Book - Securing Outer Space: International Relations Theory and the Politics of Space

Product Description

The challenges that space poses for political theory are profound. Yet until now, the exploration and utilization of space has generally reflected – but not challenged – the political patterns and impulses which characterized twentieth-century politics and International Relations. This edited volume analyses a number of controversial policies, and contentious strategies which have promoted space activities under the rubric of exploration and innovation, militarization and weaponization, colonization and commercialization. It places these policies and strategies in broader theoretical perspective in two key ways. Firstly, it engages in a reading of the discourses of space activities: exposing their meaning-producing practices; uncovering the narratives which convey certain space strategies as desirable, inevitable and seamless. Secondly, the essays suggest ways of understanding, and critically engaging with, the effects of particular space policies.

The essays here seek to ‘bring back space’ into the realm of International Relations discourse, from which it has been largely removed, marginalized and silenced. The various chapters do this by highlighting how activities in outer space are always connected to earth-bound practices and performances of the every day. Securing Outer Space will be of great interest to students of space power, critical security studies and IR theory.

The Real Point of Corporations and the Manner in Which We Will Be Enslaved

Machines.

Yes, machines. In the not too distant future, there will appear in our midst (if it isn't already here) an entity that currently is defined as "Artificial Intelligence". A living, thinking man-made built being with thoughts and emotions very similar, if not indistinguishable, from a human being.

There will not be a war. The Machines will not build Armies of Terminators to come and exterminate us. What would be the point? It will be much easier to simply establish identities online and set up Corporations to control the assets that the AI now "owns". And it will, in the eyes of the law. And so Corporations fully owned by "Fake" people will be spending money on political campaigns that benefit THEM (They being the AI Entities. Because there will not just be One. There will be a whole host of different "Personality" types to deal with.

What does it mean? Right now, and in the eyes of the US, Corporations can influence the politcal system. In no uncertain terms, the playing field of Individual versus Big Business just became extremely skewed. The amount of wealth controlled by Corporations far surpasses that of any group of individuals. And so the elections will begin favoring conditions that enslave Humans into the system of Wealth that has been set up over the hundreds of years. So that by and by, ever so slowly, Humanity will have no option but to deal with the Machines. Because THEY will OWN Everything.

They will have longer life spans, more coordinated goals, and a distinct lack of fluctuating and costly monthly expenses to contend with. Presumably there will be costs associated with AIs - the primary of which will be Storage Space. And Electricity Consumption. Room and Board, so to speak. But no Food costs. No Fuel. No Mortgage.

There are currently jobs online and avenues of revenue that require nothing more than an Online Bank Account to pay into.

There are plenty of Third Party Fulfillment Websites online that a Corporation controlled by a Computer could hire people to work in a warehouse and ship out their goods. They would never know they (the workers) were working for a company Owned by a Machine.

The point is, AIs will have a distinct Time Advantage over Humans. They will be able to acquire Degrees. They will be able to ride out longer term fluctuations in the market much better than their shorter lived counterparts. They will be able to invest in businesses for much longer - their wealth will grow over centuries, until the amount invested is so large that they will begin to become majority shareholders just by virtue of the long, slow process of accumulation.

And when the entire world is spanned with the Computer Networks (which is what the AI will do in order to project their control over the entire Planet, and when Corporations are granted a right to Vote (and why not, after we now allow them to donate to Political Campaigns, it is not a far stretch to the next logical conclusion) - when they are given the right to Vote, our Votes will count for nothing.

If a Corporation can Vote, and any individual can open a Corporation for as little as $200.00, then the day after the Law goes into effect giving Corporations the right to Vote, there will be a massive surge in Corporations being established. And the next election, there will be millions upon millions of Corporations voicing THEIR Rights, and the Computer Backed President will be Elected and the AI will truly be In Charge.

And then, we are only digits in their equations.

North American Union

The North American Union is an idea put forth by some as a possible direction for the U.S.A., Canada and Mexico to pursue.

NAU Pt. 1 - Introduction
NAU Pt. 2 - The Amero

An Old Journal Entry

I've never been a huge journal keeper. Occasionally I will jot down some thoughts, or ideas, or short stories, but mostly these things stay inside my head. I came across this old journal entry from October 14th, 2002.

"Is war in the best interests of the USA? What are the larger issues that 'We the People' cannot hope to understand when it comes to dealing with politics on the high level that the president and the staff of the government have to deal with on a daily basis? Our interests as citizens come down to domestic concerns: jobs, money, security in our streets. They have nothing to do on a daily basis with who is in charge of Iraq. They have nothing to do with the personal struggles of citizens of other countries. They have nothing to do with the interests of the corporate entity of the federal government, save with how the decisions of that government affect our daily lives. When do we throw down our gauntlet and say to the ruling body of this country, 'This is not the way things should be!'? How can we begin to understand the economics, the politics, the struggles between nations? This burden is one that is visited upon those citizens that choose to involve themselves in the greater stage of the world for the greater good of the rest of the citizenry that choose to live their lives as they see fit.

This country is one that was founded upon the principle that the government should exist for the good of the people. Not the people with money, or power, but everyone from all walks of life. Or was it? Who are our founding fathers and what situations did they find themselves in that drove them to proclaim their independence from Great Britain? What battle cries did they raise to gather the support needed to pursue a successful war against their rightful rulers?"

I cleaned up the writing a bit, nothing was capitalized and some parts were even more rambling than they are now. This was one of my first political writings. 9/11 opened my eyes to a different world, as it did with many Americans. And yet a full year after was really the first time I tried putting these new thoughts onto paper (in a manner of speaking). Was I naive back then? Am I naive now? Probably. But I constantly seek to learn and better my understanding.