Man.

[kellinator]

I slept late today and didn't turn on the TV when I got up, so I didn't find out about Columbia until 7 pm tonight. I had to sit down; I felt like I'd been punched in the gut, 1986 all over again.

Yet I can't honestly say I'm as upset now as I would have been a few years ago. I'm afraid I'm getting used to all the shit in the world.

And just so you'll know, some of my reactions have me thinking that it's seriously time to join the Richard Belzer Everything's a Conspiracy Club. I'm not saying what but it's not terrorism.

Comments

[bouncepogo.livejournal.com]

Bush trying to gain popularity?

[kellinator.livejournal.com]

My dear sweet Bouncey. How does it feel to be on my wavelength?

[bouncepogo.livejournal.com]

Actually my conspiracy theory is that along with him trying to do a smoke-and-mirror things and use this as a distraction to start the war, like, NOW. Or rather, offically start it, since its been going on for months already....

Another thing that makes me think this is that gas prices around here have jumped 9c in the past week.

War, baby, war.

But I really really hope he wouldn't do something like this. Even though I do blame him for this already because he cut a lot of NASA's funding. If he hadn't maybe they wouldn't have been on a ship older than most any car in use in America. The fucking thing uses FLOPPY disk drives. I kid you not.

[sujata.livejournal.com]

Ack, maybe I'm becoming a conspiracy theorist in my old age, too. That, or I've known too many manipulative, power-hungry people to rule out the possibility that the Columbia was sabotaged.

Unlike NASA, and even unlike Kellinator, I'm not prepared to dismiss the possibility of terrorism right away. It occurs to me that a joint U.S.-Israeli astronaut crew makes for a very tempting target to people with particular agendas. And the space program employs a lot of people, a lot of very diverse people. It can't do otherwise, if it's to employ the top people in all the necessary fields. But that still means it may be all too easy for terrorists to arrange an inside job, by convincing a member of the space program who's sympathetic to the terrorists' cause that the cause is more important than the space program itself.

*sigh*

Even if it isn't terrorism, though, I can't help but view the tragedy with suspicion. I mean, damn, a piece of the shuttle broke off and damaged the heat shielding plates. That doesn't exactly happen every mission. It could be a horrible coincidence. But it could also be sabotage, arranged by anyone who needs a distraction, or a chance to make a poetic speech, or...

Well, really there's nothing we can do but await the results of the investigation. And wonder, even then, if what we're told is the truth. *rueful grin*


But meanwhile, possibly related and possibly not, I wish like hell that somebody would start impeachment proceedings against Shrub. Don't ask me why, though. That's a topic for discussion best saved for an occasion when you're prepared to listen to me rant for hours and hours!