Coriolis Force (Was: New member)

Andrew Goddard [mailto:a.goddard@...] wrote:

"Ok - just one moment. Why would the police need guns?"

Despite Mr. Logsdon's objections, most of them probably won't. Here on
Earth, we have large segments of our population suffering from the effects
of high population density and low employment opportunities, hence the need
to arm our police.

There will always be some people who run foul of the law, but violent crime
shouldn't be much of a problem in the space habitats. I think the USA has
something like 1% of its population locked up in prisons. I doubt that the
habitats are going to waste a lot of space on prisons. Not when an airlock
is handy to dispose of unwanted garbage.

That aside, we shouldn't assume that a space settlement is going to resemble
an American city with all its little quirks. For one thing, the prevailing
philosophy is liable to be along the lines of Captain John Smith's decree,
"He who does not work, does not eat." People who can't find work cannot
become a burden on the 'citystate' and will probably be deported. (My
personal view -- I could be wrong.)