On a 3-D printer.
This will be a very disruptive technology, with a lot of implications for space development.
Don’t Just Do Something
Stand there. My thoughts on yesterday’s tragic events, and the predictable reactions to them.
[Update a few minutes later]
“You can almost hear the disappointment on the left that he was a pot head rather than a Tea Partyer.”
“Almost hear” it? Hell, it’s palpable.
[Update later morning]
Two sicknesses on display on Arizona.
[Update a few minutes later]
A colossal failure of journalism. In other words, business as usual.
[Update a couple minutes later]
In defense of inflamed rhetoric:
For as long as I’ve been alive, crosshairs and bull’s-eyes have been an accepted part of the graphical lexicon when it comes to political debates. Such “inflammatory” words as targeting, attacking, destroying, blasting, crushing, burying, knee-capping, and others have similarly guided political thought and action. Not once have the use of these images or words tempted me or anybody else I know to kill. I’ve listened to, read—and even written!—vicious attacks on government without reaching for my gun. I’ve even gotten angry, for goodness’ sake, without coming close to assassinating a politician or a judge.
From what I can tell, I’m not an outlier. Only the tiniest handful of people—most of whom are already behind bars, in psychiatric institutions, or on psycho-meds—can be driven to kill by political whispers or shouts. Asking us to forever hold our tongues lest we awake their deeper demons infantilizes and neuters us and makes politicians no safer.
Well, actually, it may make politicians somewhat safer, but I’m not sure that the safety of politicians should be the highest priority goal. Partly because infantilizing and neutering us is what it’s all about for many politicians and their media enablers.
Overreaction
I think that the Republicans are bending too far over backwards over this:
“All legislation currently scheduled to be considered by the House of Representatives next week is being postponed so that we can take whatever actions may be necessary in light of today’s tragedy,” said House majority leader Eric Cantor in a statement.
The House was scheduled to vote on a repeal of Obamacare this week.
What “actions” would those be? Resurrecting her from her sickbed? So, if she’d come down with the flu, or got stuck in a blizzard, they’d postpone a vote for one representative? Of the other party? I hope this pays off politically, because from a precedent and policy standpoint, it’s really dumb. It’s senseless to me to shut down the entire House because it’s missing one out of 435 members.
Space Implications Of The Giffords Shooting
Alan Boyle discusses the impact on the space program, and policy going forward. I don’t think if will have much effect on policy given that she is now in the minority, but I hadn’t considered the implications for whether or not Kelly will fly this spring. But in retrospect, it’s obviously a major issue.
A Star Trek Fan Survey
Virginia Postrel needs some data for a book she’s working on.
Best Wishes ToRIPSpeedy Recovery, Rep. Giffords
This is horrible:
Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot along with three of her aides by a gunman Saturday morning outside a grocery store in Tucson while holding a public event, Fox News has confirmed.
Twelve others were shot as well at Giffords’ “Your Corner” event held at Safeway. The gunman is in custody.
Sounds like it may have been an assassination attempt. I doubt it was over space policy, though. I hope it’s not as serious as it sounds. I’m kind of surprised that a gunman could shoot twelve people in Tucson without being shot himself — at least when I lived there, over thirty years ago, a lot of people open carried, in holsters.
[Update a couple minutes later]
NPR is no reporting that she was killed, with six others. My deepest condolences to her friends and family. I had deep disagreements with her on policy, and hoped for her electoral defeat, but this should not happen in a republic.
Of course, expect that “violent” Tea Party to be blamed in 3…2…1…
[Update a few more minutes later]
More over at Hot Air. The reporting still seems to be confused, but Fox News has also confirmed that she is dead.
[Update a couple minutes later]
OK, now Fox is saying alive but in critical condition. I guess we just have to wait a while for the fog of events to clear.
[Update a while later]
Out of surgery and “responsive” (which beats the alternative, I guess). Condolences to friends and family of those who didn’t survive.
Sanity In Sacramento?
A bi-partisan bill to cap state employee pensions? Let’s hope.
The “Highjackers Of Islam”
Who are they, really?
For years, we’ve heard how the peaceful religion of Islam has been hijacked by extremists.
What if it’s the other way around? Worse, what if the peaceful hijackers are losing their bid to take over the religion?
We need to nurture the apostates, but we can’t pretend they aren’t apostates. We are at war with Islam, whether we like it or not. Or to put it another way, we may not be interested in Islam, but Islam is definitely interested in us. And Israel has absolutely nothing to do with it, other than being on the front lines in the war.
“A Uniquely Vicious Form Of Corruption”
That’s what ObamaCare is.
[Update a few minutes later]
The House has voted to repeal, with four Democrat votes. Now Harry Reid will be on the hot seat.
[Update a while later]
In 2010, the Democrats passed ObamaCare by a 7 vote margin. In 2011, the Republicans passed the bill to repeal ObamaCare with a 55 vote margin.
In each case, one side of the vote was bi-partisan. In both cases, the bi-partisan vote was against ObamaCare.
That’s because we had to pass the bill to find out what was in it. Though technically, I think that there was one Republican vote for ObamaCare (Cao).
Borrowed Time For TSA?
Let’s hope so. I think that Mica is going to clean house.