"Nazis Run Our Space Program" -- Peace Activist Bruce Gag-Me

Doug... wrote:
[snips]
Good point, Henry. In fact, shortly after 9/11, I heard an analysis by
someone who had been working in Afghanistan in the private sector for
more than five years (and who had worked there for CIA for ten years
before that), as to how America could most effectively go about uniting
the warlords and defeating the Islamic fundamentalists who had given aid
and support to bin Laden and Al Qaeda.

His conclusion? Buy them. Bribe the warlords and keep the bribes
coming.
[snip]

I hate to spoil your so carefully crafted critique of US
foreign and military policy, but you seem to be lacking a
few key facts. Namely that the US has used and does use
bribery on the battlefield when necessary. Recall, if you
will, the many large bounties on the heads of key
officials in the Taliban, Al'qaeda, and in the Iraqi
Ba'athist government. Some of those bounties have been
paid out. Also, it is a not so very well kept secret that
bribes were used to sway warlords in Afghanistan and
Iraqi army units in Iraq. Your criticism is thus just
slightly completely invalid.

"Christopher M. Jones" wrote in message
...

I hate to spoil your so carefully crafted critique of US
foreign and military policy, but you seem to be lacking a
few key facts. Namely that the US has used and does use
bribery on the battlefield when necessary. Recall, if you
will, the many large bounties on the heads of key
officials in the Taliban, Al'qaeda, and in the Iraqi
Ba'athist government.

Note that it wasn't the key officials who were being bribed, though ...

In article ,
wrote:

"Nathan Gant" wrote:

:Bruce has perfectly rational objections about launching plutonium in
:rockets.

Speaking as a member of the peace activist community -- and a rather
embarassed member, at that -- I still couldn't understand this guy's
objections. Cassini gave us, what, however-many pounds less Pl on the
Earth to fall into the hands of some bozo like Hussein or Putin or Bush,
and more compelling photos and scientific discoveries than we can shake a
stick at? Sounds like a total win-win.

I mean, how could this guy complain about Pl being _removed_ from the
Earth? Granted, the amount of Pl aboard Cassini isn't much compared to all
the Pl available on Earth, but it's a good start (****, man; launch it
_all_, works for me, get it the hell outta here). And, besides, what's to
pollute? The thing was going to _Saturn_ f'crissakes; it's an outer-system
gas giant. _Nothing_ lives there.

I think his main problem was that a) he hadn't done his homework on how
RTGs work and how they're contained (hint: they didn't launch it in one
big raw chunk duct-taped to the spaceframe), and b) he probably got scared
to death watching that Russian Mars probe not only fail its TMI burn, but
fall out of LEO as well.

--
"All over, people changing their votes,
along with their overcoats;
if Adolf Hitler flew in today,
they'd send a limousine anyway!" --the clash.
__________________________________________________ _________________
Mike Flugennock, flugennock at sinkers dot org
Mike Flugennock's Mikey'zine, dubya dubya dubya dot sinkers dot org

Mike Flugennock wrote:

I mean, how could this guy complain about Pl being _removed_ from the
Earth? Granted, the amount of Pl aboard Cassini isn't much compared to all
the Pl available on Earth, but it's a good start (****, man; launch it
_all_, works for me, get it the hell outta here).

The Pu (note correct symbol) used in Cassini was manufactured specifically
for the purpose of fueling RTGs (or the smaller radioisotope heating units).
Making it reduced the amount of neptunium(*) we had sitting around, but
didn't consume weapons-related plutonium or Pu in other spent fuel elements.

(*) Pu238 is made by purifying Np237, then exposing it to neutrons
in a special reactor, transmuting it to Np238 which decays to Pu238.

Paul

On Sun, 06 Mar 2005 03:14:27 -0500, in a place far, far away,
(Mike Flugennock) made the phosphor on my
monitor glow in such a way as to indicate that:

In article ,
wrote:

"Nathan Gant" wrote:

:Bruce has perfectly rational objections about launching plutonium in
:rockets.

Speaking as a member of the peace activist community -- and a rather
embarassed member, at that -- I still couldn't understand this guy's
objections. Cassini gave us, what, however-many pounds less Pl on the
Earth to fall into the hands of some bozo like Hussein or Putin or Bush,
and more compelling photos and scientific discoveries than we can shake a
stick at? Sounds like a total win-win.

I mean, how could this guy complain about Pl being _removed_ from the
Earth?

Because he's a very sincere, but misguided nutjob?

Henry Spencer wrote:

There was a time when it probably wouldn't have taken much to make Ho
Chi
Minh an ally rather than an enemy, if the idiots in Washington had
been
able to see beyond that awful C-word and treat it as a practical
problem
rather than an ideological one.


