Who is writing Bush's speeches?

[Deuce 1]

Neat stuff.

Seriously, don't you have to have mammoth high-tech industrial capacity to pull those rods, and isn't that a big reason why the Russians haven't unfueled (defueled?) them?

If a terrorist tried to pull the rods, wouldn't we end up with a glowing puddle of terrorist? You had mentioned before that ship reactors could produce weapons-grade uranium, but I'm wondering how you'd get it out to machine it into a warhead or even a dirty bomb.

[billvon 3,116]

>If a terrorist tried to pull the rods, wouldn't we end up with a glowing
>puddle of terrorist?

Eventually, but you can survive incredibly high doses of radiation for short times. Above 20 REM's (exposure units) your chances of cancer go up a bit, but even at 1000+ REM's you'll survive for days after the exposure; perhaps even long enough to start machining the fissile elements out of the fuel. And if you die before then? There always seem to be more terrorists available to carry on.

As we've seen, terrorists aren't very focused on individual survival.

[Gawain 0]

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In times of strife the nation looks toward the White House for guidance and in this case I do not believe it delivered.

Reading GW Bush's speech side-by-side with Reagan's speech in 1986 after the Challenger Seven perished I see the following key points, the following common points:

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REAGAN: "For the families of the seven, we cannot bear, as you do, the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss, and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave, and they had that special grace, that special spirit that says, "Give me a challenger and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve, and they did. They served all of us."

BUSH: "All Americans today are thinking, as well, of the families of these men and women who have been given this sudden shock and grief. You're not alone. Our entire nation grieves with you. And those you loved will always have the respect and gratitude of this country.

The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on."

I also saw these key items:

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REAGAN: "We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space, and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They, the members of the Challenger crew, were pioneers."

BUSH: "In an age when space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook the dangers of travel by rocket, and the difficulties of navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of the Earth. These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will miss them all the more."

And still:

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REAGAN: "We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue."

BUSH: "The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into space will go on. "

And finally:

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REAGAN: "We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye and 'slipped the surly bonds of earth' to 'touch the face of God.' "

BUSH: "The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home. "

I won't say that Bush is as good an orator as Reagan was, but the message was the same. Leadership was there. I suppose it is in the eye of the beholder. I didn't see politics in it, other than the desire to continue the program, even if I try and read between the lines. The message and leadership was delivered to those that would listen.

edit: cleaned up a couple items...

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[quade 4]

Do you have a URL for the Reagan speech?

I want to see how many references he made to God in it and I don't mean simply the passing reference to "High Flight", but rather of God, a being living in heaven.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Gawain 0]

http://www.ronaldreagan.com/sp_14.html

There it is...

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[Deuce 1]

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God, a being living in heaven.

What? As opposed to Doe, a deer, a female deer?

[quade 4]

There's a whole world of difference in those two speeches.

By comparison, the Reagan speech is quite factual and spoke of exploration, while I feel that the GWB speech makes it sound like the astronauts have gone "home" (in otherwords, to Heaven).

And I maintain my position that the GWB speech is political in doing so.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[quade 4]

As opposed to a more metaphorical God -- the goodness of life in our universe.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Gawain 0]

So really, it's not politics, it's the spirituality referenced in the final comments of Bush's speech.

Prior to those comments, your argument has no foundation. Prior to those concluding remarks, where can you cite anything that Bush stated, that wasn't factual?

Even accounting for that content, where does any fact get twisted? Bush: "Our journey into space will go on."

Reagan's speech ended quoting a poem, with the same spiritual context.

It's a little thin Paul, and reading between your lines, I see a simpler, less painstaking statement that is: you don't like the leadership at the helm. It's not like anyone can say he's not doing what was expected at a time like this.

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[quade 4]

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It's a little thin Paul, and reading between your lines, I see a simpler, less painstaking statement that is you don't like the leadership at the helm. It's not like anyone can say he's not doing what was expected at a time like this.

Well, the fact that I'm not a fan of GWB isn't a secret. As a matter of fact, it's pretty well documented right here on dz.com.

HOWEVER, I wasn't a big fan of Reagan either, but his speeches at least made logical and grammatical sense.

The same can not be said for GWB's.

And this is part of the problem that I have with GWB in general -- if he's writing his own material, then I don't think his mind is organized well enough to be the kind of leader would like him to be. If he's NOT writing his own material, he's not paying attention enough to what his speech writers are giving him and to me that's pretty dangerous!

Either way, his inability to communicate effectively lowers the credibility of this country throughout the world. In a time when words need to be spoken carefully, he does not deliver.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[FallRate 0]

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You know, nowadays they make decaffeinated coffees that taste just as good as the regular kind . . .

Touché!

FallRate