What’s more important - military golf courses or space exploration?

[n2doc]

On Thanksgiving day, Comet ISON, which many astronomers dubbed the "Comet of the Century," swept about 730,000 miles above the sun's surface. NASA scientists had pretty much de-clared ISON dead, predicting the icy snowball wouldn't survive its brush with the sun, but over the weekend, signs appeared that the comet actually emerged from the sun's grasp.

The damaged comet, limping away from the sun, seems to me to be a perfect celestial analogy of our space program, and the current state of NASA.

You see, Republicans hate two things - science and spending money. Whenever they run for office, they always cry and bemoan the debt while browbeating us with climate change denial and anti-evolution nonsense. They tell us taxes are too high and that important choices need to be made - except when it comes to military spending. Calls for cutting the budget of our bloated, oversized military are drowned out by cries that any cut, no matter how small, will cost American lives

Just to put things into perspective, from 2011 to 2012 1,624 Americans were killed as a result of severe weather (often as a result of the climate change Republicans claim doesn't exist). In that same time period, just four innocent Americans were killed as a result of foreign-inspired terrorism. More people in the United States were killed by dogs from 2011 to 2012 than by foreign-led terrorists bent on destroying our way of life.

Yet we treat our military budget as sacrosanct, despite all the evidence to the contrary about its overblown need in the world. The U.S. spent more on defense in 2012 than the next 13 countries with the highest defense budgets combined. Twenty percent of the entire federal budget was spent on defense in 2011, and since 2001, the base defense budget has soared from $287 billion to $530 billion (and that's not in-cluding base costs in Afghanistan and Iraq).

more

http://www.newsworks.org/index.php/component/flexicontent/item/62462-whats-more-important-military-golf-courses-or-space-exploration-

[liberal N proud]

1. War and Golf, two things the generals and republicans need

It is like a drug for them.

[Scuba]

2. "The U.S. spent more on defense in 2012 than the next 13 countries ... combined."

Of which all 13 are our allies.*


* One might bicker about Russia and China, but our trade with both is unquestioned.

[KansDem]

3. All I can say about golfing

The few times I've tried it, after hitting the ball it seemed to turn into a kind of exploration...

[loli phabay]

4. to boldy go where no man has gone before.

[KansDem]

6. It seemed that way...

Tall grass and ditches can be quite interesting if you approach them philosophically.

[loli phabay]

8. we used it as an excuse to hunt rabbits when the ball goes into the rough

Usually get two or three a round.

[KansDem]

9. Really? What number club did you use?

Guess it depended on the rabbit...

[loli phabay]

10. nine iron, was my preferred weapon of choice both for clogging out and clubbing.

[KansDem]

13. Nine iron's a good choice. Rabbits can be quite formidable...

[loli phabay]

15. for that one you need a 12 gauge slug.

[loli phabay]

5. on a personal note, i believe that space travel is were we should be focusing as a planet

Our future is out there amongst the stars, it wont be in my lifetime but i hope my grandkids get to look back at earth and realise just how small we are.

[NuclearDem]

7. GOLF IN SPAAAAAAAACE

[Johonny]

11. The military of course launches the vast mmajority of all spacecraft so the argument is weak

Launch Vehicles that NASA use are developed partly with and by the military. Space has always been a joint venture between the USAF, private companies, and NASA. The problem is Republicans are cutting military space along with cutting NASA. When it comes to the all inclusive word MILITARY people that work with the military understand not all parts of the military are liked by certain parties.

[n2doc]

12. Dumb argument

How much EXPLORATION does the MILITARY do?

[ieoeja]

16. How much DEVELOPMENT does the MILITARY do? n/t

[Johonny]

17. They do a lot in their way.

By of course paying for development. The launch vehicle that puts the Mars mission into space goes on a USAF launch vehicle off a USAF pad. The USAF pays for the agency that does mission assurance. NASA comes to me all the time asking the USAF and its agencies it we have developed solutions for problems on missions such as Mars missions. I work with all the players involved in the field of space all the time. Including European and Russian agencies. I am reviewing NASA proposals to Mars missions right now. I am not an idiot. USAF, NASA and private companies interact all the time. The USAF develops lots of technology that NASA uses. Same with launch vehicles. There is a lot of synergy between NAVY, NOAA, NASA, USAF etc at least there is when congress doesn't pit these agencies against each other in a draconian tax cutting binge. When you cut military space you hurt all space programs. It is how US does business in space. Once again it isn't just NASA being cut it is all of US space programs which means military space as well. Which is usually NASA's backdoor to fund things because it is generally considered "safe". If you don't believe me... I don't know that is our space program.

[Coyotl]

14. The answer to the lame question is HUNGRY CHILDREN and unemployed educators.