Star Wars Episode 2 - Death from above

Air Force Seeks Bush's Approval for Space Weapons Programs - New York Times

The Air Force, saying it must secure space to protect the nation from attack, is seeking President Bush's approval of a national-security directive that could move the United States closer to fielding offensive and defensive space weapons, according to White House and Air Force officials.

Well it looks like the most militaristic administration in the last 30 years has decided to make a claim on space as well. I can't say I'm totally surprised but I am deeply afraid of this development. The potentailly militarization of space will most probably lead to an arms race against the latest entry to the space race China. at a time when sino-american relations are at a very testy brink over the currency flap, a further ramping up of saber rattling could spell disaster.

This administration is using its hubris to do some remarkably murky things lately. Everything form breaking the rules of the Senate to remove the filibuster, to gutting the bankruptcy protections in favor of massive credit card companies. It can be seen as an attempt to grab total power and authority in small controlled moves. Take away the minority's ability to prevent the passage of laws they find unacceptable and you diminish the power of the people. Reduce the common mans ability to be protected from financial ruin in the event of temporary hardships, and you reduce his security at home and in his life. That insecurity drives him into the arms of the state. It makes the leaders that much more powerful.

All of this on conjunction with another piece I found here at First Draft (Great blog BTW!) has me even more concerned about the possible repercussions of the current power grab. Do I need to get some survivalist training in the near future? Well, I am holding off on that for the time being but I am only half kidding abou it.

All of this is to say that I have been getting very bad feelings about the current administration and their tireless reach of supreme power and control. Will they make a fatal mistake in the near future? In some ways I feel that they may not be able to avoid it, but I hope that they don't damage the entire republic in the process.