Message posted by The Major on January 23, 2006 at 22:53:16 PST:
I have apologized to my children numerous times for my generations' abandonment of manned planetary exploration. My daughter once wanted to be the first woman on Mars (I suggested she should aim to be the first human on Mars). I had to bite my tongue to keep from telling her that our politicians were far more interested in buying votes than they were expanding our presence in the solar system when it was becoming increasingly clear that Earths' resources were dwindling and the planet getting more and more crowded. The lack of commitment started long, long ago, when profound social changes in this country made it unfashionable to invest in manned space exploration when the money could be spent eliminating all manner of social ills. Many trillions of dollars later, the social ills remain, and only the vote-buying politicians have been enriched and empowered. The people in charge of the public coffers have found out they can stay in power by giving it all away - and then some! What has been spent on the GWOT is a drop in a very large bucket compared to what we have been, and are spending on, perpetuating the 40 year-old myth that you can eliminate poverty, injustice, racism, plight of the elderly, etc. etc. by dumping enough cash on it. The wars we are fighting now, the ones you know about and the ones you don't, have purpose in that the stability of the world depends upon the outcome. Imagine how many people will become instantaneously "disenfranchised" when their city is vaporized by nuclear Jihad! This struggle is far more important than most people realize. Please understand, I'm not trying to pick a fight with anybody, just placing the blame on what caused our loss of direction in the space program where it really belongs: the 1960s and '70s! And... Thanks for the tip! I will definitely go see it when I'm in town!
In Reply to: Magnificent Desolation posted by R4808N on January 23, 2006 at 21:52:12 PST:
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