Oh the contradictions of being a Republican! Republicans, the ostensible party for market forces, were furious when BHO and his posse, who work against such forces, indicated that they were keen on privatizing aspects in the operation of NASA, the National Aeronautic Space Administration.
How do Repbulicans reconcile their desire to retain NASA as a state entity, in the face of new revelations about the main mission with which the Democrat-run state has charged NASA?
According to a top NASA official, speaking to Al Jazira, President Obama has charged him with “reaching out to the Muslim world and engaging much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science.”
Do Repbulicans think that a privately-run, for-profit space agency would set Muslim outreach as one of its goals?
REGULATION WRECKS. The point was made in “When Palin Agrees With Olbermann,” with reference to the Federal law limiting liability under which BP was operating. The regulation wrecking Ball is still swinging over the Gulf. In particular, The Jones Act. The scandal is beyond the grasp of such stupidity as is exhibited by “Hollow-Wood”:
“Foreign companies possessing some of the world’s most advanced oil skimming ships say they are being kept out of efforts to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf because of a 1920’s law known as the Jones Act — a protectionist law that requires vessels working in US waters be built in the US and be crewed by US workers.
Joseph Carafano of the Heritage Foundation has been studying the matter and wonders, ‘Are we accepting all the international assistance in the maritime domain that we can, and is the Jones Act an impediment to that?’
The Coast Guard and the Administration are quick to point out that some foreign technology is being used in the current cleanup effort. Including:
– Canada’s offer of 3,000 meters of containment boom
– Three sets of COSEQ sweeping arms from the Dutch
– Mexico’s offer of two skimmers and 4200 meters of boom
– Norway’s offer of 8 skimming systems
But that is largely technology transferred to US vessels. Some of the best clean up ships – owned by Belgian, Dutch and the Norwegian firms are NOT being used. Coast Guard Lt. Commander, Chris O’Neil, says that is because they do not meet ‘the operational requirements of the Unified Area Command.’ One of those operational requirements is that vessels comply with the Jones Act.
‘Yes, it does apply,’ said ONeil, ‘I have heard no discussions of waivers.'”
I’ve always shied away from calls to boycott an entire industry; it sounds so, well, stupid. Now I see no other way with the Hollywood cretins. Watch the latest antics from the nation’s prime pea brains:
And while I’m at it: Theirs is not art. Idiots; you are nothing more than public entertainers; glorified circus animals, show critters. Amuse me–make me think less about my daily political reality—or f-ck off.
There are some superb, new TV series that showcase the best of entertainment: strong acting, no abreacting; fabulous, apolitcal scripts. “Justified” is one. “Flashpoint” is another.
“Law and Order” in all its permutations sports PC elements, as does “CSI.” But generally, these excellent series offer kick-ass scripts and actors. Give me a good narrative. But I will not tolerate some prancing, decked-up, self-styled Goth twenty-something (allegedly) inserting herself into the story, and selling what goes, in these sorry days, for “originality” and “individuality.”
Other than the ladies who always offer up their cleavages in the interrogation room, and everywhere else (you want respect when you go into a situation boobs first? Not from me, bubbles), “Law & Order,” “CSI” (but not NCSI) and “Criminal Minds,” especially,—are all top-notch productions.
Vote for such quality with your time and money; withdraw your vote from the rest.
UPDATE I:MORATORIUM ON MINDLESSNESS, please. In what is high-level deception, the administration co-opoted and doctored scientific opinion rendered in the matter of the so-called moratorium.
“A group of engineers and oil experts said Friday that the Interior Department changed the language of a high-profile oil spill report after they’d signed it, falsely signaling their support for a drilling moratorium that they thought went too far.
The new language called for a stronger and wider moratorium on some oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico than the experts thought necessary. In fact, one said Friday, the stronger moratorium might instead increase the risks slightly.” …
Off-shore oil driller and acclaimed scientist and inventor James Cameron, who “has worked extensively with robot submarines,” is annoyed that the film directors running BP have not used his know-how to plug the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Reverse that; Cameron is the filmer; BP the explorer. But you get how ridiculous Cameron’s puff is; how inflated Hollywood’s sense of itself is.
What matters is that the public get an idea of how crucial to life itself are the hard sciences, although a whole lot will have to change before the youth, streaming into law, health care and finance for the obvious reason (it begins with a “g”) change course, and those with the aptitude do hard science.
UPDATE (June 4): The imagesof immobilized pelicans weighed down by oil are heartbreaking. In the animal rescue and clean-up efforts we ought to begin to see the strength of private initiative.
The political Idiocracy continues to make hay of this environmental nightmare. Insisting Big Daddy O was supposed to clean up, show more rage, froth at the mouth more.
The fact that the POTUS and the FLOTUS like to live it up is perhpas unseemly. But the idea that if Obama were not so self-absorbed, or more unhinged emotionally, he’d do what’s right to save our ravaged coast—this is misguided.
• Regulations, which are the culmination of agreements between the regulated and the regulators, to the detriment of those left out the loop: wild life and the rest of us.
• The tragedy of the commons, i.e., the absence of property rights: “Government-controlled resources go to seed because there is no private ownership of the means of production. Entrusted with the management of assets you don’t own, have no stake in; on behalf of millions of people you don’t know, don’t care about, are unaccountable to, and who have no real recourse against your mismanagement except to whine like wimps—how long before your performance plummets?”
• The modern corporate colossus resembles government in many ways.
My smart readers can think over the last point—have at it. I’ll be back to mark your pixelated papers.
