Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles; site ea.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!mgnetp!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!ea!mwm From: mwm@ea.UUCP Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: Female VEEP - (nf) Message-ID: <10100072@ea.UUCP> Date: Thu, 2-Aug-84 23:47:00 EDT Article-I.D.: ea.10100072 Posted: Thu Aug 2 23:47:00 1984 Date-Received: Mon, 6-Aug-84 07:00:33 EDT References: <193@qusavx.UUCP> Lines: 58 Nf-ID: #R:qusavx:-19300:ea:10100072:000:3126 Nf-From: ea!mwm Aug 2 22:47:00 1984 #R:qusavx:-19300:ea:10100072:000:3126 ea!mwm Aug 2 22:47:00 1984 > The serious problem with Reagan is that he sees the world not as it is, but > rather through a very thick set of filters. Yes, but any photographer will tell you that filters are vital in making the picture come out right. Of course, if you drop the filters and see the world as it is, instead of as it should be, you get called a cynic. :-) > Better yet, give up this silly planetary empire shuck and jive. Hedgehog > around the U.S., i.e., control the Atlantic, Pacific, and incorporate > Latin America down to Panama in an economic and defense zone which will > require bringing those areas up to our standard of living and freedom > if the alliance is to be stable. A sound suggestion. There are just two problems. One, we are committed to helping provide for the defense of Europe. Backing out of such an agreement is *not* polite. Besides, the "not an inch shall be lost" defense the Germans insist on largely negates any numerical superiority the Europeans have - their reserves are committed before the battle starts. Finally, should we suddenly disappear, the now-empty Fulda gap leading to the Ruhr would be very tempting, especially if it looked like the USA wouldn't get involved. Japan, of course, is another problem. They don't have the population base, and have carefully steered *away* from arms production, or anything that looked like it, until just recently. As for incorporating Latin America (and I assume Canada, ut* take note!), that's also a good idea, *if you do it right*. No messing around with puppet dictatorships; make each country a state, and give the citizens of the new state all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of being a U.S. citizen. Just think - cheap foreign labor that isn't foriegn. We would of course then have a Spanish/English language problem comparable to (or worse than) the Canadian French/English language problem. > Meanwhile, develop resources in space to replace those gradually lost to > Russia in the worst scenario. This strategy will take decades to complete, > but even in the worst case gives us a very strong defensive position with > large resources available from orbit with Russia badly overextended trying > to hold Europe, China, and Africa down. More than likely Russia will take > centuries to get that far, if they don't collapse when the pressure we > apply quits holding them together. "Star Wars" carried to the ultimate. A policy I've advocated for about a decade now. Just think - a viable Lunar (or better yet, Martian) would make a *wonderful* base, both for offense ("We're going to throw WHAT at them, Mike?" "Rocks. We're going to throw rocks at them.") and defense. Of course, having all our (brand, new, highly efficient) heavy industry in space (where energy is free, velocity is expensive, and there's a *permanent* garbage dump handy so we don't pollute the atmosphere) makes it a bit vulnerable (throw rocks at it, of course), but no more so than the stuff on the ground, and the economic advantages are marvelous. "We're going to come out and conquer the world! What could be more American than that?"