Category Archives: Social Commentary

Business, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary, Space, Technology and Society

Soyuz Failure

30 Comments

Yes, I heard, but don’t know details. This should be a precipitating event to accelerate Commercial Crew.

[Update Friday morning]

It was an interesting coincidence that this event occurred in conjunction with the ISPCS, where it was discussed by both SpaceX and Boeing, in response to ASAP concerns.

Neither Mulholland nor Reed suggested that development of their commercial crew vehicle could be accelerated much from their current schedules in response to the Soyuz MS-10 failure, adding they would not cut testing needed to ensure their vehicles’ safety.

“We look at it in terms of, ‘Could I work extra shifts or put extra people on it?’” Mulholland said. “It never crossed our mind to think what could you not do, what scope can you reduce.”

“You have to do the same work. You have to do the right work,” Reed said. “The question is whether there’s a way you can compress that schedule. You don’t look at in terms of cutting out work.”

Silly me, I look at it in terms of are we serious about getting Americans into space on American rockets, or are we not?

Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary

A Never Trumper

14 Comments

…finally grateful for Trump:

A few moments have crystallized my view over the past few days.

The first moment was a remark by a friend. “I’d rather be accused of murder,” he said, “than of sexual assault.” I feel the same way. One can think of excuses for killing a man; none for assaulting a woman. But if that’s true, so is this: Falsely accusing a person of sexual assault is nearly as despicable as sexual assault itself. It inflicts psychic, familial, reputational and professional harms that can last a lifetime. This is nothing to sneer at.

The second moment, connected to the first: “Boo hoo hoo. Brett Kavanaugh is not a victim.” That’s the title of a column in the Los Angeles Times, which suggests that the possibility of Kavanaugh’s innocence is “infinitesimal.” Yet false allegations of rape, while relatively rare, are at least five times as common as false accusations of other types of crime, according to academic literature.

I am sickened by vile people willing to condone an accusation of rape in pursuit of political ends. It’s a horrible thing to do to someone, and it is compounded when people shrug it off as though it’s no big deal, and then criticize someone for their “temperament” when they defend themselves against it.

I would also note that the next murder victim who falsely accuses someone of their murder will be the first.

And this is amazing.

Leland Keyser (Bob Beckel’s ex-wife) told investigators that Monica McLean pressured her to “clarify” her statement that was key evidence against Blasey Ford. McLean’s lawyer is David Laufman. He (DOJ) and Peter Strzok were the two seniors in the softball Hillary interview. What a circle jerk.

[Update later morning]

“I’m an immigrant minority woman who is becoming a Republican over the treatment of Kavanaugh.”

She won’t be the last. I hope we find out in a month that the Democrats are going to reap a whirlwind.

[Afternoon update]

Conservative women are angry. At the Democrats.

[Update mid afternoon]

Women should fear Democrat “champions”:

Claiming most Americans are racist gives Democrats political power over blacks. Of no concern to them is the harm this lie has inflicted on blacks’ happiness and wellbeing. Democrats have sewn up the black vote for the past 50 years and delivered nothing but destruction of their men, their families, and their chances at economic success. Now it is women’s turn for the Democrats’ dysfunctional brand of ‘protection.’

Lucky them.

[Update a while later]

Sorry, first link is there now.