Posted on 08/12/2005 10:23:15 PM PDT by Shuttle Shucker
The McLaughlin Group is a political debate show that's nationally syndicated and will air a show this weekend on "Shelving the Shuttle FOR GOOD". Presumably it's showing on NBC in your area, although one can check at: http://www.mclaughlin.com .
The McLaughlin Group 1211 Connecticut Avenue Northwest, Suite 810 Washington, DC 20036 (202) 457-0870 http://www.mclaughlin.com
I just left a message advocating the NASA-funded competitive prizes proposal, and in time for the recipients to know to discuss the possibility and thereby help spark some reforms in Washington via their program (which many political types watch even during this current recess period). Isn't it remarkable that the NASA civil servants and government contractor clique haven't yet been able to coerce NBC into requiring that this subject remain taboo, at least on this show? Anyhow, here's something I also e-mailed to: comments@mclaughlin.com
Dear friends at the McLaughlin Group We're looking forward to the McLaughlin Group's show later today on NBC dedicated to "Shelving the Shuttle for good". Replacing the SHUTTLE is NOT that hard, no matter how much some with vested interests predictably try and caim: Just force NASA to offer far more adequate competitive prizes, resembling the privately funded (and therefore miniscule) $10 million dollar X Prize won by Burt Rutan last summer. NASA offers a few tiny prizes but none involving launching because we aren't adequately demanding it of them. For more information:
http://www.spaceprojects.com/prizes
And for some companies that would compete for Shuttle-replacement (or at least displacement) prizes, or support others that do:
http://www.SpaceX.com (owned by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk);
http://www.blueorigin.com/ (owned by Amazon.com co-founder Jeff Bezos);
http://www.scaled.com/ (Burt Rutan's company that won the XPrize: http://www.XPrize.org )
http://www.bigelowaerospace.com/ (they need for affordable access to emerge to their upcoming space stations).
http://www.armadilloaerospace.com (electronic games-entrepreneur John Carmack's company)
Could this media breakthrough signal the dawn of the space age for ordinary folks like us?
I can't even watch this crap fest anymore. And to think I used to look forward to it.
I say send it out one last time...with the McLaughlin Group on it...with a one way ticket. Maybe Blankley can stay behind.
You aren't by any chance biased, are you?
I say send it out one last time...with the McLaughlin Group on it...with a one way ticket. Maybe Blankley can stay behind.
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Make Eleanor Clift the Mission Commander, She can do an environmental update from space ala Eileen Collins.
She knows a lot about space, she has an abundance of it between her ears.
Biased in favor of taxpayers and those who love space? You bet! :-)
Wouldn't it be nice if the McLaughlin Group could do something useful just this once, and spark a long overdue debate in Washington with a higher profile than the (sponsorship-craving, and therefore Boeing & Lockheed sycophantic) media has traditionally allowed?
What are the chances that the program is ALREADY filmed? Or does it likely air live, or at least immediately following a Saturday production?
We could still go into space a lot more even if we DID send them on the Shuttle on that one-way trip, as long as we adopted pro-entrepreneurial reforms that could enable private enterprise to replace as much of NASA as possible. Specifically I'm referring to tax incentives, the recognition of private property rights in space, and using NASA's $16 billion dollar annual budget to fund competitive prizes instead of monopoly-rewarding contracts:
http://www.spaceprojects.com/reforms
I'm just curious what qualifies the group to debate the subject and why I should be the least bit interested in their opinions. Their science background? Their space program awareness capabilities? Their economic/business acumen? I wouldn't want them making decisions on this or too many other matters with the possible exception of annoying and worthless TV programs.
They help set some of the tone in Washington, and make it tougher for Congressional reps to justify this pork fest to folks whose votes they need. Both constituents and politicians (and their assistants) watch this show. So do some journalists.
Isn't it at least somewhat possible that it's produced on Saturday morning, at the soonest? It could be produced in real time at 7PM EST and still air closer to Saturday afternoon in Colorado, live.
It's possible if I am wrong but I believe I used to watch it on Fridays in CO. I lived there from '96-'98. Maybe someone from the area can confirm cause I am not positive.
The way I see it, if they filmed it on Friday they'd miss some benefits associated with airing it on Saturday:
*an extra weekday's worth of news events to digest, as well as part of the weekend; and
*time to pensively reflect on all that has gone on in order to respond more intelligently.
Many of their participants have jobs keeping them busy on weekdays anyway, too.
So hopefully the voicemails I left weren't in vain.
There's no doubt in my mind that McLaughlin's dramatic lurch to the left is the only thing that keeps this worthless and irrelevant show on the air at PBS.
It's on NBC in Washington D.C. (Channel 4, to be exact).
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