More bullshit from another asshole with a blog

Sans Plums, Vol. 2
27Jul11

Posted by wafwot

What’s done is done. The Shuttle program has come to a close after 30 years, ending NASA’s half a century dominance of sending Americans to space. And the Russians are bragging, effectively laying claim to space. “In the world of human spaceflight, today marks the beginning of the Soyuz epoch — the epoch of reliability.” [English text]

Really? I wouldn’t necessarily say America owns outer space, but we kicked some serious Soviet Union ass during the race to the Moon in the 1960s, and we kicked every one else’s ass in exploration of the rest of the Solar System. The human spaceflight programs of Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and the Shuttle proved to the world that America was fearlessly second-to-none in its determination to explore the Moon and to be on the cutting edge of technological advances. On average, we were launching Shuttles better than one every three months. Who else but America could build five reusable spacecrafts and launch them 135 times in thirty years? Nobody! NASA has continually pushed America’s drive, status, ingenuity, and know-how into Earth’s truly final frontier for the past fifty years. And now, sadly, most of that is on the back burner…

For the Russians to be claiming that it’s their space age now, and we’ve entered the “Soyuz epoch,” is terribly… Soviet of them. Maybe someone should remind them who got the sweeter end of this Technology Sharing stick, and who shouldered more of the construction cost of the International Space Station. I mean, it not like we own or operate seven (to the Russian’s five) of the fifteen modules that make up ISS, right? However, some bureaucratic tighty-whitey stain signed off on a contract that calls for three crew members on each six-person Expedition to be Russian! That sounds fair, until you realize that the remaining crew members must come from the 15 other countries involved in IIS’ operation. For example, three Russians, two Americans, and a Canadian. Or, three Russians, one American, a Japanese, and an Italian. How did that happen? My grandparents would be on a non-stop coffin rotisserie if they knew what was going on 225 miles above!

It still pisses me off beyond words that we’ve spent an estimated $100 billion dollars on the ISS, including shuttle missions, and we now have no domestic means of getting to it. Why would Obama kill the Constellation program, then allow the Shuttle program to end while extending the Space Station’s mission to 2020? If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was purposely helping Russia’s economy. C’mon! It’s like building a house on small island, and having no possible way to get to the island. Or worse yet, having to rely on your former enemies to fly you and two friends to your island for $190 million. Oh, the Russians are more than happy to give us a ride to ISS in their 1968 Checker Marathon Soyuz taxicab at a cost that will hit $63 million PER SEAT in three years. Sonsofbitches! Mark Shuttleworth flew to ISS in a Soyuz death coffin for $20 million! I have three words for the Russians: Frequent-Fuckin’-Flyer Miles!

Now that the U.S. has no manned spacecraft, and China is ramping up their manned programs exponentially, we’re in danger of being surpassed by the Communists. China is planning on launching the first phase of their own space station later this year, with completion slated for 2020. On top of that, they’ve already launched spacecraft for a lunar exploration program… and the Russians are helping them! We could see the Five Star Red Flag of People’s Republic of China on the Moon by 2025!

If you’re one of those bleeding-heart utopian types, you might ask, “Why should we care? We don’t own the Moon and space is vast enough for all of Earth’s nations.” Well, you should care! Unlike the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Chinese space program is run by their military, the People’s Liberation Army. And that’s enough to cramp the muscles in anyone’s balloon knot.

While NASA says they’ll announce a heavy lift craft “soon,” the fact is they don’t have one. They didn’t have one before ending the Shuttle program. Amazingly, in addition to relying on the Russians to get us to ISS, the Obama Administration has voiced a willingness to work with the Chinese on manned missions to Mars. But should we? Do we really want to work with a country we owe so much money to? A country that we can’t trust? A communist country? I think not. But I suspect someday in the future we’ll all be glued to our televisions cell phones and tablets watching Chinese astronauts build a space station, colonize the Moon, and landing a manned craft on Mars… All thanks to Congressional budget cuts for social entitlements and a retooled mission for NASA that apparently puts Muslim outreach ahead of the United States’ ability to expand its pioneering ability to place Americans in space.

NASA is not without options. They’ve created a program called Commercial Orbital Transportation Services and requested funding for private transport to and from low-Earth orbit. Companies like SpaceX — with their Falcon 9 / Dragon spacecraft — could easily take over for the Shuttles under COTS, sort of. The payload capacity is quite a bit lower, but it’s MORE than the Soyuz! At least SpaceX is American, and we’re not paying Russia upwards of $200 mil for a hitch every six months.

