Discovery Home To Stay

NASA

Space Shuttle Discovery completed its final flight by landing safely in Florida today. The ship's permanent home will be an as yet unnamed museum. In the mean time, the end of Discovery's cosmic journey's is cause for much reflection in the space and general media.

The Times They Are A Changing!

Kirsten Powers is most known for being a TV commentator who generally takes a liberal Democratic point-of-view. Thus she made some serious waves this week when she broke with the party line on the subject of Planned Parenthood.

Planned Parenthood officials are allowed to believe whatever they want and to pursue whatever goals they choose. But their dishonesty in how they present their organization to the public, along with ignoring basic statistics about their area of expertise, makes you wonder what else they are hiding. It’s also hard to deny that they are at core a blindly ideological organization, not a run-of-the-mill charitable nonprofit.

Whatever you think of abortion rights, this is not the kind of organization that taxpayers should be funding.

One more hint that the end of the abortion culture may be closer than most people realize, as Peter Heck writes.

All this trickery, misdirection, obfuscation and corruption within the so-called "pro-choice" movement are causing an increasingly large number of Americans to reassess their position on the issue. That, coupled with a reinvigorated pro-life movement infused with a youthful energy and a refocused approach that addresses humanness rather than politics, convinces me that the day is fast approaching when our society finds the moral courage to end the killing.

Space Round-Up

Discovery's crew boarded their Shuttle after a very productive stay. The ship departs from the International Space Station on Monday to return to Earth to stay (scheduled for Wednesday).

Two other launches took place in the past week, the unsuccessful Glory satellite launch and the apparently successful launch of the second USAF X37B robotic spaceplane.

Joyful Prolife "Flash Mob"

Participants in a "Walk for Choice" demonstration were surprised to be joined by a buoyant prolife "flash mob" on Saturday in downtown Chicago. I like their initial entry into the plaza with the LOTR "Shire" theme. A striking example of how new media and a joyful positive approach can help bring about a much needed seismic cultural shift to our society.

Discovery Sets Sail One Final Time

NASA

Space Shuttle Discovery launched this afternoon to deliver vital hardware and supplies to the International Space Station. This is the final flight planned for Discovery, which has been flying since 1984.

Are We on the Cusp of Something Big?

Events have been moving increasingly fast recently, with so much going on that I have to let go of any thought of covering it all on this humble blog. But just to take a few of the events occurring in the nation and the world the past few weeks, are we on the cusp of some tectonic cultural shifts?

Take for example, the upheaval in Egypt and other countries where leaders who have ruled for decades are suddenly being turned out amidst mass demonstrations by many citizens of those countries. I don't think there have been so many near simultaneous changes in so many countries since the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in late 1989. Whether these changes lead to a new birth of freedom for people in that part of the world or to something more grim that could be trouble for all of us remains to be seen.

Closer to home, we see the Republican led House of Representatives making serious cuts in most federal programs in the Continuing Resolution for the balance of the fiscal year 2011. With Senate Democrats and President Obama likely to be opposed to many of the cuts, we could be headed for a government shutdown on March 4 if no agreement is reached. A shutdown did occur in 1995, which was perceived to have been damaging to the Republican Congress at that time. With the nation's deficit situation much more severe now and a whole different media environment, the political ramifications could point in a different direction, reversing the growth of government that has taken place for decades.

This battle is being played out more dramatically in Wisconsin and other states, where elected officials are confronting entrenched public employee unions with the dire fiscal consequences of continuing the generous benefit packages of the past. This may be the start of a confrontation between the left wing community organizing movement and the more conservative Tea Party movement over the direction our nation takes.

Finally, as part of the House budget actions, but worthy of being highlighted, is the passage of a measure defunding Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. Planned Parenthood has managed to embed itself into our society with a "mainstream" image for decades, but that image is crumbling, and hopefully with it, the organization's destructive influence on our society. The defunding measure was sponsored by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), who gave a stirring keynote address at the Susan B. Anthony List Gala I attended on Wednesday evening.

In short, we may be on the verge of a cultural shift at least as profound as that of the sixties and seventies that changed our society and continues to influence cultural assumptions to this day. The new shift will not be a return to 1950s social norms, but it could reject some of the more negative influences of the shift that followed, leading to 21st century norms that hopefully will include more respect for life and liberty.

Comet Close-Up

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell

NASA's Stardust-NExT made a close approach to Comet Tempel 1 on Monday, providing spectacular images along with data to be analyzed.

Trillions with a T

President Obama sent his $3.7 trillion FY2012 budget to Congress today, opening the next phase in the debate of how to deal with the nation's huge and mounting deficit situation. Republicans (and others)are saying that the budget does not contain nearly enough reductions to make a serious dent in the burgeoning deficit. With major cuts likely in the pending Continuing Resolution (CR) that will probably stand from March 4 through the rest of FY 2010, this budget story is going to be a wild ride.

The budget proposal for NASA is $18.7 billion, equivalent to the amount in last year's (FY2010) budget. Cuts in the current House CR proposal for FY2011 take this year's budget ~$300 million lower. Given the need to tackle the deficit, cuts in every program are unavoidable. The trick in an area like space, which has so much potential for spurring future economic growth, is to allocate the resources we have most effectively. The most significant way of doing this is to sustain the efforts currently underway to engage the private sector in a greater role in human expansion into space.

Hard choices will have to be made across federal, state and local budgets. While many budget reductions will be painful cuts in beneficial programs, some cuts will be a no-brainer, especially this one.

Commercial Space Developments

This (~10 min) video describes the exciting developments occurring in commercial space activities that many people are barely aware of.

Change in Egypt

People in Egypt are celebrating the departure of Hosni Mubarak from office as leader of that country. For now, the military is heading up a "transitional" government. Pray that today's events truly lead to a free and peaceful future for Egypt, and not in a darker direction where some forces there would go.

Ronald Reagan Centennial

Tomorrow, February 6, would have been the 100th birthday of President Ronald Reagan. Reagan will be remembered in history for his role in ending the Cold War in favor of freedom over communism, for reviving the American economy with free enterprise oriented solutions, and for being the first US President during the dark abortion-on-demand era to take a strong stand in favor of life.

Here is the official Reagan Centennial web site, which contains tributes, multi-media resources, and information on events that will go on through this year.

