Satellites in the Sky

George Clooney, actor and activist for Sudan (previously noted here) brings George Orwell's Big Brother to a new level, perhaps not envisioned even since certain reactions to Lt. General Daniel O. Graham's High Frontier.

The Satellite Sentinel Project, "combines satellite imagery analysis and field reports with Google's Map Maker technology to deter the resumption of war between North and South Sudan. The project provides an early warning system to deter mass atrocities by focusing world attention and generating rapid responses on human rights and human security concerns.
This project is the result of an unprecedented collaboration between Not On Our Watch, Google, the Enough Project, the United Nations UNITAR Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT), the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, and Trellon, LLC."

Also, the Satellite Sentinel Project has been provided seed money by Not On Our Watch -- co-founded by other Hollywood luminaries besides Clooney (including Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, David Pressman, and Jerry Weintraub).

Cost projections, compared to those of SDI/High Frontier back in its days of infamy seem practically, modest.

In an exclusive interview with ABC's Jake Tapper today, Mr. Clooney noted that:

The project, which will cost $750,000 to run, is a cost-effective way to prevent violence, instead of “putting Band-Aids on a wound after the wound has been inflicted.”

Interesting, generally positive reaction in the context of President Eisenhower’s efforts in support of a UN surveillance system (in 1960!) as well as further information regarding the project from Patrick Philippe Meier's iRevolution blog can be found here.

Perhaps it is time to give SDI and High Frontier a closer, fairer look, once more, also?