Add in the complication that Ho Chi Minh asked
for U.S. assistance when he was preparing to
fight against post WWII reoccupation by
*France*, a U.S. ally (at the time). Ideally,
France wouldn't have screwed the Indochina
situation up to begin with by bowing out of
Colonial mode gracefully.

- Ed Kyle

"Mike Flugennock" wrote in message
...
I think his main problem was that a) he hadn't done his homework on how
RTGs work and how they're contained (hint: they didn't launch it in one
big raw chunk duct-taped to the spaceframe

No, that dipship spends way too much time contaminating the University of
Florida- he has done his homework, but using real, verifiable data instead
of hysterical handwaving doesn't bring in donations or get the publicity
necessary for those donations.

I've seen him speak, and while I heard the words, I didn't hear the
sincerity.

Pat Flannery wrote:

:If they were ever to stop imports to the United States, our economy
:would collapse overnight; they have driven so many of our domestic
:manufactures out of business that we rely on them completely for all
:sorts of goods that we simply don't manufacture in the U.S. anymore, nor
:have the ability to quickly restart the manufacture of.

Preposterous! There would be some mild inflationary pressures in some
segments (but not much - as you mention, we don't compete in those
segments) and various minimum wage clerks might get laid off due to
lack of merchandise.

Just what do you think we're going to suffer a lack of that will cause
our economy to "collapse overnight"? Our imports from China are
primarily low-priced consumer goods. Chinese imports amount (using
American accounting methods) to some $125 billion. Now compare that
amount to the overall size of the American and Chinese economies and
figure out who gets hurt worse when it stops.

Total US IMPORTS amount to some $1.76 trillion. Chinese goods make up
less than 10% of our imports. On the other hand, we are their largest
export market.

Yes, it seems obvious that China imposing an embargo on the US would
cause a national economy to implode, all right. It just wouldn't be
ours.

--
"Some people get lost in thought because it's such unfamiliar
territory."
--G. Behn

Pat Flannery ) wrote:


: Eric Chomko wrote:

: I guess it depends on which side of the revolution you're on.
: These are the same kids that buy gangsta rap records at 10 million copies
: a clip. Made folks like '50 Cent' worth a little more than that.
:
:
:
:

: Meanwhile back at the Fashion Secret Police:
: Kim Jong-Il:
: http://www.rotten.com/library/bio/di...g_il_smile.jpg
: This look says: "No more yanky my wanky; the Donger wants food!" in no
: uncertain terms.

No, more like Mike Myers imitating either Elvis or Wayne Newton.

: Pol Pot: http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afbeelding:Polpot.jpg
: Seen it before, heard it befo "I have just returned from Hong Kong,
: home of the shiny green suit. You have any naked pictures of Walter
: Brennan, Earl?"
: Mao Tse Tung: http://www.probertencyclopaedia.com/...20Tse-Tung.jpg
: "Someday, I'll run all of China; someday I'll have enough money to
: afford both starch and ironing....and padded shoulders...yes... and
: padded shoulders."
: Ah...success of a sort:
: http://www.laeditorialvirtual.com.ar...plaudiendo.jpg
: "I try to lose weight, but it all goes straight to my shoulders."
: Moammar Ghadafi...interesting- two distinct looks he
: The "I am the illegitimate son of Juan Peron" look:
: http://finewhyfine.typepad.com/fine_...dafi-thumb.jpg
: And this...on Jackie it would have been pink; on Jackie it just might
: have worked:
: http://www.eramuslim.com/ezimagecata...66-200x600.jpg
: :-)

Here, this is a true villian:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/images/340/burns.jpg

Eric

: Pat

Fred J. McCall ) wrote:
: Damon Hill wrote:

: (Eric Chomko) wrote in
: :
: :
: : Rand Simberg ) wrote:
: :: On Thu, 3 Mar 2005 18:48:28 +0000 (UTC), in a place far, far away,
: :: (Eric Chomko) made the phosphor on my
: :: monitor glow in such a way as to indicate that:
: :
: ::
: :: But isn't China our most favored nation WRT trade?
: :
: :: No. Apparently you're as ignorant of the meaning of the phrase "most
: :: favored nation."
: :
: : What does it mean then?
: :
: :http://www.itds.treas.gov/mfn.html

: We don't even call it 'Most Favored Nation' status anymore, precisely
: because idiots like El Chimpo get confused.

: It is now called 'Normal Trade Relations'.

But we still must pass a wavier because of their human rights issues. IOW,
we appease them despite what folks like McClod think.

Eric

: --
: "Some people get lost in thought because it's such unfamiliar
: territory."
: --G. Behn