Editorial 6.1, January 2004, by Deirdre Helfferich Spaced "Space: the final frontier," says Captain James T. Kirk at the beginning of every episode of Star Trek, thereby appealing to our sense of limitless freedom to do as we will and damn the consequences, of Jim the Cowboy in each of us, of exploration, of conquering, of taming the wilderness and the savage Klingons. HOOOOEEEEEE! Well. We all know what happened to the nasty space monsters, not to mention the Plains Indians and the Den'ai'na Athabascans. I love science fiction, but I like the exploration of space even more, because it's real. A rejuvenated space program, with missions to Mars and the Moon, sounds absolutely delightful, and, as ol' Georgie was quick to point out in his speech presenting the idea, generates all kinds of wonderful boons to research and employment. But there's a little problem, because, you see, Mr. Bush wants to do it on the cheap, and the initial investment for such a massive venture is anything but inexpensive. If we're going to do this extensive a space program, we should do it right, and not underfund it. Now, this wouldn't be a problem if we weren't fighting two wars and in massive debt—and if the responsibilities of the richest one percent or so of our population to pay their fair share for government costs weren't being shirked. No, W. wants to not only not roll back the tax cuts he so foolishly gave the people who can most afford to pay taxes (and this during war time, no less), he wants to allow them to get away with paying even less. People who have less money pay more—and they will, for generations—so that his rich compadres don't have to pay, perhaps at all. Now, does this make any sense to you? Spend lots of money (but not enough) on an extremely ambitious space program; spend lots of money (but not enough) on an ill-advised and general War on Terror(ism)—as though it could be won, which it can't; spend lots of money on weapons that break nuclear antiproliferation treaties and on weapon systems that don't work...sheesh. But it's not this that really bothers me about the Bush Administration's proposal for space exploration. It's Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and his fervor for the militarization of space. The exploration of space, from the Bush Administration's perspective, is about power, not knowledge. It is about domination, and not freedom. And in particular, it is about the domination of human beings, because the moon is pretty lifeless, and if there is life on Mars, it is extremely doubtful that it is more political in nature than lichen. Any weapons out there will be pointed back at us. Science fiction is full of scenarios involving military madmen, rebellions in the Asteroid Belt, wars between planets and star systems, and big nasty weapons that wipe out all life on whichever planet or space station happens to be in the story. The point is that the ones involved in the wars, the ones who plan, and fight, and die, are human beings. Apes from planet Earth, playing nasty little games based on instinctive chest-thumping and jockeying for higher status in the troop's pecking order. (Funny how we use that military term to describe a group of primates, isn't it?) An article in the Summer 2001 issue of Yes! magazine, by Mike Moore, described the conclusions of the congressionally mandated Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization in its January 11, 2001 report. Moore says that the report concludes that the US "should also consider developing the hardware and the will to 'project power through and from space in response to events anywhere in the world.... Having this capability would give the US a much stronger deterrent and, in a conflict, an extraordinary military advantage.'" Donald Rumsfeld was the chair of this commission. These space war ideas are definitely not new. And the United Nations has been trying to ban all weapons, not just nuclear ones, for years. But the United States has been blocking any effective action. We have the clout, and we have the veto, and we use it. We want to keep our options open and our military-industrial complex happy—if weapons get in space, they'll be ours. China, for one, doesn't like this attitude on our part. A revved-up space program by the US, with such militant and undiplomatic people in leadership, are quite likely to start a new weapons race and Cold War. When I hear George W. Bush speaking for an expanded space program, I don't see the unfolding of the dream that John F. Kennedy articulated so well, who appealed to our highest motives and hopes for a bright future for humanity. I fear that what Bush means to do instead is to try to "put us on top of the world"—in other words, to keep a loaded gun pointed at the Earth. | ||
 | | |
