The Battle for New Orleans!

Brian Thorn wrote:


What they're doing in New Orleans is scavenging.
I don't care if it's stereos or jewelry, any unclaimed property
within the city limits of New Orleans is rightfully
owned by the New citizens or Orleans.



What does this have to do with space policy?



(Cut to scene of looter pulling a ET down the flooded street.)

Pat

Unclaimed Mysteries wrote:



A country moving toward revolution is unlikely to have a coherent
space policy. Hope this helps.


Which would seem to indicate we are moving toward a revolution, based on
NASA's performance in the past decade or so. ;-)

Pat

On 1 Sep 2005 22:20:51 -0700, "Ed Kyle" wrote, in
part:

But I do wonder if the space exploration Vision thing
(Moon/Mars) is going to vanish now that the U.S. has
much bigger problems.

What with all those dislocated people who don't have jobs, a big space
program (or a big war) is just the way to free up spots for them.

This is how the Depression was ended for FDR (or, as the revisionists
would say, how FDR ended the Depression).

When the shortages are material, though, activity is limited. But
closing a few oil rigs temporarily is not a major material shortage,
especially when one can build nuclear power plants.

John Savard
http://www.quadibloc.com/index.html
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On 1 Sep 2005 22:20:51 -0700, "Ed Kyle" wrote:

much bigger problems. Will people support a big space
effort after the victim list is tabulated in New Orleans,
where many, many people will likely end up dying due to
government incompetence? Will people be interested

Just curious, but how can you fault the *government* for the
decision of the population to live on a flood-plain? That's like
saying it's the governments' fault that people are killed in an LA
earthquake... :-O

In article ,
Len Lekx wrote:
On 1 Sep 2005 22:20:51 -0700, "Ed Kyle" wrote:

much bigger problems. Will people support a big space
effort after the victim list is tabulated in New Orleans,
where many, many people will likely end up dying due to
government incompetence? Will people be interested

Just curious, but how can you fault the *government* for the
decision of the population to live on a flood-plain? That's like
saying it's the governments' fault that people are killed in an LA
earthquake... :-O

You can blame the local government for failing to provide any
method for those people without cars to get out of the city, though.
Greyhound shut down the buses on Saturday. I've seen photos of what
looked like a hundred school buses parked unused (and now unusable).
At 50 people per bus, one trip each, they could have moved 5,000 of
the people now trapped at the Superdome out. Or if they could have run
3 8 hr shifts a day for two days, assuming that they need to get the people
at least four hours down the road, they could have moved 30,000 people
with that set of buses. Might have been expensive but cheaper than
what's going on now.





--
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/james_nicoll

John Savard wrote:
On 1 Sep 2005 22:20:51 -0700, "Ed Kyle" wrote, in
part:

But I do wonder if the space exploration Vision thing
(Moon/Mars) is going to vanish now that the U.S. has
much bigger problems.

What with all those dislocated people who don't have jobs, a big space
program (or a big war) is just the way to free up spots for them.

Perhaps, but shouldn't the need to rebuild cities
and infrastructure soak up all of the resources and
labor for a very long time? How will it look to
the locals if their national government keeps
churning out external tanks at Michoud while they
struggle to rebuild homes, schools, hospitals, etc.?

- Ed Kyle

Len Lekx wrote:
On 1 Sep 2005 22:20:51 -0700, "Ed Kyle" wrote:

much bigger problems. Will people support a big space
effort after the victim list is tabulated in New Orleans,
where many, many people will likely end up dying due to
government incompetence? Will people be interested

Just curious, but how can you fault the *government* for the
decision of the population to live on a flood-plain? That's like
saying it's the governments' fault that people are killed in an LA
earthquake... :-O

The state and local government, and the national government
in the guise of the Army Corps of Engineers, allowed New
Orleans to exist in that place by building and maintaining
the flood control system and by allowing continued
development there over the years. People lived there because
that is where the developers built the housing, because that
was what government zoning allowed, because that is where the
city built the streets and sewers and water and power and
transportation, etc.

But the city and state and national governments are to
blame now for their incompetant disaster planning. For
decades, government planners have known that this very
scenario was possible. But events have shown that they
were not ready for basic, predictible problems like loss
of electrical power and communications, etc.. FEMA is at
fault, but I also have no compassion for the mayor who
seems to be able only to blame the Feds for the refugee
problems that he helped create. And you don't want to
know what I think about the ambulance helicopter pilots
who are refusing to fly, the bus and ambulance drivers
who are refusing to drive, and the police officers who
have resigned rather than go into harms way (or merely
rumors of harms way) to help the citizens of their state
and city. Nor am I especially enamoured of the media
types who are breathlessly spreading the rumors that
are feeding the fear.

- Ed Kyle

Unclaimed Mysteries wrote:
Scott Lowther wrote:

Unclaimed Mysteries wrote:

Brian Thorn wrote in part:



What does this have to do with space policy?



A country moving toward revolution is unlikely to have a coherent
space policy.



Sure. But what does that have to do with anything? Unless you're
expecting the looting thugs to lead a popular uprising of other people
who want to steal other peoples stuff.


Okay, I'll tone it down just for you. A country careening from foreign
policy failures to monumental domestic fsckups to advocating the
injection of religious dogma in public science education - is unlikely
to have a coherent space policy.

Tell me Scott, have you got your tongue extended so that it actually
tickles W's prostate?

Damm you been to the UK also?

Mike

A country careening from foreign
policy failures to monumental domestic fsckups to advocating the
injection of religious dogma in public science education - is unlikely
to have a coherent space policy.


Agreed. But, again, what relevance does that have here? It doesn't
accurately reflect the USA, and I don't know what other country you
have in mind. France, maybe?

have you got your tongue extended so that it actually tickles W's prostate?

Well, there's an interesting insight into your personal habits...

A country careening from foreign
policy failures to monumental domestic fsckups to advocating the
injection of religious dogma in public science education - is unlikely
to have a coherent space policy.


Agreed. But, again, what relevance does that have here? It doesn't
accurately reflect the USA, and I don't know what other country you
have in mind. France, maybe?

have you got your tongue extended so that it actually tickles W's prostate?

Well, there's an interesting insight into your personal habits...