Posted on 05/12/2007 6:53:15 AM PDT by theothercheek
When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip visited Goddard Space Flight Center, they dropped in on mission control to listen to an exchange between British-born NASA astronaut C. Michael Foale and the three astronauts aboard the international space station, and later toured an exhibit with British astronaut Piers Sellers, who explained how a spacesuit's life-support system operates. The Washington Post reports that Prince Philip inquired, "What do you do about natural functions?" and "the astronaut gave a discreet answer."
Not only this is the most unoriginal question the Prince could have thought to ask, but it is rather rude as well. No one asks him or his wife about their bodily functions, so why does he think this is a proper question to ask someone else? Instead of sending a platoon of protocol advisers to our shores to teach us bumpkins how to behave, the advisors would have done better to concern themselves with how the Royal Consort who is clearly the product of inbreeding behaved.
NOTE: See also: "G-d Save (Us From) The Queen" (second item, The Daily Blade).
One would think most 5th graders know the answer to this.
This sort of tripe is not News. There is a reason we have a blogger/personal area
This author would be no fun to go partying with!
It may be “rude” but it’s the first question everyone has about spacesuits. At least he wasn’t afraid to ask.
Ugh. The Stiletto just went down in my estimation. What a bitter, pointless rant.
after a while all that inbreeding comes back to bite you.
How about a brick?
Given the media treatment of our president, attempting to portray him as some sort of ill-mannered bumpkin in comparison to the British royal couple, I beg to differ.
Who appointed you hall monitor, MNJohnnie?
It’s the most common question asked to astronauts. They’re used to it.
Do you know how many protocol advisors the Brits sent over to prevent any of the non-royal masses the Queen and Consort were forced to mingle amongst from asking them a question like that? I never thought I’d be in a postion to defend Nancy Pelosi, but the MSM made a big deal over her uncouth “gaffe” at sticking her hand out to shake the Queen’s hand, before her “royal” high-and-mightiness had offered her had to be shaken. What BS! Pelosi acted like a friendly, forthright American over whom no mortal being is sovereign (no matter how deluded they are about their bloodline being superior to anyone else’s). I think the point of this post is that the Queen and her husband think they are better than us, and he ends up asking the most hackneyed, obvious question there is - which proves they are no better than us.
Idiotic premise, idiotic article.
Sheesh.
The case of former astronaut Lisa Nowak revealed the truth about NASA’s solution for bodily functions.......Britains first-Husband apparently missed the story.
But did he wink when he asked?
I don’t think it’s pointless at all. The point is (and the second link at the end of the post sets the context) that we fought a revolution to rid ourselves of royalty. Then when the Queen visits us, she insists on pointless standards of behavior and protocol which only apply if you are her subject. We are Americans. We bow before no one and we answer only to G-d. That’s one of the main reasons I am so very, very, very glad to be an American.
Oh well, different stroke ...
Why was this pointless piece of nastiness posted on FR? Who cares about an elderly foreigner’s knowlege of the space program?
Actually, I am surprised that fifth graders are doing so well considering how coursework has become steadlily less rigorous over the years, and is steadily being replaced with liberal dogma (i.e., instead of learning astronomy, they now watch Al Gore’s movie).
It’s not what he knows or doesn’t know. It’s the assumption that Americans are boors who need lessons in manners from advisors sent over from London - haven’t you been reading about all this in the WaPo? - and the he goes and asks a question that no one would have dared to ask HIM. Out of politeness - and maybe after being instructed by a protocol officer not to (who knows?) I guess what’s sauce for the royal gander is not sauce for the hoi-polloi masses.
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