Bush's Mars Plan Attacked - It's just pie in the sky to the foreign press.

Slate ^ | January 20, 2004 | Carl Schrag

[Cincinatus' Wife]

(AFP/Tim Sloan)

Can anybody be surprised that most of the world's papers were less than impressed by President Bush's plans for a manned mission to Mars? While the thrill of interplanetary exploration makes for a hot election-year topic at home, much of the foreign press saw it as rocket-fueled American imperialism.

Characterizing a roundup of United Arab Emirates residents' views on Bush's latest policy announcement, the Gulf News said, "[P]resident Bush is promising the moon—quite literally—but people are skeptical about the plan being realized, and call it just another 'political gimmick' designed to uphold US supremacy and resume the space race."

Other voices in the Middle East were less charitable. The Palestinian Authority's Al-Hayat Al-Jadidah practically sneered: "The U.S. is preparing for the invasion of Mars and other planets. ... What are the other planets chosen for the US invasion? Are they an axis of planetary evil?" (Arabic translation courtesy of BBC Monitoring.)

Ridicule of Bush's plans wasn't limited to the Arab world. A columnist in the Age of Australia envisioned the day, not too far in the future, when American astronauts will traverse the rusty red rockscape—"so our scientists will be able to verify the existence of Martian rocks." As for the tremendous price tag affixed to the project? Not to worry. If it doesn't get spent on travel to Mars, it'll go for bombs and freeways, not education and health care. And what tangible impact will such an undertaking have on the future of the world? "A human trip to Mars is about as useful as a surfing trip to the Dandenongs."

[MrsEmmaPeel]

'political gimmick' designed to uphold US supremacy and resume the space race."

No, its a bid to find new neighbors, because our current crop of them are a bunch of short-sighted snot nose twits. And if we end up living on the Moon or Mars while the Earth is blown to bits by the IslamoFascists because the IslamoFascists have been cuddled and protected by our short-sighted snot nosed twit neighbors, at least the quality section of the human race will have survived.

[Terpfen]

I haven't the impressive list of innovative inventions that have come from space exploration and the science to get there. If someone has it, I wish they would post it.

http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/spinoffs2.htm. It's amazing what a quick search on Google will accomplish, eh?

[Stallone]

Socialism - The Politics of Envy

Islam - The Religion of Envy

Democrats - The Party of Envy

[taxed2death]

Hoss, the Mars rover is in fact.....a robot.

Sending a human to Mars is a waste of tax payer money.

Plain and simple.

GWB is spending money faster than Ex-Mayor Marion Barry in a DC crack house....

[RightWingAtheist]

VOMIT COMET alert!

[MrsEmmaPeel]

Sending a human to Mars is a waste of tax payer money.

No it isn't. Most of the money stays on the ground in the form of jobs. A tiny percentage is actually launched into space.

I for one would rather spend money on a massive public works project of this kind -- which pays engineers salaries than say paying people not to grow crops.

[demlosers]

Wow.

Do we have fembots? I'd like to get an estimate on a fembot.

Description:

the 304 model is used in all three worlds, appearing as saloon girls, serving wenches, and others. (there are also male models available)

Their primary purpose is to provide pleasure. some are programmed to play hard to get while others are pure sluts, with each personality being altered to the guests advancements.

While they are not "performing" they are serving guests, dancing and flirting. Physical appearances will range from "cute" to drop dead gorgeous.

These Models are also not equipped for any form of combat roles, they will either run from a fight or "die" trying

[Prime Choice]

Funny, but I don't recall the European press having any criticism when Mamoud Zahar of Hamas stated that the goal of Islam was to have the Islamic flag raised across the universe.

[RightWhale]

much of the foreign press saw it as rocket-fueled American imperialism.

That's right. They view America as even further ahead in space as in ocean and sea exploration. They are afraid America will get out there and pick off the plums. So they coerce America into signing treaties that offer no advantage at all to America: nothing for something. There is not a country on earth that can stop America if America settles on a goal. Earth is not worth the trouble, but space could be if America wills it so.

[Terpfen]

Actual European image released today.

Looks fake. Computer graphics fake, even.

[RightWhale]

are 90% of journalists dumber than a sack of hammers?

They are smart enough. But they are called 'journalists' because their memory lasts about a day. If it happened today, it's hot.

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" No it isn't. Most of the money stays on the ground in the form of jobs"

A pertinent fact lost on the naysayers.They apparently think we just fill rockets with money and launch them into the atmosphere.

[rdb3]

Don't sweat it, folks. Just remember that cynics know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

[KevinDavis]

Space Ping! This is the space ping list! Let me know if you want on or off this list!

[Mr. Mojo]

"Pie-in-the-sky" my tokhes. The Euros are envious beyond comprehension, and are just plain dead tired of being embarrassed by a far superior intellectual, moral, scientific, and military power.

[KevinDavis]

Bingo!

[orionblamblam]

>Sending a human to Mars is a waste of tax payer money.

Sending *A* human, sure. But sending many humans, and building up the transportation infrastructure to amke it a common occurance, will be the single most important event in, not just human history, but the history of life in this solar system.


> GWB is spending money faster than Ex-Mayor Marion Barry in a DC crack house....

That may well be, but he's not spending it thus on the Moon/Mars program. That funding is coming from within NASA's budget; it's simply a re-organization of the budget to give some focus to NASA.

[sam_paine]

will be the single most important event in, not just human history, but the history of life in this solar system.

Nah. That event already happened. It was whatever cataclysm motivated the Martians to move here in the first place.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!