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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: lurqer who wrote (39789)	3/18/2004 11:02:14 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Well, duh. Wharf Pinhead

To: lurqer who wrote (39789)	3/18/2004 11:22:34 AM
From: T L Comiskey	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

100-Foot Asteroid to Make Closest Pass ! By ANDREW BRIDGES, AP Science Writer SAN DIEGO - As far as flying space rocks go, it's as close an encounter as mankind has ever had. A 100-foot diameter asteroid will pass within 26,500 miles of Earth on Thursday evening, the closest-ever brush on record by a space rock, NASA (news - web sites) astronomers said. The asteroid's close flyby, first spied late Monday, poses no risk, NASA astronomers stressed. "It's a guaranteed miss," astronomer Paul Chodas, of the near-Earth object office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said Wednesday. The asteroid, 2004 FH, was expected to make its closest approach at 5:08 p.m. EST, streaking over the southern Atlantic Ocean. It should be visible through binoculars to stargazers across the southern hemisphere, as well as throughout Asia and Europe, said astronomer Steve Chesley, also of JPL. Professional astronomers around the globe scrambled Wednesday to prepare for the flyby, which could provide an unprecedented chance to get a close look at the asteroid, he added. The asteroid will pass within the moon's orbit. Similarly sized asteroids are believed to come as close to Earth on average once every two years, but have always escaped detection. "The important thing is not that it's happening, but that we detected it," Chesley said. Astronomers found the asteroid late Monday during a routine survey carried out with a pair of telescopes in New Mexico funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Follow-up observations on Tuesday allowed them to pinpoint its orbit. "It immediately became clear it would pass very close by the Earth," Chesley said. Astronomers have not ruled out that the asteroid and our planet could meet again sometime in the future. If the two were to collide, the asteroid likely would disintegrate in the atmosphere, Chesley said. ___

To: lurqer who wrote (39789)	3/18/2004 11:42:45 AM
From: cnyndwllr	Respond to of 89467

Zapatero is right. There will ALWAYS be young, brave and committed radicals who will take up causes and who are capable of martyrdom and mayhem. Where the appearance of injustice and oppression are present, there will be large numbers of them. The question of whether we increased or decreased the number or the commitment of terrorists thorugh our actions in Iraq is easily answered. The polls show how the world's populations, especially those living in Muslim countries, view America's actions in Iraq. The acceptance of terrorism as a tool has grown exponentially from the aftermath of 9/11 to today. Terrorists are popular heroes throughout many populations in the world, including those we previously viewed as moderate. There in NO question that we have fertilized the seeds of a decades long parade of young people who romanticize terrorism and there is NO question that we have given more of them a target. Unfortunately that target is us. Bush and his people never understood, or forgot, that if you are the biggest, richest and strongest, you must also be the most just. Every move that America makes is analyzed and scrutinized throughout the world. When we were seen by many as a benevolent force, we were viewed as a "friend" by those who had less. When we began to overreact to admittedly tragic events, when we began to force our views on sovereign nations that did not share them and when we made it clear that the choices were to do it our way or face the might of our military, we lost our moral leadership. Bush has painted a bullseye on our chests and anyone that believes we can indiscriminately kill our way out of this mess is simply expanding the target and the number of committed people who will shoot into it. The sad thing is that Bush seems intent on reacting to his failures by escalating the very actions that created the failures. That's not very smart and it will result in more death and less peace for decades. Of course most Americans are right behind him. Go figure. Big picture thinking seems to be out of vogue right now.