From: utzoo!decvax!decwrl!sun!megatest!fortune!hpda!hplabs!hao!seismo!harpo!eagle!mhtsa!alice!rabbit!wolit
Newsgroups: net.space
Title: ABM-Star Wars
Article-I.D.: rabbit.1360
Posted: Thu Apr 21 21:26:41 1983
Received: Fri Apr 29 01:44:08 1983

Jim Johnston reiterates a point made by Henry Spencer, among others,
namely that ideas which were once considered technologically
impossible are feasible and even commonplace today.  Of course, this
is true.  It is also a good argument for continued funding of basic
research, which I support.  It is NOT a good idea, however, to throw
huge amounts of money at a project that is currently, on good
evidence, unfeasible.  When Edison invented the light bulb, the
government did not respond by supplying him with a large fraction of
the Gross National Product.  It certainly did not do so BEFORE he had
a working model, let alone at a time when the best evidence was that
light bulbs were impossible.  Also, light bulbs are a good idea;
there is still considerable doubt that a working ABM system would be.

	Jan Wolitzky