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Manifest Destiny

, the two words that self justified America's expansion across the North American continent. The Louisiana Purchase, the colonization, revolution, and annexation of Texas, the Mexican American War which forced Mexico to cede the southwest and California, the purchase of Alaska, the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, and finally the Spanish American War, all were events in America's search for it's manifest destiny. Lately, this era of American history has been getting a bad wrap. It was after all a thinly disguised land grab. However, the benefits cannot be ignored. American's brought with them liberty, democracy, and economic prosperity, to such an extent that nearly all the residents of the annexed areas elected to stay and even invite their friends and relatives to come too. By expanding our borders we brought a new era to the world, one which is still expanding liberty and freedom across the face of the Earth.

The time to proclaim Manifest Destiny has come again. Human expansion into Space must become an almost religious quest, and this time we don't have to feel guilty about a thing. There are no native cultures in Space to worry about destroying. There is no natural environment to worry about polluting. Expanding democracy into Space secures a future of liberty and freedom for the future inhabitants. Developing space resources raises the standard of living, the educational level of the population, and saves the environment of Earth. There are no downsides. Space is our Manifest Destiny.

*****

I am old enough to be both an idealist and a cynic. Edmund Cooper, Seed of Light.

TITLE TO THE MOON

As the only nation which has set foot on the Moon you would think that we would have some claim to it. However in the addled minds of our leaders sticking a flag in something and proclaiming it private property has "imperialistic" over tones, with all the negatives that implies. If we can't claim the Moon Who can? Unfortunately the United Nations, with all it's political baggage and leftist polices included, would seem to have the best claim to handing out legal titles to extraterrestrial bodies. This fact does however present an opportunity for America. We, The United States of America, owe the UN about One and a Half Billion Dollars in back dues. Some people in Congress don't like some of the UN's policies and so they short the annual budget request for UN. dues.

Now for my Idea, we could propose that the UN give the U.S. title to about half of the Solar System in exchange for payment of the back dues. The UN would get their badly needed money, and we would get title to a sizable chunk of the Solar System to hand out to entrepreneurs. Most importantly however, the precedence would allow the UN to provide clear titles to the rest of the Solar System and the Universe.

Space as a substitute for War

The exploration and development of Space has often been suggested as a substitute for war. Space is challenging, dangerous, and heroic. The development of Space can readily absorb the excess energies and productivity of humanity and provide a distraction from regional conflicts. Space can be an arena for nationalist competition and prestige. Unfortunately, Space as a substitute for war has a few problems.

Space is not expedient. It can be delayed, postponed, and rescheduled. Space does not have the immediacy of Huns climbing over the walls. In Space victory is anticlimactic. The Apollo program was already slipping in the public polls long before the astronauts stepped onto the moon. A few hundred pounds of rocks is not a great prize.

Space is a government boondoggle. Funding for government space programs can always be diverted to other more critical needs.

Space as a substitute for war is being viewed incorrectly in the framework of super power conflicts. National space programs motivated by ideology produced victory which was followed by demobilization. For Space to be relevant to the public and have an extended duration, we must revert to a much more ancient view of war, pillaging, plundering, and profiting, the spoils of war. If Space can be viewed as a race between individuals for commercial gain, the natural self interest and competitiveness of the individuals will create action and immediacy. The profits and wealth created will be the well deserved and satisfying victory. The efficiency of private enterprise competition will replace government waste.

After World War II, the Japanese business community donned the armor of business men as Samurai. They viewed business success as a patriotic cause. Corporate success became victory. The rebirth and success of the Japanese economy owes much to this philosophy. It replaced the militarism which produced the carnage of W.W.II. It created a peaceful, prosperous, and but still competitive Japan. Space could likewise benefit from such a viewpoint.

The Drake Equation

The Drake equation (Dr. Frank D. Drake) describes the probability of success in a search for radio signals from extraterrestrial civilizations. A simple series of multiples; the number of stars in the search area, the probability of planets, the probability of life, the probability of intelligence, ect. The final and most important factor in the equation is, the life span of our own civilization. It is also the most troubling factor because as we all live on one small planet, all our eggs so to speak, are in one basket. Our extinction is a probability.