I’m sure you’re tired of my ranting about the space program… so I’ll leave it there. Let’s hope NASA and Congress doesn’t sit on it’s ass and watch the Russians and Chinese pass us by. I’d hate for us to be third best.

What Happened to Our Plums?
24Jul11

Posted by wafwot

We're Done!It’s truly a mournful period in the proud history of America’s space program. For the United States, human spaceflight began on May 5, 1961 with a suborbital flight of the Freedom 7 spacecraft by Alan Shepard. It ended with Christopher Ferguson, Doug Hurley, Sandra Magnus, and Rex Walheim aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on July 21, 2011. President Kennedy boldly challenged NASA, and if President Obama has his way, he’ll scrap NASA and distribute its wealth… or sell it to China.

And before any of you Liberal cocks out there flood my email with comments, I’m fully aware that President Bush ordered the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet. However, Bush Jr. fully supported the Constellation program that would have replaced the Shuttle. It was ol’ Mr. Hope & Change himself that promptly canceled Constellation bringing the inevitable end to American-manned spaceflight for the foreseeable future… taking thousands of jobs with it!

I’m four and a half decades old — born in the middle of the Cold War — and cannot recall a time that NASA hasn’t been putting Americans (and others) in space. I’ve been enamored with NASA my entire life, especially the manned spaceflights.

In 1969, I was at my grandparent’s house in Philadelphia while they were watching the television coverage of Apollo 11. I was only three years old, but moments after Neil Armstrong hopped off the lander, I was at the front door of their house looking up at the sky, trying to see the man on the moon. At least that’s how the story went. I may have been too young to recall that personally, but I somehow remember it. But I do remember when Skylab was falling out of the sky, and whenever it was time for science projects in school, I immediately went to the missions of Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo. My Dad was constantly getting printed photos from NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and I remember using those images in a school book report. My Dad even got me Gene Cernan’s autograph!

Living in suburban Pennsylvania as an awkward teenager, I clearly remember watching hours and hours of television coverage of Space Shuttle Enterprise test free flights and the first-ever launch of Space Shuttle Columbia on April 12, 1981. Eventually, Shuttle missions became so routine that their launches were only mentioned on the evening news. “President Ronald Reagan declares May ‘National Child Safety Awareness Month,’ people in the south continue their protest of Coca Cola for changing the formula of their beloved soft drink, and Space Shuttle Challenger lifted off from Kennedy Space Center. Here’s Tom with the weather.” Sad indeed.

On January 28, 1986, I was standing on an icy street corner on a bitter cold morning in West Chester, Pennsylvania. My friend and I were waiting for the 104 bus to take us to the city. I don’t remember if the bus didn’t show up, or we got tired of freezing our asses off. But I do remember getting home to news that Space Shuttle Challenger had exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. Like most Americans I watch in disbelief, shocked that we could suffer a loss so great. Of course, the non-stop news coverage was all over the tragedy then, weren’t they? I recall they covered the “Teacher in Space” like she was the lone member on board. It’s nice to see Main Stream Media has improved since the mid-80s. </sarcasm>

I was working at a Philadelphia Radio Shack nearly three years later when Space Shuttle Discovery returned us to space in 1988. Years later, I was home watching the landing of Columbia live on television when she disintegrated over Texas February 1, 2003. Being only a year and a half after the September 11 attacks, I wondered at the time (like most of us did) if the Columbia disaster was an act of terrorism… which it wasn’t. Two and a half years later, I was glued to NASA TV when Discovery, yet again, shouldered the job of returning Americans back to space in 2005. Good ol’ Discovery was the fleet’s workhorse!

STS-135 Atlantis: The last shuttle launchAfter 135 missions, the Shuttle program has been shuttered, never to fly again. Its three remaining orbiters have been promised to museums around the country. And thanks to Porkulus or the Tax, Rape, Pillage, and Spend More Than We Have Act of 2010, America has no immediate plans to replace the Shuttle. Instead, we’ll have to ride with the Russians on Soyuz spacecraft, like some sandal-wearing hippie looking to hitch a ride to a fuckin’ Phish concert. Gas, Grass, or Ass: No one rides for free.

The goddamn Russian Roscosmos, really? The same Russian Federal Space Agency that had two — TWO! — satellite launches end failure just five and eight months ago? The same Space Agency that only built five of the eleven spacecraft planned in 2010, and had six spacecraft for civilian purposes fail to launch in 2010? The same assclowns that put rich civilians on their spacecrafts, like they’re a galactic taxi company? Please!

