Category: Politics

I don’t feel equipped to write more about this right now, but there have been others whose words I would be happy to share; they are not directly from those affected, but instead are from those of similar backgrounds as me. They are mainly from technology podcasts, which I think others are unlikely to share around. Just listen to the introductions of each, and they provide good viewpoints and resources in their show notes.

Accidental Tech Podcast, Episode 381

Listen to the intro by John Siracusa for a wonderful explanation of why we know police brutality is an issue, and Marco Arment for an impassioned, appropriate response to everything going on.

Connected, Episode 297 and Upgrade, Episode 300

Both provide straightforward introductions addressing everything going on.

Analog(ue), Episode 178

Most of the episode discusses the events going on, with equal parts clarity and disbelief. It was cathartic listening for me, and helped guide a lot of my thoughts. Listen particularly for the “circles of complaining” idea: those more affected than you shouldn’t be burdened with helping you, try to reach further outside for help.

Related to this episode, you can read a brief, well-written post by Casey Liss.

I’m still young, and don’t feel like I know how to process all of this right now, similar to Myke’s reflections on the London Riots you can hear in Analog(ue). I’ll keep trying to go clean up Minneapolis, and support in whatever way I can. Black lives matter, and this country, this world, can do so much better.

It’s hard to form any words that describe the thoughts swirling in my head with regards to the situation in Minneapolis. I can’t deny the selfish thoughts in my head: A week after I come back to Minnesota to be with family for the summer, this all happens. There’s also the privilege I hold that allows me to sit here and process everything from the safety of my home (or even potentially ignore it if I had a mind to.)

There is also the open question of what those protesting are specifically protesting against. It’s difficult to protest against an idea, when the action to be taken is all of society changing. This doesn’t put them in the wrong; people have protested for less, and they have the right to do so. Seeing people marching in the streets is inspiring; I think some people want to ignore it, to demonize them, to believe that somehow the world is past the need for such actions. However, the state of the world, and our country, is despicable and tensions just keep rising.

This is difficult. I can’t begin to effectively pour my heart out to those affected and those actively participating. The words I have are broken and ineffective. Yet, I need to address it directly, even if the address is short and insufficient. On the day this is published, I plan to go down to Minneapolis with a couple friends and help clean up what is leftover from the riots. There are many ways to help the community and to show kindness. It’s something I can do.

This post has very little to do with the Space Force as an entity. I’m mainly interested in describing my experience reading the legislation that formed the Space Force. It was quite the trip, causing me to think about how legislation is written, who reads it, and who checks whether it’s accurately and precisely formed. For reference, this is all pulled from the National Defense Authorization Act (PDF warning).

Continue reading “Space Force – Part 3”

While reading through the National Defense Authorization Act for 2020, which is the act passed by Congress in December 2019 that establishes the United States Space Force, I was struck by how the legislation reads. It is surprisingly straightforward, and also incredibly amusing at times. There is a lot to be said about about legislation which I alluded to in the first post related to the Space Force. But, I will restrain myself here, focusing solely on how the pertinent information in the legislation compares to Space Policy Directive-4, which was discussed last week.

For those interested in reading along, the relevant part of the aforementioned act begins on p. 949 of the PDF linked above (which is p. 902 as labeled in the document.)

Continue reading “Space Force – Part 2”

While researching documents related to the formation of the Space Force, it made the most sense to begin with Space Policy Directive-4. The Space Policy Directives have been a series of executive orders released by President Trump starting in 2017. The first three of these established the desire to return to the moon; discussed regulations of the commercial use of space; and worked through how to approach space traffic management, respectively. The fourth directive establishes the United States Space Force.

Continue reading “Space Force – Part 1”

A year and a half ago, Trump announced his intentions of forming a sixth branch of the US military: the “Space Force”. Just last week, a defense bill was passed that included appropriations and direction for the creation of said branch. This felt like an excellent opportunity to dive back into research mode and figure out what I could using primary sources. So I’ve been spending time digging up memos, executive orders, and legislation related to this process. Over the next month or so I’m planning on writing a few posts discussing how we got here, what the stated intention of the Space Force was, what it sounds like it will be immediately, and what it might become in the future.

Reading these documents is tough and somewhat amusing; it makes you wonder how many words of legislation are never read. The aforementioned defense bill closes in on 4000 pages. But that’s beside the point. The relevant section is actually only about 20 pages, which then makes you wonder how much wiggle room there is. But we’ll get to that.

Of course what I’m going to come up with is probably less useful or accurate as those writing based on insider information, but I have a strong sense that many news reports began as notes taken from a spoken summary in a press briefing, then new reports are written based on the initial ones. In either case, it’s good to be aware of where these documents are accessible, even if reading some parts is an exercise in futility.

Much of the rhetoric that has been pervasive over the past year, and especially with the election of President Trump, is related to how much value society places on qualifications when it comes to hiring and listening to people to help run the government.
Continue reading “Qualifications”