[randog]

Everybody’s a winner: The recruiting ad for the Pony Express said: “Orphans Preferred.” The ugly fact is that the building of America cost a lot of lives by putting men (and sometimes women) in dangerous, high-risk situations. We don’t seem to have the intestinal fortitude for that kind of sacrifice anymore – and even if we did, our robust system of torts laws would make it too expensive to pursue anyway. You probably can’t conquer outer space with a society that doesn’t keep score in youth soccer games, hands out participation trophies, and sues for every cut and bruise. After all, the virtual bullets in a Halo gunfight don’t hurt.

I think the author hit on a big theme here. Lawyers and insurance companies have done a bang-up job of bubble-wrapping life and hence ensuring that risk become too....risky.

[hal ogen]

The project is taking so long because no one wants to offend mooslims. The mooslims would be offended if we were to rebuild on the site of their greatest triumph. The government should build an ICMB launch site there and launch a missile on the next 9/11 to mecca to cleanse the world of these insects.