NASA'S NEW MISSION: BEFRIEND MUSLIM WORLD

[neutrino78x]

Rockett, if you're a tea party type, you should support Obama's space plan.

Obama's Space Plan Approved by a Tea Party Guy

--Brian

 

[rockett]

Rockett, if you're a tea party type, you should support Obama's space plan.

Obama's Space Plan Approved by a Tea Party Guy

--Brian

Nope, not a Tea Party type. I never met any politician that I liked or trusted. I especially have a dislike for those that set the primary mission of Science and Space Exploration as only social programs, politics, and diplomacy, having seen it (and the results) first hand...

 

[neutrino78x]

Nope, not a Tea Party type. I never met any politician that I liked or trusted. I especially have a dislike for those that set the primary mission of Science and Space Exploration as only social programs, politics, and diplomacy, having seen it (and the results) first hand...

lol NASA's primary mission is not education or diplomacy. Their mission, in my opinion, should be to regulate and stimulate private space enterprise. Bolden's comment was just an off hand phrase. He was speaking to a Muslim audience, telling them why they should be interested in the US space program.

If you think every Muslim, or most Muslims, outside of the USA, are hostile to the USA, I strongly disagree with that sentiment. We definitely need to win "hearts and minds" in future generations.

What would you have suggested for him to say, "the primary mission of NASA is to be hostile to the Muslim world"??? I think what he actually said made more sense.

--Brian

 

[neutrino78x]

Also if you don't like politicians, and the government, I would go back to Obama's plan being conservative/small government.

--Brian

 

[rockett]

Nope, not a Tea Party type. I never met any politician that I liked or trusted. I especially have a dislike for those that set the primary mission of Science and Space Exploration as only social programs, politics, and diplomacy, having seen it (and the results) first hand...

lol NASA's primary mission is not education or diplomacy. Their mission, in my opinion, should be to regulate and stimulate private space enterprise. Bolden's comment was just an off hand phrase. He was speaking to a Muslim audience, telling them why they should be interested in the US space program.

If you think every Muslim, or most Muslims, outside of the USA, are hostile to the USA, I strongly disagree with that sentiment. We definitely need to win "hearts and minds" in future generations.

What would you have suggested for him to say, "the primary mission of NASA is to be hostile to the Muslim world"??? I think what he actually said made more sense.

--Brian

So you are accusing Bolden of lying? If you watch the interview elsewhere in this thread, I think he was quite sincere when he said:

"When I became the NASA administrator -- or before I became the NASA administrator -- he charged me with three things. One was he wanted me to help re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science ... and math and engineering," Bolden said in the interview.

 

[vulture4]

Bolden doesn't say those were the ONLY things he was asked to do. He was asked to talk to the Muslim countries as fellow citizens of the world, which they are, not treat them with hostility the way the previous NASA administrator treated almost every other country. The Muslim nations do have a history; they oveshadowed Europe during the middle ages and were far more tolerant of people of other faiths than the Christians of the Crusades. That was a long time ago; few Islamic countries are world leaders today; but Islam itself is the fastest growing religion in the world. That doesn't make them better than us. It means we have to treat them, and all other countries, with respect. Diplomacy isn't NASA's principal mission. but one of the goals of the ISS program is certainly to build international trust and cooperation. Whether Obama can contribute to it remains to be seen. But he can't possibly be worse than Mike Griffin with his flagrant insults directed at China. Griffin, so far as I know, seldom showed much respect for other countries.

 

[rockett]

Bolden doesn't say those were the ONLY things he was asked to do. He was asked to talk to the Muslim countries as fellow citizens of the world, which they are, not treat them with hostility the way the previous NASA administrator treated almost every other country. The Muslim nations do have a history; they oveshadowed Europe during the middle ages and were far more tolerant of people of other faiths than the Christians of the Crusades. That was a long time ago; few Islamic countries are world leaders today; but Islam itself is the fastest growing religion in the world. That doesn't make them better than us. It means we have to treat them, and all other countries, with respect. Diplomacy isn't NASA's principal mission. but one of the goals of the ISS program is certainly to build international trust and cooperation. Whether Obama can contribute to it remains to be seen. But he can't possibly be worse than Mike Griffin with his flagrant insults directed at China. Griffin, so far as I know, seldom showed much respect for other countries.

