Space Genocide

by John
(Mountain View, CA)

Here is a recent post, from the Internet:

"Forty-five years ago today, Eagle blasted free of its bottom-half launch platform. Neil watched as transparent flames from the ascent rocket ripped into the moon. Gold foil tore away from the landing stage, showering bits and pieces outward in all directions, and he saw the American flag they'd labored to raise whipped back and forth by their ascent engines' thrust — until it toppled to rest in lunar soil.

Eagle's ascent rocket burned perfectly. For nearly two trips around the moon, Eagle chased Columbia. The two moonwalkers caught their ride home as planned. All three astronauts were full of laughter and happiness, and Neil and Buzz transferred their lunar booty into the command ship. Then, when it came time to fire Apollo 11's big service propulsion system to head home, it all went by the book.

Three days later they were riding three beautiful main parachutes down to a safe landing on the Pacific. They had fulfilled President John Kennedy’s call to land on the moon before the decade was out, and return safely to the Earth. But even more important, they had proven we could visit a place beyond our home planet. That's a know-how humans must develop fully if we are to survive."

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Are we REALLY thinking that, the way to survival, is to leave Earth and colonize the moon? Or, even worse, Mars?

Who is imagining this? What elite group would be these new pioneers? Can we afford to do this? And, what will become of those of us left behind?

Carl Sagan once said, "Like it or not, for the moment, Earth is where we make our stand."

I propose that anyone who suggests that the way for us to "survive" is to leave Earth and develop an new society on the moon, or Mars, is committing a profoundly unethical act. And, how is this not an elite form of genocide???

Thank about it: If we can't work it out here, where we have water, air, roads, electricity, the Internet, food and fertile soil... how are going to work it out where none of these exist? It's nuts!