[WalterBright]

> I'm firmly on the side that says the lit side of the moon should be left untouched from here on out

I'm firmly opposed to your proposal. Having lit cities on the moon does not impinge in any way life on earth.

Are you also firmly opposed to airplanes?

[jfactorial]

I'm opposed to airplanes flying in the airspace of a country whose people have outlawed them for whatever reason.

Do you propose any one group can have the right to put whatever they want into the sky of every human on Earth?

> does not impinge in any way life on earth

A good portion of the life on Earth looks up at the Moon, often with magnification. Treating it like a nature preserve would be a gift to all posterity and they would praise us for it. Treating it like another resource to harveest will ultimately mean covering it in colonies and forever changing the face of an astral body that has remained virtually untouched for all of our species' history. Presuming to utilize it for industry or colonization is so short sighted a view I can't believe anyone harbors the thought.