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From: Dale.Amon@FAS.RI.CMU.EDU
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: L5
Message-ID: <8601130748.AA14147@s1-b.arpa>
Date: Mon, 13-Jan-86 03:47:21 EST
Article-I.D.: s1-b.8601130748.AA14147
Posted: Mon Jan 13 03:47:21 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 14-Jan-86 05:42:53 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
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I am getting rather tired of both SDI and attempts to link SDI stands to L5.
As a former regional board member and the chairman of the 1987 conference, I
have been in the middle of the policy making for sometime. And the official
L5 stand on SDI is to have no stand on SDI. We are for COLONIZING space.
That is our issue, and all is secondary.

Members have every shade of opinion on SDI and other topics that are
imaginable, and we have been given (at one time or another) 'threats' or
'ultimatums' to go pro or con. It is not the wish of our membership to
polarize on an issue that is of very short term interest in the total
history of the human race. Whether SDI is built or not built around one
small planet will be something known only to a few specialist scholars 1000
years from now. True, it has a great deal of short term impact, and there
are groups on both sides of the fence on this issue. So there are L5 members
who are also members of High Frontier or of STARS.

If you can't stand being around people who won't always agree with you, then
L5 is not an organization for you. Our members are opinionated and vocal
about every subject under (or over) the sun. I would say there are probably
more pro-SDI members than not, but that is also true of the general public
(when asked if they agree that we should have defense against ICBM's, rather
than being asked if they like the loaded name "STAR WARS"). But even at that,
there is a great deal of unity among those who are pro and those who are
anti that we are all basically friends with minor short range disagreements
to liven up evenings at the local pub, and that it is silly to let such
minor details get in the way of building for an infinite future among the
stars.

SO:
	A) I'm tired of the subject, I've read everything I'm going to read
	   about it and I've made up my own mind based on reams of data,
	   a small fortune in books, hundreds of magazine articles and
	   many scientific papers.
	   I also have heard absolutely NO new arguments on the subject in
	   the last 6-8 months.
	B) L5 does not, and will not take a stand on SDI. PERIOD. ENDOFLINE