From the Editors:
We Have A Dream
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,
but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.
Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)
as shown on http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/war/
It is no surprise for us to suggest that we live in challenging times.
The world faces an imminent war led by the USA and its allies, including our own Prime Minister. The cost of such a war, in social, economic and human terms, may be incalculable. (Some may also argue that the cost of not doing something may prove to be similarly incalculable).
As science fiction fans, we have the ability to ask questions and seek alternatives for our world and its future. We may not like all the questions, nor the answers, but surely we are intellectually compelled to ask them.
Imagine a planet in an alternate universe where superpowers did not sell weapons of mass destruction to dictators so that these could be stockpiled to threaten planetary peace.
Imagine a world where a legitimate response to terrorism was not to spend trillions of dollars on killing enemies, but to spend similar amounts on eliminating planetary poverty - thereby eliminating enemies by turning them into friends.
Imagine a world where weapons of mass destruction were universally banned instead of being selectively approved among privileged nations.
Imagine a world where all human rights violations were prosecuted - and it mattered not whether nations were allies of the planet's one remaining superpower - all leaders were held accountable for their atrocities.
Imagine a world where ten million people marched to protest for peace, and the leaders of democratic nations actually listened to their constituents.
Of course, such questions - and their answers - are deliberately simplistic. We feel compelled to ask such questions simply because they deserve to be asked. What do others think?
Valé Columbia - The World's Debt to the Astronauts
The space shuttle disaster was a tragedy for a variety of important reasons that are noteworthy in our troubled times.
The loss of seven astronauts means the loss of seven people who were literally willing to put their lives on the line to extend humanity's search for the future. They were brave people who shall be remembered for their work and for the inspiration they have given to others.
The Columbia crew was a microcosm of humanity: a mix of genders, races and professions (all right - sexuality was not addressed, but NASA's attempt at diversity was a stepping stone). Their lesson is unavoidable: we travel together towards the future and, for better or worse, live or die together.
The space shuttle itself is a symbol of humanity's most triumphant technology - and the loss of a space shuttle, like the Hindenberg or Titanic before it, caused people around the world to pause and take a breath. We have been reminded that our technology, like our wisdom, is still not fail safe.
The space shuttle is a reminder to all forward-thinking peoples that space explorations, and other non-military sciences, are the way ahead for humanity. We must aim for the stars as surely as our distant forebears climbed out of the trees. We reach for the skies because that is where our destiny must lie if we are to survive as a species. (The threat of war most chillingly demonstrates the fact that humanity must not continue to put "all our eggs in one basket" and stay totally Earth-bound). Our survival, our dreams and our quest for knowledge all demand that we continue to reach upwards and outwards.
More immediately, space shuttle astronauts have documented the fast decline of the Amazon rainforest at the hands of those seeking to destroy it. They have photographed the breakup of ice sheets in arctic regions; they have eyewitnessed the atmospheric pollution caused by the American September 11 disaster or the original Gulf War. In travelling outwards, they have allowed humanity to look inwards with renewed eyes - back at our fragile planet. As our scientific pioneers, astronauts have also served as our most eager ambassadors for the environment.
Astronauts have also frequently spoken of the political view of the Earth from space - the fact that, from the heavens, humanity can be seen to share one world, with no visible boundaries of race, gender, sexuality or nationality. None of humanity's petty squabbles can be seen from space: not our economics, politics, nor daily squabbles over prejudice or glory or power. The galaxy around us cares not whether people love or hate each other in their daily lives - but it matters to us.
It is a widely spoken belief that the seven who died aboard Columbia would wish the space program to continue, so that their lives would not have been lost in vain.
We would dare to suggest that the astronauts would wish the world to ponder all of the abovementioned messages from the space program. Such lessons are vitally important as our politicians drag the planet ever closer towards war.
-The Editors