Bob Zimmerman debuts over at American Greatness with a cry to strike while the iron is hot.
Category Archives: Social Commentary
Soyuz Failure
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?
The Battle Of Brett Kavanaugh
Was it the high-water mark of the new civil war for “the Resistance”? I’d like to think so, but I think they’re perfectly capable of getting more vicious.
Winston Churchill And Scott Kelly
We haven’t all gone insane, but a lot of us seem to be.
I have to say, though, that I’ve been pretty unimpressed with Kelly’s political acument and judgment. He should stick to astronautics. I would also note that the demands of the howling left that he do a struggle session is Maoist.
Rick Searfoss
Rest in peace, and ad astra.
Rick was one of the earliest NASA astronauts to recognize the value and potential of commercial human spaceflight. RIP to a great and literally inspiring guy. https://t.co/lEFeR4JfMD
— Rand Simberg (@Rand_Simberg) October 9, 2018
Unfortunately, I’m still stuck in FL, and won’t be able to attend the service on Friday in Tehachapi.
A Never Trumper
…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.
Ford’s Behavior
…is a disgrace to sexual-assault survivors.
The Democrats have squandered the #MeToo movement, the same way they set back sexual-harassment policy in the 90s with their disgraceful defense of the rapist Bill Clinton.
Grievance Studies
…and the corruption of scholarship.
I’ve been surprised to see criticism of this from academics in the hard sciences, like Sean Carroll.
Just Take The Vote
Ford’s story is falling apart, and she is bereft of credibility at this point.
She was not well served by the Democrats, but Democrats never treat people well. They threw her into the breach, and I’m sure they consider her expendable.
[Late-morning update]
How bad has the media bias been? So bad that even Morning Joe is calling them out on it.
[Update early afternoon]
Jonah Goldberg: You idiot reporters are making it worse. Or better, depending on your point of view. If this results in a red wave, I’ll thank them.
Ford’s Credibility
She refused to turn her therapy notes, which are key evidence, to the Judiciary Committee:
Now, I totally understand why someone would not want to turn over therapist records that undoubtedly discuss intimate details of one’s life. But if you are in the process of derailing a Supreme Court nominee based on otherwise unsubstantiated allegations of sexual misconduct thirty-six years ago, and in that process giving the nominee a reputation as a rapist, it seems to me you have the moral obligation to either turn over all relevant evidence, or withdraw your allegation. In the absence of that evidence and any corroboration beyond her say-so, if I were a Senator I would ignore the allegations.
Also, they would be part of a serious FBI investigation.
The story has fallen apart, and now they’re saying he lied about drinking beer.
[Update later morning]
Why sexual-assault survivors should be furious at the Democrats.
[Update a few minutes later]
This reminds me of the 90s when, after making progress against sexual harassment in the workplace, the Democrats and feminists threw it all overboard in order to defend Bill Clinton. In this case, they just destroyed the #MeToo movement.