Posted on 07/22/2011 3:31:25 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
So, four hours after the Atlantis astronauts land, Sen. Bill Nelson sends out a big, weepy "Help me pay tribute" plea.
You could almost feel his lip quiver.
"As we welcome home Atlantis and her crew," he blubbers, "we recognize that though our shuttle program is over, our space program must live on. ... Many of our dedicated space shuttle workers throughout the country face uncertain job prospects ... We owe them for a job well done. ... We owe it to them to continue exploring outer space. ... Click here to sign an online thank-you card to all of NASA's shuttle astronauts and employees who contributed to the success of the program."
Oh, please.
Isn't this all coming a tad late, Senator? Seems to me we "owe" our space shuttle workers more than a smarmy group kiss led by Candidate Disappointment panning for votes.
[SNIP -- She takes him apart limb by limb]
The bottom line for me is, when an elected official knows the fight is right, when the stakes are as high as they are right now on Florida's Space Coast, and when Bill Nelson has more power than anyone else to fight and win, he owes his constituents all he's got. Nothing less.
I keep remembering the courage of Sen. Barry Goldwater way back when. Like him or not, agree with him or not, this was a senator with the guts to buck his party and his president. Goldwater, dead against America recognizing "Red China" and at odds with President Richard Nixon over at least half a dozen issues, made a very public, very deliberate, absolutely unforgettable statement to radio and television reporters about the president of the United States.
Said Goldwater tersely, "As far as I'm concerned, Nixon can go to China and stay there."
The bottom line for me is, when an elected official knows the fight is right, when the stakes are as high as they are right now on Florida's Space Coast, and when he has more power than anyone else to win the fight, he owes his constituents all he's got. Nothing less.
In a long-ago interview, Bill Nelson told me that his favorite book was John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage" -- stories of senators who risked their careers to say and do the right thing. "Reading that book was one of the great inspirations in my life," he said.
What a shame it didn't give him the inspiration to cross the president, to go to the wall for the Space Coast? The senator said the right words. It's the deeds we waited for that never came. Read entire OpEd
Russia declares 'era of Soyuz' after shuttle
Gov. Rick Perry issued the following statement on the final landing of NASA's Shuttle Atlantis:
"Forty-two years ago yesterday, America captured the world's imagination by putting a man on the moon, highlighting an era of excellence in space exploration. Unfortunately, with the final landing of the Shuttle Atlantis and no indication of plans for future missions, this administration has set a significantly different milestone by shutting down our nation's legacy of leadership in human spaceflight and exploration, leaving American astronauts with no alternative but to hitchhike into space.
"The Obama Administration continues to lead federal agencies and programs astray, this time forcing NASA away from its original purpose of space exploration, and ignoring its groundbreaking past and enormous future potential. It is time to restore NASA to its core purpose of manned space exploration, and to define our vision for 21st Century space exploration, not in terms of what we cannot do, but instead in terms of what we will do."
Houston is home to the Johnson Space Center (JSC), which was established in 1961 as the Manned Spacecraft Center, and renamed in honor of President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973. JSC is home to NASA's astronaut corps, and is the principal training site for space shuttle crews and International Space Station Expedition crews from the U.S. and our space station partner nations. JSC's civil service workforce consists of about 3,000 employees, the majority of whom are professional engineers and scientists. About 50 companies provide more than 12,000 contract personnel who support operations at JSC. An estimated 4,000 contract positions will be lost due to the end of the shuttle program. JSC is currently working with its contractors to try to repurpose these positions.<<<
Nice shot of ISS in this 3:30 Rick Perry ad. Time for Perry
Bill Nelson is a horrible Senator.
He’s been in his position for quite some time and the ONLY thing I can remember him EVER doing is slimming his way on to a shuttle flight.
Hopefully he will get his walking papers come this next election.
Keep a close eye on this guy and this company:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rnJczmLixs&feature=player_embedded
Bill Nelson is a horrible Senator.
I always thought he was somehow related to Forrest Gump.
Elon Musk [SpaceX] along with Ariana Huffington [Post] co-hosted a huge inaugural bash for Barack Obama. NASA's national space program was canceled and now it's "commercial." Since receiving tax money to fund his "commercial" rocket, Elon Musk [SpaceX] has held $3500 a pop fundraiser functions for Obama's re-election.
