Friends, once upon a time, the world was riveted as the U.S. and the USSR competed to achieve historic firsts in space, and eventually to land a man on the Moon. Well, I'm not sure how all that turned out, but now there's a new race to the Moon! In the short term, it involves India and Russia, both of which have probes with a good shot at making the first soft landing at the Moon's south pole. More importantly, as this article describes, the U.S. is gearing up to land a woman and a person of color on the Moon (presumably chosen for their physical attractiveness and dogged loyalty to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and, to a much lesser extent, their professional abilities). The U.S. is also partnering with a long list of countries, including key European allies, Australia, Japan, South Korea, and India, who will assist us in the effort to open up the Moon to exploration and settlement. Even Ukraine is in on the deal, so you know funds will be plentiful. The Russians and Chinese, however, have cobbled together their own rival lunar pact. Most interesting. Could we be seeing the key alliance systems of the future take shape, first on the Moon, and, soon enough, here on Earth? Perhaps!
https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-accords/index.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-56342311
In other news, Israel may be careening towards a constitutional crisis, with the country's supreme court preparing to invalidate the actions of the Knesset (Israel's parliament), which voted to make the legislature sovereign and to pare back judicial authority. Israelis may soon face the dilemma of obeying either the Knesset and the Prime Minister, or the judges of the supreme court, both of whom may claim to be in control. This article argues, as most "responsible" establishment voices do these days, that the conservative government of Israel should back down and let the judges have their way with Israeli "democracy". What's really at stake is whether Israel will be a left-leaning, mostly secular social "democracy" (in which the people are subordinated to an all-knowing progressive elite and expert class), or whether it will be a right-leaning, partly theological Jewish state, in which parliamentary elections choose governing coalitions with broad powers to, well, govern. The Left is doing its best to hold the country to ransom, suggesting that anything less than surrender on the part of Netanyahu and his confederates will produce political, economic, and social chaos -- which, since the leftists will be inflicting the chaos, is quite believable. The question of the hour remains: will Israel's elected leaders submit to leftist/establishment intimidation, or will they press ahead?
Dr. Waddy from Jack: The moon: why this is like living in the future (!)and the wonder never ends for us'50s kids when it was all sci-fi.The urgency of the 60s race seems not to obtain and that is a relief of a sort. If the Russians and or Chinese get there before us this time, machts nichts. Can't see the moon having any immediate military significance, yes (?) Then again, our cooperation with Japan, Australia, S. Korea and India in moon access might make the Chinese nervous. Why, I hope not; space is too magnificent to be sullied by mundane strife. Love to see India get there. Good folks!
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: I think the crisis in Israel is of great importance. I think the prime
ReplyDeletepurpose of Israel is to assure world Jewry of a homeland and to exemplify the transcendent greatness of Judaism. I would expect an empowered left wing to betray that Israeli essence. The loathing of country, the presumptuous embrace of an unproveable, impossibly perfect future, this proven catastrophic dream, would prove fatal to Israel. National survivability has always been a very near run thing for this gallant country.
Dr. Waddy from Jack: Israel's continued existence is a significant measure of world civilization. Judaism manifests an exceedingly high civilization; the ancient, relentless,savage excoriation from proximate and distant barbarians it has defied with such consummate and redeeming courage and resolve would be endorsed by a triumphant, certainly totalitarian left, to the tragic disgrace of humanity.
ReplyDeleteDr. Waddy from Jack: And of course, our very substantial prospect of takeover by incipient leftist tyrants is comparable in some ways to that of Israel.Both countries have been essential in delivering the world from the radical evils of antisemitism and murderous commie and nazi exemplified subhuman sway. Submission to consumate,historically proven marxist oppression would deliver the world to the new technologically enabled Dark Ages of which Churchill so presciently warned us!
ReplyDeleteJack, it's true that the current "race to the moon" is, shall we say, a low-intensity struggle, and you're equally right that control of the Moon has little practical significance in the short or medium term. Of course, the 60s era race to the Moon was almost completely symbolic in importance too, but the symbolism seemed (and was) a very big deal. My guess is Americans won't give a crap about the Moon until someone else beats us to it, and then there'll be hell to pay!
ReplyDeleteWould leftists leave Israel vulnerable to Arab aggression? I doubt that. Nuclear weapons can be wielded as effectively by secular humanists as by Orthodox Jews. I don't believe any Arab or Middle Eastern country currently poses a meaningful threat to Israel, but circumstances change and I certainly wouldn't advise any relaxation of vigilance.