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Former Astronauts Call Obama NASA Plans "Catastrophic"
krou writes "Talking to the BBC at a private function held at the Royal Society in London, former astronauts Jim Lovell and Eugene Cernan both spoke out about Obama's decision to postpone further moon missions. Lovell claimed that 'it will have catastrophic consequences in our ability to explore space and the spin-offs we get from space technology,' while Cernan noted he was 'disappointed' to have been the last person to land on the moon. Said Cernan: 'I think America has a responsibility to maintain its leadership in technology and its moral leadership ... to seek knowledge. Curiosity's the essence of human existence.' Neil Armstrong, who was also at the event, avoided commenting on the subject."
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Astronaut: "I'm outraged! How will people who achieve nothing other than taking part in one of the greatest international pissing matches in history, paid for with taxpayer money, now be famous?! Not in my day sonny! NOT IN MY DAY!"
I think China should explore space and generate the spinoffs from technology.
Their people are smaller, their country has all the money, and they don't have baby boomers sucking the life out of the means to do anything through which Congress might actually forge agreement.
re: "America has a responsibility to maintain its leadership in technology".--It's over. It's not 1997 anymore.
Game: Player 'Donald J Trump' now has AI skill level 'experimental'.
How about we explore the forests and oceans first. There's lots of scientific knowledge to be gained right here on earth.
We killed everything in there already. That's why we're looking for new life to kill elsewhere.
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
the last person to land on the moon
Gene Cernan was the last person to walk on the moon. He was one of the two last people to land on the moon.
Though if you think about it. If landing on the moon inside a vehicle counts then walking on the moon inside a vehicle should also count, so he is still one of the two last people to walk on the moon.
Neil Armstrong, who was also at the event, avoided commenting on the subject.
True to form.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
Yeah, it's not like Obama's health care has been projected to cost $1 trillion over the next 10 years or anything.
Hope you're ready for a Republican Congress in the fall.
We face no external threats, militarily speaking. It's time for us to discard our empire.
And what "empire" is that exactly? Do you demand we let go of Puerto Rico?
Other than that we have a number of military actions in areas where we are supporting democratic governments - Iraq and Iran - that are not in any way part of a U.S. "empire" (for better or worse).
As for the lack of military threats, I suggest to tell that to the people attacking our military and citizens. Perhaps they will stop once they realize they do not exist.
Buzz Aldrin is a well known gadfly and has little influence compared Jim Lovell, Gene Cernan, and Harrison Schmidt. A substantial majority of American's see Obama's faux plan for what it is, a willful abdication of space leadership. It would be interesting to see the real architects of this proposal (John Holden, Lori Garver) testify before congress. Instead we will get Obama flapping his gums. Good luck with that in Florida!
an ill wind that blows no good
Unfortunately I think they're being serious. Above this exchange they expressed relief that they watch Glenn Beck, and thus are very informed about things.
You're assuming they want peace in the first place. Just as food for thought, here's a (currently quite popular) line from their "faith" :
"We will win, because you love life and we love death"
In their history you will find plenty of victories who embody this principle, where millions of people, muslims and their "enemies" alike (who often did no wrong at all, google "khaybar" for example), were exterminated merely for domination over a land that was immediately transformed, often by that very slaughter, into empty dead desolate ruins. Reading the records of muslim wars can bring one to tears, due to the tactics leading to constant exterminations of muslims and their "enemy" du jour. The mass-sacrifices and bullshit wars that transformed dozens of prosperous nations into the deserts they are today. Before islam, North Africa was the breadbasket of Europe, the middle east was the richest region of the world, with the very highest living standards, and India was a huge empire, that had known almost constant peace for millenia.
Today ... muslims are constantly comitting ethnic cleansing against blacks in a north african sudan, and neighboring countries, countires so poor, even the rich have trouble feeding their babies. The middle east has only a singular richess : bullets and slavery and Pakistan and Bangladesh are known solely for hunger, disease and worse.
There's a reason the middle east is called the "graveyard of empires", and muslims are but the vermin attempting to live of a dead carcas, destroying everything that remains.
The richest people in the U.S. have, on average, shorter lives than those in nations with universal health care. And these people have access not only to the insurance policy of choice, but to the doctors and hospitals of choice as well.
I've decided that I, in a selfless & noble act of self-sacrifice, will accept all your money. I wouldn't want to see you put at risk.
