🚀 go-pugleaf

>>    The only argument people need to go to space is the same one
>>    used for any explorer / adventurer:  Because it's there.
>>
>>    If you think otherwise, you may as well pack everything up and
>>    go home.  

I don't know who posted the original of this, but here's an example of 
hippocracy for the guy who called me a hippocrite before.  If I think 
otherwise I should go home?  Not a very fair statement in a debate where 
we respect others views, and acknowledge the existence of other 
positions.  I don't honestly believe that "because it's there" is a 
suffiecient condition to explore something, space or otherwise.  Was it 
legitimate for Europeans to colonize North America and other countries 
"because they were there"?  Would it be legitimate for the US to 
unilaterally decide to explore and annex Canada becuae it's here?  I 
realize this may seem to be blowing things out of proportion, but the 
same arguments were plrobalby used to defend the original colonization of 
NA, even though the existence of Aboriginal nations was the same as the 
existence of Canada is today.  Sure they didn't meet the Europeans 
criteria as "cicilized people" but they hunted, farmed and trapped 
specific territory and existed in clearly defined groups of people and 
used the land.  It was theirs, the Europeans took it.  Are we going to 
claim the universe on behalf of the world, or is the US and other wealthy 
nations going to use this unclaimed resource for their benefit, leaving 
the already poor countries at an increasing disadvantage?  Who's universe 
is it to explore anyway?  Those who can afford it?  Should we all 
benefit?  Should we use space exploration and the knowledge gained from 
it for military purposes, to gain strategic advantage against other 
nations on earth?  Really, I don't see this as so cut and dried.  Perhaps 
someone can repond, with out dismissing my ideas as illegitimate (and 
appologies to those who felt that's how I treated thier posts).

>>    People have a simple choice:  move forward, or backward.  

We choose the status quo every year come election time.  Is there really 
only two choices?

>>    I'd rather move forward.

>!
-- 
Stu, King of CSCSS
umcroall@cc.umanitoba.ca

"Sara dear, our carriage awaits!"