I probably can't say much that hasn't already been said and an abundance of Reagan tributes and info are available. Quite a number of good articles and resources are currently available at National Review online.

Here's an excerpt (~ 4 min) of the 1964 speech (" a time for choosing") where Reagan initiated his involvement in national politics. The full version (~30 min) is here.



And here's an excerpt of one of President Reagan's 1980 debates with President Carter which includes one of Reagan's most famous quotes.

Another Evil Empire Crumbling?

A fast pace of breaking news recently about revelations concerning Planned Parenthood (PP), the nation's largest abortion provider and a radical sexual revolution advocate. Recently came the release of the book Unplanned by Abby Johnson, a former PP center director in Texas who quit her job at PP and joined the prolife movement, a conversion she explains in the book.

Then, of course, there are the recent revelations by Live Action, which has in fact been revealing the dark side of PP for several years. The latest being the release of several videos of undercover visits to PP facilities by persons posing as a pimp and an underage girl from outside the US looking for assistance to deal with the consequences of illegal human trafficking without stopping the activity.

Further background is provided at this web site assembled by a coalition of prolife groups, where you can watch a replay of a Thursday night web cast (~ 73 min) explaining the situation and actions planned to deal with it.

The fact that these occurrences have occurred at several PP facilities indicates something more than the aberrant actions of one or two employees, but a mind set within that organization that seems to take any kind of sex anywhere, any time, as a given with a blindness to the consequences. For too long, Planned Parenthood has manage to embed itself into society pretending to be a "mainstream" organization. Now, with the combination of new media investigative journalism and a renewed determination on Capitol Hill to at least end taxpayer funding of PP, we can hope, pray and work for the curtailment of the PP world view's destructive impact on society.

Egypt in Upheaval

In 1993, I went on a Holy Land pilgrimage that included both Israel and Egypt. Memories of Egypt, and Cairo in particular, came back in recent days with the upheaval after nearly thirty years of rule by Hosni Mubarak. (Here's a timeline of highlights of recent events.)

The events have generated mixed feelings with hope and prayer that the many Egyptians who truly aspire for more freedom (sort of an Egyptian Tea Party) prevail over the darker forces in play that might take Egypt into the most extreme form of Islam. This later outcome would be particularly threatening to Egypt's Christians and to the neighboring nation of Israel.

It's time to pray for the people of Egypt and their leaders to find a path to a more free and peaceful land. Also, for guidance for our own leaders as they figure out what role to play in this delicate situation.

Judge: Obamacare Unconstitutional

A lot happening this week. On Monday, a U.S. district judge ruled that the health care law violates the Commerce Clause of the Constitution by requiring individuals to buy insurance. Twenty six states have taken legal action to stop Obamacare from being implemented. This case is headed to the Supreme Court.

If the Supremes don't outright overturn Obamacare, Congress may disassemble it. Either way, there's hope that this debacle can be thwarted.

Remembering Fallen Explorers

NASA is observing the anniversaries of its human losses in spaceflight: Apollo 1 (forty four years ago yesterday), Challenger (twenty five years ago today), and Columbia (eight years ago next Tuesday, February 1).

Today's twenty fifth anniversary of the loss of the Challenger crew brought back particular memories of that day when I was working in California in support of operations of the primary payload mission. We'd gotten to meet some of the crew during preparations for that mission.

Clark Lindsey has some Challenger anniversary links. Below are videos of the launch as covered by CNN and of President Reagan's moving address from the Oval Office that day.

March for Life 2011

It's been a hectic week including a couple of evenings without power due to a winter storm, but the big story this week is still the March for Life and it's not too late to blog about it. While no one officially counts crowds at these events in DC, there easily may have been several hundred thousand participants in town to stand for life.


Thousands pour onto Constitution Ave. and ascend Capitol Hill.



Sign depicts a famous mom nurturing her special needs child, while post abortive women declare they are silent no more.



A clear agenda priority is brought by citizens to Congress to deny taxpayers dollars to the abortion industry giant.



The threat of the abortion crisis is not just a US concern.



The diversity of the prolife movement on display in front of the Supreme Court. The Secular Prolife web site provides prolife info for those of any faith or no faith.


Events prior to the March included a Sunday prayer walk in Germantown, Maryland in opposition to the late term abortionist Leroy Carhart doing operations there.


A large crowd opposes Carhart's late term atrocities in Germantown, as a friend of mine displays the message of the prayer walk.

Sunday evening, I went to the always powerful (and packed) Vigil Mass at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and Monday morning before the March was the ProLifeCon social media conference.


Abby Johnson describes her book exposing Planned Parenthood while other advocates explain how to use social media to turn the tide for life.

Why We March

This is a slightly revised and updated article I first wrote and posted in 2004 at this time.

Today, January 22, marks the 38th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court decisions which imposed abortion-on-demand in the United States. Once again, concerned citizens will gather on Monday, the 24th, for the annual March for Life, which in recent years has usually drawn more than an estimated 200,000 participants. Now, why do so many people consider it so important to take time on a weekday to come to Washington, DC at the coldest time of the year to make their voice heard on this matter?

Before I go on any further, I need to say a couple of things. First, nothing in this article is meant to condemn anyone who has had an abortion or has been involved in abortion in some way. Far from condemning those with an abortion in their past, the people in the prolife movement are about healing and forgiveness, and want it to be clear that there is hope after abortion. Post-abortion counseling can be found through many church denominations and pregnancy counseling centers.

And second, while the prolife movement consists largely of people with strong religious convictions who feel called by God to defend the defenseless, that doesn't make the protection of human life a narrow, religious issue. The facts that the defenseless exist and that they deserve protection in the human family can be persuasively advocated by non-religiously reasoned arguments.

First, let's start with a little scientific background (from the Science for Unborn Human Life website) about how each of us began our lives as unique human beings. A new human being is conceived when a sperm fertilizes an egg. The sperm has 23 chromosomes and so does the egg. But the fertilized egg has 46, half from each parent, and is genetically unique. These 46 chromosomes, which are fixed at conception, establish the child's sex and are a blueprint for how it will develop, both during pregnancy and after birth.