Watching the interview, its sounds a lot like a policy statement. For both Bolden and Griffin, they should not be used to articulate the White House's policies. They stink at it.

 

[EarthlingX]

http://www.thedailyshow.com : Wish You Weren't Here (video)

Wednesday July 7, 2010

Obama uses NASA to reach out to the Muslim world, while plans to build more mosques in America spark outrage.

 

[nimbus]

Debate over NASA's mission is moot: it's charter answers that definitely. The only worthwhile argument would be how to change it and why.

 

[tanstaafl76]

What would you have suggested for him to say, "the primary mission of NASA is to be hostile to the Muslim world"??? I think what he actually said made more sense.

Where did anyone even remotely suggest NASA should be hostile? I would have suggested he say the primary mission of NASA is to explore space. If he wants to say some nice things about historical Islamic contributions to math and science so be it, but that's a far cry from calling cultural diplomacy to the Islamic world NASA's foremost mission.

Also if you don't like politicians, and the government, I would go back to Obama's plan being conservative/small government.

--Brian

You do realize Obama is increasing NASA's budget, right? I don't even know what the word "conservative" means any more, but small government it is not.

 

[neutrino78x]

What would you have suggested for him to say, "the primary mission of NASA is to be hostile to the Muslim world"??? I think what he actually said made more sense.

Where did anyone even remotely suggest NASA should be hostile?

People were saying that NASA should not be one of the many ways that the US Government reaches out to countries like Saudi Arabia to win the hearts and minds of young people there.

You do realize Obama is increasing NASA's budget, right? I don't even know what the word "conservative" means any more, but small government it is not.

Obama's Space Plan is Conservative.

It is small government because it is narrowing the role of NASA in the US space program.

--Brian

 

[neutrino78x]

From Obama Space Plan is Conservative:

Just to get it out of the way early: I’m a conservative leaning libertarian with the street cred to prove it. I helped organize the first Tea Parties in Atlanta. I helped Harry Browne around Atlanta during his Libertarian Party campaign for president and was even one of his electors for Georgia. I left the Libertarian Party after 9/11. I’m not sure how involved in the GOP I want to be but that seems to be a general issue with all conservatives these days.

The point of all that is to say this:

President Obama’s new policy for NASA is the most fiscally conservative and downright capitalist policy to come along since the agency was founded.

(bold and italics = his)

--Brian

 

[Valcan]

President Obama’s new policy for NASA is the most fiscally conservative and downright capitalist policy to come along since the agency was founded.

(bold and italics = his)

--Brian[/quote]

While i agree his plan or the plan of his advisors is a good one in many, many ways this doesnt make him a conservative or not a socialist in any way.
Also always look for a politican to screw you over. They shake with one hand the other holds a knife.

 

[neutrino78x]

While i agree his plan or the plan of his advisors is a good one in many, many ways this doesnt make him a conservative or not a socialist in any way.

He not a socialist at all, at least not as the word is understood here in the USA. To me, "socialist" is a synonym for communist, and Obama is not a communist. He is just a moderate liberal. Many people in his administration came from Bush 43, a communist wouldn't do that.

In any case, I said his plan is conservative, I didn't say he himself is a conservative. He'll use an idea from either side, if he thinks it is rational and would work.

--Brian

 

[nimbus]

To Politics.

France isn't communist.

 

[tanstaafl76]

People were saying that NASA should not be one of the many ways that the US Government reaches out to countries like Saudi Arabia to win the hearts and minds of young people there.

People? I'm fairly certain the attitude is that it isn't their primary mission, not that NASA should be barred from appealing to other countries.

Obama's Space Plan is Conservative.

It is small government because it is narrowing the role of NASA in the US space program.

--Brian

You can argue all you want about what label to use, I honestly don't care what people call conservative or what not. The reality is NASA's budget is being increased. You have to spin pretty hard to call that small government.

To me, "socialist" is a synonym for communist

These words have their own meanings, and when you hear other people using them, they are probably using the actual definitions, not your little personal ones.

