Do The Freakin Math

Liberals and conservatives alike frequently rely on limited evidence, personal experience, religious beliefs or gut emotions to determine solutions for complex problems. From immigration to global warming - taxes to terrorism - or health care to free trade - analytical study is rare. Science based policy making isn’t the way of Washington. And the consequences are catastrophic. Change is urgently needed. Just do the freakin’ math.

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Launched on the 4th of July.

We were fortunate not to see any immediate fireworks from NASA’s launch vehicle today but the fireworks likely to emerge from SE Asia as a result of N. Korea’s two launches may yet light up the northern hemisphere.

Why? Because the US believes nothing should threaten its monopolies on the missile and nuclear weapons technology that it uses to dominate the world and any potential rival.

So what is the difference between a space shuttle launch and a test warhead launch? Virtually nothing except the content of the vehicle and the intent of the owner.

So if the dunces in North Korea had announced their launches as test vehicles for space exploration or satellite placement above earth’s warming atmosphere...it wouldn’t have been such an issue. Unless we don’t trust the N. Koreans. And then, it would be a big question.

Pre-empt, or not to pre-empt. That is the question on many minds today.

How dependent is our safety and security on the policy choices of N. Korean nut cases? Just as dependent as they are on the nutcases in charge of US policy who believe we can launch a knockout blow on N. Korea without setting off a spectacular fireworks chain reaction that would kill millions.

So who’s going to make all the world’s inspections to ensure that any rocket launch anywhere doesn’t carry military capabilities or intentions into space? Is this yet another role of the US empire? Who will pay for it? Given all the other more affordable, undetectable and accurate means of delivering WMD... would a Department of Global Missile Inspection even be worth it.

Or, should we launch another war based on the iffy intelligence that some other nation’s capacity and intention are a potential threat to US interests?

The inevitable threats we face from China’s hyper economic and military growth, the increasing risk from natural or intentional pandemics, or the possible catastrophic consequences from global warming are far more imminent a risk. I know missile defense is a sexy issue but perhaps we shouldn’t focus so much attention on thrusting phallic symbols.

With that image in mind...Enjoy your fireworks. And remember our emergency health care system isn’t capable of even dealing with the 11,000 fireworks related accidents that will likely occur to day as we celebrate the entirely mythical mental construct of “Independence”. What really exists is our hyper interdependent world. The sooner we learn that and the sooner we form the global alliances capable of working to prevent (not pre-empt) threats.... the sooner we will be able to build a world were our freedoms and our security can be maximized.

Ignoring this fundamental reality we may just have to wait for an invasion from another planet to bring us together as the one world that we really are.

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