I'm not suggesting that the space program be dismantled. And while it was
horrible that all those engineers got laid off, I'm talking about millions
of people who have always been poor, who have never had access to a good
education & job training (to fall back on when the jobs do open up), etc.
I'm saying no one deserves to be in that situation.
It seems like there are enough problems on this planet to deal with before
we get further involved in space exploration. In addition to the economic
issues we've been discussing, there is also the question of the
environment. The planet is under constant attack, for example, by large
corporations & the politicians that support them. It disturbs me that the
water & air continue to be polluted, the rainforests are being decimated,
toxic & nuclear waste threaten many communities ( I was in Eastern Europe
during the Chernobyl disaster - it was pretty terrifying), cancer has
reached epidemic proporations (especially breast cancer) etc. while we
spend billions in space. What are the effects of the space program on the
Earth's environment? What are the effects of environmental destruction on
our bodies, right here on earth?
Finally, what I am afraid of is a continuation of the colonizing mentality
and activity that resulted in the theft of land and genocide of the native
peoples of the Americas. I saw a news broadcast recently that showed how a
company in Southern California is actually selling land on Mars. Who gave
them that right? What will humans do once they really get into space if
they can't control their arrogance & greed?
I may be naive, but I think that these are all feminist issues. I'm not
saying that the space program is completely evil - as a child of Star Trek,
I think a lot of it is really thrilling. But why can't we be critical at
the same time?
Kym
>
>Very true. But where do you think all those billions of dollars get spent?
>Some, at least, go to salaries -- keeping people employed -- (including
>the janitors who clean the buildings and the truckers who bring in the
>raw materials). Those salaries generally go to food and clothing and
>education for the children, etc. Certainly, big business keeps a lot of
>the money (which should go in part to the stockholders, many of whom are
>NOT the few enormously wealthy); but none of it leaves the earth.
>
>
>Martha Bartter
>Truman State University
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