Regardless of all that nonsense, today Bolden was officially thrown under the bus:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07 ... a/#content

 

[rcsplinters]

Regardless of all that nonsense, today Bolden was officially thrown under the bus:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07 ... a/#content

Oh, he was! I was surprised that Gibbs didn't offer him any cover at all. After reading that and a couple of other accounts, they left Bolden with little more than stupidity for miss-speaking. They stopped just short of calling him a bald faced liar. Somebody needs to advise the administration that loyalty is a two way street. I thought it was pretty harsh. I have no love lost for Bolden, but he is an astronaunt and Marine. You'd think that'd buy him a little respect from his boss.

 

[vulture4]

Did any of you actually watch the full interview which is available on the Aljazeera website, or just the Faux News commentary? First, Bolden made clear that the task of reaching out to Moslem countries was one Obama had asked of him personally before he became NASA administrator. He did not suggest it was a NASA mission, as the topic of this thread incorrectly implies. Second, although Aljazeera is directed largely at the Muslim audience, it is a secular organization, not an Islamic one. Second, the commentator was quite well informed and the inter view covered everything from Bolden's Navy career to the role of the ISS as a focus for cooperation between former adversaries, to the question of extraterrestrial intelligence. The interview compared quite well to the usual simplistic Faux News propaganda. And it compares quite well to Mike Griffin callously insulting China when he was there.

 

[Valcan]

Did any of you actually watch the full interview which is available on the Aljazeera website, or just the Faux News commentary? First, Bolden made clear that the task of reaching out to Moslem countries was one Obama had asked of him personally before he became NASA administrator. He did not suggest it was a NASA mission, as the topic of this thread incorrectly implies. Second, although Aljazeera is directed largely at the Muslim audience, it is a secular organization, not an Islamic one. Second, the commentator was quite well informed and the inter view covered everything from Bolden's Navy career to the role of the ISS as a focus for cooperation between former adversaries, to the question of extraterrestrial intelligence. The interview compared quite well to the usual simplistic Faux News propaganda. And it compares quite well to Mike Griffin callously insulting China when he was there.

Vulture secular and the muslim world dont coexist. Atleast not media. I've watch PLENTY of aljazzera. Its as biased as any other. Wana see something crazy? Find videos of muslim leaders speaking on tv- look at what they say to american or foreign audiences then look at what they say to there own people....the devil has two tounges.

 

[Valcan]

Regardless of all that nonsense, today Bolden was officially thrown under the bus:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07 ... a/#content

Oh, he was! I was surprised that Gibbs didn't offer him any cover at all. After reading that and a couple of other accounts, they left Bolden with little more than stupidity for miss-speaking. They stopped just short of calling him a bald faced liar. Somebody needs to advise the administration that loyalty is a two way street. I thought it was pretty harsh. I have no love lost for Bolden, but he is an astronaunt and Marine. You'd think that'd buy him a little respect from his boss.

"......and Marine" Why would that get respect from obama or any of his crowd? He had to run for president to learn how to salute right.

 

[Polishguy]

Did any of you actually watch the full interview which is available on the Aljazeera website, or just the Faux News commentary? First, Bolden made clear that the task of reaching out to Moslem countries was one Obama had asked of him personally before he became NASA administrator. He did not suggest it was a NASA mission, as the topic of this thread incorrectly implies. Second, although Aljazeera is directed largely at the Muslim audience, it is a secular organization, not an Islamic one. Second, the commentator was quite well informed and the inter view covered everything from Bolden's Navy career to the role of the ISS as a focus for cooperation between former adversaries, to the question of extraterrestrial intelligence. The interview compared quite well to the usual simplistic Faux News propaganda. And it compares quite well to Mike Griffin callously insulting China when he was there.

Yes, I did, and I didn't watch the Faux News one at all. And the full one pisses me off anyway. Bolden still said that his mission as Administrator of NASA (or, if you want to nitpick, one if his top missions) was to reach out to the Muslim world. This is not supposed to be his job. His job is supposed to be to keep NASA functioning efficiently, to help achieve some sort of goal in space. If the President want him to be used to educate the children or expand international relations, why did Obama put him in charge of NASA? Why not the State Department, or the Department of Education?