Blood vessels start to form very early, about 13-18 days after fertilization. Then, on about the 20th day - nearly the end of the third week - the foundation of the brain, the spinal cord, and the entire nervous system is established. The heart begins to beat on about the 22nd day after conception, circulating blood throughout the child. The arms begin to form on about day 26, followed by the beginnings of the legs on day 28, the same day that the mouth opens for the first time.

Both the eyes and ears are developing rapidly during the seventh week after conception. At this time, the thumbs, neck, heels of the feet and all of the fingers are also present. Taste buds begin to form during the eighth week after conception. All parts of the limbs are apparent at this time. In addition, the fingers and toes have lengthened and are completely separated.

By the end of the eighth week the overwhelming majority (several thousand) of the body's organs, structures and systems have already begun to develop. Few, if any, new structures begin to form after this time. During the remainder of the pregnancy, development consists mainly of growth and maturation of the parts of the body that are already present.

Isolated arm, leg and backward head movements begin at about 7 to 10 weeks after conception. During the ninth week, a regular pattern of breathing movements is observed, with a median frequency of about 30 breaths each hour.

These are just the highlights of how you developed during the first 2-3 months of your life. Now consider that a majority of abortions are performed during the tenth to twelfth week of gestation. Some are performed much later in the pregnancy, when the child has grown larger and any unbiased observer would recognize a baby when they see one.

So why if the evidence so clearly indicates that a unique human life begins at conception, how did the deliberate and violent destruction of that life come to be imposed as a 'constitutional right'? Time does not permit describing the whole history of abortion or the intertwining influences of the eugenics and population control movements. Let's start with the socially turbulent late sixties when a growing pro-abortion movement subversively exploited the legitimate aspirations of women for greater rights and participation in society.

Dr. Bernard Nathanson, former abortionist and co-founder of the pro-abortion group NARAL, has since changed his mind and heart and is now a leading prolife advocate. He points out the disinformation at the heart of the pro-abortion campaign.

- "The statistics that we gave to the American public about illegal abortions annually; the statistics we fabricated regarding the number of women dying from illegal abortions annually; all of these matters were pure fabrication and still persist to this very day."

- "We spoke of 5,000 to 10,000 deaths a year. I confess that I knew the figures were totally false. It was a useful figure, widely accepted, so why go out of our way to correct it with honest statistics?"

- "We in NARAL were in the business of coining slogans principally for the media . . . we scattered catchy slogans for them . . . to use . . . in their stories. Slogans like "reproductive rights", "freedom of choice", "pro-choice". For many years we've known them to be hollow and meaningless. They're just catchy and, essentially, without substance."

The movement made rapid progress. California, New York and a few other states passed 'liberalized' abortion laws (though some other states rejected them). But what imposed abortion on American law were two Supreme Court cases, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, pronounced on January 22, 1973. The combined effect of the two decisions was to effectively impose abortion-on-demand throughout the nine months of pregnancy. Since that time, over fifty million human beings have been exterminated by abortion in the United States.

Aside from the grave issue that was decided, the finding that abortion is part of a constitutional 'right of privacy' is considered an overreach of judicial power even by some legal scholars who describe themselves as 'prochoice'. The 'reasoning' was based on 'penumbras' the justices claim to have seen in the constitution.

Did you know that the two plaintiffs in the Roe and Doe cases, Norma McCorvey and Sandra Cano, have filed affidavits to the effect that they were manipulated into their roles and that the decisions should be overturned? You would think that this development would be considered unprecedented in Supreme Court history, but I guess Chris Matthews, Katie Couric, the New York Times, etc. forgot to inform you.

One fact that is becoming evident that abortion-on-demand is not such a great thing for women. Abortion has left many women emotionally and sometimes physically scarred. Campaigns such as Silent No More and Women Deserve Better are tapping into this hidden anguish.

Also evident is the effect on our society, with conflicting attitudes on how we treat not only the unborn, but also the sick, disabled and elderly. Consider the heart wrenching case of the judicially imposed death of Terri Schindler-Schiavo in 2005. Abortion has torn marriages and families apart, and led to a hardened and increasingly violent culture. The raging debate over embryonic stem cell research and human cloning shows the growing risk posed by a disregard for the dignity of every human life.

So, we have had for the past thirty eight years, a culture that in some ways has grown cynical, forgoing the promise of a hopeful future for instant gratification, or more often, the resignation to unimaginative 'solutions' that pit mother against child or people against the planet. One is reminded of a quote from the great Irish poet William Butler Yeats:

"The blood-dimmed tide is loosed and everywhere a ceremony of innocence was drowned."

These Supreme Court abortion decisions were assumed to have 'settled' the issue in our society. Yet much to the consternation of the pro-abortion establishment, the movement of concerned citizens to protect life has only grown in strength over the past thirty eight years. The prolife movement has pursued multiple paths: educating the public, lobbying and litigating for change, participating in politics, and especially reaching out to help women with unplanned pregnancies. On the political front, abortion Continues to play a pivotal role in the debate over health care and other public legislation. Polling data consistently indicates that, even when economic or other issues determine the outcome of an election, those voters that consider abortion decisive in their voting swing overwhelmingly for the prolife candidates. Presidents, economic cycles and other national controversies come and go, but the struggle for life goes on.

Particularly significant is that the change in public attitudes on abortion is most striking among young people (who've lost peers they've never met). This is manifested in polling results and an upsurge of prolife activism among teens and college students, much to the consternation of their professors and, in some cases, their parents. Sort of adds a new twist to some lyrics from the sixties by Buffalo Springfield:

"Young people speaking their minds, Getting so much resistance from behind."

So the buses are starting to roll, as thousands from distant states once again journey to Washington, where many will gather in prayer the night before or the morning of the March. Then we will rally and march, knowing that those we are trying to defend would some day defend our nation, write great literature, cure disease, compose stirring music, and explore and begin to settle the Solar System.

But more than for their potential accomplishments, we speak out for them simply because of the inherent dignity of each of their lives. In so doing we are responding to a great calling as individuals and as a civilization. And we'll continue to speak and march and work and pray, confident in the hope that, one of these years, we'll no longer face the cold winds. Instead, we'll gather on a warm spring day to celebrate the inclusion of the youngest in the human family within the protection of the law.

