WALL: David Chain - A Perspective (fwd)

[Gunnut]

On Thu, 01 Oct 1998 09:58:59 GMT, no.damn.spam at digger`s.farm (dr.
digger) wrote:

>>Your colonialistic anthrocentrism is showing.  What makes you think
>that humans, or any earth-based beings, own an interest in Mars?  Mars
>is what it is.  Mars is for Martians.  If you can find any, then you
>can negotiate with them.  Otherwise, keep your dirty planet-raping
>hands off.
There almost certainly aren't any Martians (unless you count something
on the level of, say, lichen).  We aren't going to keep our dirty
planet-raping hands off.    With any luck, we'll be terraforming Mars
by the 22nd century.  Just drop a few gigatons of ice (easily
obtainable from Saturn's rings), seed it genengineered plant life, and
presto!  One inhabitable planet.

Of course, it'd take at *least* a century or two, but the basic
principles are sound.
>
>I'm not buying any of that "common heritage of all mankind" shit,
>either, like with Jimmy Carter divvying up the Moon with the UN.  Mars
>isn't an Earth satellite, it's co-equal with Earth.

I don't buy it either.  I don't expect  Rwanda to be contributing much
to this effort.  Mars (or any other planetary body) will belong to
whoever can make use of it.  I hope it's the USA, but if some other
government is willing to make the effort, more power to them.
>
>We humans have no birthright that allows us to meddle with the natural
>Gaian balance of Mars or any other planet.  Deal with it.

"Gaian balance"?  LOL!

The solar system *will* be colonized.  I hope this takes place in a
matter of decades rather than centuries, but it will happen.  Deal
with it.