Posted on 07/16/2009 6:02:29 PM PDT by KevinDavis
Apollo was the ultimate strategic gesture of the Cold War. Few people were fooled by the plaque NASA put on the leg of the lunar lander that read: "We came in peace for all mankind."
America went to the moon to achieve a technological and propaganda-laden victory over the USSR. It was one of the decisive moments in the confrontation with communism. In the middle of the Vietnam War, when the U.S. was despised abroad and demoralized at home, the Apollo 11 mission raised the national spirit.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
The moon landing remains one of the most decisive rhetorical symbols for the United States.
It imbued the US with a technological aura that makes all of its technological prowess in military armaments seem to be more than it is. Things like the moon landing do allow Presidents like Reagan to threaten the Soviets with SDI and for Soviets to back away in fear. There is a widespread sensation around the world that America can do anything via technological means.
Its actually rather amazing.
In the middle of the Vietnam War, when the U.S. was despised abroad and demoralized at home, the Apollo 11 mission raised the national spirit.So who in the White House wants to "raise the national spirit"? Some of the kitchen staff, maybe. A lot of the Secret Service, most likely. But they better keep their mouths shut. If the Ayatollah-in-Chief finds out someone under his Divine Guidance wants to "raise the national spirit" he'll have them fired if possible and transferred if not.
The whole PURPOSE of the current administration is to TRAMPLE the American Spirit.
They want to raise the spirits of various dictators around the world... that's the only spirits THEY care about.
Americans... hell... Americans can GO to hell, that's what the Maximum Leader thinks of the "American spirit".
I have a few friends from Russia. They tell me that the moon landings filled russians with awe, fear, and admiration.
They were raised to believe that the soviet union was and always would be the most powerfull and advanced nation on the face of the planet. The realization that Americans really had walked on the moon led to a lot of quiet mourning among the population.
It's time for a change.There's going to be a change, alright.
It's called SURRENDER.
Obama Pledges Cuts in Missile Defense, Space, and Nuclear Weapons Programs
February 29, 2008 :: News
MissileThreat.com
A video has surfaced of Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama talking on his plans for strategic issues such as nuclear weapons and missile defense.
The full text from the video, as released, reads as follows:
Thanks so much for the Caucus4Priorities, for the great work you've been doing. As president, I will end misguided defense policies and stand with Caucus4Priorities in fighting special interests in Washington.
First, I'll stop spending $9 billion a month in Iraq. I'm the only major candidate who opposed this war from the beginning. And as president I will end it.[i.e. not win it]
Second, I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending.
I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.
I will not weaponize space.
I will slow our development of future combat systems.
And I will institute an independent "Defense Priorities Board" to ensure that the Quadrennial Defense Review is not used to justify unnecessary spending.
Third, I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons. To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons; I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material; and I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBMs off hair-trigger alert [they are NOT on "hair-trigger alert" now -etl], and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenals.
You know where I stand. I've fought for open, ethical and accountable government my entire public life. I don't switch positions or make promises that can't be kept. I don't posture on defense policy and I don't take money from federal lobbyists for powerful defense contractors. As president, my sole priority for defense spending will be protecting the American people. Thanks so much.
Article: Obama Pledges Cuts in Missile Defense, Space, and Nuclear Weapons Programs:
http://missilethreat.com/archives/id.7086/detail.asp
"MissileThreat.com is a project of The Claremont Institute devoted to understanding and promoting the requirements for the strategic defense of the United States."
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"I will not weaponize space"
2008 Pentagon Report (March 2008):
China's Growing Military Space Power
By Leonard David
Special Correspondent, SPACE.com
March 6, 2008
GOLDEN, Colorado — A just-released Pentagon report spotlights a growing U.S. military concern that China is developing a multi- dimensional program to limit or prevent the use of space-based assets by its potential adversaries during times of crisis or conflict.
Furthermore, last year's successful test by China of a direct-ascent, anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon to destroy its own defunct weather satellite, the report adds, underscores that country's expansion from the land, air, and sea dimensions of the traditional battlefield into the space and cyber-space domains.
Although China's commercial space program has utility for non- military research, that capability demonstrates space launch and control know-how that have direct military application. Even the Chang'e 1 — the Chinese lunar probe now circling the Moon — is flagged in the report as showcasing China's ability "to conduct complicated space maneuvers — a capability which has broad implications for military counterspace operations."
To read the entire publication [29.67MB/pdf], see U.S. Dept of Defense:
http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/China_Military_Report_08.pdf
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