By moving as rapidly as possible into Space, by creating independent human communities in Space, we can dramatically increase the life span of our civilization. That an intelligent species can live and thrive in Space will increase the odds of finding another intelligent species in the universe. The successful solution of the Drake equation is more dependent on us than on the ET's.

WAILS AND LAMENTATIONS

Every time I read an article or book about NASA, the author usually has a long list of what is wrong with NASA, how NASA wastes time and money, and the fact that NASA hasn't done anything lately in Space. Having missed the point entirely, the author then recommends some whiz-bang technology as the answer to all NASA's problems, recalls the long past glory days, and of course calls for more money to be thrown into the NASA black hole. These methods have not worked in the past, and will not work in the future. I get tired of hearing these wails and lamentations because the authors will not let go of their beloved NASA long enough to see an alternative approach to getting into Space, the free enterprise system.

The Houston Space Society, Texas Spacelines Inc., and a few other small groups are the only people with enough guts, and or brains, to propose that a serious structural change is needed. We're not just sitting around mopping, we are not "nattering nabobs of negativity" (spiro Agnew) WE'RE DOING SOMETHING, We're dangerous and we have rockets! At some point the rest of the space community will eventually listen, but the education process portends to be long and arduous. To speed the process, every time you hear someone wailing and lamenting about NASA, suggest the free enterprise system as an alternative, and refer them to the Spacelines web page. www.express-news.net/markgoll/.

THE PURPOSE OF THE FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM IS NOT TO SUPPLY NASA WITH CHEAP TRANSPORTATION INTO SPACE.

THE PURPOSE OF THE FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM IS TO SERVE THE PUBLICS DESIRE TO OCCUPY AND UTILIZE THE RESOURSES OF SPACE.

IS INSURANCE THE KEY TO SPACE?

A statement was made in a program about global warming, that the insurance industry was becoming concerned that such a change in the climate would produce claims against their companies. As our politicians continue to stick their heads in the sand and ignore the signs of a coming global disaster, it is surprising and strangely reassuring that a capitalist industry like insurance is now taking steps to guarantee the future of human life on planet earth.

Capitalism has been criticized for a short sighted viewpoint. Quarterly profits often rule the board rooms. Yet it should be remembered that there are companies which are older than many countries, and certainly more stable. Corporations have no predetermined life span, and can extend beyond the borders of countries. They truly are global entities. The insurance industry in particular has always had a long term perspective since the life spans of their clients may be decades. Real property insurance coverage may extend well beyond the average human life span. As we better define the many possible risks of global disasters from asteroid impact to global warming, the insurance industry will become more aware of their risk exposure, and may see space operations as a means of alleviating some of those risks.

A more important aspect of the insurance business is risk diversity. Not putting all your eggs in one basket. By spreading coverage over many clients in many different regions and situations, an insurance company can average out the odds in it's favor. This is an even more important reason for the insurance industry to become involved in the colonization of space. With a human culture spread far and wide across the solar system, even a global disaster would not bankrupt a well managed indemnity provider. It may well turn out that humanity's expansion into the universe may be driven not by our need to explore, but by the insurance industry's need to diversify risk.

EVERY PRISONER HAS A DUTY TO ESCAPE

In North Korea bicycles are illegal because a person on a bicycle has too much freedom. The government provide low cost transportation with busses to control the travel of the people.

Access to Space is our access to the future and freedom. Between us and Space lies NASA and the government regulatory agencies, neither of which wants us to have completely free access to space. We are prisoners not only of gravity but also of the good intentions of our government. As prisoners we have a duty to escape. Of course this does not justify heinous crimes or deadly mayhem, but it does mean that we should consider our government and most of the space contractors as not being our friends, and as not having our best interests at heart. It means that many of the regulations which have been generated by the bureaucracy are meant to control us, not to aid us, and that we may be the judge as to weather they should apply.

Safety is the one area in which government regulation may be most applicable, and regulations concerning safety in regards to launch vehicles should be carefully studied. But even government safety regulations are tilted to favor the governments own launch vehicles and the large space contractors. In breaking the bonds of Earth, we may have to break a few rules.

