Sixty one years ago today, the Japanese imperial Navy (fundamentalist Shinto extremists) attacked Pearl Harbor.

Thirty years ago today, Apollo XVII, the last Apollo mission, was launched to the Moon.

Here is a little poll for people interested in the space program.

When will the next manned (crewed) lunar launch occur? Who will fund it? Where on the Moon will it land?

I will supply my own opinion.
2009
privately funded
South Pole

Rand, it's my understanding that the Imperial Japanese that ordered and carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor would have been more accurately described as "Japanese nationalists" than "fundamentalist Shinto extremists."

Not to say that Shintoism and a claim to divine justification didn't play a part (they did). However, their attitude might be better compared to that of pan-Arabist nationalists like Gamal Abdel Nasser or Saddam Hussein (both of whom capitalized on religious fervor without necessarily sharing in it) than al Qaeda or Hezbollah.

Incidentally, this parallel would put the lie quite adequately to the specious claim that the danger of al Qaeda demands that we put people like Saddam on the back burner. You don't have to be a religious zealot to be dangerous, and if you've got a state-backed armed force behind you, you're especially dangerous.

Yes, I was being a little facetious.

The genuine fundies tend to be self-limiting in the damage they can do. It's the calculating political types who hijack their bandwagon that really need to be watched.

LOL...OK, forgive my temporary humorlessness; I was off my funny meds. I'm back now!