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To: Lane3 who wrote (9050)	4/15/2002 2:27:36 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21057

I think we can safely hold that decision for at least a century when we're more informed about the possibilities and the costs. The US was originally the only nation with nuclear weapons. Of course we intended that it stay that way. Then the USSR had them. Then ... Along the way, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed to prevent further spread. SInce then several more nations have joined the club. Good job of holding the line. That would assume a total breakdown in our human values, the family, the US government and others like it, and planning wars twenty years in advance since that's how long it would take to breed soldiers. Seems to me that we're better off putting our energy into fostering democracy and capitalism so that that kind of environment never arises rather than getting hysterical about possible future misuses of cloning. So you think history has seen the last of the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Saddam, ..... ? Also, you ASSUME it will still take 20 years to grow an adult human. Given the sort of technology we're assuming, I find that highly unlikely.

To: Lane3 who wrote (9050)	4/16/2002 5:56:14 PM
From: thames_sider	Respond to of 21057

Breed soldiers? Small need. The soldier of the future could be able to leap buildings, heal his own wounds, deflect bullets and become invisible. These are just some of the futuristic plans of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology which has been selected by the US army to create the battlefield equivalent of Robocop. The $50m research centre will be known as the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies (ISN). Among the goals of the newly-created ISN will be gadgets that can heal soldiers, uniforms that are nearly invisible and clothing that can become a rigid cast when a soldier breaks his or her leg. An exoskeleton could be developed to provide protection from bullets, transform into a medical cast and even activate an offensive weapon. Shoes with built-in power packs could release bursts of energy to endow the soldier with super-strength and agility. With a nod to the durability of medieval armour, the institute will also develop a futuristic light-weight chain mail, made up of molecular materials. The soldier of the future will not only be protected, but present a greater threat to the enemy said director of the ISN Professor Ned Thomas. "Imagine the psychological impact upon a foe when encountering squads of seemingly invincible warriors, protected by armour and endowed with superhuman capabilities, such as the ability to leap over 20-foot walls," he said. ... Not to mention the less-than-superhuman intellect directing it. Bet Sharon would love these. Hey, I've even got the name... Ubermen. Familiar, no? news.bbc.co.uk And I found that on a satire site... I wish it were SF. You can trust your leaders to act in your best interests (as they see them). And with such aid, who or what can stop them? Sleep well.