The Bush Plan to Militarize, Corporatize Space

[Dems Will Win]

The real reason they let the Shuttle go down (they could have saved all with a second Shuttle and did not have NASA look at the USAF photos showing the gash) was to get rid of the Shuttle and use the crash as an excuse to get rid of not only the Shuttle program but also the Hubble telescope and the ISS. The Bushies hate the ISS, with the other nations and the focus on the Earth's environment.

Mars is a distraction, so they can militarize Earth orbit with 2 Mw lasers and other technology from their new "Space Command"!

I even remember something about them selling the Moon's mining rights to a corporation. Anyone know anything about that?

NASA's O'Keefe is their bagman and Cheney is personally overseeing the end of the shuttle and the militarization of space.

[wroberts189]

1. This makes perfect sense..

Any links?

[jpgray]

2. One of the most depressing initiatives in the history of this country

The killing of Hubble and the marginalizing of important research is one of the foremost reasons I want these bastards out.

[salinen]

3. Welcolm to the largest

walled in community on the planet.

[calimary]

4. That was the ONE sour note in all the joyous Mars coverage recently -

seeing that schmuck O'Keefe in there. I kept wondering why he was darkening their door, and what he intended to cut, next. I didn't want them to let him get too close or touch anything. He was probably looking for things to dismantle.

It strikes me that these guys have an INORDINATE amount of obsession with guns. Big guns. Makes one suspect that just maybe, where it counts, they DON'T have one...

[Lone_Wolf]

5. PNAC is very interested in space

http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf

Look up the part in this position paper about how they envision using space. They are even proposing a new space branch of the military-SPACECOM. It starts on page 54 or 55 of the document (or page 65 or 66 if you use Adobe's page counter).

[Dems Will Win]

6. Andrew Card got up early that Saturday morning to watch the

Columbia re-entry. They knew something was up and didn't care as it fit their plan perfectly.

They have the Space Plane, half the Shuttle budget is already military and secret and they have a 2 Mw laser that really can shoot 180 miles even through the atmosphere. Their hope is to down missiles in boost phase and thus rule the planet.

And don't forget Bush's favorite movie character is Dr. Evil (really).

[Lone_Wolf]

8. The worse part of PNAC's plan is...

Is it will push the world into a new arms race. Russia and China will not sit idly buy as we build a new BMD. They know that once we have a strong "shield" and "spear", the neocons will act with impunity throughout the world. Russia and China know they will have no option except to build a massive number of ICBMs in order to deter us. There only defense will be to flood our BMD in order to overwhelm its capabilities.

The world may not survive 4 more years of Bush.

[Carl Spackler]

7. I guess I am part of it

because I bought my wife a certificate that a start would be named after her.

You cannot be serious.

[Dems Will Win]

9. Professor Balogh says Nasa was aware Columbia was doomed

http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0%2C%2C30000-12238534%2C00.html

SHUTTLE MISSION 'DOOMED'

The space shuttle Columbia was "doomed" from the launch of the mission, a leading British scientist has claimed.

Professor Andre Balogh, of London's Imperial College, told Sky News he thought the spacecraft had effectively been crippled on take-off.


At the time, 16 days ago, a piece of protective foam was seen to have come loose as the shuttle left the ground, striking the shuttle's wing.

The damage done to the wing, said Prof Balogh, was "just there and waiting to destroy Columbia".

The flight, he said, "was doomed from the launch".

[Carl Spackler]

10. That's not quite the same

as it being planned. And there was no plausible way to do much about it after that point - you don't just decide to toss up another shuttle over a weekend, and they didn't have 2 months worth of ramen noodles on board to wait it out.

[Dems Will Win]

12. The plan was to let the Shuttle be unsafe for years and when the

inevitable accident took place, use that as an excuse to shift the whole program.

The next shuttle launch was only 3 weeks away and the investigation found that it could have been moved up and used for rescue. Bush just didn't care enough to do anything after it was known the craft might not survive.

More:

The Columbia tragedy: NASA, Congress, Bush ignored safety warnings

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/feb2003/shut-f04.shtml

-snip-

With the investigation into Saturday’s Columbia space shuttle disaster still in its initial stages, it is too early to draw definitive conclusions as to the specific technological factors, or combination of factors, that led to the tragedy. But the loss of the shuttle and death of seven astronauts was not only a personal tragedy for the families and a source of shock and grief for millions around the world, it was also a significant political event.

Whatever the outcome of the inquiries now under way, the Columbia explosion holds important lessons. Properly considered within its social and political context, it says a great deal about American society and the forces that dominate it.


Multiple warnings went unheeded

In the wake of the shuttle explosion, numerous reports have already emerged of advance warnings of impending disaster received by top NASA administrators, congressional committees that oversee the agency, and President Bush himself.

Those in positions of responsibility for the space program had ample notification of mounting safety problems, but chose to do nothing. Instead they retaliated against scientists and engineers who sought to bring to the public’s attention serious safety problems in the areas of maintenance and training caused by years of budget cuts. Six scientists were dismissed from the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel in March 2001 after repeatedly complaining about deficiencies in NASA’s operation of the shuttle program.

