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"The 1988 U.S. letter clearly states that the United States has the right to use its elements ... for national security purposes, as we define them" said Marcia Smith, a space policy expert at the Congressional Research Service - a research arm of the U.S. Congress.

We have a government that "occasionally" has felt superior to most other countries, and considers their U.S. citizens stupid enough not to be able to handle the "truth" because they almost always seem to have a hidden agenda. But let us look at the agenda, shall we?

First of all, if you want to know where our tax dollars are going, let us take a peek at the latter part of 2002, when the TRW received approximately $21.3 million dollars from the Air Force Research Laboratory in order to develop an "electrically powered solid-state laser". And folks, this was not to grill hot dogs and marshmallows in outer space while enjoying the star-studded view. It was part of the Joint High-Power Solid-State Laser program that had targeted a goal for its laser demonstration by the end of 2004. The government and NASA, because we sure cannot enter space with a laser gun without launching, has by now many irons in the piesurveillance, weather, communications, global navigation spacecraft, and gathering intelligence.

So it comes to no surprise to any of us that the year 2003 was planned for the Joint-High Power Solid State Laser Project with its objective as an acceleration of its demonstration for an initial weapon grade power levela two year goal for 25LW with a gradual increase to 100LW in another two yearswith the 100KW device capable of shooting targets as cruise missiles.

In the years 2006 and 2007, the Army alone has budgeted $22 million for a solid-state laser weapons system demonstrator for the Joint High Power SSL, yet we are continuously criticizing other countries "in the name of democracy" for their dangerous weapons of war. We obviously have removed the word hypocrite from the United States dictionaries, or maybe gave them another meaning. Who knows?

Anyway, we are starting to realize there is a very fine line between the government, NASA, and the Department of Defenseall severely draining the finances of the United States in the name of "the terrorists might get us". And the average good ol' Joe is totally unable to prove it any different, even though he may know it is a crock or there is another story behind the scene. Totally defenseless, he will just have to sit back and watch.

There have been recent advances in sold state laser, with other High Energy Laser (HEL) technology of weapons. The stage has been set for the development of the Army tactical laser weapon capability for the "Objective Force"including counter-air munitions defense and the military airborne electro-optical sensor countermeasures. According to GlobalSecurity.org, HEL systems are nothing to sneeze at:

*Defeat-in Flight Projectilesrockets, artillery, mortars, anti-tank guided missiles, rocket propelled grenades, and man-portable surface-to-air missiles.
*Ultra-precision Strike with little to no collateral damage.
*Disruption of Electro-Optical (EO) and Infra-Red (IR) sensors
*Neutralizing mines and other ordinance (especially improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a stand-off distance.
*Expected to complement conventional offensive and defensive weapons at a lower cost-per-shot than what is currently available.

Learn more about this author, Nancy L. Young-Houser.
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