I also agree with Glenn Reynolds: "Remember when people used to rely on America for this kind of thing?"
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Author: Jimmy Akin
Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."
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Hi Jimmy,
Interesting story. However, given the competence of communist governments, the “kick” provided may be just enough to put Apophis into the keyhole. Remember the triumph of Chinese high speed rail which our president keeps trumpeting.
Misleading headline (in link)?
I can’t find anything in the body of the original article to suggest that this solar sail proposal is a plan by the Chinese government. Some scientists (who happen to be in China) have suggested a method which can be used by anyone with the resources and will. They use Apophis as an example to illustrate their method.
given the competence of communist governments
Anyone who feels that way should stop using any Chinese-made components in their PC, cellphone, TV and almost anything with electronics in it, since so many parts come from the so-called Peoples Republic of China. They should only rely on good old US capitalist know-how which caused the global financial crisis we now have.
I’m not trying to start a flame war – I’m just saying that no country or system has a monopoly of incompetence, especially when you add greed and power. One should not underestimate China.
The Communist Soviet Union was first to put a satellite into orbit and the first to put a man into space. These events startled the US into action and made taxpayers more willing to fund the US space program.
I doubt that this could be replicated today. I doubt that most US taxpayers would be willing to fund a modern-day project to save the world even if the majority of scientists said there was a clear and present danger – too many would believe conspiracy theorists who said it was all a hoax to increase taxation.
I can’t believe I’ve been going for years withuot knowing that.