Sci-Fi Deviate Thinkers Fight War On Terror

This makes utter sense to me: declaring ‘war’ on semantic concepts like terror is already a total fantasy. Looking to prevent the next terrorist attack, the Homeland Security Department is tapping into the wild imaginations of a group of self-described “deviant” thinkers: science-fiction writers…. The writers make up a group called Sigma, which Andrews put […]

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This makes utter sense to me: declaring 'war' on semantic concepts like terror is already a total fantasy.

Looking to prevent the next terrorist attack, the Homeland Security Department is tapping into the wild imaginations of a group of self-described "deviant" thinkers: science-fiction writers....

The writers make up a group called Sigma, which Andrews put together 15 years ago to advise government officials. The last time the group gathered was in the late 1990s, when members met with government scientists to discuss what a post-nuclear age might look like, says group member Greg Bear. He has written 30 sci-fi books, including the best seller Darwin's Radio.

Now, the Homeland Security Department is calling on the group to help with the government's latest top mission of combating terrorism.

A spokesman Homeland Security then goes on to talk about science fiction's remarkably prescient history predicting the future. He points out that almost every aspect of our modern life — the flying cars zooming through our skies, the Marilyn Monrobots vacuuming our apartments naked, even our thirty year space war with the evil Xenu and his terrible galactic empire — were all described with complete precision over fifty years ago.

Essentially, it's a group of sci-fi writers feeling important by sitting around and having a game of make believe on Homeland Security's dime. That's awesome, and as far as I'm concerned a fine application of tax money (really), but ridiculous none the less.

Sci-fi writers join war on terror [USA Today]