Rantle

Welcome to Rantle, a blog for thoughtful, measured opinion, and a home for would-be geo-politicians, military strategists and philosophers. Since the Rantler is me, it is only right for me to introduce myself, and to say a word or two about why this blog deserves to take up space in the ethosphere, and about its purpose.

At this writing (late 2005), I am in my mid-seventies. My professional life has been in and around aerospace and nuclear technology, including most importantly work with Strategic Arms Limitation and Nuclear Non-Proliferation. I am a lifelong Democrat – an adherent to President Clinton’s “third way” in which domestic prosperity is best realized through competitive enterprise and education rather than top- down redistribution or laissez faire, and in which national security is best achieved through dialogue and diplomacy rather than preemptive and unilateral intervention.

Now, though long retired, I retain avid interest in matters of geopolitics, aerospace and strategic weapons, and US policies as they apply to these matters. Most of the writings I have chosen to post on this blog can be traced to those interests. But as may befit my advancing years, I am also now more than ever interested in the beauty of life, the wondrous qualities of nature, and the simple rhythms of family and community. Some of my writings speak to those things.

As is the case with most blogs, this one has multiple purposes:

• To serve as a wide open file cabinet for some of my writings. Most of what I have posted has to do with national security, broadly defined, to include defense policy, foreign affairs, and economic policy. My lifelong interest in these matters is traceable to an eclectic professional background including deep involvement in strategic arms control and nuclear non-proliferation.

• To provide a space in the ethosphere for the writings of my friends and relatives, many of whom will have things to say more important than my own meager offerings. I will include writings with views opposed to my own, if only to argue against them.

• To provide a forum for discussion of world events and domestic political developments. I invite all readers to comment on my writings, to offer their own writings for inclusion herein. I intend to have fun with this blog, and hope that those who join me here in this space will come with strong opinions but with a light heart. We cannot hope, alone, to change the world, but it is important for us all to be involved in political dialogue; collectively, we form public opinion, and it is the opinion of an informed public that will shape the future of our America, and of the world.