China produces 97 percent of materials known as rare earth oxides (used in weapons, etc.)

Government Accountability Office ^ | April 14, 2010 | Government Accountability Office

[Osage Orange]

Pretty good article on one "rare earth element"...

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/1124/034.html

[Osage Orange]

Someone said recently...that the Chicoms look at things in 1,000 year increments...and we look at things in decades.

The Chicoms have been out-dueling us...for years now.

Commodities, manufacturing, agriculture, and closing in now military-wise...etc, etc...

IMO...of course.

[1rudeboy]

The Magnequench stunt could’ve been pulled-off by a Chinese retard with a broken watch. They just bought the Administration.

[Osage Orange]

Anyone...who paid any attention...knows something smelled with the John Houngs, and the Riady's...( My spelling is wrong..I know. But I'm lazy..and someone else can correct it. )

They know...the Clinton's were paid off..bribed, and used.

God only knows who else in the Den of Thieves in D.C. was/is involved.

[babygene]

There are millions tons of scrap hard drive magnets that could be recycled... Most are returned to China for recycling, but they could be recycled here.

[Ben Ficklin]

You're both wrong.

Magnequench's patents were expiring, and it most common for a patent holder to sell the patent before it expires.

It starts there in the second paragraph under Patents and Intellectual Property.

[1rudeboy]

That’s not the point. The Feds had the power to stop the sale on national security concerns, and didn’t.

[Ben Ficklin]

That’s because there wasn’t a national security concern.

[1rudeboy]

I disagree. If there wasn’t, the GAO would have no need to issue this report.

[Soul Citizen]

Another reason why the Clintons should have never been allowed to hold any high office forever!

[Ben Ficklin]

I hate to tell you this but GAO reports can easily be manipulated. In this particular case a group of congressmen, on behalf of the union, requested it.

This is not cutting edge technology. The original patent to GM/Magnequench was awarded in 1983.

[1rudeboy]

I get that, but the fact of the matter remains that we had processing technology and equipment (even if old) that the Chinese shut down in favor of their own. Equipment with national security implications. In a market where the U.S. now relies on China to supply 97% of the supply.

Even if the gubmint lost track of it, we need to keep our eye on the ball.

[Thunder90]

Russia also has a bunch of these; however they keep the rare earth oxides for military use only.

[kittycatonline.com]

China produces 97 percent of materials known as rare earth oxides (used in weapons, etc.)

In a follow-up report, it has been determined that China also produces 97% of the stuff in Wal-Mart, 97% of the stuff in Costco, and 97% of the stuff in Target.

[Niuhuru]

“The Chicoms have been out-dueling us...for years now.”

Because they don’t listen to celebrities over experts, actual experts. Their culture worships scientists, educators, and they richly reward those who have actual smarts and work to build their country.

[expat_panama]

if only wage scales were equalized between China and the United States...   ...we could restore rare earth production and processing in the U.S.

Funny thing is that we hear that a lot.  Never mind how all manufacturing would take a serious hit from price hikes in rare earths --then again the paleos' solution to mfgr employment is [I swear I'm not making this up] lowering productivity.

At least there one Chinese product the paleos don't mind buying in quantity: GOLD!

[1rudeboy]

Have you ever noticed that, with protectionists, nearly everything is about national security until something actually is about national security?

[expat_panama]

lol!

Thanks, I need all the laughs I can get. 

It's true though, throughout history international conflicts are won by the side with more money and more trading partners.   Isolationist countries always end up getting taken over by others  --and yet our paleos brethren have the gall to say we're the traitors!

[Ben Ficklin]

I realize that a lot of people say it is a natl security issue but I've never seen where the pentagon says that it is

If you go back in time you can find where the pentagon specifically says it is not.

Even today, after China's pronouncements, I've not seen that. Only the pentagon saying that they have been studying the issue for a long time.

If it it were a nat'l security issue, and the powers that be were to say so, then a national stockpile could be established.

We know that Molycorp is mining and they are sending material to customers in Japan who are sending it to China for processing and it is then sent back to Japan.

Let the US Govt buy from Molycorp, send it to China and back to national stockpile.

But let me warn you, if Obama and the democrat congress did something like that, the GOP and the freepers would say that Obama is trying to socialize the rare earth industry.