When I said, “play to your strengths,” I was referring to us being the bad guys, not colonizing other planets. 
Our strenth is our ability to escape into fantasy rather than deal with the ugliness of reality. Space colonies are not going to be a reality. We don’t have the technology to be able to make them sustainable within a budget we can afford. We could change the way we use our planet’s resources, but only at the cost of diminishing our quality of life and/or making ourselves vulnerable should one nation/culture choose to take over where we left off.
You’re right: space colonies just won’t work.
Oh well, dump 'em into the “can’t be done so we have no business trying” bucket, right alongside such other insane flights of fantasy as manned flight, spaceflight, vaccinations, breaking the sound barrier, telephones, personal computers, television, and alternating current.
Not to mention the internet, global communities, and plastic.
–James
You make my point for me.
djm
“Absolutely Bonkers”
by Brenda Sutton, “Three Weird Sisters” on the album
“Rite the First Time”
He said, “Someday some fine mortal man will leap into the sky
Unfurl a pair of home-made wings that will catch the wind and fly
He’ll slip the boundaries of earth and dance on clouds so high!”
The crowd said, “Leonardo, you are crazy!”
Chorus:
Absolutely bonkers, bouncing off those padded walls,
Completely crackers, looney tunes, buh-duh buh-duh buh-duh–that’s all.
The lights are on, nobody’s home, moronic vegetable,
Bet yer bottom dollar, you are crazy!
He said, “Someday we won’t need whale oil or candles in the night,
We’ll flip a switch and fill our homes with incandescent light.
We’ll capture sound on tubes of wax, our likenesses on sight!”
The crowd said, “Thomas Edison, you’re crazy!”
Chorus
She said, “Someday we’ll see women holding office in this land
We’ll speak our minds and cast our votes just like our brothers can.
And someday men will share the load of home and hearth and clan!”
The crowd said, “Sue B. Anthony, you’re crazy!”
Chorus
He said, “Someday we’ll see rockets launching into outer space
We’ll soar beyond earth’s gravity and walk on the moon’s face
And even third world countries will be joining the space race.”
The crowd said, “Robert Goddard, you are crazy!”
Chorus
Well, someday we’ll be terraforming colonies on Mars,
We’ll mine the ore-filled meteors and the sun will fuel our cars.
And my grandkiddies’ kiddies will vacation to the stars.
Oh, go on – make my day and call me crazy!
Absolutely bonkers, bouncing off those padded walls,
Completely crackers, looney tunes, buh-duh buh-duh buh-duh–that’s all.
The lights are on, nobody’s home, moronic vegetable,
Bet yer bottom dollar, I am crazy!
So go on, make my day and call me crazy!
Nay, 'twould be to my sorrow were my hand to be forced on’t.
What I want to know is, if a new race rules the Earth, would I be reincarnated to it? Dunno how I’d like being a cockroach as the Crown of Creation.
That reads like a week of programming from the Discover Channel!!! 
You get a better Discovery Channel than I do. Seems all I can get is “Monster Garage” and “Deadliest Catch”, any more. My attention can be held by only so much cute chopper trickage and ice-encrusted maritime crabbing. sigh
I believe that when the world ends we will not be living on the moon or anywhere else in outer space.
ah - don’t worry, Nano - the last Deadliest Catch was on last night (I missed it, btw - but Sig is my hero!!)
I had put a rather biting, sarcastic post here, when I have deleted.
My apologies to anyone who read it: I have had disturbing news today, and am not quite myself.
–James
I hope things will turn for the better.
I hope so too.
It is very hard to watch your parents get old.
–James
James - sorry for your pain. If you need an “ear”, don’t hesitate to pm or email me…