Rare Earths and "National Security"

Periodic Table of the Elements

Rare earths are those elements you find on that separate bar that shows up with the periodic table. (Actually, just the top line of that bar, and a couple of extras.) You don't hear much about them because their uses are a little obscure. Our high tech society is becoming more dependent on them. They get used in things like making alloys for jet engines and the powerful permanent magnets you find in all kinds of electric motors, most notably electric and hybrid cars.

Most rare earths are produced as a side effect of mining a more conventional material. The amount of ore needed to produce rare earth metals by themselves would make it economically infeasible.

Right now China is the biggest producer of rare earths and they seem to have figured out that this gives them an advantage, an advantage they are willing to exploit. Here's one story on the situation.

A guy I know in the securities business mentioned that this is becoming a National Security issue, and hoo boy, did that set me off! If there is one catch phrase that is guaranteed to get me really riled up it is "National Security". That phrase has been used by more self-serving, criminally minded morons than there are seconds in a century. The price of orange juice has gone up by a nickel! OMG! It's imperiling our (glorious, patriotic, American) way-of-life! Call out the National Guard!

Any time someone wants to start a war, they always invoke National Security. I for one am tired of hearing this. If someone says you something is a matter of National Security, put them on your black list. They are without a doubt a self-serving moron. They should probably be shot, but as there seem to be an endless supply of these fools, you would quickly run out of bullets. So save your ammo, you are going to need it.

I think war with China is coming, but it will not be like any previous war. Shoot, it's probably going on right now, it's just obscured by all the other little wars that are being fought all over the world, some of which are proxies for the big one of East versus West.

Update June 2022 replaced SVG version of table with JPG version. Sometimes Blogger will display SVG files, sometimes it won't.