Budget Would
Weaponize Space

Congress will soon be voting on the military budget, perhaps as early as next week. In this budget are Cold War weapons such as the F-22 fighter plane, attack submarines and more aircraft carriers, none of them needed in the so-called War on Terror. Also included is the Space Test Bed, which would put space-based weapons into orbit for missile defense. These weapons would be more effective for attacking satellites than for missile defense and would be setting a dangerous precedent

The United States should be working to update the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which prohibits the weaponization of space, not flouting it. Congress turned down funding for the Space Test Bed in FY2007 and 2008. It should be encouraged to do this again as well as not funding Cold War weapons, which only enrich the military/industrial complex. This funding would be better used for alternative energy, which would also give more job opportunities, one of the rationales for keeping these outdated programs.

Valerie Mullen

Chelsea

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