Less than two months ago, the Bush administration brushed off the warnings of a retired NASA engineer who wrote to the White House on several occasions urging a halt to all space shuttle launches. One such letter said immediate action was needed “to prevent another catastrophic shuttle accident.”

-snip-

[Dems Will Win]

11. Also this Carl. There's a lot more

NASA Chiefs 'Repeatedly
Ignored' Safety Warnings
By Peter Beaumont
The Observer
2-1-3

Fears of a catastrophic shuttle accident were raised last summer with the White House by a former Nasa engineer who pleaded for a presidential order to halt all further shuttle flights until safety issues had been addressed.

In a letter to the White House, Don Nelson, who served with Nasa for 36 years until he retired in 1999, wrote to President George W. Bush warning that his 'intervention' was necessary to 'prevent another catastrophic space shuttle accident'.

During his last 11 years at Nasa, Nelson served as a mission operations evaluator for proposed advanced space transportation projects. He was on the initial design team for the space shuttle. He participated in every shuttle upgrade until his retirement.

Listing a series of mishaps with shuttle missions since 1999, Nelson warned in his letter that Nasa management and the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel have failed to respond to the growing warning signs of another shuttle accident. Since 1999 the vehicle had experienced a number of potentially disastrous problems:

EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

[Moderator]

15. Dems Will Win

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[HootieMcBoob]

13. Yeah, that's crazy talk

Why would anybody think this is a crazy idea? This is in PNAC's plan for rebuilding America's forces and beginning as they call it a "pax americana". It's all right there. Here's the link if you want to check it out yourself. http://www.newamericancentury.org/index.html

If you're not inclined I've done a little cutting and pasting for you regarding some of PNAC's big ideas for our President.

ESTABLISH FOUR CORE MISSIONS for U.S. military forces:
• defend the American homeland;
• fight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theater wars;
• perform the “constabulary” duties associated with shaping the security environment in critical regions;
• transform U.S. forces to exploit the “revolution in military affairs;”
To carry out these core missions, we need to provide sufficient force and budgetary
allocations. In particular, the United States must:

MAINTAIN NUCLEAR STRATEGIC SUPERIORITY, basing the U.S. nuclear deterrent upon a global, nuclear net assessment that weighs the full range of current and emerging threats, not merely the U.S.-Russia balance.

RESTORE THE PERSONNEL STRENGTH of today’s force to roughly the levels anticipated in the “Base Force” outlined by the Bush Administration, an increase in active-duty strength from 1.4 million to 1.6 million.

REPOSITION U.S. FORCES to respond to 21st century strategic realities by shifting
permanently-based forces to Southeast Europe and Southeast Asia, and by changing naval deployment patterns to reflect growing U.S. strategic concerns in East Asia.

MODERNIZE CURRENT U.S. FORCES SELECTIVELY, proceeding with the F-22 program while increasing purchases of lift, electronic support and other aircraft; expanding submarine and surface combatant fleets; purchasing Comanche helicopters and medium-weight ground vehicles for the Army, and the V-22 Osprey “tilt-rotor” aircraft for the Marine Corps.

CANCEL “ROADBLOCK” PROGRAMS such as the Joint Strike Fighter, CVX aircraft carrier, and Crusader howitzer system that would absorb exorbitant amounts of Pentagon funding while providing limited improvements to current capabilities. Savings from these canceled programs should be used to spur the process of military transformation.

DEVELOP AND DEPLOY GLOBAL MISSILE DEFENSES to defend the American homeland and American allies, and to provide a secure basis for U.S. power projection around the world.

CONTROL THE NEW “INTERNATIONAL COMMONS” OF SPACE AND “CYBERSPACE,” and pave the way for the creation of a new military service – U.S. Space Forces – with the mission of space control.

EXPLOIT THE “REVOLUTION IN MILITARY AFFAIRS” to insure the long-term superiority of U.S. conventional forces. Establish a two-stage transformation process which
• maximizes the value of current weapons systems through the application of advanced technologies, and,
• produces more profound improvements in military capabilities, encourages competitionbetween single services and joint-service experimentation efforts.

INCREASE DEFENSE SPENDING gradually to a minimum level of 3.5 to 3.8 percent of grossdomestic product, adding $15 billion to $20 billion to total defense spending annually.

And of course, from page 51 of "Rebuilding America's Defenses" this...

Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event – like a new Pearl Harbor.

I know, I know...Jeez, how could anybody get worked up over a few crazy right-wingers in some think tank. They couldn't possibly have any influence could they? Well, let's take a look at the folks who signed their statement of purpose when they were formed in 1997.

Elliott Abrams
Gary Bauer
William J. Bennett
Jeb Bush
Dick Cheney
Eliot A. Cohen
Midge Decter
Paula Dobriansky
Steve Forbes
Aaron Friedberg
Francis Fukuyama
Frank Gaffney
Fred C. Ikle
Donald Kagan
Zalmay Khalilzad
I. Lewis Libby
Norman Podhoretz
Dan Quayle
Peter W. Rodman
Stephen P. Rosen
Henry S. Rowen
Donald Rumsfeld
Vin Weber
GeorgeWeigel
Paul Wolfowitz

Any of those names jump out at ya?

<edit: spelling>

[Dems Will Win]

14. kick