: What about ONI and the rather totalitarian bent of the human government?

: You can get away with a lot when there's a war on and you are facing an
: existential threat. But afterwards?

: Does the Chief go back to murdering dissidents? protestors? people who just
: want to leave? It was a good thing that the innies were so murderous. What
: if they just went on strike? What would ONI do about an innie Gandhi? The
: Chief Keyes-punching the skulls of pacifists :-)

: And what would the new Cortana have to say about it? "The
: give-peace-a-chance choir have locked themselves in the vault to escape
: you Chief. Don't worry: I'll have that door open in a jiffy.

: Has Halsey a better solution to political problems than Spartans?

: I laughed when I read in the first book that Spartans were Halsey's solution
: to starships ramming planets at lightspeed. Does the Spartan run to the
: site of impact and punch the ship back into orbit or does every ship have
: a Spartan in it?

Well, it's like someone pointed out about the Afghan war. If the United States really intended to fight the Taliban, they would have maintained enough of a presence to move special forces throughout the nation. Those special forces would have, in turn, applied what we shall politely call 'selection pressure' on the Taliban until they understand that providing material and moral support to Al Queda is not a trait that evolution selects for. And while we're at it, evolution really abhors this whole sex slave business.

Instead, we decided to rebuild the nation and turn the whole thing into a three trillion, twenty-year jobs program.

The Spartans were intended to apply selection pressure to the Innies. It's not really a great look for the UNSC, but it also really depends on what kind of Innie they were intended to fight. The rebels of Boston in 1776 are quite different from Shining Path or Khmer Rouge.

: As a side note: for the future. I think that all colonies should be started
: with an agreed independence date. Waidaminit! am I accepting the notion
: that you can own people even for a short while?

That whole 'citizenship' thing is tricky.