
publishing lately. In that case, all bets are off. Cold fusion will be
effectively suppressed if that happens.
It all depends on whether we can reach the public, and motivate the
public. I quoted a British engineer in the intro to my book, who
described how it was that effective anti-pollution laws were finally
passed in England, after centuries of dithering: "on public opinion,
and on it alone, finally rests the issue."
- Jed
