Snobbery (Goldwingers not waving originally)

This estimate of the CO2 output of Mt St Helens:

http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/frequent_questions/grp6/question1375.html

claims approx 900 million tons, lets say a billion, or 5 to 10 times all of the Earth's volcanic CO2 contributions in one year, or 1/10th of the human production in one year.

This kind of makes sense - using basic laws of chemistry/physics (Boyle's Law) and considering just how many volcanoes there are on Earth, it's unlikely that a single volcano could outstrip the CO2 production of all of the Earth's volcanoes in a single year by thousands of times - which it would need to do to beat the efforts of humanity since we began.

+++

Mark my words -- if and when this thing takes root at the policy level, what you'll see in the fine print will be all sorts of exemptions for individuals and organizations who craft the policy.

I agree that this will happen for sure. It's back to human nature, the idea to gain a competitive advantage. I am surprised to see you call it a socialist ideal though ("imposed socialism"), this is normally the capitalist way - exploiting your advantages over your fellow is more a "right wing" than "left wing" activity in my opinion, but I could be wrong. I'm thinking along the lines that the rich only get through exploiting the less rich. I think that's how economies work anyway.

+++

My point earlier was that believing in something non-falsifiable (whatever the object or thing is) is identical to having a closed mind on the subject. I wasn't suggesting there was anything inherently bad about having a closed mind on the subject.

+++

Being inconsistent may be like breaking a promise also, "I said I would do A but then I go and do B". It's about intentions again isn't it? We can have the best will in the world to be consistent/logical and then fail to be so.

+++

The biking fraternity sounds dandy in the US, do you have lady bikers also?

I also enjoy the camaraderie of chatting up other bikers at gas stations

"Chatting up" at the gas station means a person with hopes of trying to get amorous with the other in the UK by the way ! For your example we brits would say "chatting to". Be careful, you know what those leather-clad bikers are like :)