# Superhighway/N. American Union **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 18, 2009, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848 "2009-01-18T10:37:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/101 "2009-01-21T18:26:41Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > two “demolitions experts” whose testimony is in Dutch One of whom (Jowenko) is on record stating that One and Two could not possibly have been demolitions because of the fires, then when told about the fires in 7 said he has “no explanation.” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/102 "2009-01-21T18:35:25Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Relevant statistics: > > **Boeing 707** : > [ul] > [li]Empty Weight: 103,000lbs[/li][li]Max Weight: 222,000lbs[/li][li]Fuel Capacity: 15,000gal[/li][/ul] > > \*\*Boeing 767-200 (variant actually flown into the South Tower, smaller than the 767: \*\* > [ul] > [li]Empty Weight: 171,000lbs[/li][li]Max Weight: 315,000lbs[/li][li]Fuel Capacity: 24,000gal[/li][/ul] > I’d say the potential 50 tons and ten thousand gallons of fuel difference more than adequately describes why a building designed to withstand the former cannot cope with the latter. Given that they remained standing for at least 45 minutes after impact, I’d say they did withstand them. The fires, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/103 "2009-01-21T18:44:19Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Given that they remained standing for at least 45 minutes after impact, I’d say they did withstand them. The fires, on the other hand… Which were at least partially related to the up to 10,000 extra gallons of jet fuel. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/104 "2009-01-21T20:00:41Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Which were at least partially related to the up to 10,000 extra gallons of jet fuel. Quite a bit more that that, actually. The Towers were designed with a specific scenario in mind: a 707, lost in fog, and low on fuel from a transoceanic trip. The (alleged) loose fireproofing on the Towers’ steel couldn’t have helped matters. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/105 "2009-01-21T20:04:22Z")
Hey, man, what’s up with that North American Union, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/106 "2009-01-21T20:38:40Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Hey, man, what’s up with that North American Union, huh? Don’t you see how clever they are? Once they spotted this thread they had to de-rail it. No one’s messing with no NAU. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/107 "2009-01-21T20:40:04Z")
> [@jakesteele](#): > > The lists I posted are just the tip. And the Straight Dope Message Board is the bris, and we are the mohel. Better recross your legs, bubeleh. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/108 "2009-01-21T21:12:17Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > The Towers were designed with a specific scenario in mind: a 707, lost in fog, and low on fuel from a transoceanic trip. [Specifically this one?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Odyssey_of_Flight_33)😃 > [@](#): > > A global jet airliner, en route from London to New York on an uneventful afternoon in the year 1961, but now reported overdue and missing, and by now searched for on land, sea, and air by anguished human beings fearful of what they’ll find. But you and I know where she is, you and I know what’s happened. So if some moment, any moment, you hear the sound of jet engines flying atop the overcast, engines that sound searching and lost, engines that sound desperate, shoot up a flare or do something. That would be Global 33 trying to get home … from the Twilight Zone. ---
**Author:** ![Chase\_Ransom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@Chase\_Ransom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chase_Ransom)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/109 "2009-01-28T06:43:08Z")
First of all, the “Amero” conspiracy that was built up a few months (or more) ago was a total fluke based on a some collector coins one of the guys who designed one (or some) of the new Quarters did. He made those Ameros very simply as a “think piece”. Not what the nut jobs started to say which was, that USA had billions of Ameros in China somewhere waiting for the right time to dump the dollar. That is as far as the conspiracy that most people without a shred of intelligence heard and believed. and more… The concept of a North American Union is not new. It has been around for a long time, but not much further theorized than some dude somewhere writing some good “food for thought” stuff. Unfortunately, then nuts pick it up and run with it and create a big fuss about it and what not. NAFTA isn’t a first step to a Union, because NAFTA by no means relinquishes each countries sovereign-ship. It is just a trade agreement. Nothing more. Reality is, NO ONE wants a North American Union (NAU). Not USA, not Canada, and not Mexico. I would go into a whole narrative on why this is just not workable or desirable for all three nations, but if you can’t figure it out on your own, my explanation of economy, legalities and political-cultural-social impediments will just not register well. (Plus, it is late and daddy needs his rest). Suffice to say, the Euro is a bad example to follow and for those not knowing this yet, it is also a failing experiment. I would also get into this, but I don’t want to hijack this thread into a “why the Euro is kaput!” or “Why a NAU is impossible”. Bottom line answer is, the conspiracy is bogus, and it just ain’t going to happen. Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/110 "2009-01-28T13:09:04Z")
> [@Chase\_Ransom](#): > > First of all, the “Amero” conspiracy that was built up a few months (or more) ago… Years ago. This goes back to 1999, when a Canadian economist published a paper about the idea in anticipation of the soon-to-be-released Euro. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848/111 "2009-01-28T13:59:09Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > Then, the latter two nations would have to petition Congress to join up as territories and then seperate states (which they wouldn’t like). This is just so wrong. Everyone knows that the only way for North American Union to come about is for the United States and Mexico to petition the Canadian Parliament for admission to Confederation, with a submission to Her Majesty’s sovereignty. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/superhighway-n-american-union/481848.md?page=5)