When I was but a lad, I always loved the idea of space travel and was enchanted by Arthur C. Clarke’s idea that space exploration could become “the moral equivalent of war” — the somewhat naive concept that if all countries could focus their attentions outward, where there are limitless boundaries, territory, and resources, war would disappear. It’s a nice thought, but people will always be people, and people really do have a lot of potential to constantly do the wrong thing, whether it’s cutting in front of somebody on the freeway or dropping bombs. The older, more cynical person I have become is still enchanted by the idea of space travel but firmly convinced that war is not fought over resources or territory but because people fight wars, period.

Still, it’s a nice idea. Who knows, given different circumstances, it might be worth a try . . . just so long as everyone understands that the U.S. has dibs on the Moon, so hands off!

=+O

Enjoy!

Besides, if we start arguing here, EINY is likely to accuse us of being hooligans!

=+)

I believe there is a bit of hooligan in every gentleman. It’s fuzzy logic, more gentleman and less hooligan is more or less desirable by some.

I have a few friends from Serbia and Macedonia who think what he did with NATO was a terrible thing. Honestly, I believe he thought he was doing the right thing. With Bush, I get this feeling there is always some sick agenda behind everything he does.

I actually voted for Bush in 2000 thinking he’d be more like his father. The minute he started destroying all the work Clinton did on the environment, my opinion about him changed completely.

Bush is more a corporatist than a traditional conservative.

“The first stage of fascism should more appropriately be called Corporatism because it is a merger of State and corporate power”

–Benito Mussolini (1883-1945), Fascist Dictator of Italy

I’ll remember Bush more for his support of Torture and destruction of freedom and life than anything else.

Sure.. Kerry was a total douchebag, but I’d rather would have given him a chance than let Bush continue making a mess of things.

The problem is we need a leader period!

And I hated the argument that I shouldn’t vote for Kerry because we were in the middle of a war — but, as pointed out by Mr. Berger, I wasn’t convinced he’d be a better captain. I don’t like much of what Bush has done, but voting for someone else I don’t like just to avoid voting for him is the very kind of reactionary politics I see as the problem.

We need a leader that appeals to both sides and can listen to all sides of an issue, not just Rove’s, and who has never done anything the hypemongers can run with. Unfortunately, that excludes humans.

Anybody read the last couple chapters of “I, Robot” recently?

Yikes. I think I’m ready to order an advance copy of “The Inevitability of Death”. Of course, if things continue to get worse, a title like that will make it sound like a “feel-good” novel!

And don’t get morose with that novel of yours. I hope it’s subheading will be, “…but, bearing that in mind, how can we make life bloody nice for the three-score-years-and-ten that we are here?”

PS. I think rugby is played and watched by gentlemen and football is played and watched by hooligans, but what do I know?

Did I ever mention that I wanted to write a novel? I was going to call it “The Inevitability of Death.”