Stardate 20010726.1507 (On Screen): Volcanoes are amazing and dangerous and beautiful things, and no-one controls a volcano, as
mentioned here recently. But maybe, once in a while, it just might be possible to interfere with them a bit. Mount Pinatubo left behind a major crater after its last eruption, and since then it has been filling with rainwater. It's now nearly full and threatens to overflow, but its walls are not strong and once the water starts flowing it will erode and let loose a major flood. This flood can't be prevented, but sometimes if you can choose the place and time for something to happen that can be better than leaving it to chance. What I'm wondering is whether it might be possible to bomb the side of the crater so as to start the flood deliberately in the direction where it would do the least damage, after carefully evacuating everyone who might be in danger from it. Unfortunately, right now the government of the Philippines has other things on its mind and probably isn't up to a decision like this, which would involve deliberately sacrificing some private property. Still, if they were to ask I'm sure the US Navy would be willing to make the attack; a couple of F-18's armed with high power laser-guided bombs could do the job quite nicely, I think. If we can hit bridges with them, we should have no difficulty hitting the side of a mountain.
Sometimes weapons of war can have completely constructive civilian uses. Once a long time ago when I lived in Oregon, I took a driving trip up to British Columbia. After spending a couple of days in Vancouver, I took off driving NE along Canadian Highway #1. I eventually ended up in Banff National Park (a stunningly lovely place) but was puzzled in this one valley I drove through where I saw, about every quarter of a mile, a 30-foot circle of concrete by the side of the road with four big steel studs sticking out. It was driving me nuts because I couldn't figure out what they were for. Then I spotted a park truck stopped next to one of them, so I stopped and asked.
In the winter, after a major snow storm, that area was subject to really killer avalanches and the threat of them kept the highway closed. So after a big snowstorm, the Canadian National Guard would come in hauling a 105 mm howitzer, and they'd fire HE rounds up onto the surrounding slopes to bring the snow down, after which the highway department would plow and open the highway. Those circles are where they mount that gun. That's got to be a lot of fun, you know? I'd love to see film of it. (discuss)
