Articles written by Robert Williscroft - Page 2

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About me - Robert Williscroft

I served 23 years in the U.S. Navy and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). I commenced my service as an enlisted nuclear Submarine Sonar Technician, was selected for the Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program, and graduated from

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Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Will Iraq ever form a legitimate government?: 2 of 27
After we took Baghdad, there was a lot of discussion about what kind of government we should establish. As you know by now, we gave the Iraqis a Parliamentary constitution. At that time, I joined the debate, arguing for another kind of constitution - one more like ours. Here is what I wrote then. Judge for yourself whether o... More..
Sciences > Astronomy Explaining our fascination with space travel: 1 of 13
The two space shuttle disasters caused a lot of people to stop and reconsider America's space effort. We are expending a great deal of money for the privilege of watching a few individuals spend a limited number of hours in orbit around this planet. What's it all about? Why are we doing this? What is the benefit? There are p... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Thoughts on God What is your understanding of God?: 10 of 120
I came out of a Christian Pentecostal background. As a young man I genuinely believed the doctrinal precepts with which I was raised, and planned to enter the ministry. Nevertheless, my minister parents encouraged me to explore my world. I was bright and read widely, consuming seven or eight books a week from the age of eigh... More..
Sciences > Astronomy Could there be life on other planets?: 4 of 43
Go with me on this one for a while... Imagine a great civilization long ago somewhere in the universe - far from Earth, far from our Solar System. Imagine a thriving people filling a planet with themselves and their products - and their waste. Picture a teeming world, overflowing with everything that is familiar to us on our... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War & Peace Where is the current threat: An overview of the conflicts and crises of the new millenium: 2 of 20
Here is the next face of international terrorism. On Nov. 17, 1995, at 10:20 p.m., Lufthansa Flight 405 and British Airways Flight 226 were flying 30 to 40 miles apart on parallel paths towards Europe, having just taken off from Kennedy International Airport. Suddenly, without warning an object moving in the opposite directi... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory Global War: What if America's enemies attacked the US?: 1 of 10
General George S. Patton once said a soldier should not strive to die for his country, but rather should "...make the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." What is war? Why do we fight them? Is "civilized war" a meaningful concept? Can we realistically fight a war within a set of arbitrary rules? Over the course of n... More..
Sciences > Ecology & Environment The alternative energy source with the most potential: 4 of 39
Where does usable energy on this planet come from? Three sources, actually. As our planet compressed during its formative stages it generated a lot of heat that is now stored inside the earth. We see evidence of this as not very useful volcanoes, and as very useful geothermal heat sources. Radioactive materials that make up ... More..
Education > Educational Philosophy Thoughts on teachers: 5 of 45
Education in America is an acknowledged disaster with no simple solution. There are, however, several avenues that hold real promise. One obvious way to produce excellence is to start with excellence. We need to capture for the teaching profession those competent minds that now turn to science and industry for employment. If... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values The encroachment of the public on personal privacy: 2 of 18
In 1949 George Orwell published 1984, a book that has come to represent the essence of a draconian, bureaucratic socialist police state in the person of "Big Brother." As we have ridden a technology wave into the twenty-first century, a large part of our private lives - some even say our individual freedoms - has been subsum... More..
Politics, News & Issues > People in the News Reactions to Alexander Litvinenko's mysterious death: 1 of 9
According to a FOX News report yesterday, April 23, 2007, Scotland Yard detectives are preparing to issue arrest warrants against three former KGB officers suspected of poisoning Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. This brings to mind again the question: What is Polonium, exactly? Polonium is a naturally occurring element (Pol... More..