BLAME IT ON HEINLEIN

I grew up reading science fiction. The wonder, the adventure, a future where anything was possible if you had the desire and the skill. At the end of World War II, America was a country of endless possibilities. We had done the right thing by defeating dictators and spreading democracy around the world, and our popular literature of movies and pulps burned that message of "making the world right" into the minds of the baby boom generation.

Traditionally, citizens of a democratic country see the actions of their government as a personal responsibility, while government sees the citizens as incompetent meddlers in their exclusive domain. Our education system produced a generation of patriots, of later day revolutionaries. We were indoctrinated to believe that democracy made us responsible for how our government acted. The Vietnam war protests were a result of that education, the youth of America changed the course of the nation. Attempts by government to correct that oversight in education and create a passive populace has pushed a small group of people into the extremes of patriotism. They see their freedoms dwindling away in a morass of bureaucracy. The more threatened they feel, the more radical they become. It is small wonder that the Oklahoma Federal building was bombed. For these people, the government became the enemy. Today I consider it prudent not to stand too close to a government building.

So what went wrong? Today the average citizen noble hero type is shackled by bureaucracies, agencies, and regulations to numerous to count. The sit at home couch potatoes seek virtual adventure, and expect to be coddled, entertained and protected by government agencies. We have been labeled the no fault society. Security is now prized above freedom and progress. We have become sheep ready for the shearing, well, at least some of us have. To rekindle that flame of destiny in the American people is a very important task, one which must be done carefully. Blowing up buildings and killing people is just not the way to go. However, a little disregard and contempt for the law is not all bad. American's do have a soft spot for anyone who occasionally socks it to the government.

In our effort to change the course of Human civilization, by launching rockets and establishing a private commercial space transportation industry, we will find it necessary on many occasions not to follow the letter of the law. We should of course carefully study and consider the intent of the regulations which we ignore, and endeavor to observe as best we can those portions which were intended to be beneficial to the citizen. As our government has decided to compete with citizens in space transportation, the government cannot be considered to have a legitimate role in regulating the citizenry's attempts to overcome that interference. Thus, we do have a precedent for bending the rules in accomplishing our ends. Government of course will not see our point.

SUPPORTING NASA, GOOD OR BAD,

HELP OR HINDRANCE?

There is a danger to only looking at the positive side of things, of overlooking the darker aspects. When we only look on the positive, we deceive our selves. When we only present the positive aspects, we deceive others. In both cases, we fail to act to correct the wrong. A quote often misquoted; "My country right or wrong, when right to be kept right, when wrong to be made right."

The National Space Society has been steadfast in it's support of NASA. NSS has supported a policy of never criticizing NASA or publishing any account which is critical of NASA. They have supported everything that NASA has done, and every proposal that NASA has put forward. For the National Space Society NASA can do no wrong. Any one who is openly critical of NASA is admonished to be quiet and to be patient. NSS is afraid that with all of our space program in one boat, if anyone rocks that boat the whole thing might sink.

Sorry, I intend to rock the boat. I have faith in the American people's continuing support of our future in space. Only by pointing out what is wrong with NASA can we ever hope to have a future in space. If nothing is ever wrong with NASA, there will never be any need to make the changes needed. Someone has to say "HEY LOOK, the emperor has no clothes!".

Space is too important to trust to a single government agency, (Really, can a government agency be trusted with anything?). Congress could shut down the entire program tomorrow, and park the shuttles in museums. We need the multifarious approach of a free enterprise industry. Many competitors, each supported by their own profitability. With a space transportation industry firmly established, humanities access to space would never again be dependent on a congressional vote.

To make change happen each of us should look carefully at each NASA proposal, and ask the questions; Does this truly open space to all Americans, or merely support NASA's bureaucracy? Does this help establish a free enterprise space transportation industry, or merely support NASA's bureaucracy? In most cases, NOT supporting NASA is the best course. In some cases, actively opposing a NASA program for good cause may be the best option.

THAT'S MY OPINION, WHAT'S YOURS?


Mark Goll
19785 Marbach Lane
San Antonio, Texas
78266-2136

210 651 6558
markgoll@wt.net
http://web.wt.net/~markgoll

a link to get back to my home page? OK.

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