“Star Wars wouldn’t have prevented this,” Mike Dukakis mentioned.
This was in reference to the surprising September 11, 2001, Al-Qaeda terrorist airplane suicide assaults on New York’s World Commerce Middle.
Star Wars was the identify given to former President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 proposal to construct a high-tech nationwide missile protection system just like the later Iron Dome in Israel.
The reminiscence got here again to me upon witnessing President Donald Trump’s announcement final week of his “Golden Dome” protection defend designed to thrust back missiles launched towards america from wherever on the earth, together with from outer area.
It’s anticipated that this system will price some $500 billion within the upcoming years.
Trump mentioned, “As soon as totally constructed, Golden Dome can be able to intercepting missiles even when they’re launched from the opposite facet of the world, and even when they’re launched from area, and we may have the perfect system ever constructed.”
I used to be with Dukakis, the previous governor and 1988 Democratic candidate for president, at his workplace that day at Northeastern College, the place he taught after he was defeated for president by George H.W. Bush.
I used to be there to choose up the introduction to my guide “Rumpalla: Rummaging By means of Albania” that he had kindly written.
As we sat there with the tv set within the background, the story broke a few aircraft crashing into the North Tower of the World Commerce Middle.
We, like most individuals, thought at first that it was an accident. Then, 17 minutes later, the second aircraft on stay tv struck the South Tower. Some 2,750 folks have been killed
America was underneath assault.
Each planes, out of security-deficient Logan Airport, had been hijacked by Muslim terrorists, and there was nothing excessive tech about it, which led to Dukakis’ remark about Star Wars.
The terrorists use field cutters.
All of the Star Wars expertise might have finished little to forestall the lo-tech hijacking of the 2 different planes that day, one which hit the Pentagon (184 killed) and the opposite that crashed close to Shanksville, Pa., after heroic passengers fought terrorists for management. Forty misplaced their lives.
This isn’t to say that Trump’s Golden Dome will not be needed, with potential missile threats coming from adversaries like Communist China and Russia. It’s.
Recall the lengthy delay in even dealing with the wandering Chinese language spy balloon that made its method throughout America in 2023, gathering intelligence for every week underneath Joe Biden earlier than it was lastly shot down.
If he couldn’t shoot down a Chinese language balloon in a well timed vogue, what would he have finished with a Chinese language missile?
The huge advances in expertise will make the Golden Dome extra environment friendly and protecting than Star Wars, which by no means bought off the bottom within the first place.
However there are nonetheless field cutters round, in addition to 1000’s of terrorists strolling round that Joe Biden waved into the nation.
As well as, by coincidence or by planning, the states that can profit most from the billions the federal government will spend on creating the Golden Dome will go to (shock!) states that Trump carried within the 2024 election.
For sure, high-tech — however anti-Trump — Massachusetts will not be one among them.
Again within the day, these protection contracts would have gone to well-established Massachusetts high-tech protection contractors and firms, irrespective of who was president.
The late Sen. Ted Kennedy and Speaker Tip O’Neil made positive that Massachusetts had a seat on the desk and was effectively represented when it got here to acquiring federal protection contracts.
These days are gone. Sen Elizabeth Warren and Eddie Markey can not even discover the door, not to mention the desk. However Sens. Jim Banks of Indiana and Dan Sullivan of Alaska might
The states that can profit most from the Huge Dome large spending are Alaska, Florida, Georgia and, by far, Indiana, all of which Trump carried in 2024.
Consider it once they say elections have penalties.
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas might be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