MSNBC Comedy Show Abruptly Ends

Well, I would occasionally turn on Keith Olbermann's show, which ended tonight, for comic relief, but could only stand to watch for a few minutes at a time.

House Votes for Repeal!

The House of Representatives voted today to repeal the ObamaCare debacle. While it is seen as unlikely to pass the Senate (but not without a fight) or survive a presidential veto, the repeal measure is a crucial first step in an extended struggle over the future of health care in our country.

During today's debate, some Democrats engaged in some pretty hysterical rhetoric (prime examples here and here.). So much for all that civility we've been hearing about.

R. Sargent Shriver, RIP

Sargent Shriver, who had a long and distinguished career of public service, passed away on Tuesday. According to LifeNews.com, he was the last prolife candidate (for VP) on a national Democratic ticket (in 1972).

Historic Words Inspired on the Spot

Along with the usual tributes for this year's Martin Luther King Day, a column by Clarence B. Jones, who was tasked to draft Dr. King's speech to the 1963 civil rights march, reveals how the most famous words from that speech were inspired on the spot.

Martin was essentially reciting the opening suggestions I'd handed in the night before. This was strange, given the way he usually worked over the material Stanley and I provided. When he finished the promissory note analogy, he paused. And in that breach, something unexpected, historic and largely unheralded happened. Martin's favorite gospel singer, Mahalia Jackson, who had performed earlier in the day, called to him from nearby: "Tell 'em about the dream, Martin, tell 'em about the dream!"

Disconnected Media

Jonah Goldberg describes in a NY Post column how coverage of the Tucson shootings is just the latest example of how much of the conventional media are so totally out of touch with much of the American public and the rising grassroots movement.

And this is hardly an isolated incident. It’s understandable that journalists would want to set the national agenda by providing new information. That’s their job. But sometimes the press just won’t take no for an answer, when the public refuses to see events the same way. For instance, last summer the Times worked valiantly to cast the Ground Zero mosque controversy as a symptom of Islamophobia sweeping the nation, even though the data on anti-Muslim hate-crimes undercut the claim entirely. The press routinely floats the idea that the country needs a "frank" or "honest" "national conversation on race" but viciously punishes anybody who says something they don’t want to hear. It seems every week there’s another thumb-sucking seminar on public radio about how dismaying it is that the public doesn’t share the elite press’ global warming hysteria. Despite the fact that ObamaCare was persistently unpopular, it seemed news reports often focused on how the public didn’t understand what’s good for them. Last month, The Washington Post refused to print the results of its own poll, showing that ObamaCare was at an all-time low in popularity. And, right now newspapers are debating whether they should adopt "undocumented immigrant" instead of "illegal immigrant" not because the latter term is inaccurate but because they think their readers will fall for the subtle manipulation.

ProLifeCon!

The annual Blogs for Life conference held in Washington, DC on the morning of the March for Life (this year on Monday, Jan. 24) has been renamed ProLifeCon in recognition of the growing array of social media (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) being used for the cause of life. I've just registered and look forward to this gathering of prolife new media activists.

Tonight's Memorial Service

The memorial service was held tonight in Tucson in the wake of Saturday's terrible shootings. The "pep rally" atmosphere of the event seemed awkward, though maybe after a time of sadness, the people there were trying to express hope.

President Obama spoke and, to his credit, rejected the frenzy of blame engaged in by some in recent days and hopefully has helped defuse the angry debate that followed the terrible events on Saturday.

But what we can’t do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on one another. As we discuss these issues, let each of us do so with a good dose of humility. Rather than pointing fingers or assigning blame, let us use this occasion to expand our moral imaginations, to listen to each other more carefully, to sharpen our instincts for empathy, and remind ourselves of all the ways our hopes and dreams are bound together.

And later (with a crucial addition that wasn’t in the prepared text in bold):

The loss of these wonderful people should make every one of us strive to be better in our private lives - to be better friends and neighbors, co-workers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their deaths help usher in more civility in our public discourse, let’s remember that it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy, (it did not), but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to our challenges as a nation, in a way that would make them proud. It should be because we want to live up to the example of public servants like John Roll and Gabby Giffords, who knew first and foremost that we are all Americans, and that we can question each other’s ideas without questioning each other’s love of country, and that our task, working together, is to constantly widen the circle of our concern so that we bequeath the American dream to future generations.

Rich Lowry succinctly sums it up here.

Circus on the Severn Opens Its Tent For 2011

The Maryland General Assembly convened for its 90 day 2011 run today. The Baltimore Sun captures some moments in pictures while the Gazette examines the looming huge budget gap. J. Doug Gill previews some of the acts likely to occur under the Big Top this year.

More on Tucson

Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, while remaining in critical condition, is thankfully making significant progress in beginning to heal from the brain injury caused by the heinous shooting attack on Saturday. It will still be a long road to recovery as any injury to the brain is is a serious and delicate situation. We must remember to pray for Rep. Giffords and the other survivors, those who did not survive, and their families.

While I don't want to dwell on it, it is necessary to respond further to those who are shamefully trying to exploit this tragedy to save their failing agenda. While there is a lot of good commentary out there, I'll simply link to a list of some of the incidents that some of the left and the Media have tried to falsely blame on conservatives and a compilation of the expressions of violence and hate from those who think that they are so much more "enlightened", "compassionate" and "forward thinking" than those of us who disagree with their agenda.

I'm not claiming that there has never been violence or vitriol from some on the right. There has. But the exploitation of this violent act has gone beyond trying to score political points to trying to stifle free speech. Thankfully, the American people are apparently not buying this nonsense.

The Tucson Shootings

Once again, a terrible violent tragedy struck yesterday in Tucson, AZ, with Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords critically injured, six others dead and a number of other injuries. I learned of the shootings while attending a Maryland Conservative Action Network conference where the news was announced and we took a moment of silence to pray for the victims. Any attack like this is appalling and always raises the question of how this could happen.

The shootings have, not surprisingly, generated a round of charges about political debate and rhetoric. David Gergen and Jennifer Rubin point out how pointless and counterproductive that is. The suspect in the case appears to be as mentally off-base as were the shooters of John Lennon and President Reagan. This tragedy should not be used as an excuse to intimidate the political debate that is essential to our free society. Paul Mirengoff says more.

