Anyone listening to CoastToCoastAM? Interesting conversation with Robert Zubrin (3-15-04).

Me

[Simmy2.5]

I'm listening to Coast to Coast AM right now. Robert Zubrin is on talking about, no surprise, Mars Direct. He, along with our favorite Mars conspiracy guy Richard C. Hoagland, talked about Mars, how to get there, why O'Keefe is evil, for the second hour of the show. The first hour was all about Hoagland and his whack theory.

What I found intersting though was in the third hour is Zubrins NON-Mars book. Its basically a Sci-Fi book in which, these people who rely on logic (hence, really hated) are helped by this "liberal" democracatic alien society (or was it a colony human nation? Well, its along those lines) to relocate to their homeland (which is in some, either a state or city in America). The problem, America is run by these Wahabbi like Christians (please be paitient with me, he was clear that these are not the same Christians we encounter everyday. These Christians are more like Wahabbi Muslims) who want to get rid of them all. So, they attack the settlement, but lose.

Now, the "Americans" (again, like the Christians, we are not talking about the same America here), refuse to help the people that were displaced by the logic people. America obviously has the power to do something, but instead, they keep them homeless instead. So, they send little kids in to blow up the logic people, and they get the media and go "see, they are bad people!" Problem is, they are not getting what they want, so they send them to these assassination camps, in, I think, Peru, and they go up into space causing problems with the liberal democracy up there.

This angers the liberal democracy, but the problem is, they can't do much since "America" is sitting on tons of rocket fuel.

It obviously is symbolic to the War on Terrorism. What I found interesting about the interview is, it shows why ther is a problem in the Middle East. Israel being the logic people (I think Zubrin calls them the Keniwicks?) is surrounded by America. The people that they displaced, Palestinians (Christian Mirnervians?) keep attacking this new nation, getting the media to symphasis with them, even when the other Arab nation (America) refuse to help them raise their standard of living. America (liberal democracy), wants to do something but can't because the Arab world (America) has oil (rocket fuel).

Now yes, symbolism is questionable (America=Arab world, Fundamental Christian=Islamofacist), but this book sounds interesting. Especailly given that it was written by a person who is primary talks about going to Mars, now writes a book about the WOT. This book could be an interesting read.

[GeronL]

I've heard of the book... sort of trying to make the Americans think about whats happening to Israel??

[Simmy2.5]

Sounds like it. And if the premise is, "Palestinians" are NOT necessarily the victims here...great. Hopefully, if anyone reads it (sounds like an intersting read), people will make this connection. Though how popular this book is, I don't know.

[Lawgvr1955]

I listened to the first two hours, but living in the Central time zone, I had to pass on the rest. For good entertainment, you can't beat Hoagland. And besides, he isn't always wrong.

I like listening to Zubrin talk about travel to Mars. And what angers me, if there had been any "vision" either in Washington or Kennedy or Houston after the moon landing, Mars would likely have been explored by now. You have to give some credit to Kennedy, who like Reagan, forced the Ruskies to spend what they didn't have during the Cold War.

I haven't heard anything about his book. If you read it, please post a review.

[GeronL]

Turning the middle east into a scifi North America is a bit weird. But its science fiction, after all.