And Bolden's comments on the role of the ISS were infuriating to say the least. He says that its greatest contribution is international cooperation. This completely ignores why we designed the Space Station in the first place (microgravity research, small-scale industry, spectrometer platform, and proof of modular construction in space), as the international parts weren't added until redesigns under Clinton. It was originally supposed to be an American scientific outpost (Space Station Freedom).

And his comments about needing international help to go anywhere are just frustrating. If we keep up the myth that no single nation is capable of sending humans to Mars, then we won't get there at all without a bloated international ship that is needlessly big so that everyone can say they contributed. And his comments about needing foreign-made rockets? Those are the worst. Is he even aware that the US has chemical engines capable of the mission already? RL-10, best hydrogen-oxygen engine available? Does he forget the NERVA program, where tests of rockets with Isp 825 were done? Or does he just think we should bring the Chinese along for the sake of having the Chinese along?

I'm not against international cooperation when it is beneficial. If a foreign power has something that can make our development process faster or cheaper, let them come along! For example, a joint US-Russia mission to Mars in the 90s would have used Energia, saving the US millions and employing thousands of Russians. But at this point, using foreigners to develop machines that the US can develop on its own while employing highly skilled American labor, is bad for the Program and for the country.

 

[rcsplinters]

Regardless of all that nonsense, today Bolden was officially thrown under the bus:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07 ... a/#content

Oh, he was! I was surprised that Gibbs didn't offer him any cover at all. After reading that and a couple of other accounts, they left Bolden with little more than stupidity for miss-speaking. They stopped just short of calling him a bald faced liar. Somebody needs to advise the administration that loyalty is a two way street. I thought it was pretty harsh. I have no love lost for Bolden, but he is an astronaunt and Marine. You'd think that'd buy him a little respect from his boss.

"......and Marine" Why would that get respect from obama or any of his crowd? He had to run for president to learn how to salute right.

I stand corrected. There's a whole discussion there about whether the administration really displays the appropriate reverence for our history and traditions. This would go a long way toward explaining this abject failure to grasp the importance of US leadership on this important frontier. Simply put, they don't seem to grasp what it means to be an American or perhaps they are trying to change what that means. Seems really far fetched but then the actions we observe seem beyond reasonable explanations.

Now for the questions that's most important. Will the real liar stand up and then stand down? Somebody is not telling the truth.

And to pick a nit, I thought he ran for office to learn to bow. And such a quick study. (Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol: )

 

[Valcan]

I stand corrected. There's a whole discussion there about whether the administration really displays the appropriate reverence for our history and traditions. This would go a long way toward explaining this abject failure to grasp the importance of US leadership on this important frontier. Simply put, they don't seem to grasp what it means to be an American or perhaps they are trying to change what that means. Seems really far fetched but then the actions we observe seem beyond reasonable explanations.

Now for the questions that's most important. Will the real liar stand up and then stand down? Somebody is not telling the truth.

And to pick a nit, I thought he ran for office to learn to bow. And such a quick study. (Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol: )

[/quote]
There is a large group in the world who see any form of natioonalism no matter how good it is or what it does as a threat to world unity (what is this strange beasti? Not sure i think its what happens when a bunch of people get together who believe they are the right kind to "guide" the litttle people.). Transnationalist. Sorry folks but the whole one world one people thing aint gonna ever happen. Man is always fighting about something. And what may be good for one region or country isnt good for another so.......

 

[rockett]

Regardless of all that nonsense, today Bolden was officially thrown under the bus:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/07 ... a/#content

Oh, he was! I was surprised that Gibbs didn't offer him any cover at all. After reading that and a couple of other accounts, they left Bolden with little more than stupidity for miss-speaking. They stopped just short of calling him a bald faced liar. Somebody needs to advise the administration that loyalty is a two way street. I thought it was pretty harsh. I have no love lost for Bolden, but he is an astronaunt and Marine. You'd think that'd buy him a little respect from his boss.

Can't say I'm especially surprised. According to Bolden's statement, those priorities came straight from Obama. When it came back to haunt them, they sacrificed him

Pretty cold blooded about it too.

Gibbs, at his daily news briefing, was asked why Bolden had made the comment. "It's an excellent question, and I don't think — that was not his task, and that's not the task of NASA," Gibbs said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38212800/ns/technology_and_science-space/

 

[nimbus]

Did someone say newspeak ?