Most writers can't or don't deal with the obvious since our entire culture is wearing blinders. They write about things that are irrelevant to today's life and have lost the immediacy that their prececessors enjoyed. Now, the TV empires rule us all. We can't see what we won't see and the TV empires have us all under mind control. TV is a one-way medium. Try and talk back - it won't listen.
The internet is the first crack in the TV empire's control of our visible and mental culture.
Asteroids come along routinely - Hubble telescope is our best defense - too bad we can't keep it up there since we don't have the technology or will power to support it.
Hubble isn't an appropriate instrument for asteroid searches, and it isn't used for that purpose.
From a website, some interesting views on a large popular TV scifi group.
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[StarFleet Int., U.F.P.I; Int. Fed. of Trekkers] Trek Fandom's "Dirty Secrets" with their local Staffs.
For many years and in many Star Trek related venues, an observer can see that dreaded Star Trek club/"ship" activity: Trek fan club politics. It was fascinating to watch Trek fans, with the best interest of their club at heart, get over criticized, humbled, and then destroy fellow Trek fan club members. The manipulative trek club command staff politician wants power & title but no work. This kind hates to let go of any power and rarely delegates authority. When things don't get done, everyone else gets blamed. At this point elections are a thing of the past and the club starts a downward spiral into anarchy. Clubs often go through worst-case scenarios where power-mad types take over the club and the mailing list. I fully realize that a club staff provides structure and is the only way to keep an organization functioning as a unit instead of a random collection of people who get together now and then. But, mature thoughtful people deride such fan club politics because it is so often very petty, it is so unnecessary, and done so maliciously against general members.
While nobody likes being told what to do with their free "club time", many of these clubs are run as personal kingdoms for their own captain's and their staff's petty likes or dislikes. Many times, if club’s have some basic By-Laws, the club rules exist only to support the personal "taste", agenda, regime or "slant" of the unethical captain or it’s selfish officer staff. Most club staffs are rank amateurs with little administrative experience and show this with their administrative incompetence. Authority and obedience to the local staff is demanded and legitimated through the local club's relationship and charter’s with the national Trek clubs like Starfleet, UFPI, etc.
If the club wants to incorporate or file for 501(c)3 not-for-profit status, the Internal Revenue Service takes a dim view of an organization trying to operate without a constitution and by-laws (rules). Despite all the club staff's written & vocal statements of being a non-profit organization, many clubs are NOT really listed as not-for-profit organization on state or federal government lists.
Many local clubs make up their own club constitutions and run without by-laws and that can openly conflict with the parent national Star Trek organizations. But, this is allowed because of the larger parent organizations "local charter autonomy" or "hands OFF" rule. This means that the larger Star Trek parent organizations cannot control or influence the local clubs or their unruly staff at all. Many individual local clubs constitution's and their staff are not scrutinized or reviewed by these parent organizations even though the staff members
· Hold imaginary "rank" commissions of authority from them.
· Send in monthly reports and money to them.
· Enroll in classes & receive completion certificates from them.
· Use their association to attract new members.
· Interact by being on mutual websites.
· Attend conferences and network with these parent organizations.
An individual local member, who is not a member of these national organizations, is expected to follow any local club's rules and submit to the staff's authority in club matters. Yet, if that unaligned local club member has a problem with aligned club staff officers, these national organizations say they can’t interfere with their representative’s staff actions to correct them. [Strange?]
And finally, these local staff's exercise their authority to govern local club members under the banner of Star Trek, and it's IDIC ideals. This is Infinite Diversity with Infinite Combinations. A small proof of this is that the email signature lines of these national organization members say, 'Making Gene Roddenberry's dream a Reality" or "in service to Gene's dream". This sounds like a laudable ideal but many times it is a hollow platitude after experiencing the tyranny of an unethical local Star Trek club staff. Many club staff individuals over manage or outright bully members into obedience. Far too many club staff sits on their fat apathy waiting for someone else to do the work. Other unquestioning members or "Followers" are the worker-bees of a club but not self-starters. They follow good and bad staff politicians with little thinking ability to judge the difference. Individual members with any pioneering ideas, overflowing with creativity and have grand plans become 'targets' of these lethargic entrenched local club staff officers because they don't see "eye to eye". Then, these local members become increasingly over criticized, attacked, disillusioned and finally disinterested by the continual abrasive relationship with the local berating club staff officers.
Club officers have been known to become tyrannical with the more active creative general club members. And then many months later after the creative member has left the club, club staff officers have been known to unethically claim authorship of the general creative club members past “new ideas” brought to the staff only. Then club staff officers initiate those club ideas. Many times these self-starting active members leave the club when their membership runs out or have their membership cancelled due to the club officer's conflicts. There should be recourse of more control and accountability towards these clearly abusive local staff officers by the very national organizations that give them authority. There is NO “over sight” with these abusive officers.
All this "BIG Brass" of StarFleet Int. and United Federation of Planets are TOTALLY IMPOTENT to intervene in this gross illegal, unethical and wrong membership actions accomplished under the color of StarFleet & UFPI's authority. This is VERY STRANGE AND INCONSISTENT with local club people sending dues money, paperwork and enrolling in classes with these national parent organizations.... WHY ???
It seems that there is no other way to respond to this unethical club leadership matters that being deeply disappointed in how the Star Trek name and ideals seem to be easily corrupted so those petty local club staff individuals can use it to their own selfish ends. I can't see how their staff actions or in-action [locally or nationally] are as they sign their emails, "In service to Gene Roddenberry's dream".
This rampant club member abuse and institutional staff mean spirited corruption brings to mind some ideas on this subject beautifully expressed in TNG's “Drum Head” episode by Patrick Stewart’s character:
“You know there are some words I have known since I was a schoolboy. The first link of the chain is forged with the first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, that chains us all irrevocably. Those words were uttered by Judge Arron Sati as WISDOM and WARNING. The first time anyone’s freedom is trodden on, WE are ALL damaged.”
IF YOU ENJOY STAR TREK, DO NOT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THESE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ALLOW & WILL NOT INTERVENE IN SUCH INSTITUTIONAL STAFF’S HYPOCRISY & MALICIOUS ACTIONS!
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It would seem that things in Star Trek's scifi 20th century future has some major personel problems to address.