If we have it, and rely on it, then we should also accept the consequences: "President Bush has ordered plans for temporarily disabling the U.S. network of global positioning satellites during a national crisis to prevent terrorists from using the navigational technology, the White House said Wednesday.

The GPS system is vital to commercial aviation and marine shipping.

The president also instructed the Defense Department to develop plans to disable, in certain areas, an enemy's access to the U.S. navigational satellites and to similar systems operated by others. The European Union is developing a $4.8 billion program, called Galileo.


The military increasingly uses GPS technology to move troops across large areas and direct bombs and missiles. Any government-ordered shutdown or jamming of the GPS satellites would be done in ways to limit disruptions to navigation and related systems outside the affected area, the White House said."

If they can't use, then we can't use it. Sure, troops, planes and boats rely on it, but what about the ever increasing use of GPS in consumer navigation products? In the event of an emergency, having one of these (working!) might be a huge help to get around ground disasters.