Oh Great, Another Thing to Worry About

It was not much more than a year ago that everyone on Earth was apprised of the slow spread of the potentially catastrophic bird flu virus. The virus did not mutate and jump to the human species mind you, and most of those people that did die did so because of directly handling dead birds. Still, there was no end to the reports.

When a chicken in Hungary developed a fever, we in northern Michigan were filled in on the matter. It was spreading the globe over. We could expect it any month.

This is not to be confused with global warming, that potentially catastrophic Earth changing event all but guaranteed to drown every person living within 100 miles of any coast, starve every one unfortunate enough not to drown, kill off countless cute furry species, and make Al Gore a mega billionaire if we would only buy enough carbon credits.

And now, as if we mortals did not have enough things to worry about, the UN has decided that the world must together face down the potential destruction of Earth by asteroids.

The international community must work together to tackle the threat of asteroids colliding with Earth, a leading UN scientist says.

Professor Richard Crowther's comments come as a group of space experts called for a co-ordinated science-led response to the asteroid threat.

The Association of Space Explorers (ASE) says missions to intercept asteroids will need global approval.

The UN will meet in February to discuss the issue.

In the ASE report, the group of scientists and former astronauts point to the historical record to highlight the dangers of asteroids; an impact 65 million years ago may have wiped out the dinosaurs, and the Tunguska impact in 1908 produced a 2,000 sq km fire in Siberia, big enough to engulf a city the size of New York.

They say the next major threatening event could occur in less than 20 years. Asteroid Apophis is due to pass close to the Earth and analyses suggest a one in 45,000 chance of a collision.

Anyone that thinks the UN is capable of doing anything about an asteroid colliding with Earth is an idiot. This is the same group that cannot effectively barter medicine for oil without Kojo Annan scoring a Mercedes, and even has great difficulty providing peace keepers to war torn areas without the victims of war also becoming rape victims of the peace keepers. Ya, thats who I want my money on in a crisis.

If the UN wants to spend a fortune developing a workable plan to knock an asteroid out of its orbit it should just write a blank check to the US military. No other entity on this Earth has the capability of undertaking such a task, and no other organization on Earth could even handle that type of money without guaranteeing that a gaggle of bureaucrats with funny accents would become billionaires through embezzlement almost over night.

I think we should keep the UN doing what it is good at--quickly passing strongly worded resolutions against the US and Israel on behalf of third world tyrants, and fixing traffic tickets for diplomats in New York. The money they save on moving violations alone could finance the first mission.