We're all watching it.
It's called crony capitalism.
Letter: >>>>>HUNTINGTON BEACH, Dan Johancsik: Even though I remain a Republican, I can appreciate a Democrat with a sense of commitment and vision. I remember President John Kennedy's famous speech challenging Americans to walk on the moon and how it filled me with reverence for this great country of ours. I also remember working in aerospace here in California (the hub of the industry) when management brought in TV for us to watch the space shuttle launch and landing. I also remember the cheer that went up when that mission had been accomplished.
So much for all that.
Now aerospace has fled California where the No. 1 industry is lawn mowing and smuggling cell phones to imprisoned felons so they can run their criminal empires from within prison walls. Now the shuttle has been scrapped and the once-glorious NASA must go begging to the Russians in order to hitch a ride out of the cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
My God, how far must this state and country fall before the people rise up and rail against these self-serving political hacks who have brought us to our knees? Every last one of us must ask ourselves just how much more taxation and abuse we can endure while they live their extravagant, per diem lifestyles.
How about it America? What are you prepared to do about it?<<<<
Awww NASA ain’t got time for space exploration! They are going to be too busy with Obama’s order for NASA to spread science to muslim countries!
"They're obviously out of jobs when the shuttle lands - a lot of them are already gone. But most of the poeple I spoke to at the launch were not actually concerned about their own propsects; their thoughts were of dismantling the teams, the loss of capability. I share those feelings, I think it's upsetting. I regard it as a mistake."
He argues vehemently that a clear technical superiority in space confers a tremendous geopolitical advantage back home.
"Very few investments on the part of society yield as much impact as an investment in human spaceflight. Our capability to operate on the frontier - in fact to define that frontier - shapes the game in ways that redound to our advantage in the future."
He imagines a future scenario in which the US and western powers may not have the capability to return to the Moon, or go further - but countries such as China do.
"Who then exerts power and influence? Who do you think other nations will want to do deals with, which nation will be regarded as technologically superieor, the most advanced, the most capable, the one that holds sway in world affairs?
"It's impossible to conclude anything other than the fact that the capability to accomplish great things in human spaceflight is in fact strategic."<<<<
Obama says we don't need to go the the Moon! He stood there and told the NASA group, "Been there done that!"
NASA Adm. Charles Bolden tells us we already have 6 flags up there! So it's not like we didn't go to the Moon. Then he cries. We're all crying.
Obama Science and Technology Adviser, John P. Holdren, tells graduate students that, American can't expect to remain number ONE in everything.
BTW John Holdren co-wrote a book awhile back about global chaos and too many people, "Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment"; [Obama really loves installing these Lefties around him and running things, into the ground].
When young I lived in the San Fernando Valley.
In the hills above Chattsworth they tested the moon rockets motors and it would light up the sky and shake the ground.
To see many shuttle take offs was a special treat each and everytime.
Lousy man.
Lousy military career.
Lousy American.
He never tried to make things better for America, thus he failed in his longest mission.
LLS
I am all for private enterprise... and Space-X might be able to launch Sats etc one day... but we are going to be battling those three enemies for the high ground... and if we fail to remain King... we live UNDER their iron boots of communism and sharia... literally.
LLS
He’s a DUMB bag of rocks.
Good Morning!
Just heard an interview on a local early morning radio confirming what you have said, although the private firms could step up to the plate, it will be a couple of years away.
Will get back to you in a bit. Got to grab something to eat that I do not have to cook in this heat!
Stay cool!!!!
THANKS in shout-out! No Problem!
But this was it, folks, what a proud moment for the United States of America. I mean you didn't have to get up and see it live. You can see tape of it. You can watch it on YouTube or any number of news sites or cable news stations, to be able to tell your children and your grandchildren that you were there when the United States of America got out of the nonsense of space exploration by man and all the money got diverted to more useful things down here on earth like Muslim outreach and studying the catastrophic effects of climate change thanks to our Dear Leader Barack Hussein Obama, mmm, mmm, mmm......" July 22, 2011
Bill Nelson is only concerned about being a player in the Democrat Party.
Floridians be damned.
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