Category Archives: Political Commentary
Clueless Commenters
As is usually the case, the comments at this Andy Pasztor article on the upcoming changes to the human spaceflight program, are ignorant and often nonsensical (the usual spinoff arguments are employed — one comments corrects another that NASA didn’t invent the microwave oven, only to then claim that it invented Teflon). As is often the case, it’s a stupidly partisan debate, with Obama haters (ironically) defending a bloated government agency. Jim Muncy and Bob Werb try (probably unsuccessfuly) to inject a little sanity.
And I have to say that I really don’t understand all these comments about “outsourcing” to US private industry. The irony of course is that the current plan is to “outsource” all of US human spaceflight after Shuttle to the Russians, indefinitely, and largely because the past five years and many billions were wasted on Ares/Orion instead of providing more incentive to private industry.
A Republican House?
It seems to be becoming consensus that at the current rate, Speaker Pelosi will become Majinority Leader Pelosi in November (assuming that she doesn’t get ousted from leadership, but that would be a likely outcome). Too bad there’s little chance that she’ll lose her seat.
And of course, November is still over nine months away. The Republicans have plenty of time to screw this up.
Now, Amazonquiddick
And the hits just keep on coming:
following on from “Glaciergate”, where the IPCC grossly exaggerated the effects of global warming on Himalayan glaciers – backed by a reference to a WWF report – we now have “Amazongate”, where the IPCC has grossly exaggerated the effects of global warming on the Amazon rain forest.
Considering that they’ve basically admitted that they’ve been hyping and falsifying things for political purposes (as Schneider said they had to do years ago), why should the IPCC have any credibility whatsoever at this point? Time to disband it.
Neocons
There’s a long piece over at Newsweek that, advertently or not, demonstrates the meaninglessness and flexibility of the word. As I’ve often noted, like “fascist,” most people who use it have no idea what it means.
The Revolutions
I saw this on Friday, and it’s a good primer for young (and perhaps even old) leftists (or people who think they’re leftists) unfamiliar with their own intellectual history (not to mention why it’s odious to wear a Che teeshirt).
Sane, Affordable And Sustainable
“Ray” over at Vision Restoration has a development approach to expanding human spaceflight beyond LEO that would actually work, and work within NASA’s constrained budget. Paul Spudis likes it, and has further comments.
Of course, it makes far too much sense to be adopted in Washington. But this is the approach that will be taken privately, regardless of what NASA does.
The Folks At Hillbuzz
…aren’t going to be intimidated by the Chicago thugs.
Delusion
Idiot not-so-savant Robert Gibbs:
WALLACE: You don’t think when they voted for Brown they were voting against Obama policies?
GIBBS: That’s not what they told pollsters, no. People are angry in the country and angry in Massachusetts we haven’t made more question on the economy. Talk about health care — this is something you said is stopping about health-care reform.
WALLACE: He said he was the 41st vote.
GIBBS: 70% of the voters in Massachusetts want him to work with the Democrats on health-care reform.
So, because they want their new Senator to work with the Democrats on health-care reform, they elected a Republican who said he opposed it and would vote against it. Got it.
Who the gods would destroy, they first make mad. Apparently the gods aren’t done with these people.
Losing The WaPo
Even the editorial board is appalled at the fecklessness of the administration on terrorism:
The Obama administration had three options: It could charge him in federal court. It could detain him as an enemy belligerent. Or it could hold him for prolonged questioning and later indict him, ensuring that nothing Mr. Abdulmutallab said during questioning was used against him in court.
It is now clear that the administration did not give serious thought to anything but Door No. 1. This was myopic, irresponsible and potentially dangerous.
Whether to charge terrorism suspects or hold and interrogate them is a judgment call. We originally supported the administration’s decision in the Abdulmutallab case, assuming that it had been made after due consideration. But the decision to try Mr. Abdulmutallab turns out to have resulted not from a deliberative process but as a knee-jerk default to a crime-and-punishment model.
And they’re shocked, shocked.