The good old U.S.A. under our fearless leader is going forward with putting up death weapons in space that can target anyone anywhere. Fantasy? No. It's the reinvigoration of "Star Wars."
NPR had a piece today on deteriorating relations between the US and Russia. Putin has been saying for some time now that the spike in rhetoric is matching the US insistence on going forward with our space "defense" program.
He says Russia may re-train its missiles on US-allied cities and countries if we persist.
NPR gave a long winded story about why Russia was now getting so heated in rhetoric, and how Bush invited him to Senior Bush's compound in Kennibunkport to chat things up and get on better terms.
NPR and journalists take note: don't try to figure out some other reason Russia is unhappy right now with us (NPR speculated today that maybe it was the better economy because of Russia's oil supply that started them swaggering). Take Putin at his word. It is because our plans go against international treaties to keep space a weapons-free zone. We want to make a big bad series of lasers that can destroy anything anywhere on the planet. Talk about intimidating.
My eyes were first opened to this a few years ago during a Chomsky lecture. He said many strange things that day, some of which have already come true (He said we were going into Iraq, regardless of whatever the inspectors might find, we were there for perpetual war, etc.).
He also said that, like the "Defense Department," which of course is really a War Department, the US "Space Shield" or "Missile Defense Program" is just a nice way to sell weapons in space to the public. We never really wanted to have to track a missile coming at us with a laser from space, because that was not the true point of the instrument (though it will always be stated as such).
A gun for defense can easily be a gun for offense. So can a space laser.
So listen to Putin. NPR and friends take note. Russia and other countries want us to honor our previous agreement to keep space free of dangerous weapons. This is why they are justly heated in their response to our deadly space plans. There is no mystery as why. Start reporting it.