| Monday
November 5, 2001 I was in a discussion
in another conference, and was challenged about the republic vs. the
empire, and what I would do about the current situation, and in
particular, what would I "campaign for"? (My questioner was
English.) Here, with some embellishment, is my response:
New Age of Empire
What I campaign for is billions for investment in energy resources. The
most outlandish estimates of costs for hemispheric energy independence are
small compared to the costs of war. Wars are expensive.
I propose the following:
Break enough heads in the Middle East that the ruling classes there are
afraid of the US. Make it clear that they have not acted responsibly and
we really don't care WHO governs over there, but we will not have the
place governed by people who allow their territories to be used to attack
us. That means to me outright replacement of the governments of
Afghanistan and Iraq, and a clear message to Egypt, Kuwait, and Arabia
that our patience is not only not endless but has worn thin.
Then make war on energy dependence: an all out campaign to build a
large nuclear plant in every state within four years. Development of
domestic oil resources.
And $20 billion a year on X programs in space. By X programs I mean
real X projects: fly something within 4 years or don't get paid. Build
flying hardware, 3 tail numbers per ship, fly one until it breaks, use
what you learned to modify #2 and fly it but don't prang it, and keep #3
in case you do break #2 but probably it goes to the Smithsonian. Have
several simultaneous projects, all with the aim of cheap access to space.
Try multiple approaches: two stages to orbit, NASP-like vehicles, Black
Horse if you like, but be sure to do the follow-on to DC/X that we
proposed a dozen years and more ago, and which could have been done for
the money wasted on the Lockheed "Venture Star" shitepoke.
Build up the armed forces: the United States of America has only 100
heavy bombers in the entire inventory. Only 100, and they are terribly
expensive. We could easily build another hundred heavy bombers that would
be effective in today's military environment. They wouldn't be a threat to
the USSR. They would be a threat to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Build up the Navy. It's silly to have an under-strength Navy.
We're a maritime power. We should act as if we are.
I could go on, but I find it fascinating that anyone could believe that
mucking around with perpetual war for perpetual peace is going to be
cheaper or more effective than developing technology and shoring up
competitive enterprises here.
Wars are costly: they cost in money, they cost in freedom, and they
cost in mental energy. They cost in letting government grow without
bounds. they build the central state rather than decentralize to federal
structure and self government. Wars are far more expensive than R&D
programs. The only good thing about a war is that when it is over you can
disband a lot of the structure you built to win it.
As to the jihad, if we show we are to be feared, then come home -- and
I have said before what coming home means -- the incentives to target the
US will not be particularly high. One reason we are a target is that
we insist on minding other people's business. We should be the friends of
liberty everywhere, but we need be guardians only of our own. We don't
need to be concerned about who governs in every country in the world. We
can be friendly with friends, indifferent to others; we don't need to make
enemies. I am not buying into the notion that we somehow
"deserved" the Black September attacks. We can, however, avoid
provoking fanatics. On the other hand, if we do provoke fanatics, we had
better be prepared to do something about them, and quickly. We weren't,
and we aren't, and if for no other reason than that we should speak a bit
more softly.
Of course this won't happen. We aren't coming home: we're going to do
some nation building. So who is going to officer the Legions that we will
have to build so that we can play Imperialist? The Raj could do it because
it had an aristocracy, loyal sons to bind to exile, sergeants who obeyed
Colonel Blimp, but mostly an aristocracy that really did feel itself
superior to those it governed and sometimes was -- but which knew damned
well that their places demanded loyalty.
We have to set out to build an officer corps promoted through pure
merit except of course we must have affirmative action. And from this we
will fashion the leaders who will be officers in the world imperial army,
but will remain loyal to the US. My fear is that we will build Legions
from the places you usually get Legionnaires -- jails and the under class
-- and the officers will be tax farmers.
Incompetent Empire is far less stable than self-governing republic.
And this from Roland:
Subject: Lost Akkad and the Seven Judges of Hell.
http://news.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml%3B
$sessionid$41ZD1XYAAA5OLQFIQMGCFFWAVCBQUIV0
?xml=/news/2001/11/04/wmet04.xml&sSheet=/news
/2001/11/04/ixhomef.html%5C
Now that's a URL!
And Linux for
Aunt Minnie over in mail...
Mostly I am hard at work on a double deadline while Niven
champs at me over doing a pass through Burning Tower. No rest for the
wicked...
And from Trent Telenko:
They picked up suspects in N.J. for the anthrax
mailings.
They are being held on immigration charges.
And they are by no means "Mid-Western Right
Wing White Guys."
The link:
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/US_ANTHRAX.html
The story:
One man, identified as Allah Rakah, was detained
Friday. After FBI agents raided his residence, agents wearing protective
gear searched the apartment, his car, which had Florida license plates,
and a nearby mailbox.
Which, given the spate of articles yesterday about how
"sources" said the FBI was convinced this was the act of
domestic organizations, says a lot: that the FBI may in fact be more
competent than it appears (the CIA always was: in the 60's they WORKED at
an image of bumbling incompetence) and that the deception worked on
Woodward and other ace reporters...
Presuming that they've got someone with real connections,
anyway.
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