Star Wars In Space?

I was an early and vocal proponent of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) and was a part of the Project High Frontier Speakers Bureau in the 1980s. "Star Wars" (as its opponents typically describe it) made sense and should be a policy priority for our nation. Fortunately, Ronald Reagan agreed and we won the war against the Soviets without firing a single shot. How? Because SDI created a level of doubt in the Soviets that their weapons would not be effective. Furthermore, the US grew its offensive weapon arsenal as well at that time and changed geopolitical landscape.

We have seen SDI technology work before. Such defense systems were used by the US in Israel during the first Gulf War and successfully knocked off Soviet SCUD missiles used by Iraq. Fast forward to today and the technology, against, appears poised to come to the rescue.

What seems like the thesis of a sci-fi movie, the US is moving as quickly as possible to respond a satellite moving quickly towards crashing into earth. The vehicle appears to have toxins that could create an environmental hazard if it hits the ground. With SDI, this satellite will likely be destroyed and its debris will burn up as it enters the earth's atmosphere. It is great to see this technology used in a very important and peaceful way. Furthermore, I kind of like the warning shot such technology will provide towards potential enemies. Just one more reason to be grateful for the Reagan years.

Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (M-F at 11 AM on CNN 650) and Publisher of the Houston Business Review. Hear the show live and online at HoustonBusinessShow.com. Visit the archive of past shows here.

Why We Haven't Seen Another September 11th

People have wondered why we have no had another incident like September 11th. Sure, we have your occasional anthrax scare or ad hoc group making plans, but we haven't seen anything like September 11th. It isn't because our enemies lack the resources or the resolve, they simply have better memories than many Americans.

They remember how the US was like a Sleeping Giant that abruptly woke up and immediately went to war in Afghanistan. They remember how Saddam Hussein and his regime was held accountable for violating terms of the conclusion of the last Gulf War.

Our troops are "over there" and our enemies want us "over here." The Islamic Fascist know that another September 11th will do nothing to reach that objective, knowing America's ability to respond.

An example of this is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a man who was behind September 11th and focused extensively on the West in his terrorist activities. That was the case until 2003, in which he moved his focus to fighting in Iraq and is believed to be the man who killed Daniel Pearl. Others in the al Qaeda movement made similar moves back to the Middle East.

My view is simple. I want this war fought by well trained volunteer adults in the Middle East, not by families and little children at school in the Midwest.

Let's keep the war over there in an effort to keep it away from here.