JMOB - Joint Mobile Offshore Base

[Dr Mordrid]

JPL provides services both to NASA and the military.

As for defences....with the number of patrol boats and Aegis anti-missile defences you could build on this thing I doubt one of AQ's bomb-boats could get within a mile of it.

Dr. Mordrid

[Wombat]

Yes, about 90% of JPL's work is from the Navy, and the remainder is NASA.

[Tempest]

Frankly, just looking at the picture made me feel both sick and angry.

JMOB is no doubt a wonder of modern technology, but humankind's way of always building larger, more expensive and effective machines of war to kill members of their own species makes me sad. I almost wish there was some huge asteroid headed for our planet or something... That would pretty much make us choose between co-operation or the death of our species.<hr><small>(I've stated it before, but I'll say it again... I'm fascinated by people who have strong opinions on politics or religion. I am not one of those, therefore, you shouldn't see the text above as some anti-US/pro-whatever crap).</small>

[K6-III]

The concept of such a base brings me to a crazy idea.

Why not make such islands and colonize them.

Even better, set them up in equatorial zones and make them tourist destinations....(ala Las Vegas)...

[Wombat]

It's called Sealand ; )

[Dr Mordrid]

The Japanese are already getting ready to do this. The new Tokyo airport is expected to be a VLFS (very large floating structure) based on "Mega-Float" technology;

http://www.srcj.or.jp/megafloat_en/application.htm

A test airport was built a couple of years ago and did well. I understand a 4000 meter version is in the works for Tokyo.

Dr. Mordrid

[MultimediaMan]

People seem to always assume the military's job is to rape, maim and kill indiscriminantly. That is not the case: the military's job is to eliminate an enemy's threat while fulfilling an objective.

The Military's purpose may be dark, but it is good, because it does make you consider the alternative. Everybody says "Can't we all just get along?" Well, the truth is, not all of us can, or will. And wishing that we all could merely adds to the problem.

Look at the havoc that has been caused by doing nothing; WWII, Pan Am Flight 103, The Liberation of Kuwait, The USS Cole, The World Trade Center...nothing was done about the threats beforehand, but a lot of work (is) was being done afterward to clean up the mess.

Look at history: Just Before WWII Britain's Prime Minister declared "Peace in Our Time". In 1991, the Coalition stopped short of invading Iraq because of concerns about the mission, but we left that idiot in power, the following administration did NOTHING to contain him past sanctions. In 1993, the Clinton Administration brokered a deal with North Korea amounting to a bribe to keep them from developing Nuclear Arms...Once you pay the Danegeld, the Dane is sure to return.

Everytime things have not been completely settled, they have invariably caused larger conflagrations. Like it or not, Bush has read history and knows what must be done to stop the cycle.

The idea that we make huge engines of destruction is inherently bad is wrong: without them, all of us would still be corresponding in a chain letter snail mailed around the globe. What is wrong is when those engines are not used properly to ensure the safety of the countries their military serves.

If the Military's guns are pointed in the direction of their citizens (Like in North Korea, and Iraq), that military is a threat to everyone inside and outside of that country because those countries are not democracies, and have no faith in their citizens. Don't blame the Military, blame the politicians who let those countries fall into dictatorships.

The Military, as strange as it may sound, is a driving force for our Economies, Technology and Innovation. Without the Military there would have been no Space Race, no Integrated Circuits, no Fuel Cells, no Velcro, no LCDs, no Microprocessors, no plasma displays. Why? Because all of the aforementioned projects and technologies originally were developed for the Military and adapted to the consumer market. Most of these technologies were too expensive to finance with venture capital from the public sector.

So, the next time you boot your computer, don't blame the military. Thank the Military. If you live in France, and walk to your door to get the morning paper and find that the paper is written in French, not German, thank the Military. If you live in Russia, and still read Russian, thank the Military. If you live in China, and still read Chinese, thank the Military. Because without the Military, some of all of the aforementioned things would simply not exist today.

Regardless of your position on the current state of the world; let's hope for the best in these next few weeks, for our world and the future of our children.

[Dr Mordrid]

Amen....

Dr. Mordrid

[SpiralDragon]

Originally posted by Tempest
Frankly, just looking at the picture made me feel both sick and angry.

JMOB is no doubt a wonder of modern technology, but humankind's way of always building larger, more expensive and effective machines of war to kill members of their own species makes me sad. I almost wish there was some huge asteroid headed for our planet or something... That would pretty much make us choose between co-operation or the death of our species.<hr><small>(I've stated it before, but I'll say it again... I'm fascinated by people who have strong opinions on politics or religion. I am not one of those, therefore, you shouldn't see the text above as some anti-US/pro-whatever crap).</small>

couldnt agree more

[Jessterw]

I agree it's a disturbing thought that we have to create "bigger and better" instruments of war, yet that's just one of many simple facts of life on this planet. This is unlikely to change any time soon either. In fact, the very essence of the problem is that no matter how many countries/groups/whatever state they will work as a collective and strive for peace, that goal will alway be sidetracked by someone or some group that wants something else.

It's one of the dark aspects of human nature.

[GNEP]

What happened to the days when a single man could take on the whole russian army with just a tin of spam and a rusty fork??? Surely a much cheaper way of running the army...

[cjolley]

Originally posted by GNEP
What happened to the days when a single man could take on the whole russian army with just a tin of spam and a rusty fork??? Surely a much cheaper way of running the army...

Well sure, if you are advocating chemical warfare!
chuck