Obama has officially signaled to the world that America has thrown in the towel and waved the white flag of surrender. He’s given our plums to the Chinese! In 1961, a President Johnson report stated, “It is man, not mere machines, in space that captures the imagination of the world.” This has proven true every single time! Yuri Gagarin, Alan Sheppard, Ed White, Sally Ride, Neil Armstrong, John Young and Robert Crippen, and Story Musgrave among others, have definitely captured the imagination of the world. Now, that task lies in the hands of the socialists and communists, with names like Vladimir Iliykdrinkinvokov and Bol Son Chin. Good job, Mr. President.

Obamacares Not
23Aug09

Posted by wafwot

Dont Tread On MeThe 1,017 page America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 (a.k.a H.R. 3200, a.k.a. Obamacare) has become the latest hot-button topic in America. The bill was introduced on July 14, 2009, and luckily that ignominious gang of geezers couldn’t shove their two reams of bullshit up our collective unlubed ass before their August recess. Yep, two weeks is all they gave themselves to pass the single biggest and most expensive piece of legislation ever in American history. Most of those elected asshats didn’t even read the goddamn bill because — get this — it’s too fucking big and they didn’t have time!

The Obama Health Care Plan is comprised of two parts. The first part Obamacare was buried in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (a.k.a. ARRA, a.k.a. the $787,000 million Stimulus Bill) which has already been signed into law by President B. Hussein Obama in February. The second part of Obamacare (H.R. 3200) is currently being debated in Congress and town halls across America. I’m sure you’ve all heard liberals who support H.R. 3200 say that there won’t be any rationing of health care or “death panels.” Even the President himself said, “Great Britain has a system of socialized medicine. Nobody is talking about doing that.” They’re fucking liars. Every one of them. As far as I can tell, rationing of health care will be done through a Council, equivalent to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) of the British National Health Service. The name given to this panel is The Federal Coordinating Council For Comparative Effectiveness Research, or the “Council,” and has already been funded with $1,100 million (a big numbers way of saying $1.1 billion, with a ‘B’) from the Porkulus Bill. Here’s an official link introducing us to the grand gaggle of douchebags that make up the Death Panel, err, I mean the “Council.” It’s these motherfuckers that will use some super-secret government “formula of approval or rejection of treatment for patients based upon the cost per treatment divided by the number of years the patient will benefit from the treatment.” There’s far too much bullshit to cover here in my blog. I’d look like this typing pages and pages and pages and pages.

Is there any wonder why people are starting to oppose Obamacare in droves? When Americans started reading then opposing this polished turd, they started confronting the politicians at their town hall meetings, if they didn’t cowardly cancel their town hall meetings for fear of opposition. The Bill contains provisions that the sick, elderly, and disabled members of society could face the prospect of government bureaucrats determining whether they deserve health care. Of course, this brought old people out of Country Buffet and into the town halls. Suddenly, dissenters were being called all sorts of horrible things by the very people they elected! Stench trench of the House, Nancy Pelosi referred to honest, hard-working Americans who, in her eyes, are “drowning out opposing views” of Obamacare as “simply un-American,”astroturf,” and said they were bringing swastikas into town hall meetings. Hey Nancy, I think demonstrating against issues we don’t agree with to be very American, indeed! It’s our First Amendment right to freedom of speech, so shut the fuck up!

Even in my own home state, Democrat Representative Brian Baird said the opposing behaviors of town hall members “was reminiscent of the kinds of things that drove Timothy McVeigh to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City…” Holy fuckballs! Really? I personally oppose Barry‘s health care reform plans. Does that make me a mass-murdering truck bomber? I don’t think so. When did it become un-American to stand up and oppose something you feel is wrong? Why does the pro-health care reform camp feel the need to call you names just because you don’t agree with them?

Back in November, just after the messiah won the election, I wrote in my blog that “many feel we’ve turned a corner on racism in the country by electing Obama, [but] I have a sinking feeling that we’ve begun a new chapter that will only widen the rift.” Unfortunately, I was right. The liberal left Kool-Aid drinkers have taken to calling ANYONE — not just white Republicans — who dares oppose King Hussein, a “racist.” Somehow, calling Obamacare a socialist plan is code words for “racism.” Attending a Tea Party protest makes you a “functionally retarded adult,” a “teabagger,” and a “racist.” I got news for you, Jeanane Garofalo, you puss-infected regurgitated cum bubble, opposing Obama’s policies has nothing — absolutely NOTHING — to do with his skin color. I don’t give two juicy squirts of goat shit if he’s black, white, Latino, Asian, or fucking purple. I don’t like the idea of a government-run health plan, insurance reform, co-op, or whatever the hell they’re calling it this day. Laissez-faire, morbleu! Laissez-faire!!

