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GUEST ARTICLE
WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE
by Penny McKeague
posted 25th April 2002 (Anzac Day)
The U.S. is seeking to make Outer Space a new arena for law and order The U.S. military wants to control space, and from space, dominate the world. The U.S. military wants to base weapons in space. Now with Bush and Cheney in power, the country has an administration which is intimately linked with the corporate world, which, with the military, is working to turn space into a war zone. Star Wars is back, and it is inevitable what will follow..an arms race, and ultimately war in space.
In 1967, there was an International Treaty, called The Outer Space Treaty, which was about keeping war out of space and which set aside space for peaceful purposes. The Vision for 2020 report of the U.S. Space Command which dons a design depicting a laser zapping a target on earth, begins by saying that if the U.S. is to protect it's interests, and investments, Space Command must have domination of military operations. It talks about a policy on an executive front, where it is their moral right and duty, to use unilateral control as often as possible.
The blue print of the Bush/Cheney document, "Report of Space Command 2001" with Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary, states that the U.S. will conduct operations, to, from, in, and through space, in support of its national interest, and it urges the President to deploy weapons in space in response to any threat, anywhere in the world. It talks of having a Space Corps, similar to the Marine Corps.
Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire says that the U.S. sees space as the next great continent, or frontier to be conquered and, believing that they deserve the fruits of winning the Cold War, have the right to control space. They feel that they are the only ones who have the right to control ownership of space, and are not about to allow others into a position that will threaten U.S. national security. "We have a problem when leaders think that they are the only ones who can say what use of space is right or wrong," he says. Space Command's Vision for 2020 is concerned with global economy. It is about the widening of globalization, which will only widen the gap between the "haves" and "have nots". The view is that by controlling the earth from space, the U.S. can keep the "have nots" in line, a policy of containment.
The U.S. military proudly points to the U.S. companies who help set the U.S. space military doctrine in place, protecting interests and investments world wide. They insist that it is about protecting their own towns from invaders, when it really is about protecting the huge globalization dynamic, which is more or less a new form of colonization.
This is not unlike the Gulf War and the control of oil, except that the marketplace has been turned into a battlefield. It has to be stopped. The world cannot afford to have a handful of politicians and military people who respond to the world from a deep sense of fear and panic. When nations are ignorant of how others live, they live in fear. It is in this fear and ignorance that violence is rooted, and it must not be allowed to be unleashed on the world. Most people in the world just want a little peace for themselves and their future. That vision of peace is being annihilated, which is not right and not fair.
With Bush and Cheney, we have a U.S. that is thoroughly gung-ho for star wars. It is
loaded with figures that are directly linked with corporate groups, whose efforts are to control outer space. It is their Number One priority. With 75 corporations, including Aero Jet, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Rancorp, TRW and Vista Technologies, it is the time for developing space interests and space power. Space is the ultimate high ground. Interestingly, the title "Masters of Space" is the emblazoned motto of the Air Force Space Command in Colorado. This is indicative of the U.S. military attitude towards space.
The whole idea of one country deciding that they are going to be the "Masters of Space" is a violation of International law. Space is the province of all humankind, and the notion that one country will control the world is extremely destabilizing, and is a threat to international peace and security. To truly have peace in the world, is to negotiate treaties and honor treaties. The fact that the U.S. wants to go forward and violate the 1972 Anti- Ballistic Missile treaty with Russia, is an indication that they are heading in the opposite direction.
We have already seen in the Nazi movement, that the world does not respond favorably to being dominated by one nation. The world should work co-operatively and use space peacefully. It should not be for military purposes at all. Being the top cop on the block" will destabilize the entire balance of power.
The Chinese have stated that they will pierce any move that will make them feel that the Star Wars programme is directed against them. The Indians have said that if the Chinese add to their nuclear arsenal, they will increase their weaponry as well, while the Pakistanis stated that they will have no choice but to increase theirs.
The question is will we feel more secure living with a Star Wars programme that may not work, while the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and Pakistanis are all openly stating that they cannot let the U.S. be the "top cop on the block"?
Star Wars is seen as a first strike system for world domination, which also sparks a new arms race. Some $6 billion has been going into space military activities and the title "Strategic Defence" has been renamed National Missile Defence."
Instead of arming the heavens, instead of deploying weapons in outer space, we should begin the process of demilitarization of the planet, and sign treaties without any delay.
It will also be cheaper to begin this process than arming space. The General Assembly on November 20 2000, re-affirmed the Outer Space Treaty and its provision, that space be reserved for peaceful activity only. Some 163 nations voted for the resolution. The U.S. abstained.
It has become very clear that there are questions to be answered:
1. Who owns outer space?
2. What happens to astronauts or space vehicles when they come down to earth on someone else's territory?
3. Where is outer space, where does it start and where does it end?
4. How do we keep outer space out of the arms race?
In 1963 there was a U.N. agreement which dealt with some of these aspects.
