Frank smiled. "Tell me, Senator, your state has a lot of copper mining, doesn't it?" The Senator nodded, and Frank continued, "Then don't you think the UN should be administering these natural resources that belong to all the people of the Earth? Shouldn't the mining companies have to get authorization from the UN to dig that copper? And pay the UN a good portion of the profits?"
The Senator sputtered. "That . . . That's absurd. Those copper deposits lie within the U.S., and we don't need anyone's permission to mine our own property."
"But they're a natural resource of the Earth. Doesn't it follow that they should belong to all the people of the Earth? Including those in Yemen?" Frank waved a hand, "Never mind, Senator, I was simply making a point. If the UN can unilaterally decide that it owns 'all celestial objects in the solar system', why does it not follow that they own the Earth? What's to keep it from deciding that it owns all the copper in the Earth?"
The Senator smiled. "The UN isn't claiming ownership of the planets. It is only making certain that unscrupulous billionaires can't steal celestial bodies that should rightfully be shared by all the world's people."
"Excuse me, Senator," Frank replied, "but that's exactly what it's doing. It's just doing it in the name of the 'people'. That's nothing new, of course. There are dozens of 'peoples' republics' around the world that use the same line. And how many multi-billion dollar U.S. space missions are you going to vote for, if you know that you have to turn anything you find over to the UN?"
The smile turned predatory. "Unlike rogue capitalists, the U.S. government pursues its missions in space for the public good, not for profit."
Frank nodded. "So, if the U.S. established a base on the moon, for instance, and its personnel discovered a large vein of gold, you would not support efforts to mine it for the benefit of the people of the U.S.? Instead, you would be glad to mine it and hand it over to the UN. Is that correct?"
The Senator's smile faded. "Well, of course, if it were found on a U.S. government reservation, we would expect to benefit from such a discovery."
Frank's smile was angelic. "So, Senator, the U.S. government should be able to benefit from any valuables it finds, but private corporations shouldn't?"
The Senator straightened. "Well, yes. National governments and the United Nations exist for the benefit of their citizens, not to fatten some billionaire's wallet!"
Frank's smile remained as he nodded. "Two more questions, Senator. Exactly when was it that you decided to abandon the free-market capitalist system for some sort of socialism? And do your constituents know about it?"
"What! Why, you . . . I'll have you know I'm a pillar of conservatism. Free market capitalism is the only system that has proven to work in the long run! How dare you accuse me of socialist beliefs?"
Frank shrugged, unperturbed. "Quote: 'Celestial bodies should belong to all the people of Earth, not just those wealthy enough to go get one.' Quote: 'The UN isn't claiming ownership of the planets, it is only making certain that unscrupulous billionaires can't steal celestial bodies that should rightfully be shared by all the world's people.' Please explain the free market capitalism reflected in those quotes, Senator."
The Senator reddened. "How dare you! I will not sit here and be insulted by a common criminal!" He got up and stalked off the set.
With minutes left to fill, the host turned to an interview with Frank. "Well, Mr. Weatherly, you obviously do not share the Senator's opinion on the UN resolution. We have two minutes; can you explain your objections?"
Frank smiled. "Of course. I sponsored Man's Hope International in order to promote the exploration and exploitation of space. As I proved, it takes billions of dollars to launch a space enterprise. This resolution removes the only valid motive for investing those billions: profit. Profit has somehow become a dirty word, but profit is the same thing that has driven explorers throughout man's history. If I am going to spend billions on a project, I have a responsibility to my shareholders to make as certain as possible that there is a good possibility of profit at the end of the project. If the UN can seize anything of value that anyone brings back, there is zero possibility of profit, and zero possibility that anyone will be willing to spend those billions, except possibly a few governments for scientific purposes. But man's destiny in space would be destroyed. This resolution guarantees that man would never achieve his destiny, and would die with his worn out planet."
In all his interviews, Frank continually hammered home the same message: This resolution spells the end of serious space development. Unfortunately, the results were mixed. He definitely reached some of those people able to hear his interviews, but there were nearly as many who saw his arguments as a crook trying to protect his loot.
Time was running short. The asteroid would arrive in Earth orbit in less than two months. So, Frank and the rest of the Board of Directors of Man's Hope International decided that extreme measures were called for.
Chapter 13
Frank called Man's Hope before Dolf's scheduled broadcast. The crew had been hearing news broadcasts from all over the world. They had a pretty good idea what was going on, and they were angry. Frank asked Dolf for a couple of minutes of his broadcast time to make an important announcement. Dolf agreed, of course, and the next day, he introduced Frank.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is Frank Weatherly, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Man's Hope International and chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Space International. I have a very important announcement, and I ask for your attention.
"The Boards of Directors of Man's Hope International and Space International are well aware of the resolution recently submitted to the United Nations General Assembly. It is the unanimous opinion of the members of both boards that this resolution directly opposes the achievement of man's destiny in space. We feel that Free Market Capitalism is the mechanism that best supports a healthy growth in space industry. Therefore, in joint session the Boards of Directors of both organizations have adopted the following policy:
"The Eros space station will exist for the benefit of all mankind, and will be available to assist in the goal of the development of man's destiny in space. Since any nation whose representative votes for this resolution will have shown itself an enemy of space development, ships from those nations will be the only ones not welcome to take advantage of Eros. They will not be afforded guidance assistance or computational help, will not be permitted to dock, and will not be able to purchase any supplies or services aboard Eros, unless loss of life appears imminent.
"Should this resolution be adopted, we will resist with all our resources any attempt to enforce UN rule.
"We deeply regret the necessity for this action. However, we feel that the very future of mankind is at stake. We recommend that Earth's governments consult their economic advisors before giving their UN Ambassadors their instructions.
"Thank you for your attention."
***
"Mr. Secretary-General, before we talk, I must tell you that this call is being recorded, and will be rebroadcast, unedited, from Eros. Do you still wish to talk with me?"
"Yes, Mr. Weatherly," the UN Secretary General replied. "It is obvious that you misunderstand the purpose of the resolution you oppose. The UN does not want to take Eros from you. We merely want the right to make certain it is being operated in the best interests of the people of the Earth."
"First, sir, what gives an organization claiming to represent the nations of Earth the right to claim authority over an asteroid far out of Earth's orbit?"
"Sir," The Secretary-General replied, "The resolution establishes all the bodies of this solar system to be the property of the people of Earth."