We can all wish for more reasoned discourse, just as we can all wish for milder weather. But complaining about the nation's discourse is probably a waste of time except as a method of attempting to advance the interests of a particular faction. And that itself can be viewed as an example of unreasonable discourse.

The shooting of Rep. Giffords has a not only affected the world of politics but also the space community, as she has played a key role in space policy as chair of a House Science and Technology subcommittee. Her husband. Mark Kelly, is scheduled to command a Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) where his brother, Scott, is currently commanding the ISS mission.

Finally, Katherine Jean Lopez reminds us of the youngest victim of the shootings, nine year old Christina Green. Let's remember all the victims in our prayers and remember to be kind to those around us.

Welcome Change

The 112th Congress opened for business today with the election of John Boehner as Speaker of the House. The climactic visual moment was when prior Speaker Nancy Pelosi handed over the gavel, once again demonstrating the peaceful transfer of power.

Important issues are at stake in this change. The Republican majority will move right out of the gate with a vote next week to repeal the contentious "Obamacare" health plan enacted last Spring. While the out-right repeal measure is not expected to pass the Senate or survive a presidential veto, it will set the stage for ongoing efforts to limit or neutralize the plan via funding cuts and other constraints.

Federal spending and debt and the economy will be another driving issue in the new Congress. Republicans have ambitious plans to cut back on massive federal spending and eventually bringing down the huge debt.

The new congressional leadership is emphasizing a rededication to legislating in adherence to the US Constitution (what a concept?) by conducting a reading of the constitution during tomorrow's House session, hopefully reminding many of the Washington powers-that-be of the foundations of our nation.

Oh, What a Year!

Once again we arrive at the point in Earth's journey around the Sun that we turn the page from one year to the next. And each year, it seems like events can't become more ominous yet more promising or just down right weird. 2010 is another one for the record books.

January brought a devastating earthquake to Haiti and a political upset in Massachusetts that would be a harbinger of things to come. February brought a proposed new direction in space which sparked a roaring controversy through much of the year. The Mid-Atlantic US almost seemed like a settlement on a strange wintry world when two back-to-back storms (one and two) created a "Snow-maggedon/Snow-pocalypse".

While the snow melted, March brought another kind of storm to DC as the fight over an intrusive, expensive and potentially lethal health care plan came to a head. Citizens rallied en masse to say "No Way", but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted on ramming it through by the narrowest of margins so that we could then "find out what's in it." Passage did not change the unpopularity of this debacle as many Congressional Dems lost their jobs and (thankfully) Pelosi now loses the Speakers' gavel.

April brought a disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that would last many months and affect many peoples' livelihoods.

September brought about a seeming consensus on America's direction in space, but left legal clarity and full funding in doubt.

October brought a happy conclusion to the dramatic story of the Chilean miners trapped underground for over two months.

While the foreign threat to life and security continued to make itself present, the November mid-term elections turned largely on economic doldrums and issues of the role of government and the direction of our culture. Nationwide, the results ended Democratic domination of national politics and saw a Republican resurgence in many states.

December saw a breakthrough for the commercial space sector that represents one distinctly positive trend for the future. A post-Christmas snowstorm brought havoc to much of the US Northeast.

These are only a few highlights of a tumultuous year. We need to remember that any positive development in history is only a step along the way while fending off new threats and calamities. And with God's blessing, let's get ready for an exciting 2011 as another opportunity to fight for a culture of life, a rebirth of freedom and an expanding frontier.

Christmas Winter Storm

The coastal storm is brushing the DC Area and causing major disruptions further to the northeast.

Have a Holy and Merry Christmas!

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus
that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment,
when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth
to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem,
because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there,
the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son.
She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.

Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields
and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them,
"Do not be afraid;
for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy
that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David
a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you:
you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes
and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel,
praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

Luke 2:1-14

A Memorable Christmas in Modern History

NASA

Christmas Eve 1968 saw three men go where no human beings had gone before.

Two Christmas Favorites

Here are two stirringly beautiful Christmas music videos by Enya and Trans-Siberian Orchestra I first posted last year and would like to share again.




Trans Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Canon

shadow | MySpace Video

Omnibus Bill A Stuck Pig

Public Domain Pictures.net

The huge omnibus spending bill the Democratic leaders of the outgoing Congress were rushing to pass so that we could then find out what is in it has been stopped dead in its tracks. Looks like they're scrambling on the Hill to pass another short term continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown.

Interestingly, this rejection of business-as-usual comes on the 237th anniversary of the original Tea Party.

Commercial Space Field Heating Up

Responses to a recent NASA solicitation for its next round of Commercial Crew Development program, called CCDev 2 indicate increased interest among established and new space companies in providing commercial human spaceflight. There has been particular attention paid to the unexpected announcement of Orbital Sciences Corporation's proposal for transport to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

If even some of these proposed ventures are carried out, the next few years will be quite interesting and exciting time in humanity's expansion into space.

MD GOP Convention

Just catching up but I participated in last Saturday's Maryland Republican Convention in Annapolis (after some fun hospitality suites the night before). As it followed the recent statewide elections, this was the convention to select party leadership.

After a spirited but friendly competition among several candidates, both well known figures and rising stars, the convention selected outgoing state Senator Alex Mooney as Party Chair. Senator Mooney is known for being forthright about his conservative convictions and for his fundraising prowess. The contests for Party Chair and the other leadership offices were influenced by an influx of new people, some from the Tea Party movement, into county central committees.

A New Giant Leap

Photo credit: NASA/Kevin O'Connell

History was made today with the launch and return to Earth of the SpaceX Dragon capsule, which will carry cargo and likely eventually people to the International Space Station (ISS) and possibly other destinations in space. Today's flight marks a major advance toward a new form of partnership between NASA and the commercial sector in conducting space endeavors.

Clark Lindsey has posted numerous reports and comments on the flight here and here.

Meanwhile, the first stage of Orbital Sciences Corporation's Taurus II rocket has arrived at Wallops Island, Virginia for its first planned launch next summer. Like SpaceX, Orbital will be carrying cargo to the ISS for NASA.

Congratulations to the SpaceX team and all who played a role in today's accomplishment. Here's a video of today's spectacular launch.

Late Term Abortionist Not Welcome Here

The notorious late-term abortionist, Leroy Carhart, has set up shop at an existing abortion facility in the town of Germantown, here in Montgomery County, Maryland. This development is receiving national attention and Carhart has already been greeted by a large rally in opposition to his practice.

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is rallying additional peaceful opposition and hopefully this situation will draw increased attention to the human life issue in this community.

The Tax Deal

There is a wide range of reaction to the compromise on tax legislation that President Obama announced (even if somewhat grudgingly) on Monday evening. The editors of National Review say that the proposed deal is a "Qualified Victory" for conservatives.

Of course, the President does deserve a thumbs up for giving his liberal base conniptions. Socialist Bernie Sanders vows to try to filibuster the bill. But so does Republican Senator Jim DeMint, for fiscal reasons. We'll have to see how this all plays out.

Arsenic and "Life As We Know It"

A NASA press conference today featured several scientists describing a newly discovered life-form that defies previous assumptions about what is required for life to thrive.

Describing her research, Wolfe-Simon said "what I've presented to you today is a microbe doing something different than life as we knew it."

"I was taught as a biochemist that all life on Earth, all life we know of, to harken back to the 'pale blue dot' ideas of Carl Sagan, all life we know of is here so far," she said. "And if there's an organism on Earth that's doing something different, we've cracked open the door to what's possible for life elsewhere in the universe. And that's profound. ... This microbe substitutes arsenic for phosphorous in its basic biomolecules. What else might we find? What else might we want to look for?"

Hanukkah and Our Attitude about the Future

(This is a post I originally made in 2003 and feel is worth repeating each year, especially in light of some very dark anti-human views of the future vs. ongoing and emerging developments that can provide resources for future generations.)

Rabbi Daniel Lapin has a provocative column in WorldNetDaily on a message of Hanukkah that is relevant to people of all faiths. He shows examples, ancient and modern, of how a pessimistic Malthusian worldview have been repeatedly disproved by the Creator's providence of material resources and the ingenuity to utilize them to provide for the future. Rabbi Lapin says:

It only seemed that we lacked sufficient copper, whale oil or wood. In reality, our God-given ingenuity developed exciting new technology that eliminated our need for each commodity just as it was becoming scarce.

Hanukkah's miracle was that, day after day, the Temple's menorah just kept on burning in spite of an apparent shortage of fuel - a metaphor, surely, for all apparent shortages that can be overcome with faith. Hanukkah invites us all to express gratitude to the Creator whose beneficence is boundless. It stimulates discussions that can spur our spiritual growth. It reminds us that with His gift of creativity, challenges become optimistic opportunities to partner with God in creatively solving all material shortage.

WikiLeaks Impact

Jonah Goldberg assesses the impact of the colossal Internet secrets leak.

Politically, the one advantage for the White House is the sheer volume of the leaks. If these stories came out one by one, there’d be room for them to flare up as full-fledged controversies, but with a quarter of a million documents, each story robs oxygen from the next.

Still, the (relative) lack of surprises is hardly an exoneration for anybody - not for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who has declared himself an enemy of the United States, nor for the Obama administration, which seems utterly lost about how to deal with him.

Advent 2010 Begins

Yesterday marked the first Sunday of Advent, a time of preparation for the coming celebration of our Savior's coming at Christmas. Pope Benedict XVI welcomed the season by calling for respect for nascent human lives..

Dear brothers and sisters, our coming together this evening to begin the Advent journey is enriched by another important reason: with the entire Church, we want to solemnly celebrate a prayer vigil for unborn life. I wish to express my thanks to all who have taken up this invitation and those who are specifically dedicated to welcoming and safeguarding human life in different situations of fragility, especially in its early days and in its early stages.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A special day set aside in our nation to give thanks to God for all His gifts to us.

Here's an interesting Thanksgiving column by the late Jerry Falwell describing some of the key people who shaped this Thabksgiving tradition. The fact that I found this column on a Baptist web site linked by a Catholic news portal site shows the growing cooperation among Christians which is yet one more thing to be thankful for.

Have a good time with family and friends and don't eat any more than I would. ;-)

Patterns in History and the Early 21st Century

Do historical events tend to follow cyclical trends over decades long periods? Are there certain opportunities for nations and humanity in general to make sudden, quantum leaps in exploration, large scale development, etc? Ever heard of a "Maslow window"?

Professor Bruce Cordell and a group of contributors maintain a web site called 21st Century Waves which is dedicated to tracking current trends in light of the past couple of centuries and make some interesting predictions about the next 10-20 years.

The authors explain their analysis as follows.

Long-term patterns in the economy, technology, and exploration over the last 200 years appear to have predictive power for the 21st Century. In particular, a roughly 56-year cycle was identified, where macro-engineering projects (e.g., Panama Canal), significant human explorations (e.g., Lewis and Clark), and major military conflicts (e.g., Civil War) tended to cluster together, near economic booms. The bottom-line forecast is that the decade from 2015 to 2025 will be the analog of the 1960s, bringing a global focus on achievement in space exploration and a Camelot-like zeitgeist.

The social/psychological force behind this pattern is explained this way.

This long-term approach to 21st Century space forecasting is based on the concept of a "Maslow Window", in which each successive economic boom (typically peaking every 56 years) does two things: 1) it fuels the societal affluence required to spur large-scale technology and engineering activities, and, more importantly, 2) it creates widespread ebullience by briefly elevating society to the highest levels in Maslow’s hierarchy. This ebullience creates the atmosphere of social well-being and confidence vital to undertake and support large, complex, risky, expensive, multi-year programs and explorations. The confluence of societal affluence and ebullience is seen only infrequently in modern times, when peaks in economic activity (following a 56 year cycle) triggered the four great explorations (Lewis and Clark, Dr. Livingstone in Africa, the Polar Expeditions, Apollo Moon) of the last 200 years.

I was in my childhood and early youth during the last "Maslow window", so the excitement and optimism of the early space age seemed normal to me and the following let down was really puzzling and disappointing. This may have shaped my personality and explain how, at least in some respects, I tend to be a stubborn optimist.

As you can see, this analysis does raise questions about events that occur outside of these 50-60 year patterns (e.g. WWII, the late 20th Century computer/information age boom) and how to deal with the downside of how these positive cycles end. What would a major 21st Century military conflict look like with more nations and other forces possessing Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs)? How would an expansion into space be sustained after a brief forward thrust? Can greater engagement of the commercial sector be the way to sustain our presence in the Solar System?

The 21st Century Waves site is frequently updated to document how current events such as the recent financial collapse and current economic doldrums and even the recent mid-term elections play into this analysis.

I've placed the site in my side bar in the space section (though it is difficult to easily categorize) so it will be interesting to see if and how these predictions play out over the next few years.

The Day Hell Froze Over

Well, one year ago today was the day a chill was cast on the subject of man made global warming, with the release on the Internet of a collection of e-mails and documents that became known as "Climategate".

Even before then, the view among scientists and the public was far from the "consensus" portrayed by much of the Media. A couple of good sources of information are Climate Debate Daily, which features articles from proponents and skeptics, and Climate Depot, a site with a definitely skeptical point of view which culls many articles from various sources.

As I've said before, climate science is a complex field that certainly merits vigorous research and monitoring, but is far from being "settled" so as to justify drastic upheavals to economic and social policy. National, security, economic growth and general environmental stewardship are all good reasons to be more efficient in use of resources and to develop new energy sources, but those can be done in a way consistent with respecting life and liberty.

Don't Touch...

The topic of new TSA screening procedures at airports is getting plenty of attention. Charles Krauthammer
expresses the growing frustration of many in the public about what is and is not being done to thwart terrorism.

We pretend that we go through this nonsense as a small price paid to assure the safety of air travel. Rubbish. This has nothing to do with safety - 95 percent of these inspections, searches, shoe removals, and pat-downs are ridiculously unnecessary. The only reason we continue to do this is that people are too cowed to even question the absurd taboo against profiling - when the profile of the airline attacker is narrow, concrete, uniquely definable, and universally known. So instead of seeking out terrorists, we seek out tubes of gel in stroller pouches.

Meanwhile, a couple of articles examine the questions of radiation safety and privacy protection with the new scanning machines.

Finally, here's a timely humorous video from Iowahawk.



I'm glad my upcoming holiday travel will all be within easy driving distance and I hope they get this whole thing straightened out before I fly again.

Brian Marsden, RIP

Dr. Brian Marsden, astronomer who specialized in cataloging discoveries of asteroids and planets at the Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, died yesterday at age 73. I recall well having him on a panel I chaired on Near Earth Objects at the 2005 International Space Development Conference.

Eucharistic Springtime

Pope Benedict XVI today described a renewed recognition of one of the deepest truths of the Catholic Faith.

"Recalling St. Juliana of Cornillon, let us also renew our faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, and let us assist in a very strong renewal of the Eucharist throughout the world." These were the words of the Pope who, in his general audience catechesis today, presented the life and work of this thirteenth century saint.

New US Catholic Leaders

Congratulations to Archbishop Timothy Dolan of NY who was elected President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and to Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, who was elected VP. The election, which defied conventional expectations, is generating analysis like this piece.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Nancy Pelosi was elected by Congressional Dems to be their leader in the minority. She did face a heroic challenge by prolife moderate Dem Heath Schuler.

So What Was It?

What was that mysterious object appearing to rocket into the sky off the coast of LA last evening? It certainly looked impressive in the video from a TV station helicopter and it left US military officials (at least publicly) quite perplexed for a full day.

My curiosity led me to do a little online research on China's Sea Launch Ballistic Missile (SLBM) capabilities. Most of the descriptive information from Western experts was several years old but clearly indicated that China was pushing toward a robust SLBM capability.

The Chinese would have had the motivation, especially right now. They're probably not too pleased to see the US President moving through Asia with an entourage worthy of, well, a Chinese emperor, and might be tempted to make a upstaging show of power. And they also likely have the capability, though eluding detection to get so close to the US coast would also indicate a serious gap in our defense monitoring operations.

Anyway, a more likely, if unexpected explanation has emerged. Where you view an event from determines your perspective and how the event appears to you. What looks like an ascending missile moving away from you could also be a plane approaching leaving an expanding contrail in its wake. A more detailed explanation including previous examples of this occurrence and an illustration of the geometry of this illusion are contained in this article. Also, a likely airliner flight in the right place at the right time has been identified.

This event does bring to mind the time when I was living in California and driving east toward Yosemite with a friend on a bright sunny day when I noticed a bright trail rising vertically from the southern horizon (the direction of Vandenberg AFB, the primary US west coast launch site). I pulled over and we got out and watched for a few minutes until the object got higher (from our point of view) and it became obvious that it was simply a jetliner coming toward us.

Now, revelation of videos taken from other angles or other evidence corroborating a missile launch could change this story again, but it appears that the most mundane explanation turns out to be the most plausible.

Medical Advances

Two reports on exciting medical advances (hat tip to Glenn Reynolds):

- A possible key to unlocking how cancerous tumors resist efforts to harness the immune system against them may lead to new ways of attacking cancer.

- A discovery of a process that converts human skin cells directly into blood cells. Wesley Smith describes how this development could really revolutionize some therapies and do so in an ethical manner.

Clarity Please!

Glenn Reynolds says the newly invigorated Republicans' approach to the Democrats shouldn't be all compromise nor all confrontation, but that they should take a stand for clarity.

Sometimes, of course, compromises can bring clarity -- when it's clear what's being given up, and what's gained in exchange. Generally speaking, though, the Washington approach is to pretend that there's a free lunch, rather than to acknowledge the trade-offs.

Ed Morrisey has some further thoughts.

People honestly disagree on policy and political philosophy. Congress gives us a forum for confrontation and compromise. Representative democracy requires elected officials to be accountable for their votes in Congress, and clarity is an absolute necessity for that process to work. Passing 3,000-page bills doesn’t add to clarity, nor do back-room deals with opaque codicils for favored interests. As Glenn says, confrontation forces those issues out into the sunlight.

The Tide Goes Out, Comes Back In

Charles Krauthammer writes that last week's election simply reversed the Democratic gains of 2006 and 2008 (with a little extra margin in the House).

Or to put it numerically, the Republican wave of 2010 did little more than undo the two-stage Democratic wave of 2006 to 2008, in which the Democrats gained 54 House seats combined (precisely the size of the anti-Democratic wave of 1994). In 2010 the Democrats gave it all back, plus about an extra ten seats or so for good - chastening - measure.

Yet Michael Barone says the Republicans gained some more enduring strength by advancing in many of the states.

Republicans look to have a bigger advantage in this redistricting cycle they've ever had before. It appears that in the states that will have more than five districts (you can make only limited partisan difference in smaller states) Republicans will control redistricting in 13 states with a total of 165 House districts and Democrats will have control in only four states with a total of 40 districts. You can add Minnesota (seven or eight districts) to the first list if the final count gives Republicans the governorship and New York (27 or 28 districts) to the second list if the final count gives Democrats the state Senate.

Comet Closeup

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD

NASA's EPOXI mission made a flyby of Comet Hartley 2 on Thursday taking spectacular closeup images of this celestial visitor. This same spacecraft delivered the Deep Impact probe to a collision with another comet five years ago, as reported here at LATF. The University of Maryland played a leading role in this mission.

Riding the Wave

The Day After: Yesterday's historic national wave that turned over the House and restored a closer balance to the Senate is quite exciting, even though not unexpected (with a few races TBD). The victories of Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Pat Toomey (kudos to my native state) and others represent a welcome conservative resurgence to at least a more balanced government after the last couple years of a frenzied liberal agenda.

Of course there were heartbreaks, starting here in Maryland with the loss of Bob Ehrlich's run for Governor and other good state and local candidates, while a bright spot is the addition of Andy Harris to Congress. Also sorry to see O'Donnell, Angle and Fiorina lose their Senate races (Hard to take California keeping Boxer and recycling Jerry Brown for Governor).

Overall, however, this is a fresh start for our country, with a galvanized grassroots citizens movement that will hopefully remain vigilant at keeping both parties accountable for living up to the principles of life and liberty that our nation was founded on.

I need to get back to a more normal bedtime schedule but they'll be plenty of fallout to watch and possibly comment on in the coming days.

The Time for Decision Is at Hand

In a few days I’ll have time to clean up my house, get more rest, take an autumn hike on a mountain trail, spend more time at Space.com than I do at RealClearPolitics.com, etc.. These have been the final days of phone-calling, sign-posting, blogging and Election Day at the polls activities tomorrow. Kathryn Jean Lopez wrote last week of her similar feelings of loving the importance and excitement of politics with a yearning for a post-election respite.

I voted early here in Maryland last week, casting my vote for Bob Ehrlich for Governor and the rest of the team fighting to bring some balance to my state and county. For those who haven't had the chance to vote already, tomorrow is your chance to have your say in the future of your community state and country. Whatever your politics, whatever your mood, it's important to take time out of your normal frantic life to cast your vote

I'm encouraged by the nationwide polling trends and have high hope for races I've been watching in other states including Pennsylvania, California Nevada and, yes, Delaware for character and optimism to win out over widespread cynicism. However, the only poll that counts is the election itself and now is no time for complacency. Get out and vote and bring others along with you.

I heard one pundit this evening say that we may be sailing on uncharted waters. The choice of world views is stark, between a culture of death and an increasingly oppressive state v. a culture of life and a new birth of freedom. Here is a link to prayer for guidance at this critical time.

Catholics, Life Issues and the Election

I posted an article with this same title two years ago when Barack Obama was on the verge of winning the presidency. A lot has happened in the last two years and, for various reasons, now Catholics are shifting toward the GOP in this year's midterm elections.

The role of Catholic voters is still the focus of attention by Pope Benedict XVI speaking to the bishops of Brazil, which is having its own major election today and by Archbishop (and Cardinal designate) Raymond Burke, who spoke out strongly in a videotaped interview recently.

"No," Burke answers. "You can never vote for someone who favors absolutely the right to choice of a woman to destroy a human life in her womb or the right to a procured abortion."

He adds that voters "may in some circumstances, where you don't have any candidate who is proposing to eliminate all abortion, choose the candidate who will most limit this grave evil in our country. But you could never justify voting for a candidate who not only does not want to limit abortion but believes that it should be available to everyone."

Kathryn Jean Lopez, in reflecting on Pope Benedict's September visit to the UK and his 2008 visit to the US, sees current political developments as part of a more sweeping cultural movement.

Freedom is very much on American minds, frequently served these days, with tea. The tea party movement, such that it is - a dispersed, grassroots political phenomenon. It isn’t an explicitly religious movement, by any strength. But if you talk to people who show up to the rallies, if you listen to some of the candidates who have showed up to run for office this year -- to serve -- it’s hard to escape this is a cultural movement of people who feel called to something greater than themselves. They dare to hope, to believe that we can be better than we have been.

Of course, they dare to hope that we can be better when it comes to government spending, better when it comes to seriousness about homeland security, better when it comes to making people freer to make choices that are best for their families, and so on. But in reality, it’s so much more.

Marco Rubio, Republican Senate candidate (who is Catholic) running in Florida is among those who give a most compelling voice to people’s fears about the future of the American idea, the experiment that Pope Benedict spoke with respect and admiration of when he came here to visit. It’s an experiment we’re losing hold of.

.......

And about that used and abused word "hope": Peggy Noonan, in her column this weekend, notices a detachment about tea party activists when it comes to individual candidates. Their hope is not the candidate they are campaigning for. The audacity to hope is not a campaign theme or a book title. And the tea party - and politics itself - are not the venues by which to acquire hope.

Rather, these things, rightly ordered, must be in service of He who is hope. And as Denver Archbishop Charles J. Chaput reminds us, it "assumes and demands a real, unbending spine in believers."

Ted Sorensen, RIP

Ted Sorensen, President John F. Kennedy's prime speech writer, died today at age 82. He helped craft JFK's stirring inaugural address and his other speeches, including those in times of great crises. He presumably had a hand in the 1961 speech to Congress that included the commitment to reach the Moon by the end of the decade and this stirring and poetic speech on space given at Rice University in 1962.

We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.

.....

Many years ago the great British explorer George Mallory, who was to die on Mount Everest, was asked why did he want to climb it. He said, "Because it is there."

Well, space is there, and we're going to climb it, and the moon and the planets are there, and new hopes for knowledge and peace are there. And, therefore, as we set sail we ask God's blessing on the most hazardous and dangerous and greatest adventure on which man has ever embarked.