IN 1967 an agreement was made to restrict militarization of space, to keep space out of the arms race, to keep it free of weapons and to keep space from being used as another theatre for military operations. The final wording of the treaty is that there "shall be no weapons of mass destruction in space". Canada and China have been actively working to promote the treaty, banning all weapons in space.
Now we see violations of the U.S. treaty. Programmes for launching laser warheads into space are being developed, and are totally against the treaty.
Current administration is trying to get out of these restrictions and supports a unilateral system which means doing what they want to do, when they want to, where and without any permission from anyone. This is Star Wars. This is Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld, too closely linked to manufacturers who need a star wars system to keep the profits going and who need the high ground of outer space to consolidate their markets.
Rumsfeld said that the U.S needed the programme in order to protect themselves, and that if others did not want to join them, then they had no choice but to move forward.
This intention is only the tip of the iceberg, and is only an excuse to put weapons in space. The U.S. will make Space a new battleground that they will dominate, and render the rest of the world subservient. The irony is that other nations will see this as a threat, equip themselves, and thus endanger all U.S. citizens as well as the rest of the world.
This "moving forward" has only succeeded in increasing danger around the globe.
N.A.S.A. has a great desire to co-ordinate it's power with the U.S. military. Indeed N.A.S.A. and the Pentagon have an intimate relationship. Fifty per cent of the space shuttle missions come from the Pentagon, and entire space shuttle programmes have been funded exclusively by the Pentagon.
A Space Base Laser Demonstrator programme is also underway, with a life cycle budget of $20-30 billion. Boeing, Lockheed Martin and T.R.W. are partners.
In 2003 the European Space Agency is sending its Rosetta Space Module into space, using high efficiency solar power, not plutonium, and which will go beyond the orbit of Jupiter, to rendevous with a comet.
If star wars is to happen, the U.S. military will find it necessary to power weapons in space. In outer space there are no power cords to power base their missile system. Large amounts of electricity are possible with the use of plutonium which will energise the system, and the only way to ensure such fabulous amounts of such portable power is by installing nuclear power plants in outer space.
The U.S. military is presently very interested in developing a plutonium power pack, which would be put into space by a space probe, most probably placed on Jupiter, a satellite that may harbour life. Not happy with polluting our world, we will now have pollution in our heavens.
As concerned citizens, we need to:
1. Get informed. Go beyond the propaganda and mythology that we are 'exploring' space. Behind the lie is the Pentagon, which requires command of space to perfect their weaponry.
2. Get active. Join an organization.
3. Write letters and articles.
4. Get politically active.
We deserve to have our outer space clean healthy, free of nuclear power plants and a guarantee that it will be kept that way. This will be our legacy for our children, our environment, and our future.
Senator Dennis Kucinich
Congressman from Cleveland,Ohio, an advocate for Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space, talks about the need to see the presence of people protesting against authorities like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which makes it impossible for people to live a decent life.
"We need to do something about the situation. When we see the World Bank being used as an institution, making it even tougher for countries to meet the needs of their populations, we see that it can only lead to more instability around the world. We are creating the seeds of destruction, which will come back to our country. We need to do something. It is a moral issue. The U.S. is a country which should be turning swords into ploughshares, and that was what the Anti-Ballistics Missile Treaty was about, not about new technological swords that are held like the sword of Damocles over the populations of the world. We do not want earthly and planetary domination."
Kofi Annan in 1999, said: "Above all, we must guard against the misuse of outer space. It cannot become a battlefield for our earthly conflicts."
Star Wars must be stopped.
Star Wars is not just the concern of the American people. It is a concern for all of us around the world. For us in Australia, we need to be aware that the joint Australian/U.S. base at Pine Gap, would be employed by the U.S. as an integral part of Bush's administration in its Ballistic Missile programme if it goes ahead. We need to act as nations, being active citizens in changing political processes. We need to challenge policy. We must be a strong opposition. We must work, fast and hard to keep space for peace. We must inspire people, and recognize our ability to make a difference, each person standing up and speaking out, seeing the necessity of challenge. We must have global agreement.
On October 4-11 2002, there will be the International Protest called:
" Keep Space for Peace"
The agenda is to help communities build a vital movement to prevent nuclearization , militarization and weaponization of space by organizing local events. It will be about working together to create a new consciousness about protecting space.
The major thrust of peace activists in Australia, will be a National Peace Camp at Pine Gap on October 5-7, 2002.
There has to be an international outcry.
We do not need policemen, and soldiers in outer space.
Outer space is OUR space.
It is our dreamtime.
It is not just for world leaders and multi-national companies.
"We came from the stars, and to the stars we must return", says the native American medicine woman, Agnes Whistling Elk.
If we have 'Masters of Space'.where will there be to return to?
Penny McKeague. Christian Centre for Social Action, East Victoria Park.
International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Australian Network.
National Peace Camp at Pine Gap details. tel. 9381 6293 and 9272 4252.
Information from U.S. T.V. 2002.Carl Grosman.
