Profile: Jerry Pournelle

Larry Niven. [Source: Larry Niven]A group of science fiction writers calling themselves SIGMA is engaged in advising the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on how to protect the nation. Undersecretary of Science and Technology Jay Cohen says he likes their unconventional thinking. Two of the approximately 24 members are right-wing libertarian authors Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, who have collaborated on a number of books as well as writing numerous novels and short stories on their own. One of Niven’s more controversial ideas is to help hospitals stem financial losses by spreading rumors in Spanish within the Latino community that emergency rooms are killing patients in order to harvest their organs for transplants. Niven believes the rumors would discourage Latinos from using the nation’s emergency rooms and thus ease the burden on hospitals. “The problem [of hospitals going broke] is hugely exaggerated by illegal aliens who aren’t going to pay for anything anyway,” Niven says. Pournelle asks, somewhat jokingly, “Do you know how politically incorrect you are?” Niven replies, “I know it may not be possible to use this solution, but it does work.” [National Defense Magazine, 2/28/2008] One blogger, apparently angered by Niven’s proposal, later writes that Niven’s idea comes from his “magical, mystical fictional universe where hospitals don’t have to treat rednecks who OD on meth, insurance companies aren’t inflating the cost of hospital care, under-regulated drug companies aren’t making massive profits, and uninsured children of hardworking parents don’t fall off skateboards.” [Mark Frauenfelder, 3/28/2008]