Homeland Security Gets Desperate; Turns to Science Fiction Writers

[sabra]

http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/05/homeland_securi.html

Purveyors of ray guns take note: the Department of Homeland Security is turning to a group of science fiction writers for advice on funding high-risk projects. Department officials invited the science fiction writers to a recent conference in Washington to get their thoughts on future technologies, the St. Louis Post Dispatch reports:

The writers' ideas thrown out in two days at the conference are implausible: material that becomes armor when struck by a bullet; an antibiotic that cures martyrdom; a satellite that beams solar energy to earth. But Jay Cohen, head of the Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, said the stuff of science fiction 20 years ago was the reality of today.

"I expect failure, but boy, when we get it right, we can change the world," Cohen said.


A couple of those ideas aren't really science fiction: the Pentagon is indeed looking at ways to beam solar energy to earth and liquid body armor that becomes rigid when hit by a bullet has been in the works for a while. As for an "antibiotic that cures martyrdom," I don't need science fiction writers to suggest that, I'm sure the dear departed Jerry Falwell could have come up with that one. Homeland Security thinks these are all potentially great ideas.

[Fire Walk With Me]

1. Leave it to Spider Robinson and friends to cure warmongering/profiteering.

Please, please, please...

[Demeter]

2. Heinlein's "Moon Is a Harsh Mistress" Perhaps?

Bush as the Warden, Second American Revolution, come to thnk of it, the Iraqis have the license on that one right now.

We don't need new technology--we need intelligent and ethical leaders to use current technology appropriately, coupled with some real diplomacy and basic Constitutional principles.

On second thought, maybe asking for the Moon is more likely!

[havocmom]

4. DHS or Wall Street brokers looking for new projects for uber rich investers

Lookin for new toy ideas they can create a niche market for then sell to the greedy bastards who can't get enough dough from investments to satisfy their soulless centers?

Yep, Heinlein comes to mind about many things of late. Religious zealots controlling things jointly with corporations - liberty as illusion and security as a joke.

News everyday is like reading Heinlein. I am trapped between the moon, the stranger, and Job ;)

[Demeter]

9. Redefining R&D

into Ridicule and Destroy

[BlooInBloo]

3. America is a stupid, stupid country.

[MetaTrope]

5. Worth reiterating here that both Bush and Rove have come out as BABYLON 5 fans

I discovered this in the course of watching the series on DVD, and it totally creeped me out. You can just see Bush putting himself in Sheridan's role, blustering and posturing and taking power as necessary. But in truth, his administration falls closer to the Centauri.

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. I hope that they haven't taken any tips from it (Nightwatch, etc.)

And most importantly, the message regarding Earth as bad guy, across hundreds of years, makes even more sense if they're getting something from it. Joe would be appalled, truly appalled. It's like the people the Dead Kennedys realized took "Kill the Poor" literally, and not as Swiftian or cautionary.

[MetaTrope]

8. "Joe would be appalled, truly appalled"

he is...

[Fire Walk With Me]

10. Man oh man...

Love B5; hate those who study it to make the bad stuff happen (Homeland Security=Nightwatch).

Then again, Bush, Rove and friends have obviously studied history to utilize what has worked for historic despots. They studied history in order to repeat it, not to avoid it.

Thanks for the link. I'd stopped following the B5 forums a bit back.

(And to paraphrase a favorite forum topic: Is the Iraq invasion B5 with the serial numbers filed off?)

[undergroundpanther]

7. They are also making drugs to destroy human empathy

To make soldiers able to kill without remorse so they can face the battle without getting PSTD.


I am certain drugs to cure PSTD and destroy human empathy is what sociopaths would love to have happen to us. Non sociopaths are the only people because they have a conscience who CAN restrain these toxic personalities.So of course psychopaths want to make everyone be like themselves.Because they do everything they can to ensure they do not have to deal with social boundaries or consent.They like to get away with abuse,so if people never feel bystander guilt or remorse who will care enough to stop a psychopath abusing someone?

Guilt and remorse have a social survival function , They really do, they stem from human empathy,and they enable us to control ourselves inside so we can co exist without destroying each other on the outside of self in relation to each other in the world. Sociopaths or those personalities who do not feel guilt or remorse for their actions are a predator upon all non psychopath people. So unless those people by their refusal to be abused , insight into how abuse dynamics are,and how manipulation is done,and whom do not tolerate abuse around them,and by not pitying psychopaths , people with a full spectrum of feelings balanced with a mind,who can feel empathy and the guilt and remorse that comes from it's misuse or disregarding conscience are the only personalities who can contain the ruthless among us..If you take away guilt and remorse you chemically create a criminal,from a non toxic personality literally.I dunno about you but that's some scary shit.

Some are born psychopaths.
http://www.futurepundit.com/mt/mt-altcomments.cgi?entry_id=2792
Others might be made psychopathic
http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/mind/s817005.htm

[bryant69]

11. This isn't a new phenomenon

They've been doing this since the sixties off and on. I don't see what's so shameful about it, myself. Well except for of course anything the Bush Administration does is bad.

Bryant
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