Warp Speedster

An ironically named committee is being assembled to conquer the new corona virus.

What is warp speed? There is the science fiction concept first introduced by John F. Campbell in his novel from 1931, Islands of Space, as a technique for traveling faster than light. Then there is Einstein’s theory of special relativity, which, upon casual interpretation indicates that matter (having mass) cannot travel at the speed of light. It would require an infinite amount of energy. So here we have a metaphor for the current administration’s embrace of science fiction.

This seems almost whimsical but, in the full mix of activity, we must remember some of this is deadly serious.

What about bombing poor people? The US supports the Saudis in their cruel, clumsy and criminal war in Yemen. Apparently we have “plausible deniability” for contributing to one of the worlds worst humanitarian crises. Weapons supplied by American companies and authorized by the US government have been used recklessly to kill thousands of impoverished civilians. The Saudi military is a vanity force, a mile wide and an inch deep. With American planes and bombs, training, refueling, and targeting assistance, the Saudis are stuck in an endless war. It has not turned out well for anyone.

The Saudi royals are incompetent, effete fools. They excel at killing civilians. Reported by the NYT: “Year after year, the bombs fell — on wedding tents, funeral halls, fishing boats and a school bus, killing thousands of civilians and helping turn Yemen into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Weapons supplied by American companies, approved by American officials, allowed Saudi Arabia to pursue the reckless campaign.”

In 2017 bipartisan members of Congress attempted to freeze support for the Saudi action in Yemen. This poses a problem for the mercenaries in the White House so the president vetoed three congressional resolutions which would have curtailed support for the war in Yemen.

The NYT uncovered a memo from Trade Advisor, Peter Navarro, to son-in-law Jared Kushner titled “Trump Mideast arms sales deal in extreme jeopardy, job losses imminent.” This view of the world puts sales dollars ahead of everything. Of course, Raytheon Corp. has a lot at stake in this and indeed having its chief lobbyist, Mark Esper, as Defense Secretary helps. A State Department Inspector General who was investigating the emergency declaration to overcome a congressional ban on weapons sales to the Saudis was just fired.

The Iron Triangle is fully operational.