UH SPOILERS Harrington family history

PeterZ wrote:

cthia wrote:
1) Hasn't that ship already sailed? What happened on Old Earth with the research and the Final Wars has already impacted the entire galaxy.

-It created a Code to deal with the fallout.

-It created a card carrying meat-cleaver against that code.

-It created a racial divide of subjugates created by the "ethics" of a meat cleaver. Subjugates who arguably have no identity.

-A slew of card carrying dissidents spurned by the meat cleaver.

-Racism and prejudices from causes and effects of that racial divide caused by the meat cleaver.

-And just maybe many more unseen perturbations in the puddle dropped by a huge pill in the ocean of mankind.

2) Well, no they can't. Because they are not yet privy to the arrogance and stupidity. But it wouldn't remain that way. If the Malign manages to shoot themselves in the proverbial foot, the pain won't necessarily remain in their extremity, it may come home to mother Earth and the rest of the galaxy to roost, where then it may be much too late to close Pandora's box. That would not be the ideal time, or the ideal way, to find out about it.

You are arguing that the results of Final War justify whatever measures were taken to address those results. Nonsense. As David states, the code was interpreted more extremely than the originators envisioned. That means the code by definition has been degraded from its original intent. Regardless of the rationalization of those that hijacked the original Code, the current interpretation is closer to the original intent than the actual interpretation by SL legal thinkers and the Solly person in the street.

All this is to say, the Code as currently interpreted, is ripe for a comprehensive review. The results of which will likely approximate the current GMA and GA thought.

cthia wrote:Solely as a bit-o-humor.

In the Bible, man was not to partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge.

But! Hard headed man partakes of the damned fruit anyway. Fast forward into the malignant future. What does man decide to do? He throws caution to the wind, cross pollinates the seeds of the original tree of good and evil to produce an even bigger tree with more dangerous fruit. And then he proceeds to gobble up the whole damn bushel. What a handful is man.

I suppose we can blame a woman for this one too. Detweiler's wife should have slapped him upside his damn head. Only a strong woman can stem the tide of a raging lunatic considering insane plans like... well... trying to kill off Honor. LOL

Joat42 wrote:

cthia wrote:..snip..
Many of us don't want a nuclear power plant in our own state or even a few states over, even now.

I do hope you don't live near any coal power plants then, because they actually emit radioactive isotopes continually. It's even worse if you live near a coal processing plant - they collectively in the US emit many hundreds of tons of uranium every year.

I'm not saying that nuclear power doesn't has it's problems, but there are other things that are worse that are swept under the rug.

To get back to the question of genetically bettering humanity, if it is done carefully and implemented for everyone it's unlikely you will get the problem with an "upper class" of citizens who believe they are better.

I understand why Beowulf overreacted because I know people in general are illogical creatures who don't take the time to think things through just because something bad happened and they feel the need to fix it NOW! Which only makes me understand Leonard Detweilers frustration better, because I too hate idiotic emotional knee jerk reactions from people.

And the thing about this worlds nuclear power and the final war super-soldiers in Honorverse is that their existence is due to the same exact cause. Power, preferably military.

The basis for most of the types of nuclear plants in use are twofold:

1. Produce energy
2. Produce isotopes than can be used in atomic weapons

The point is that unless we as humanity have the mental fortitude to stop the corruption of benign technologies for amassing power; whether it is military or political, we will see them used against people, again and again.

Technology in itself isn't evil, just how some sometimes use it.

Slneezy wrote:

cthia wrote:As long as we consider that treecats are a sentient species much like two-legs in many respects. I think a lot of people sell them short. I seriously doubt that the correct mods are the be all and end all of bonding. The two-leg has to have the proper complement to go along with, such as the correct personality traits as well. I seriously doubt Pavel Young would have been bondable even if he had the perfect mods.

That's an interesting avenue for speculation.

What do treecats like in people? I mean Firebrand got adopted.

Could there be a treecat who'd like a Detweiler? Would Saint Just's methods of dealing with enemies earned him some grudging treecat approval? Is there a 'cat out there that would have been open to pushing papers with Innokentiy Kolokoltsov? Would a treecat have overlooked Gustav VI's habit of talking to rose bushes?

From what I remember 7 out of 9 Manticoran monarchs were after the first treecats slid their way into the royal family and treecats seem to be open to bonding with a wide variety of people.

cthia wrote:Can you imagine the woes of Honor and the universe at large if Pavel Young would have become bonded? First off, I don't even wish to consider the type of cat that would find him tasty. The video snippet, IINM, did impart the notion that rogue treecats was not a fantasy. At any rate, Pavel Young was "hell on wheels" as we say. Can you imagine what he would have become if a cat sat atop his head who agrees with his disposition? What a copper-plated Ransom of a dynamic duo they'd be. I can imagine the treecat might begin to look rabid. Frothing at the mouth, coat unkempt, fat, lazy and hated by all other cats. Threatened by Nimitz.

I can't even imagine the name of a treecat that would bond with a Pavel Young. Any of the Youngins, for that matter. Oh I know. "Skunk!"

Hey, we were cheated. We could have had...

The Battle of Skunk and Stinker.

Slneezy wrote:

cthia wrote:Can you imagine the woes of Honor and the universe at large if Pavel Young would have become bonded? First off, I don't even wish to consider the type of cat that would find him tasty. The video snippet, IINM, did impart the notion that rogue treecats was not a fantasy. At any rate, Pavel Young was "hell on wheels" as we say. Can you imagine what he would have become if a cat sat atop his head who agrees with his disposition? What a copper-plated Ransom of a dynamic duo they'd be. I can imagine the treecat might begin to look rabid. Frothing at the mouth, coat unkempt, fat, lazy and hated by all other cats. Threatened by Nimitz.

I can't even imagine the name of a treecat that would bond with a Pavel Young. Any of the Youngins, for that matter. Oh I know. "Skunk!"

Hey, we were cheated. We could have had...

The Battle of Skunk and Stinker.

Hahaha...

More seriously though Pavel Young is probably the least likely person in the galaxy to bond to a treecat.

Denver Summervale could probably bond with a somewhat sociopathic treecat.

Pavel though... he's just so roundly cowardly, incompetent and useless that it is hard to believe any 'cat would tolerate him. The only thing made Pavel tolerate himself is his lack of introspection (until it was too late - he seemed to start figuring out how just how empty of a life he's lived was when his own brother gave him a cold shoulder at the dueling grounds).

Maybe in that moment of insight he'd be tolerable enough for a treecat... but by then it would be too late.

His father on the other hand might have been a more resonable candidate for 'cat adoption. Sure he's entitled - but also not retarded by his entitlement.