Apollo 11 Moon Landing Anniversary

The following is an excerpt from chapter 5 in Counterterrorism and Cybersecurity: Total Information Awareness (3rd ed. 2024 Edition)

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11?landed on the moon when an estimated 600 million people around the world were watching on live television. Astronaut Neil Armstrong?climbed down the Eagle’s ladder and proclaimed: “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Each and everyone on Earth can make one small step, which will cumulatively result in a giant leap for mankind towards world peace.

2014 Nobel Peace Prize?recipient Kailash Satyarthi?of India?said in his acceptance speeches in Oslo, Norway: “I refuse to accept that the world is so poor when just one week of military expenditures can bring all children to classrooms.”

The enormous amount of financial resources and creative energy that nations have spent on wars and weapons could have been redirected to curing deadly diseases, feeding the hungry, eliminating poverty, promoting art and culture, investing in renewable clean energy, and solving a host of other important challenges facing humanity.

In October 2014, Todd Harrison?of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments?estimated that the annual bill for U.S. military operations alone would range from $4 billion to $22 billion, which amounted to $11 million to $60 million a day on average.

Activist and commentator Sally Kohn?gave us a perspective on the better use of money when she analyzed in January 2015 what $889 million could buy: “559,119,496 meals for the homeless?— equal to 916 meals for every homeless person in America for one year; 19,525 new teachers for New York City public school students — or 24,170 new teachers in Birmingham, Alabama; 15,180 entry-level psychologists?at Veterans Administration hospitals; or clean water?for 29,633,333 people around the globe;” and so on.

For a $22 billion annual military spending, we multiply the list of numbers by a factor of nearly 25: “13.8 billion meals for the homeless; half a million new teachers; a third of a million psychologists; or clean water for two third of a billion people in the world.”

Shortly after the annexation of Crimea, Russian President Vladimir Putin?briefly digressed from politics and told his audience at the 15th Congress of the Russian Geographical Society?on November 7, 2014: “The meaning of our whole life and existence is love. It is love for the family, for the children, for the motherland. This is a multifaceted phenomenon; it lies at heart of any of our behaviors.”

However, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine?in February 2022 was a huge miscalculation by Putin as he failed to account for Ukrainians’ love for their family, for their children, and for their motherland.

Martin Luther King, Jr.?once said that “love?is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” On September 7, 1964, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson?ominously declared in the “Peace Little Girl (Daisy)”?political ad that “We must either love each other, or we must die.”

On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins?walked on the moon and left behind a plaque that reads, “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the moon. July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind.”

What will the extraterrestrials?expect to see when they come visit Earth?

Reviews and Praise

“The book presents a crisp narrative on cyberattacks and how to protect against these attacks. … The author views terrorism as a disease that may be cured through education and communication. … The book is a relevant, useful, and genial mix of history, current times, practical advice, and policy goals.”

- Brad Reid, ACM Computing Reviews

“Very professional and well researched.”

- Eleanor Clift, Newsweek and The Daily Beast

“I would fully recommend following the author's steps, reaching beyond our borders, making friends outside our norm, and helping to foster world peace and a better tomorrow.”

- Veteran Staff Sergeant Andrew Price, U.S. Air Force

“I commend the author for putting together such a useful and informative book. I rate the book 5 out of 5 stars. The fight against terrorism and ensuring cybersecurity is not the duty of just the government or security agents alone; each individual has a role to play. The book is exceptionally well edited.”

- Ebere Writes Concept, OnlineBookClub.org

"The book demystifies the Total Information Awareness (TIA) program. Lee's Counterterrorism and Cybersecurity is a must-read page turner infused with knowledge and wisdom that challenges our beliefs and opens our mind to a more peaceful high-tech world."

- Sweta Bose, Cyber Security News

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