For many years the U.S. military has been seeking permission to test and deploy anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons in space. For many years they were blocked by the Congress from taking that next dangerous and destabilizing step. Now the Bush administration is moving to break down all walls that have prevented the Pentagon from successfully moving weapons into the heavens.
Bush's fiscal year 2007 proposed budget contains a request for $5.7 million to test fire a ground-based laser into space to try to hit a satellite. If this is allowed the barrier to weapons in space will have been broken.
The Space Command was given the job years ago to make it possible for the U.S. to "control and dominate" space. In military document after document since 1987, Space Command officials have stated that in order to carry out the mission of space dominance they would need weapons in space to perform the mission. Now it looks as though Bush intends to give them the green light.
In a Congress that is dominated by the military industrial complex it is likely that the $5.7 million for this ASAT test will be approved unless there is a massive global expression of outrage. Unfortunately the media will likely do little to help spread the word about this development. We will have to depend on the public.
If you click on the link in the headline above you will be taken to a website run by WAND that has a Congressional letter writing system for this issue. Please go to it and write a letter to Congress. Tell them no money for ASAT testing or deployment.
We don't need a new arms race in space. Use our tax dollars for education, health care, environmental clean-up, public mass transit and the like.
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