Previous Politech message: http://www.politechbot.com/2005/06/10/request-for-help/ -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [Politech] Request for help from reader: Government urges to control new technologies? [econ] Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 14:54:36 -0500 From: Jim Davidson <davidson@private> To: andrewh@private, declan@private Dear Andrew, One of the sectors of the economy where control not only over information and individual behavior, but also over the rate and extent of progress is the space technology sector, especially as it relates to space launch systems. Lately, satellite launch systems have been joined by a number of entrepreneurial start-ups in the area of space tourism - passenger launches - so the topic may be especially timely. Some of the factors involved: 1. Patenting launch system technology is a very difficult process for inventors. To gain what little protection the patent system provides, an inventor must submit a useful description of the technique or technology. In the area of launch systems (also known as missiles) the Defense Department steals patented technology from inventors, in my view, by classifying it out from under them. This behavior has a chilling effect on inventions, reduces the number of successful inventors in the area, reduces disclosure of data on the ideas which the patent system is supposed to encourage, and otherwise makes a hash of private property. I believe, and for various reasons, that inventions by individual inventors has been frequently turned over by the Defense Department to their favorite defense contractor companies for use in innovative new systems. So, the benefit of inventiveness which is supposed (by the constitution for the united States of America) to be secured to the inventor for a period of years is transferred, by classification and conversion to defense contractors, to companies which have, at best, a talent only at obtaining corruptly allocated contracts (and technology) - in my view. 2. Military technology is controlled by varoius governmental agencies and regimes. Export of such technology is forbidden. So, Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites have designed a nifty new space launch system for Virgin Galactic. Those designs are not allowed to be shown to the British subjects who have paid for them, not even to Sir Richard Branson - someone who is hardly a security risk - due to the technology export regime. Such nutty behavior has a chilling effect on the development of advanced passenger launch systems. 3. Regulatory excess has thwarted the efforts of entrepreneurs like Bob Truax, Bob Citron, Gary Hudson, David Hannah, Jr., Bevin McKinney, Jim Bennett, Burt Rutan, and a host of others, including myself. In 1991 I was arrested while attempting to put an American on the Mir space station. In 2001, Walt Anderson's dreams of selling trips to Mir to wealthy tourists like Dennis Tito were crushed by a concerted diplomatic and contract-extortion effort to get the Russian government to destroy Mir. Walt has subsequently been accused of tax fraud and has been in prison pending trial. There is a pattern now stretching back many decades of government agencies, including NASA, treating space as their own particular fiefdom and attacking, even to the point of assaulting or killing, various entrepreneurs seeking to find a way around their idiocies. It seems to be a matter of public record that space entrepreneur and inventor Gerald Bull was assassinated by the Israeli secret police agency, the Mossad, for trying to build his super-gun satellite launch system in Iraq during the period when the USA was supporting Iraq against Iran (1980s time frame). I don't think Mr. Bull's death was an isolated incident. There is rather a lot of information available on this topic. Best wishes to you on your researches and academic success. Regards, Jim Davidson, Rice MBA '87 http://indomitus.net/ _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/)
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