Eclectic Views

    
re 24:

http://www.snopes.com/photos/binoculars.htm 
  

    
That's what I love about The Well.  Exactly half an hour from post to
rebuttal.
  

    
re 24

It's possible GWB, like many people (myself included) brought the
binoculars up to his eyes with the lens caps on and then realized his
mistake and took them off. But with the cameras rolling all the time,
it's a simple matter to extract the frame where Bush brings the
binoculars up and, taking the moment out of context, making him look
like a dolt. Not that he isn't a dolt but the photograph is not
evidence either way.
  

    
Pellmell beat me to the punch.
  

    
I noticed that only today have stories started about Iraq connections to Al 
Quaeda (a "senior member" travelled through Iraq last year, said CNN, and no 
way that could have happened without Saddam knowing). If there is proof of 
Saddam financing AQ operations, I want to see them. I don't like Saddam, I 
won't miss him once he's gone, but I feel deeply that we're pointing in the 
wrong direction here, and it's happening because it's easier than actually 
dealing with the problem, and because the Administration believes it's 
politically advantageous to do so.
  

    
There's an interesting commentary from TomPaine.com on today's op-ed page
that asks where the old-style principled conservatives are.  It was not so
very long ago they stood up for balanced budgets, fiscal prudence, and
limited government. That these goals should become Democratic Party themes
has a kind of Alice In Wonderland quality to it.
  

    
As noted in Topic 1, post 5 those readers who are not Well
members are invited to participate in this discussion.   

Please mail your comments to:

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Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, is disputing
Mr. Bush's State of the Union interpretation of the team's
results and report.   The report is buried on page 10 of
the New York Times.

 <http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/31/international/middleeast/31BLIX.html>
  

    

That Hans Blix guy better be careful or he could have a terrible accident.

Just a word to the wise.
  

    
I went looking to see how much this story is getting play, by searching 
Google News. I didn't find much in U.S. papers, though German, Pakistani, 
and Australian papers were covering it. UK papers mentioned it, but buried 
in other stories, at least so far. Kind of interesting take on how the media 
decides to weigh things. 
  

    

it was mentioned on CNN at supper time here.
  

    

What Blix is doing is merely stating and interpreting his findings.  It's
neither his place (nor, I'm sure, his desire) to make the political
calculations and decisions on what action to take (or not to take) next.
"Cheating" and "deceiving" and even "cooperating" have wildly different
meanings at 1600 Penn. Ave., NW.  All Bush wants is an excuse, any excuse.
I'm sure Blix wants to scream "Hey, that's NOT what I said or even meant!",
but it's all out of his hands now.  The train's left the station.
  

    
I was looking at the news about Columbia at salon.com, and the
lead article is from the AP.  It contains the statement, "In 42
years of U.S. human space flight, there had never been an
accident during the descent to Earth or landing."

Not so.  Gordon Cooper experienced a major malfunction of the
automatic control system during re-entry on Mercury 9.  But he 
survived.

http://www.nasm.si.edu/nasm/nass/pevents/cooper.htm
  

    
A major malfunction and an accident aren't quite the same thing.
  

    
Well, true.  Gordo lived to brag about it.
  

    

And (no source to cite) Virgil "Gus" Grissom's capsule had a failure of one
of the three flotation collars, ironically submerging his teeny window,
making him think he was sinking.  So the saltwater blew the hatch (his
story) or he blew the hatch himself (as any Navy pilot would if he thought
his airship was sinking).

That could count as a reentry problem.

And what about John Glenn?

Mission Control told him to keep his retrorocket assembly attached to hold
his heat shield in place.  That was the first American in orbit and a
fucking drop-deap-serious reentry problem.
  

    

I know the Soviets lost at least one craft when it crash-landed early in
their manned spaceflight program.
  

    
I don't remember that one, but there was a soviet craft that, IIRC, lost
cabin pressure during re-entry, killing all 3 cosmonauts.  This would have
been around 1970 or 71 I think.
  

    
NASA spouse confirms that, wolfy. He's not exactly sure of the year
either.
  

    

For my son's homeschooling, we subscribe to an e-newsletter from NASA.  I
thought that tonight's newsletter was really a perfect tribute to the lost
shuttle crew.  What follows is it's entirety.


Feb. 4th, 2003: At the dawn of the space age some 40 years ago, we always
knew who was orbiting Earth or flying to the Moon. Neil Armstrong, Yuri
Gagarin, John Glenn. They were household names--everywhere.

Lately it's different. Space flight has become more "routine." Another
flight of the shuttle. Another visit to the space station. Who's onboard
this time? Unless you're a NASA employee or a serious space enthusiast,
you might not know.

Dave Brown, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson,
William McCool, and Ilan Ramon

Now we know. Those are the names of the seven astronauts who were
tragically lost on Saturday, Feb. 1st, when the space shuttle Columbia
(STS-107) broke apart over Texas.

Before the accident, perhaps, they were strangers to you. But if that's
so, why did you have a knot in your gut when you heard the news? What were
those tears all about? Why do you feel so deep-down sad for seven
strangers?

Astronauts have an unaccountable hold on us. They are explorers. Curious,
humorous, serious, daring, careful. Where they go, they go in peace. Every
kid wants to be one. Astronauts are the essence of humanity.

They are not strangers. They are us.

While still in orbit Dave Brown asked, jokingly, "do we really have to
come back?"

No. But we wish you had.

The Science@NASA team, as does all of NASA and the world, extends
heartfelt sympathies to the family, friends and colleagues of the STS-107
crew. Please see the NASA Home Page (http://www.nasa.gov) for more
information on the Columbia Investigation.

--Tony Phillips, Ron Koczor, Bryan Walls, Becky Bray, Patrick Meyer.

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Home page: http://science.nasa.gov
  

    
I found this quote of Thucydides (460-400 B.C.):  "But the bravest are
surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them,
glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it."

As succinct as it is spot on.
  

    
OK ... Powell has stated his case.  Did he change your mind?
Help you decide?   His speech as half over before I was up 
this AM, so I'm gonna go read it online.
  

    

I heard part but not all of the speach. What I heard reinforced my belief
that Saddam is no saint. But it did not budge my belief that attacking
Iraq now is a bad idea.
  

    
Besides Britain, the others on the Security Council are now saying the
same thing. Step up the inspections and give them time seems to be the
conclusion.