Message posted by The Major on June 20, 2006 at 0:22:06 PST:
It is basic human nature to be intensely curious about forbidden knowledge. The bigger the secret, the more curious we are about it. I see nothing wrong with studying A51 as long as everybody abides by the rules. I'm not worried about state secrets falling into the hands of our enemies because a handful of people monitor public airways or watch the base from a mountaintop 20 miles away. The Groom Lake personnel do a damn fine job of keeping things under wrap in spite of the scrutiny. I am much more concerned about national security secrets leaking out from Senators/Representatives, Journalists, gubmint employees selling secrets for paltry sums of cash to pay bills or buy things, and careless bureaucrats with laptops full of sensitive info. My personal data, including SSN, has been boosted TWICE in the last few months! You know about the VA screw-up, but I got double-tapped when some idiot working with the State of Texas lost a laptop with personal information on people who have student loans guaranteed by the state! As far as strategic strikes? Well, Kimmie in No. Korea is about to test a ballistic missile that can hit us here in Hawaii. As far as I know, Russia can still toss nukes at us. China... probably capable, or close to it. This is a violent world, and while we are top dog now, there will always be other dogs trying to scratch their way to the top. If staying ahead of the pack means dumping billions into grayscale projects, so be it. It is money well spent. The world's resources are getting tight, and in the end, the culture that captures the flag will be the one ruthless and cunning enough to dominate the supply of those resources. The vast majority of future wars will be fought over strategic resources rather than political or religious ideology. It's not hard to see there are more than a few hints of it happening in the here and now. So feel free to seek fleeting glimpses of the marvels flying around the skies of southern Nevada, and take comfort. They are our security blankets for the far more dangerous times ahead. The Major - I'm not a pessimist, I just play one on TV.
In Reply to: Strategic Threat? posted by Scot Tway on June 18, 2006 at 20:11:17 PST:
Replies: