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.

Happy Halloween (All Hallows Eve)

Happy Halloween to all the little ghosts and goblins who will be out tonight and to all who enjoy consuming and/or giving out sweet delights.

Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas, Texas offers a positive reminder of the Christian aspect of today's festivities.

In the Middle Ages there was a popular belief that on All Souls Day the souls in Purgatory could appear on earth as will-o-the-wisps, witches, ghosts and all sorts of things to those people who had wronged them during their lifetimes. At some point, these customs slipped into the All Saints Celebration called Halloween.

So this weekend when the little ghoulies and ghosties are out they remind us of the suffering souls in Purgatory who need our prayers.

We should all remember our beloved dead and pray for them regularly and for those who have no one to pray for them.

Cure for Disease as Cure for Health Care Crisis

James Pinkerton points out how curing disease, in this case, Alzheimer’s, could go a long way toward solving, or at least mitigating, the financial challenges facing the health care system. I would think that the same would be true for curing other major maladies such as heart disease and cancer.

The author seems to claim that this would make the current health care debate almost irrelevant, but I still see the critical need to repeal or at least neutralize ObamaReidPelosi care in the interest of allowing cutting edge medical research to go forward and allowing patients to access that research's results when they need them. (I'll probably just refer to "Obamacare" after Tuesday, when hopefully Reid and Pelosi will no longer be relevant.)

Nevertheless, Pinkerton's primary point is well taken. Let's think big and take a can-do attitude toward solving society's problems in ways that liberate human persons rather than restricting them.

Working toward Space Settlement

NASA, Artist concept by Denise Watt.


If I were not so focused on the election and had not spent so much on travel already this year, I'd likely be in California this weekend for the Space Studies Institute's Space Manufacturing 14 conference (resuming after a hiatus since 2001). Topics include technology , transportation, resources and energy related to human expansion into and settlement of places beyond Earth.

Blogging and Tweeting of the conference is being provided by Rand Simberg, Clarke Lindsey, Jeff Foust and Doug Messier, among others.

Historical Undercurrent of Current Campaign

While the focus of most involved in this year's election campaign is understandably on economic issues, history may record how this year's politics may yield significant movement on the protection of human life.

When the Issues Don't Work, Make It Personal

Negative campaign tactics are a perennial part of politics that members of both parties engage in. But Jim Geraghty notes the particular frenzy with which the Democrats are going personal with their attacks on Republican opponents this year.

Meanwhile . . . after telling themselves for decades that their ideas are better, and that if the election is about ideas, they win, what are liberals running on?

The DCCC is running ads about Kristi Noem’s speeding tickets, Keith Fimian’s home-inspection business, Jaime Herrera’s business-card expenses. Tennessee Democrat Lincoln Davis accuses his opponent of "a history of violent and threatening behavior."

As we all know, Jack Conway is running an ad on the Aqua Buddha. The DSCC is running an ad saying that because Pat Toomey did work for a Chinese company, "maybe he ought to run for Senate . . . in China. (Gong noise.)" We all know how much of the DSCC attacks on Christine O’Donnell have been about her personal finances, and how much fun they had with Linda McMahon’s wacky on-camera performances as part of the WWF. And the White House, of course, is screaming from the rooftops that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce must prove their innocence over their unsupported charge of using foreign money.

They could just tell us how great that health care bill they passed is going to work out. Oh, never mind!

Security Threat Remains Top Issue

While the run-up to Tuesday's midterm elections has centered primarily around economic issues, we're reminded once again that other things matter as an attempted terrorist operation is thwarted.

It ain't Over 'til It's Over

RealClearPolitics can be a interesting gold mine for political junkies to analyze election trends. For example, let's look at three prominent Senate races, those in Pennsylvania, California and Delaware.

Clicking on each link, you can see that, according to the RCP averages of recent polls, Toomey is slightly ahead in PA (Go Pat!) and Boxer is slightly ahead in CA (Please CA, take her back and send us Carly!), while in Delaware, Chris Coons is shown with a solid 17.2 % lead over Christine O'Donnell. But take a closer look at when the polls were taken. While the PA and CA averages are from polls taken within the last few days, the Delaware average comes from polls that were taken no later than Oct. 14, nearly two weeks ago. (This is as of 10 PM Wednesday evening. By the time you read this, the averages may be updated with more recent polls that either confirm or change the status of any of these races.)

So, did the major polling organizations stop polling this race in mid-October? (No doubt there are likely internal and local polls still being taken.) Aren't they being a little presumptuous if they've stopped polling because the think this race is over? So what is going on in this Delaware race this week?

I know Christine O'Donnell is facing a steep challenge in this race, but don't count her out. Besides, history shows us how presumed outcomes aren't always confirmed by reality.

Politically Correct Foolishness Just Keeps on Coming

The publicly funded National Public Radio (NPR) has embroiled itself in an immense controversy (and a possible funding crisis in the next Congress) by firing news analyst Juan Williams over comments made on Fox News, where he will go on to fill an expanded role.

Ailes, in making his announcement, said, "Juan has been a staunch defender of liberal viewpoints since his tenure began at Fox News in 1997. He’s an honest man whose freedom of speech is protected by Fox News on a daily basis."

Apparently, much more nasty speech is tolerated by NPR when it is directed at conservatives.

Of course, those who deem their liberal views as so much more enlightened and tolerant than those who disagree with them will just continue to rail against Fox News and other "right wing" media.

The Moon Becomes Still More Interesting and Useful

NASA today revealed new information about discoveries made during last year's LRO/LCROSS mission that impacted the lunar south pole. Substantial amounts of water plus a number of other useful resources were confirmed. The Moon will play an increasing role in the future human economy. More links here.

Speaking (and Showing) Truth to Power Rocks the Capital

Missy Smith is running to replace Eleanor Holmes Norton as DC's non-voting Congress member. She's unlikely to win the seat but may have more impact on our society than any other candidate running this year.

Missy Smith is taking advantage of an obscure federal election law to bypass media censorship of the gruesome reality of abortion. Jill Stanek explains further here with video links to the graphic ads.

These powerful and moving ads have already run on several local news and late night comedy shows, starting yesterday.

I've donated to Missy Smith's campaign to run the ads at her campaign web site. I know presenting the graphic reality of abortion is a controversial issue even among prolife people, but I think we've been blessed with a rare opportunity to cut through the BS of misleading euphemisms and political cliches to challenge those in power with the brutal consequences of the policies they defend.

This campaign in our nation's capital may go down in history as a start of a turning point in the long-running struggle over abortion. Please consider supporting this effort.

Comercial Space News from NM Conference

The International Symposium on Personal and Commercial Spaceflight (ISPCS) 2010 is underway in New Mexico and a steady stream of reports are coming out. Clarke Lindsey was unable to make it there this year but is doing a tremendous job of capturing reports from those who are there.

Most interesting are the reports coming out about Bigelow Aerospace and its plans for commercial space habitats. They have now booked six countries as first customers and are addressing a whole range of issues including launch sites for getting customers to the space stations. Wallops Island, VA is one of the sites Bigelow is considering.

Doug Messier has posted a number of pics of Bigelow's exhibit at the conference.

New Cardinals

Congratulations to Archbishop Donald Wuerl (of my Archdiocese of Washington) and Archbishop Raymond Burke, who is an outspoken leader on moral and political issues, and the 22 others who were designated by Pope Benedict XVI today to become cardinals of the Catholic Church.

Two Weeks and Counting

The midterm election that seemed so long in coming is now only two weeks away. While I'm cautious about making predictions, it's looking like the Republicans are holding on to a lead that could bring to substantial gains in Congress. One race nearby that would have seemed most safe for the Dems may actually be making a leading Democrat very nervous.

What's most exciting about this race is that even the Republican establishment is not in control of events. The rise of the Tea Party movement is not only taking on establishment politicians but also the establishment media, which for so long has portrayed events to its consumers through the lens of its own assumptions (fantasies) of what the world should be like.

Now President Obama thinks this political climate is a result of we the people being too fearful to think clearly enough to accept his obviously superior ideas and plans for us.

Those who think they are so much more intelligent and morally superior have recently given us more priceless gems than I can keep track of, but here is the latest howler.

China's Mineral Embargo

This developing story that China is withholding shipments of key rare earth minerals to the West may or may not precipitate an immediate economic and security crisis, but it is an ominous reminder of the fragile position we find ourselves in in a not always friendly world.

We're Finding Out What's In It

Among the most recent gotchas coming out of ObamaReidPelosi care include its negative impact on employees' health benefits and its role in the closing of some Catholic hospitals.

There is a bright side however. In the Monday hearing on Virginia's suit challenging the constitutionality of the plan's mandate for individuals to have health insurance (not the only state challenge to the plan), it was noted that the plan has no "severability" clause. In their rush to pass this monstrosity before anyone could find out what's in it, the plan's proponents forgot to include a usually standard clause for complex legislation stating that a finding that one part of the legislation is unconstitutional does not invalidate those parts that are not ruled unconstitutional. Thus, a ruling that the mandate is unconstitutional could threaten to bring down the whole plan.

In the meantime, many of those in Congress that voted for this debacle are discovering another gotcha: their pink slip to be delivered on November 2.

Rescued!

The 33 Chilean miners trapped below ground for over two months have been safely brought to the surface. (The final rescue team member will soon be enroute to the surface as I write.)

Give thanks to God and credit to all who were involved in planning and conducting this rescue. Assistance was provided by NASA to the rescue effort.

O Signs the Bill

President Obama today signed the NASA authorization bill that provides direction for a balanced plan for NASA to conduct exploration, attempt to develop affordable heavy lift, engage the commercial sector and develop new technology for advancing the frontier. Of course there's a lot of work to be done to see that Congress appropriates funds to back up the new direction and that NASA implements the plan effectively.

Virgin Goes Free Flight

Virgin Galactic carried out the first free flight glide test of its SpaceShipTwo commercial suborbital spaceship on Sunday. This test is an important step in the vigorous test program that must be carried out in order to meet Virgin's stated goal of providing paying passenger flights in eighteen months.

It's Not "Either/Or"

Dick Morris & Eileen McGann write that fiscal and economic issues are the sole driver behind the Tea Party movement at the expense of "social issues" (abortion, gun control, gay marriage, etc.).

This shift in Republican priorities is opening up the way for social moderates and libertarians to back Republican candidates in the 2010 elections. The libertarian strain in the American electorate has long been neglected by the mainstream media. But, through the Tea Party, it has gained ascendancy on the right. Those who want the government to stay out of both boardrooms and bedrooms have come to dominate the party and its nominating process.

Not so fast, say Kathryn Jean Lopez and Ramesh Ponnuru.

As Ponnuru says:

As for social issues not counting in the primaries, let’s look at the results of seriously contested primaries. Many of the pro-life establishment candidates won (McCain, Fiorina, Ayotte); none of the pro-choice establishment candidates did (Castle, Murkowski, and you could even count Crist and Specter depending on when you start the review). In three states establishment pro-life candidates lost (Lowden, Greyson, Norton) but in each case to pro-life insurgents. That none of the tea-party candidates in these races has been pro-choice is a fact so obvious that we don’t even think about it.

And as KJL says:

I actually believe we’re at this beautiful moment where people are in such a mood for common sense in governing that things like a universal Hyde Amendment and de-funding Planned Parenthood are absolutely coalition wins. Fiscal conservatives and the most dedicated anti-abortion activist can agree here. That’s not losing clout. It’s travelling the road to victory on the human-rights issue of our time.

I particularly like that last line as I've always been a little uncomfortable with abortion (and other direct threats to human life) being vaguely defined as a "social issue" when it is really "the human-rights issue of our time".

Finally, a poll released this past week actually indicates a high degree of overlap between Tea Party activists and "social conservatives".

It's the Policies, Stupid!

When faced with leadership that is seriously endangering the country (and the world) because it is trying to implement some awfully flawed ideas, it is important not to get excessively sidetracked on personal flaws. It's not about Obama, Reid or Pelosi as persons, it's the policies they are implementing, according to Charles Krauthammer, that is motivating the public to once more seek change this election year.

Renn Fest

I spent Sunday at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. The weather was overcast and cool but comfortable with a jacket (until it started raining at the end of the day). There was plenty of good food and drink and lots of good music performances for Celtic weekend. Particularly intriguing and powerful with an Australian accent was the music of a band called BROTHER.

Space Developments Keep Coming

With all of the nail biting intrigue leading up to Wednesday night's Congressional approval of the NASA authorization bill, we don't want to overlook some other interesting and significant recent space news events:

_ China launched its second lunar probe, Chang'e 2, on Friday. The Moon remains a prime object of interest among Earth's spacefaring nations, including the United States.



- A "potentially habitable" planet has been discovered around a nearby red dwarf star, Gliese 581, 20 light-years away. (That's right in the neighborhood by galactic standards.) It's been almost 15 years since the first confirmation of planets around other stars was announced, and these discoveries are only going to get more interesting over time.

- Sir Richard Branson says his company Virgin Galactic will start offering suborbital tourist flights in eighteen months. Meeting that schedule will require an aggressive program of test flights between now and then, but these passenger flights will surely raise a new level of excitement about this emerging industry.

Converging on Closure for NASA

I've been following the process on the House floor as S. 3729, the Senate passed NASA authorization bill is considered along with numerous other pieces of legislation as the House races to adjourn/recess before the election. Debates were held earlier and votes are now occurring. I've been primarily following this NasaSpaceflight.com forum along with the official floor proceedings. The NASA authorization should be occurring soon.

UPDATE 11:36 PM EDT: Bill passed!!! Now we have a chance to advance a space program that can plan exploration, attempt to develop affordable heavy lift, engage the commercial sector and develop new technology for advancing the frontier.

Check out the usual space sites. I can add links tomorrow. Time for bed.

UPDATE: 9/30: Here's the recorded roll call vote, the Spacetoday.net summary and links and the NASASpaceflight.com article. Numerous posts and links have been posted at HobbySpace.com.

The Power of a Video

There are many political ads circulating through the 'net and more traditional media this year, but here is a particularly powerful one that patterns the Reagan "Morning in America" ad of 1984 in the light of a more somber time.

House Republicans Pledge Action While Christie Takes the Lead

Republican US House leaders today unveiled their "Pledge to America", a document laying out some of their proposed policy initiatives including repealing ObamaReidPelosi health care, cutting spending and maintaining existing tax rates (as opposed to allowing them to rise).

The prolife Susan B. Anthony List applauds the pledge for including legislation to end all federal funding of abortion. The group goes on to urge a total defunding of Planned Parenthood (which is already in a panic over an apparent convergence of the prolife and Tea Party movements in this years' elections), a move already taken by NJ Gov. Chris Christie. I hope when they gain power, the GOP congressional leaders and other GOP governors will follow Christie's lead.

Robert Truax, RIP

Robert Truax, who pioneered innovative but simple rocket concepts for decades, died last week at age 93. I recall when he was trucking his Private Enterprise Volksrocket around the SF Bay Area ~1980. While it never achieved its manned suborbital spaceflight objective, it did undergo an impressive static test firing (video included on memorial Facebook page).

Religion and Science: Conflicted or Complementary?

Pope Benedict is making a number of significant headlines during his visit to Britain this week to mark the Beatification of John Henry Newman, one of which is on the topic of religion and science.

"The world needs good scientists, but a scientific outlook becomes dangerously narrow if it ignores the religious and ethical dimension of life, just as religion becomes narrow if it rejects the legitimate contribution of science to our understanding."

Meanwhile, Vatican astronomer Guy Consolmagno has some intriguing thoughts on religion and extraterrestrial intelligent beings. He also talks about a phrase that has taken on an altered and more controversial meaning recently.

On 'intelligent design', which claims that Darwin's theory of evolution cannot explain the complexity of life, he said: 'The word has been hijacked by a narrow group of Creationist fundamentalists in America to mean something it didn't originally mean at all.

'It's another form of the God of the gaps.

'It's bad theology in that it turns God once again into the pagan god of thunder and lightning.'

The phrase 'intelligent design' was centuries old and described the idea that God could be discovered in the laws of space and time and the existence of human reason.

Observing the Moon Tonight

Tonight is the first International Observe the Moon Night being observed at at least several hundred locations around the world to capitalize on the growing interest surrounding recent discoveries about the Moon. I just returned from the event at the Goddard Spaceflight Center in Maryland.

Primary Election Wrap-Up

Yesterday's primary elections in six states produced quite exciting news. The win by Christine O'Donnell for the Republican Senate nomination in Delaware highlighted the grassroots political movement upstaging the conventional political wisdom. While her nomination may make it more challenging for the GOP to win that seat, I'm always inclined to reject the kind of excessive pessimism that says she "can't win". May Christine O'Donnell be part of the wave that sweeps into Washington in November.

Closer to home, former Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich won the Republican nomination to take back the governorship from current Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley, despite a hard fought campaign by businessman Brian Murphy. While Murphy's strong prolife stand was more aligned with mine than Ehrlich's mixed views, the choice is now between Ehrlich and O'Malley, who shares the extreme pro-abortion position commonly held by liberal Democrats.

Bob Ehrlich favors cutting spending and taxes and improving Maryland's environment for business and jobs. Another key issue in this race is the redistricting that will take place next year. It is crucial to have a Republican governor in place to restore some sanity to the layout of the Congressional and state legislative districts, which will make it more possible to elect prolife and generally conservative candidates in Maryland for years to come. On to an Ehrlich-Kane victory in November!

Boeing Enters Private Human Spaceflight Business

The long established aerospace Boeing Corporation announced an agreement with private spaceflight broker Space Adventures to carry paying customers on their CST-100 spacecraft which is under development. This is one more sign of the quickening pace of commercial space developments.

In Remembrance of September 11, 2001

U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael W. Pendergrass

Nine years ago tomorrow morning, I overheard a coworker down the hall from my office telling someone else about planes hitting the World Trade Center. I checked in on the Internet and on news radio for reports on what would develop into the the modern era's day of infamy. We know of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but there was also the attack that did not occur because of the heroic actions of the passengers on United Flight 93.

Nine years of daily living, along with increasing domestic rancor, may have dimmed the feelings of shock, horror, and outrage and the response of prayer, compassion, and resolve that united the people of America and most of the world. However, terrorist activity around the world should serve to remind us that the threat is still real.

This audio/visual Internet presentation developed by a New Yorker shortly after the attacks recaptures all of those experiences. The sequence is ~15 minutes long and some of the images and sounds are quite disturbing, others are inspirational. You can use the browser View/Zoom function and adjust the scroll bar to enlarge the slide show if needed. (I've also added the link to this video to my sidebar.)

It is important that we remember, not only to honor those who died and those who acted heroically that day, but to remain constantly aware of the ongoing dangers, of the presence of real evil in the hearts of some men, and to maintain constant vigilance and a determination to defeat this evil. Finally, we must always remember to trust in God and his mercy during trying times.

Time by the Sea

Just returned today from a few relaxing days with my sister at Ocean City, Md. this week that even a brush with the passing Hurricane Earl couldn't spoil.

Who's Calling Who "Extreme"?

One welcome development in current politics is that the Republicans are starting to stand up to the attempts of the liberal establishment to label conservative ideas as "extreme". This video ad looks at who's really out of step with a majority of public sentiment. Erick Erickson comments at RedState.



Here's another good ad addressing the timeless topic of who is and who is not speaking for the rest of us.



As far as I'm concerned, why should trying to defend life and liberty be considered "extreme"? Isn't that just extremely reasonable?

Honey, I Shrunk the Moon

Well, actually nobody's to blame, but NASA reports that the Moon is shrinking (slightly).

Carrying on the Good Fight

Charmaine Yoest and Alveda King (niece of Dr. Martin Luther King) had a recent op-ed in the Washington Times recalling the tenacity of the movement for justice for all human beings to assure us that sooner or later the prolife movement will win.

In 1857, when the Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott v. Sanford that black Americans essentially had no protection under the Constitution and therefore virtually no rights, abolitionists may have felt that their cause had been dealt a serious blow - yet they continued to press ahead.

They pressed ahead, as we do now, not because victory was immediate but because they were compelled by duty to do what is right. And in America, land of the second chance, we know there will be another opportunity.

Political Quakes

The past week saw some significant news on several hot political issues. ObamaReidPelosicare may not be a done deal as Deroy Murdock at NRO summarizes how last week the health care monstrosity was rejected by Missouri voters, open to question by a U.S. District Judge's hearing a Virginia constitutional challenge (as other states are also going to court to challenge the health policy) and maneuvering continues in Congress during the run-up to the midterm elections.

Meanwhile the ruling by a federal judge striking down California's Proposition 8 popular referendum on marriage (far from settled as appeals will continue) and the confirmation of Elana Kagan to the Supreme Court only re-emphasized the role of the courts as a political issue.

Images of California

I've been seeing people and places in California this week since the end of the NewSpace conference (for which Clark Lindsey has assembled a resources page of postings and videos). Here are a few selected pics as my trip winds up. (Click on an individual image to enlarge it.)


Here's looking at you. Telephoto image of harbor seals laying on the beach near Half Moon Bay.


Overlooking Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe


Spectacular vista from deck of friends' house in Sierra foothills


That's me with the Golden Gate Bridge in background, taken by crewmember of boat on which I took a one-hour cruise on San Francisco Bay.

California, Here I Am

I'm in Sunnyvale CA where the Space Frontier Foundation's NewSpace 2010 conference is happening this weekend. In case you can't attend here in person, the conference is being webcast on SpaceVidCast.com.

Journolist Bombshell

A new online journal created by Tucker Carlson, The Daily Caller, has revealed the contents of a now disbanded online discussion group called Journolist. The discussion group of numerous liberal journalists displays the extent of their shared world view and how it impacts delivery of the news. Mark Whittington provides a descriptive summary of this developing story.

These revelations may be remembered as being pivotal in the downfall of the already compromised credibility of the Old/conventional/"mainstream" Media.

Lunar Blogiversary Tomorrow

NASA

Tomorrow is the 41st anniversary of the Apollo 11 pioneering expedition to the lunar surface, the day human beings first made landfall on another world. Check out Rand Simberg's ceremonial commemoration of that epic voyage.

UPDATE: 7/20 : Mark Whittington has a long list of relevant lunar links.

Tomorrow is also the seventh anniversary ('blogiversary') of the launch of this humble blog. Here is the inaugural post (Note that I was too inexperienced to think of giving it a title.) on Life at the Frontier.

Have the Rules Changed?

Jonah Goldberg looks at the current economic and political environment and asks if some of the fundamental political assumptions of the past century have changed here and abroad.

But what about when the rules change? For nearly a century now, the rules have said that tough economic times make big government more popular. For more than 40 years it has been a rule that environmental disasters -- and scares over alleged ones -- help environmentalists push tighter regulations. According to the rules, Americans never want to let go of an entitlement once they have it. According to the rules, populism is a force for getting the government to do more, not less. According to the rules, Americans don't care about the deficit during a recession.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe to Go Back to Downtown Silver Spring

The giant shark (known as "Chompy" to locals) is once again piercing through the Discovery building in downtown Silver Spring MD, as seen in these pictures I took after breakfast this morning.

Of course it is no coincidence that "Shark Week" is returning soon to the Discovery Channel.

An Event That Changed History

As we celebrate the Apollo 11 moon landing 41st anniversary, another event occurred in 1969 that this article describes as the birth of a world-changing innovation that you are experiencing as you read this.

So Far, So Good

The Gulf oil well cap appears to be holding as BP and the government continue to monitor and contemplate further steps until the relief wells and permanent plugging are completed , hopefully within a few weeks.

As It Happened, the Apollo 11 Launch

Today is the 41st anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to land the first men on the Moon. Here is a (10 min) video of the final minutes of the countdown and the first few minutes of flight. Relive the moment, or experience it for the first time.

Todays Senate Compromise on Space

In what for Congress would be a rare public moment of bipartisan camaraderie, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation unanimously approved the NASA Authorization Act of 2010 on Thursday morning setting the latest "new direction" for NASA, apparently in coordination with the appropriations committees and reportedly with the tacit assent of the White House.

The highlights include one more Shuttle flight next year, immediate start to development of a Shuttle Derived Heavy Lift Vehicle (SDHLV), technology development and transition to commercial crew/cargo service to the International Space Station (ISS). There still may be some action on the Senate floor to fine tune the funding for technology development and commercial space. (Apparently, it takes a day or so to publish the bill's details, including funding levels, so there still seems to be some ambiguity as to how the funding plan for each topic has changed.)

One thing is clear. The process of developing a new direction has entered a new phase, beyond the pitfalls of the previous program, the uncertainty of the last year and a half, and the rancor that followed the release of the Obama Administration's original proposal in February. Let's see to it that it draws upon the best of NASA's heritage and the emerging commercial sector to open wide the frontier of space.

HobbySpace has numerous links here and here. also stay tuned to Spacetoday.net and NASA Watch for continuing coverage and links.

Princess Palin Takes On Darth Berwick

The bizarre policies coming from President Obama and the Congressional Democrats have been too numerous to keep up with, but Stuart Schwartz tells how Sarah Palin's warning of "death panels" in the health care bill last year foresaw the bizarre vision of Donald Berwick, the new Medicare czar Obama rammed through in a recess appointment, who is enthused about rationing and redistribution of health care.

As Investors Business Daily headlined, "The President's One-Man Death Panel" has arrived. Berwick has come to Washington to play Vader to Obama's Emperor Palpatine. The Harvard health specialist's job is to transform Medicare, to make the primary medical insurance system for seniors into an instrument of social policy, to take wealth and years from seniors and redistribute them to favored segments of the population. This is not about health care, and it is especially not about seniors; rather, it is all about the social engineering.

As with many of these issues, the article points out that the outcome may be different than in years past because of the more diverse media environment.

Sarah Palin was right, stubbornly hanging in when the mainstream media -- sensing "a great disturbance in the [leftist] force" -- trained its batteries on her. She was ridiculed on network newscasts, in the White House briefing room, by the media "stormtroopers [who] represented the most visible extension of Imperial [Obama] might." Darth Vader and Star Wars serve as metaphor, Palin as Princess Leia, while network anchors, commentator after commentator, all the president's men showered ridicule on her. "Downright evil," screamed Keith Olbermann; "stupid as s**t," proclaimed a popular Democratic blog.

But she persevered, and the truth emerged. The president and his congressional allies were forcing a crazy quilt of statist bureaucracies, socialist dysfunctions, and authoritarian controls. Each day brought more revelations as Tea Party activists, Republican staffers, ordinary citizens, and new media combed through Obamacare legislation. Sarah Palin was right. Popular radio host Mark Levin put it best: "Sarah Palin's not scary. You know who is? Barack Hussein Obama."

Conflicting Rumors from the Sausage Factory

Two Media reports provide differing accounts of the specifics in the NASA authorization bill being developed in the Senate Commerce Committee’s space subcommittee. One, from Florida Today, indicates that the subcommittee has settled on a compromise that accelerates a Shuttle Derived Heavy Lift Vehicle (SDHLV) and a "flexible path" human exploration program while leaving the Obama Administration's commercial space and technology development largely intact, albeit with some trimming of funds and schedule stretch out.

The other report, from the Orlando Sentinel, indicates the subcommittee bill would represent a more drastic repudiation of the White House policy, drastically cutting commercial to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and technology development funding.

I really hope that the first report is more accurate, as I support the expediting of heavy lift and human exploration but also the commercial engagement and technology development that are so vital to becoming a true spacefaring civilization.

I suspect that the sausage factory (another name for the legislative process, according to Otto von Bismark and others) is still grinding away, though we'll know the result no later than Thursday when the subcommittee is due to report its authorization bill.

Asteroid Lutetia Closeup

ESA

Europe's Rosetta spacecraft flew by the asteroid Lutetia on Saturday gathering spectacular images and data on the resources of this interesting object.

The Moon, Mecca and Feelings

NASA Administrator Bolden stirred up a major controversy with his comments on Al Jazeera TV regarding NASA's role in helping Muslims "feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering." NASA spokesman Bob Jacobs has clarified the remarks to state that Bolden was speaking of his outreach priorities, not the total priorities of NASA. I can accept that explanation while I understand the backlash surrounding the original statement, given the Obama Administration's tendency to frame so much of its policies in a politically correct world view whether or not that really serves the national interest.

I wonder how many Muslims around the world interpret a statement that it is an objective of the US government to make them "feel good" about their accomplishments (perhaps a little condescending). If the Muslim world is concerned about its accomplishments and how it is perceived, that is a problem that Muslims are going to have to address among themselves.

All this talk about fe-e-e-e-lings just brings to mind an old seventies song.