A new threat has emerged against freedom; the threat from life on Mars:
“Earth’s defences may need to be boosted against risk of potentially deadly microbes returning on space probes”
This represents the greatest threat to democracy since Saddam Hussein. What we need is a full-scale “shock-and-awe” campaign against these dangerous Martians. It’s us or it’s them. No mercy. I say we finally use all of those swell nukes we’ve got. Launch them against the Martian populace and watch them run for the hills. The survivors will damn sure submit. Then we’ll install a liberal democracy there that will be pliant to US policy makers, and friendlier to Israel.
Who knows? the Martians may even welcome our arrival, cheering us as we march through their streets, blasting everything in sight. We will show them true freedom. Perhaps we can even turn these Martians into Christians – exactly the way of which Christ would have approved, of course – at gunpoint.
The best part of it is, the whole bloody campaign pays for itself! All we have to do is extract Martian oil, and we’ll be filthy rich! We’ll get the price of crude down to two bucks a barrel, you’ll see. We’ll turn those Martians into our SLAVES! And what a sweetheart deal we’ll make it for our buddies at Halliburton!
There is the issue of how to drum up public support for all of this, but I think I can suggest a way. Perhaps if we only talk in meaningless abstractions, such as “freedom,” “liberty,” “happiness,” “greatness,” etc., the waters will be too muddy for the average person to object. Besides, most people would rather rent two-star (if that) movies than actually think about what we’re saying.
If anyone objects at home, we’ll use the flag against them. We’ll accuse them of treason, we’ll say that they are conspiring with the enemy, that they are on the side of the Martian terrorists, and that they’re Enemies of America. We will unfurl football-field sized flags, and chant the national anthem as loud as we can to drown their traitorous arguments.
True, people will die, perhaps needlessly, but it’s all for the greater good. You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.