By Arthur Piccolo
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. July 26, 2013: What? Congress just did something sensible!
And yes Republicans believe it or not.
The House Science Committee has rejected Obama’s whacko useless plan to supposedly land American astronauts on an asteroid. Just one more example of the facade of intelligence some credit Obama with but in reality, its masks his idiocy.
What? You don’t know anything about thisand you don’t care?
Well you should!
Although every attempt has been made to trivialize the American space program – and it has largely succeeded – the reality is that space is essential to America’s future. So when Obama’s big project for Americans in space is a clownish wasteful proposal to chase down an asteroid simply to land on it for no good reason at all, our mentally challenged President is doing is burying our space program even deeper.
In Obama’s case, his disdain for the American space program is the ranting of a politician who has absolutely no clue what leadership is nor how to create a better America. So when some idiot in his Administration came to him and said hey Mr. President how about we land some Americans on an asteroid, of course Obama found it a brilliant idea.
Why? I am sure Obama has no idea except in his comic book view of reality – like some 6-year-old he heard the word asteroid and he said to himself that would be cool – having absolutely no idea why. But it is worse than that.
The Obama Administration has no idea at all where they are going to find this asteroid that is supposedly worth landing on for no good reason nor what are the risks of such a frivolous mission or the real costs or what kind of technology would be required to hunker down on a speeding toxic asteroid.
It’s just something to do to give the false impression of doing something in space.
Don’t let me mislead you into believing the asteroid idiocy is completely dead. Obama and his Democratic boys and girls in Congress will try to reverse the decision in the coming weeks and months.
So what does the Republican majority on the House Science Committee want the United States to do instead? Return to the Moon – the great prize of all in space – that America abandoned after the Apollo missions in favor of a very expensive piece of space junk known as the international space station.
I’ve written about this before and I will again. Returning and staying on the Moon is the great adventure. The United Stats needs to assert true leadership in the 21st century and inspire young Americans to see the potential of a future worth working for in space.
Instead President Obama would have us searching for a piece of space garbage otherwise known as asteroids to land on, while other nations like China and Japan and others have their sights set on the Moon during the next decade.
Here is the capstone to this White House charade, NASA’s reaction to the House committee vote as reported in the Wall Street Journal …
“NASA declined to comment on Thursday’s vote, but earlier this week a spokesman said agency officials were “deeply concerned” that House GOP leaders were pursuing cuts to White House budget proposals “that would challenge America’s pre-eminence in space.”
Let’s hear that again. NASA is claiming Congress in voting NO to the asteroid farce and YES to going back to the Moon and that in going back to the Moon and not to an asteroid “would challenge America’s pre-eminence in space.” Now imagine that kind of White House “logic” is being applied to lots of other issues and what do we get from the Obama Presidency?
Let me quote further directly from the Wall Street Journal article of July 18, 2013 ..
“Lawmakers and scientists opposed to NASA’s asteroid proposal have argued it was announced without any detailed technical study or clear-cut direction. Rep. Steven Palazzo, the Mississippi Republican who heads the space subcommittee, has said the agency hasn’t explained the budget, purpose or technical requirements of the asteroid mission.”
“The full Science committee in the House also approved a total of $3 billion—$400 million more than the White House requested—to develop a manned capsule, dubbed Orion, along with a new rocket to carry it that would be the most powerful booster built since the Apollo-era Saturn V. And the panel blocked a reorganization and deep cuts to NASA education programs sought by the White House.”
And this from the Wall Street Journal article …
“The House bill includes robust funding for development of a new rocket and capsule to take astronauts into deep space, while supporting White House plans to rely on commercial rockets and spacecraft to ferry cargo and astronauts to the orbiting international space station. NASA has been hurt by years of policy drift, tussles with Congress and lack of clear-cut goals for the next chapter of its development.”
So what should Barack Obama do?
My advice is that Obama abandon the Presidency and lead the mission to the asteroid. Let him put on his space suit, and throw in Air Force One and have it modified so he can fly into space looking for asteroids in luxury along with as much of his staff as can fit.
Barack Obama would be performing a real service to the country finally!
Going far away and leaving the rest of us alone.
About The Writer: Arthur Piccolo is a professional writer and commentator and often writes about Latin America for New Americas.