Oh wait, that's what the healthcare plan is for! The government takes all your money and doles it out to other people as the government sees fit.
Ah, economic & social justice/redistribution of wealth! What great concepts. Except, of course, to anyone who might be ambitious enough to accomplish and discover things that might make them wealthy and benefit society. Our society needs to curtail all those greedy over-achievers anyway. /s
There's only one major government program I can think of that I'd consider under-funded and not in desperate need of elimination or drastic cuts, and that's space exploration. Leave it to our corrupt and ideologically-bankrupt Progressive-led government to increase spending astronomically to just about every government program *except* the space program.
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
Whether you're a health care protester, a supreme court judge or an astronaut, saying "no" to Obama simply shows that you are part of an industry-funded AstroTurf protester for hire.
Eh, it's just a rock. Let the Chinks and the Ruskies have it. Mars too. Then, once they finally get off the planet, and take all the niggers and spics with 'em, we can sit back and have a Coke.
This is without a doubt the stupidest pack of leftie lies I have seen modded +5 informative yet. Nothing to show? Saddam dead, Uday and Qusay dead, real elections, No WMD program and no threat of one, Al Qaida denied a possible base (and many killed). Of course it could have, in principle, been done more cheaply. But not by leftie whiners.
No one wants to talk about? It's all you clowns _ever_ want to talk about.
You sir, are proof that any sufficiently loony leftie post is indistinguishable from a troll.
Oh, and "pay for universal health care"? Not a chance. WWIII wouldn't piss away money as fast as that.
I hear this all the time and the generalization is ridiculous. The two dominant parties are obviously not the black and white "polar" opposites the news always talks about, but do you really think the world would be in the position it is today if the SCOUS had seated Gore instead of Bush jr?
~.~
I'm a peripheral visionary.
The richest people in the U.S. have, on average, shorter lives than those in nations with universal health care. And these people have access not only to the insurance policy of choice, but to the doctors and hospitals of choice as well.
I've decided that I, in a selfless & noble act of self-sacrifice, will accept all your money. I wouldn't want to see you put at risk.
Oh wait, that's what the healthcare plan is for! The government takes all your money and doles it out to other people as the government sees fit.
Ah, economic & social justice/redistribution of wealth! What great concepts. Except, of course, to anyone who might be ambitious enough to accomplish and discover things that might make them wealthy and benefit society. Our society needs to curtail all those greedy over-achievers anyway. /s
There's only one major government program I can think of that I'd consider under-funded and not in desperate need of elimination or drastic cuts, and that's space exploration. Leave it to our corrupt and ideologically-bankrupt Progressive-led government to increase spending astronomically to just about every government program *except* the space program.
Strat
How does this post merit a "Troll" mod?
Considering the Progressive-leaning demographics of /. I might understand a "Flamebait" mod, although that's simply disagreeing with mod points instead of being capable of forming a convincing, cogent, and factual refutation.
"Troll" is just plain inaccurate. It's also a failed strategy if the goal was to minimize attention to the post.
Strat
Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
Have you considered applying for James Randi's million dollar challenge?
You'd think they'd be working to improve things, and fake a Mars landing, but heck, they can't even fake finding WMDs. *shrug*
This is totally false. They faked The British finding WMDs and used it as pretext for invasion. I'd say that part was quite well-faked. Since the public will forgive them for not actually finding any WMDs (overwhelmingly, supporters of the war did believe that WMDs were found! among other falsehoods) they don't need to fake it any better than they did.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Former Comptroller General David Walker said years ago (2006ish) that we could stop the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan, cut all waste from Washington, and the entire Pentagon budget, and we'd still be in trouble because of the untenable entitlement programs:
More than half of the 2009 budget went to military spending, past (pensions) and present (bombing Afghanistan, etc.) About the same amount went to current military spending and to social services in toto.
Seeing as David Walker was the nation's top non-partisan accountant, appointed by Reagan, Bush I, and Clinton,
Appointed by a puppet, the antichrist, and a tool. I'm not saying that discredits him, but it does nothing to support him.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Perhaps some actual data is in order ? I mean it's a great claim you make :
They do more than twice as much with less. If we went with something closer to what every other civilized nation on the planet has, we'll cover more people with better care for a decrease in spending.
I hear the same about washing machines on tv. It has about the same amount of truth.