I’ve even had first-hand experience with this far left propaganda bullshit. A friend of mine on Facebook (who I’ll call “Liz”) pasted some anti-H.R. 3200 material from someone’s blog on her wall and pleaded that politicians read the bill before passing it. This lead to one of the people on her friends list to deride her for her opinions. I won’t use his real name; instead I’ll call him “Barney” (after a certain Massachusetts Representative, and the fact he really likes Fruity Pebbles, if you get my drift). “Barney” started by saying Liz “should turn off Fox News and read the entire document for [herself].” He said he was disappointed with her and remembered her being more independent.” What the hell?

I sarcastically fired back at this ass pirate in defense of “Liz,” saying she should stop watching FNC and start watching the socialist propaganda that the White House and NBC want us to believe. I made fun of the evil Glenn Beck and the un-American Fox News, and suggested that “Barney” read the bill himself. I told him to get off his elitist high-horse, stop looking down his nose at people with different points of view, and stop infringing upon “Liz’s” Constitutional right to watch and say whatever the hell she wants.

This is when the name calling started. “Barney’s” response was he had no problem with “Liz” expressing her opinion (which obviously he did), but didn’t want her “spewing the untruths that the racist-backwards-religious nutjob-rednecks of the country keep yealing,” [sic] then proceeded to say she didn’t seem too bright. Wow! Way to debate the issue, you ingrown sphincter hair! “Barney” continued by schooling me on my elitist comment, saying, “an elitist would want something only for themselves (healthcare for only a few), not everybody (universal and affordable coverage).” He obviously feels that the Goverment should just provide almost-free health care for all, and let our future generations pay the bill. Dickhead. “Barney” then insulted my intelligence level and told me to “go run a minority out of town before NASCAR comes on and leave the policies of the country to the adults.” Jesus, speaking of regurgitated cum bubbles. This guy’s a 55-gallon drum full of them! Suddenly I’m a racist for opposing Obamacare and defending “Liz’s” right to oppose the same? Unbelievable.

Again, I replied, being very cautious not to call him any names. However, I did call him a “typical member of the left cult, happily drinking [his] Obama fruit drink,” an indirect slam on his sexuality, which he was obviously too goddamn stupid (or drunk) to pick up on. I continued by telling him to watch and read news sources from both the liberal and conservative sides and form his own opinions based on truths, instead of insulting people. I proceeded to tell this puckering anus that his “paradigmatic views prove [him] to be the ignorant one,” then corrected his definition of “elitist” as belonging to a select or favored group. “Barney” tried to fight back, but couldn’t. Instead, he accused me of name-calling (which I didn’t), then said he’s never “seen a bigger group with more of a superiority complex than [Republicans].” Riiiight! It’s the Republicans that have the “we won get over it” attitude, trying to push two trillion (with a fucking ‘T’) dollars worth of government spending down America’s throat.

I replied by saying he doesn’t know me, and told his holiness that I’m an agnostic Independent that sided with the liberals for decades. His only response was he got whiplash from all my “spin,” I should say ‘Hi’ to Satan when I see him, I “strike [him] as the worst type of person than can exist,” and he has “more respect for child molesters than the likes of [me].” Right, I guess the pillow-biting dumb ass missed the irony of calling me the “worst type of person than can exist.” Whatever, you vaginal blood fart. You’re the one that respects child molesters, then call me the worst type of person? See “Barney,” that is spin. Pull the black cock out of your balloon knot and pay attention!

I could go on, but I don’t want to give “Barney the cocksucker” any more attention than I already have. And yes, I’m fully aware that I called “Barney” all kinds of disgusting names in the above paragraphs, but I wasn’t doing it during the debate like some childish grade schooler. I don’t care, and my disclaimer gives me the right to say whatever the fuck I want on my blog.

It is a sad period in our Country’s history that we cannot debate the issues without resorting to name-calling and labeling. The problem is people see the names or labels that get applied, and don’t judge for themselves based on truths. As Americans, we are not only given the right to freedom of speech, but we also have the right to question our government and the ideals of others. In fact it is our duty to question our government and voice our opposition, for if we don’t, we are nothing but sheep being lead to slaughter.

Let’s hope that the Democrats pull their collective heads out of the ass, and that a government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.