Bush Orders Militarized, Nuclear Space Program to Fight al-Qaeda… He's Sure No Rocket Scientist

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

The Bush Administration has quietly updated the National Space Policy for the first time in more than a decade. Not surprisingly, the 10-page declassified version of the directive is replete with ominous declarations of unlimited American power.

Take a look at this:

The United States is committed to the exploration and use of outer space by all nations for peaceful purposes, and for the benefit of all humanity. Consistent with this principal, "peaceful purposes" allow U.S. defense and intelligence-related actives in pursuit of national interests...

The United States rejects any claims to sovereignty by any nation over outer space or celestial bodies, or any portion thereof, and rejects any limitations on the fundamental right of the United States to operate in and acquire data from space...

The United States will . . . deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests...

The directive gives the Secretary of Defense and the National Intelligence Director increased powers to fulfill these objectives. Wondering just what the government has in mind? Too bad. "The design, development, acquisition, operations, and products of intelligence and defense-related space activities shall be classified," the document specifies.

It is hard to find anything here encouraging for people who are already weary of the Bush Administration's blatant disregard for law and reason when it comes to boosting the military-industrial complex. It is incomprehensible that Donald Rumsfeld should be trusted with such advanced, limitless possibilities when he has already failed so completely at executing a terrestrial war against an underdeveloped nation we recently beat once with what was already the most powerful military in the history of the world.

The directive also begs the question of why the Bush is even thinking about developing a Star Wars program when his self-proclaimed "decisive ideological struggle of the 21st century" is being fought on the ground, if not under it, with makeshift bombs and AK-47s. Even a missile defense shield seems useless against these foes.

Despite risks to privacy, it is true that improved surveillance capabilities from above can improve security. And there is certainly nothing wrong with thinking ahead. But unless we have reason to think Osama bin Laden is hiding on a secret al-Qaeda moon base plotting a massive laser attack, it sure seems awfully frivolous to develop a militarized, nuclear space program at the moment, especially while billions of dollars continue to wash down the Iraq drain.

Someone needs to finally give Bush a Darth Vader suit so he can at least spread his empire throughout the galaxy in style.

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ANALYSIS

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