How realistic are they? My thoughts, over at PJMedia.
Space Property Rights
My latest piece at The New Atlantis is up.
It’s very similar to my paper for CEI, but I have a new twist at the end:
…it is worth noting that, while the OST arguably does not prevent the recognition of property claims per se, it may prove to be a hindrance to any kind at all of large-scale space activity, not just settlement. In that regard, this is the most troublesome sentence in the entire treaty: “The activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty.”
Consider the implications of the words “continuing supervision,” if taken literally. It could be argued that satisfaction of this requirement would demand that any person operating off the planet would be required to have a government minder with him at all times. Prior approval — for example, a launch license — might not be sufficient, because supervision could be argued to imply not just observation, but physical control. This wording in the treaty could imply that even the remote monitoring of private activity in space, which itself would be a significant hindrance for space settlement, would be insufficient.
With new affordable spaceflight technologies on the horizon, extensive private activity in space will be a serious possibility in the near future. If we wish to see humanity flourish in space, we have to recognize that the Outer Space Treaty is a relic of a different era. Fresh interpretations may not suffice: we may soon have to renegotiate and amend the treaty — or even completely scrap it and start from scratch — if we want not just to protect space as a mere scientific preserve but to open it for settlement as a grand new frontier.
So we have to be prepared to fight.
The North Korean Satellite
It exists, and it seems to be tumbling out of control. I have to say I’m more surprised by the former than the latter. Of course, it’s actually easier to orbit a satellite than it is to deliver a warhead on target, as long as you’re not fussy about how precise the orbit insertion is.
And on an unrelated grammar note:
Russia added its voice to the condemnation of the launch and also called on other nations to refrain from further escalating tensions.
“The new rocket launch carried out by North Korea flaunts the opinion of the international community, including calls from the Russian side,” it said.
I don’t know if the Russians released this in English, or the translator screwed up, but the word is “flout,” not “flaunt.”
Right To Work
Is it unlibertarian?
Technically speaking, yes, but as he notes, it’s a more libertarian solution than the status quo under the NRLA. If we can get that repealed (won’t happen with this president or Congress) then right-to-work laws become unnecessary.
A Close Asteroid Call
A Tonguska-sized rock just came within the moon’s orbit, with little warning.
There really is no excuse for us to not have a better survey of these objects, when you consider the money we’re wasting on things like SLS.
Wars Of The Twentieth Century
Some thoughts on the paradoxes, from Victor Davis Hanson. It is frightening to contemplate how close we came to losing the second World War, and were only saved by bad decisions on the part of Hitler and Tojo.
Healthier Snacks
This is a step in the right direction, though they persist in the myth that the problem with potato chips is fat. I’d love to try a collard- or cabbage- or kale-based chip.
Meggings?
Really? What fresh hell is this?
Michigan
…is the new Wisconsin:
Expect recall attempts, lawsuits, ballot questions, and more money poured into the gubernatorial and state legislative races than ever before…”We’re looking at two years of war to hold the ground we took today.”
I predict that Michigan job growth in the next two years will help.
[Update a while later]
Unions begin a long war after a stunning blow in Michigan.
The False Flag Of The Left
…and the media silence:
This alternative version the left offered didn’t have to be true. It didn’t even have to appear to be true. There did not have to be a single grain of a fact anywhere near it. It just had to be floated out there and give so-called mainstream journalists enough of an excuse to decide not to cover the real story. Mainstream media journalists know all about editing, for instance, since they go out of their way to edit out the conservative world view in just about every story they write or produce. Many journalists know about false flag operations, because they are living false flag operations. They pose as objective while they work as Democratic Party operatives. That’s how they spend their entire careers.
The left’s alternative reality keeps winning, though. The casual news consumer scans Google News and sees nothing about the unions’ use of violence to attempt to overturn the legislative process. The casual news consumer has been trained to hate alternative media that counters the prevailing culture. The mainstream media didn’t report that Big Labor tried its hand at intimidating Michigan’s elected representatives out of restoring for the state’s workers the freedom of choice and assembly, so to most Americans, it didn’t happen.
That’s how they win elections, too.