Knowing What Matters

SCIENCE FICTION WRITERS are the coolest, most interesting people on the planet. They usually have a solid scientific background, are well educated in general, and have the creativity and imagination of any good writer. SF writers are perhaps the best people to listen to in terms of talking about the current state of planet earth, homo sapiens, and their mutual probable futures. Usually, its neither all gloom and doom nor all utopia. Its a combination. It was a science fiction writer who pointed out that it really doesn't matter what the U.S. government, and its police state surveillance security monstrosity knows about us; what matters is what they do to us, how they use the info. And the solution to that, as one writer quaintly put it, is to "strip 'em down". Enforce complete and utter transparency on all government activities, national securuty be damned. But of course, we all know, do we not, that this lame alibi of "national interests" and "national security " is all bogus, nothing but a lame alibi for greed, power, and control. That's the line they trot out every damned time: we regretabbly had to do this (drop atom bomb, kill citizens, lie, cheat, steal, etc) because it was in the best interets of, it was vital to the security of, it was absolutely necessary for the prosperity, happiness, and welfare of; our beloved U. S. of A. Like, yeah, right. I am so totally sure. One other thing most science fictoin writers agree on; humanity has achieved remarkable success and progress, and yet stands on the verge of total extinction, which can either be brought about, or avoided, by our own actions.