They are not necessarily “insane asylums”, or more properly “psychiatric hospitals”, and should not be inferred to be so due to the variety of their patient populations…

I chose my words with reasonable care, but a more prudent statement would have been (since I chose sanatorium with some thought) would be that

““anything is possible in the GOP right now. The PATIENTS (lunatics) are clearly edging closer to running the sanatorium”

which even accepting you’re “broad” definition of the word would state that the people who need care are now edging toward completely running the care giving facility.

The point about PG is illustrative. If he got a seat on the committee he was just kicked off of he would go from being a doctor who killed his cancer patients to someone who got a valued committee seat (at least in terms of his political future) simply by being a traitor to the groups that got him elected in the first place.

Phil Gramm has many faults but at least when he pulled the “party switch” thing he had the honor to ALSO resign and run again for election. Now of course parties are switched like underwear with little regard for the folks who did the voting…but what the heck.

On to the greater issue of space politics and perhaps a peak at politics in its entirity.

If one listens to the rhetoric of the GOP along with that of less government, more involvement of free enterprise (or even just private industry) and more “choice” all current mantra’s in the health care debate…then one reasonably can ask how anyone who is oppossed to a single payer health insurance system can be for well “Ares” or “Bush’s vision” of lunar exploration.

The latter is big government all in a “nutshell”. no real private enterprise involvement, bloated government programs, and no real affect of the government program on anything other then well government.

For the Ares huggers it is really “OK” that Ares has so far consumed 9 billion dollars and needs maybe twice more of that to get to a flying vehicle…and the Ares 1X was a stunt for 1/2 billion or so…compared to Musk spending 1 billion of his own money to produce at least as capable a booster….well national power projects are to folks like Whittington expensive but as long as they at least aim for something that they like.

So for instance while it would be horrible to have a national health care system which would cover all Americans with some waste doubtless it is quite OK to have a Ares project that does almost nothing for the rest of us, but keeps NASA in business…because to paraphrase PG “we are racing the Chinese to the Moon” (or are they racing us? confused)…

sorry that is a logical inconsistency that is indicative of someone needing long term help …and yet they are clearly the folks running the GOP now.

I dont like the way the Dems are taking The Republic but at least the folks in the House are consistent with what they claim that they are…all for big government programs that at least claim to change the lives of the American people.

It is hard to see what reason we have to continue Bush’s vision…except for the Reds racing us (or us racing them) to the Moon…

My own view is that both parties are somewhat out of touch with the American people but….

wouldnt it be strange if the Democrats are the one who propose a free enterprise oriented space program and the GOP big power people are the ones who oppose it?

Lunatics running the sanatorium

Long Live The Republic

Robert

Firstly, get your terms right.

A sanatorium, or sanitarium, is a long term care facility for medical patients; a term most often used in the ‘old days’ for a unit housing victims of tuberculosis or those convalescing from serious illnesses or injuries, but not exclusively. Today we call them LTCF’s (long term care facilities) or SNU’s (Skilled Nursing Units.)

They are not necessarily “insane asylums”, or more properly “psychiatric hospitals”, and should not be inferred to be so due to the variety of their patient populations.

If you’re trying to label the Republicans as being ‘nuts’ I submit to you that the actions of the Democrat leadership, especially this year, equally qualifies them for such status. The Democrat “leadership” is at least as far left as any Republican is to the right, and both are driving centrists out of their respective parties.

Merry Christmas everyone.

It is a wonderful time for me…I hope that it is for everyone else

Robert G. Oler

Given that Spaceport Oklahoma has lost its major tenant, RpK, there seems to be little reason for him to remain on the subcommittee, especially as he appears to have little interest in space issues and would likely prefer a subcommittee more in line with his legislative interests.

http://www.house.gov/lucas/legislative-issues.shtml

Robert: nothing prevents the Republican caucus from reappointing Griffith to the committee when they organize in January…

yes they could (sorry that phrase sounds almost like “yes we can”)

but to do so, one person who is now on the committee from the minority would have to get off…and would have to get off for a turncoat…a turncoat who is facing some serious primary opposition (I guess at least that is the talk) from one of the “nuttier” groups of the party…and I bet you the “GOP Leadership” (and that is a mouthful) is having some discussion about those idears (grin) as we speak. The local newspaper cannot point to any agreements

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2009/12/contradictions_abound_in_us_re.html

If they chucked someone for a “turncoat” …The big question would be would they want someone whose rounds fired at The White House consist of an all time vote getters like “we are in a race with The Chinese to the Moon” (how many Americans do you think really buy that) and someone who, according to the Huntsville Times “The National Republican Congressional Committee spent at least that (about a million…me) much on negative ads against Griffith, depicting him, among other things, as a bad doctor whose patients died from poor treatment.”

anything is possible in the GOP right now. The lunatics are clearly edging closer to running the sanatorium and so it is possible that someone who in the last election was killing his patients from poor treatment could get a spot on the very subcommittee that would help ensure his winning the primary.

Robert G. Oler

not any more

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2009/12/parker-griffith-nancy-pelosi-republican-party.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+topoftheticket+%28Top+of+the+Ticket%29

Robert G. Oler