sw@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (Stuart Warmink) (04/01/89)
In article <7787@pyr.gatech.EDU>, ccoprmd@pyr.gatech.EDU (Matthew T. DeLuca) writes: > [...] > As to who the aliens would contact...well, where would the best place be? I > would vote for the United States, because (1) by almost any standard, we are > the most advanced nation on earth, [...] I think you are lucky that usually postings to sci.space are restricted to the USA, otherwise you would soon be buried in flames by a lot of Europeans and Japanese, and quite a few other nationalities too. Canadians are probably too polite to even comment on your statement, :-), but it really bugs me... I can't believe that attitude, it usually goes hand-in-hand with "the USA is the only real free country in the world", etc.... Contrary to popular opinion, people can (and do) say anything they like (without resorting to libel and slander, of course) in quite a few other countries around the world. I suppose any further discusions in this vein should be restricted to sci.politics or whatever; I don't read those groups anyway. |-O -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "PENTAGON OFFICIALS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT | Stuart Warmink, Whippany, NJ, USA AN ANTIMATTER SHORTAGE" ("WHAT'S NEW") | sw@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (att!cbnewsl!sw) -----------> My opinions are not necessarily those of my employer <-----------
ccoprmd@pyr.gatech.EDU (Matthew T. DeLuca) (04/02/89)
In article <368@cbnewsl.ATT.COM> sw@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (Stuart Warmink) writes: >In article <7787@pyr.gatech.EDU>, ccoprmd@pyr.gatech.EDU (Matthew T. DeLuca) writes: >> [...] >> As to who the aliens would contact...well, where would the best place be? I >> would vote for the United States, because (1) by almost any standard, we are >> the most advanced nation on earth, [...] > >I think you are lucky that usually postings to sci.space are restricted >to the USA, otherwise you would soon be buried in flames by a lot of >Europeans and Japanese, and quite a few other nationalities too. >Canadians are probably too polite to even comment on your statement, :-), >but it really bugs me... (Much drivel deleted) I stand by my statement. I did not say that the U.S. was the greatest nation on earth, or the freest, just that we are the most advanced. And we are. Like I said in a previous posting, we have the largest infrastructure of any nation (this includes roads, bridges, dams, power distribution systems...), we are the overall most technologically capable nation (yes, every nation has its strong points, and many nations are better at things than the U.S., but overall, the U.S. is still on top (although not for long, if we don't do something)), and we have a damn fine political system, to boot (not to say that it's perfect...). I say this to make a simple observation, not to denigrate other nations; I dislike American ethnocentrism quite a bit, and try not to indulge in it myself (except in the case of France, whose government I have serious differences with). But don't confuse simple facts with chauvinism, okay? -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Matthew DeLuca : Georgia Institute of Technology : Remember, wherever you go, there you are. ARPA: ccoprmd@pyr.gatech.edu :
holroyd@dinl.uucp (kevin w. holroyd) (04/04/89)
In article <7805@pyr.gatech.EDU> ccoprmd@pyr.UUCP (Matthew T. DeLuca) writes: | stuff deleted |I stand by my statement. I did not say that the U.S. was the greatest nation |on earth, or the freest, just that we are the most advanced. And we are. |Like I said in a previous posting, we have the largest infrastructure of any |nation (this includes roads, bridges, dams, power distribution systems...), |we are the overall most technologically capable nation (yes, every nation |has its strong points, and many nations are better at things than the U.S., |but overall, the U.S. is still on top (although not for long, if we don't |do something)), and we have a damn fine political system, to boot (not to |say that it's perfect...). I say this to make a simple observation, not |to denigrate other nations; I dislike American ethnocentrism quite a bit, |and try not to indulge in it myself (except in the case of France, whose |government I have serious differences with). But don't confuse simple facts |with chauvinism, okay? On the other hand, maybe the aliens would view the nation with the most numerous launch facilities/number of objects in orbit as the most advanced. That leaves us (U.S.) on the primitive list again doesn't it??? ;^) -- ******************************************************************************* Kevin W. Holroyd * CFI Aspen Flying Club * Got tired of last .signature file Denver CO. * *******************************************************************************
ccoprmd@pyr.gatech.EDU (Matthew T. DeLuca) (04/05/89)
In article <884@dinl.mmc.UUCP> holroyd@dinl.UUCP (kevin w. holroyd) writes: > >On the other hand, maybe the aliens would view the nation with the most >numerous launch facilities/number of objects in orbit as the most advanced. >That leaves us (U.S.) on the primitive list again doesn't it??? ;^) Could be. In a 1983 National Geographic, the ratio of U.S. operating spacecraft to Soviet operating spacecraft was something like 1.6:1. I would assume that this ratio has changed (presumably for the worse). Anyone know what the count is now? I wouldn't say it puts us on the primitive list, but if that's their standard, we're definitely second fiddle. -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Matthew DeLuca : Georgia Institute of Technology : Remember, wherever you go, there you are. ARPA: ccoprmd@pyr.gatech.edu :