Live from the Nuke Free Zone

Two bits of news for you today. There’d be more, but that would involve making someone do my paper for me so I can get more writing done here. Le sigh.

Anyway, first, one of the other Zoners stumbled over some disturbing news: apparently Louisiana has essentially declared that the Fourth Amendment doesn’t apply to their police forces. Warrantless search and siezure is now the rule in that state. Call me silly, but I think noise should be made over this - especially since it’s the frigging judges who made the declaration and not simply a bunch of idiot state representatives. Things like this disturb me because they start to make me wonder just how far is too far in the revocation-of-rights game.

In somewhat lighter news, interesting in a more positive way, NASA is holding a debate on the idea of terraforming Mars on the thirtieth. Now, this angers me too, but only for the reason that the debate’s not being hosted here in Halifax. Alas, I shall survive, somehow.

The current news coming out of the Mars rovers and probes these days is bringing this question a bit more to the forefront than before. I think the idea of going to Mars at a major level is starting to edge out of the realm of fantasy, but the question of what to do when we get there is a different matter. I’m always interested in the long-term/short-term debate that tends to run through most human affairs these days, and something so large as heading to another planet has that debate at its core to a level a lot of other stuff can’t approach. To put my own views into a sound bite: yes, I’d like to see a major human presence on Mars, and yes, if it’s uninhabited when we get there, I’m all for terraforming. If there’s something there, then things tend to get a bit more nuanced.

Anyway, that’s all for tonight. If anyone else has any commentary, feel free to fling it around. I’m especially curious what the readers’ take on the second half of this is, since the first half had damn well better meet with universal outrage. ;) Perhaps #4, being the other resident space/hugeambitiousproject freak, will have his own take to offer..