<<<George is so last-century. He's still wanting to race to Mars. There's nothing there but cold rocks. He's still fighting WWI type wars of coalition instead of pushing the only sensible way forward politically which is a multilateral NUN.
The real action is in the nano world, quantum world, cyberspace world, DNA world.
The big dangers are:
1....Influenza epidemic [which could kill 10% of the population first time around].
2....Meteor-caused tsunamis from the pacific [Tunguska over the water would have made quite a wave - those happen more like every 100 years rather than the dinosaur-killing million year biggies. >>>
The job for GWB was to get a politically divided nation moving in a better direction than merely accumulating millions in retirement benefits via stock investments in 401 K plans. And to prevent an economic collapse when that failed.
The terrorist attack in NY did bring everyone ,or most, together (in fear)and set the stage for action which had been long neglected. Fixing our leaking borders, improving airport security, forming a pipeline to the top from our diverse criminal monitoring offices.
World peace through a new UN is not such a goal as to attract an audience or backing for action. Where is the excitement, how does one know they have "won". Does your TV
display African kids herding cattle instead of carrying spears?. Do they show Russian tanks being dismantled.?
Do people cheer when half of our DOD officials get fired or they dismantle the Pentagon and put in high rise apartments ?
The trip to Mars is as inspiring as the race to the Moon, which did atrract world wide attention and glued people to their TV sets to watch the power displays on the launch pads.
We are used to those launches by now, and I suspect the Mars statement was more of an encouragment to the NASA workers who face an uncertain future, or at least a reorganization.
For the Nano world and flu epidemics, the government is very much involved by providing grants and loans to university students who will hopefully put their brains to work on the appropriate subjects. Many companies are also provided government funds and loans for new technology developments.
The Space work will give us a capability to deflect space objects headed for earth and perhaps avoid meteor-caused Tsunamis.
If we can send a spacecraft thru a comets tail, we can get a rather large bomb up there. But there is still work needed to decide how to use it, since merely breaking the Meteor into pieces might create multiple problems -like multiple Tsunamis.
But if we could do the job, deflect a Meteor and thus save every Arab or Frenchman would they then call us friends ?
Sig@dontcountonit.com |
