We Waved Goodbye

Space Shuttle Challenger Crew

FOX News reports on this day, a day thirty years ago we lost the Space Shuttle Challenger, that "Family members of Challenger victims to mark 30 years since shuttle disaster".

"It's going to be wonderful to watch the pages turn,"  said June Scobee Rodgers, widow of Challenger commander Dick Scobee, earlier this week. The second generation "can now speak for our family and speak for the nation," she said, adding that she's looking forward to these grown astronauts' children "sharing their stories, their beliefs and their leadership."

Americans, and certainly us Floridians living near Kennedy Space Center, share a sense of pride of our space program. Space exploration is most dangerous, and is only reserved for our bravest pioneers.

It was a dark day for America.

The Challenger mission was noteworthy for having a civilian astronaut, Christa McAuliffe, a teacher who took the hearts of students across the fruited plain with her on her voyage.

In similar fashion to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, most remember where they were when the tragic, televised event, took place.

I recall watching it unfold in the cafeteria of my fraternity house at Florida State University; it was approaching the lunch hour.  Within a half hour of it occurring, I picked up my now wife after her class and sadly informed her of what had transpired.

With the eyes of America swelling in tears, President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation with beautiful words and elegant grace. Reagan spoke for all of America, and today we remember with heavy hearts the lost crew of the Challenger Space Shuttle.

Lost in Space

60 Minutes was back in Central Florida for a report on the decimated Space Coast after the demise of the Space Shuttle Program.

Under the Bush administration, the shuttle program was announced to be discontinued, replaced with a new program called Constellation. Although President Obama is spending money like a drunken sailor, gambling on various projects while placing this country at the brink of financial collapse, he and his Congress could not find the money to continue the Constellation.

As a result, our national security is in peril, not to mention the devastating economic conditions, beyond Obama's horrendous economic policies, the Space Coast is dealing with. Take a look:



It is hard to believe this has happened in America, but then again, we are in the midst of the most disastrous presidency in memory. Much of America is in despair, and our place as the leader of the free world is in jeopardy. Certainly, November cannot come fast enough. I cannot imagine what kind of individual could cast a vote for the most destructive Commander in Chief this country has seen.

You would have to be lost in space.

Nelson Lost in Space

The country is on fire in the aftermath of the current administration embarking on a spending spree to activate social justice, in turn strangling future generations with debt, a fiscal plan that now has Europe in ruins. Unemployment is at post WWII record levels, economic growth is anemic at best and among other meaningful items, there is civil disobedience taking place throughout the US.

One would think it reasonable for our elected representatives to be hard at work in an effort to get Uncle Sam back to strength, helping to get unemployed Americans back to work.

Unfortunately, so little is being done on the Democratic side you might conclude that they are satisfied with the current state of affairs. Not only are our Democratic leaders failing miserably to generate ideas to grow the economy, they are active in efforts to continue the destruction of the capitalist system, by using anything and everything to remain in power. Intentional? You are familiar with the Cloward and Piven strategy are you not?

Here in Florida, US Senator Bill Nelson, (D:FL), has put in long hours to convince Senator Dick Durbin (D:IL) to open an investigative panel on new voting laws passed by Florida. Nelson and Durbin are in agreement that the new laws "will disenfranchise a wide swath of Florida's young, minority, senior, disabled, rural and lo-income voters". Translation; Democrat voters.

Durbin, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights, thinks he should interject his wisdom on how us Floridians go about voting and plans to hold hearings to take a "closer" look at the new voting laws. Even the ACLU is ready to jump in.

Durbin should mind his own business; however, if he were to get involved in voter issues, he may want to call Attorney General Eric Holder and ask him about the thugs in Philadelphia.

Both Durbin and Nelson should be spending their time getting this country back to work, not trying to advance the Obama agenda by protecting fellow Democrats and their politically correct minority districts.

Floridians voted these Amendments into law at the ballot box, which were designed to place strict limits on how legislative and congressional districts can be drawn. Across the nation, and particularly here in Florida, the outlines for districts are gerrymandered and are a mess.

Congresswoman Corrine Brown, (D:FL), was on a mission to stop passage of these Amendments: “I want to make sure that minorities have an opportunity to elect someone of their choice,” she said. “Based on the way the initiative is written, you cannot do that.” Brown's district is first on the list of those that need to be re-drawn, as her district is mostly minority numbered reaching from Jacksonville to Orlando. As I see it, Brown should worried about all Floridians having proper access to casting a ballot, not just minorities. This would presume there is a problem, and there is not.

Here in Orlando, minority clout is at issue in redrawing the Orange County map, which may spur lawsuits. "If they don't have a Latino-majority district, we will absolutely look to go to court,"said Diana Sen, a senior attorney with Latino Justice, a legal advocacy group. "And it doesn't look good."

Not to worry. In a Congressional redistricting proposal, The Orlando Sentinel reports the Florida Senate released a new map which is believed to increase the number of Hispanic lawmakers. Demands for stronger minority representation seems to be favored over natural borders in adherence to political correctness.

These districts need to be redrawn using common sense barriers such as major roads, county lines and section, township and ranges. There should be no consideration given to providing minority groups special boundaries to enhance their voting clout. They are Americans, and Floridians, just like I am, and non of us should be discriminated against.

I have no problem finding my voting precinct or carving out time to get down there and vote. It is not difficult for anyone with the desire. Providing proper identification and a shortened time frame may derail efforts to commit voter fraud, but here in Central Florida local government goes to great lengths to ease the process.

Our country is in great peril, with a level of steady unemployment not seen since the Great Depression. Closer to home here in Central Florida, Obama has destroyed the space program, and on that issue alone, Sen. Nelson, who once flew on the Shuttle, should have parted company with Obama. No such luck. Nelson is obviously worried about other non relevant items, among them standing behind our teleprompter in chief as he transforms our exceptional nation from being the beacon of freedom around the world.

With Sen. Nelson so vitally concerned about the opportunities of us Floridians to get to the ballot box unimpeded, he should know many of us take great pleasure in voting. Certainly, I view it as a responsibility and will be the first person at my precinct on November 2012 when the front door opens at 7AM. After voting against Obama, my next vote is for Connie Mack against Nelson, whose tenure as a representative of Florida should go down with the sunset over Paynes Prairie.

The Surly Bonds

25 years ago today, I was sitting at my Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity house having lunch at Florida State University when the horror happened. A hurt Central Floridian and American, I was scheduled to pick up my girlfriend, who would later become my wife, after her class and informed her of the most unfortunate news. We joined America in mourning. It was a bitterly cold Florida day which shook America to it's core. Ronald Reagan comforted America:

God Bless our Challenger 7 Space Hero's, who have "slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God!"

Fearless Pioneers

It was 40 years ago today that perhaps the greatest achievement of mankind took place as American astronauts landed on the Moon.

The bravery of these men, and those who have participated in the various programs since the inception of our commitment to space, is something to marvel at.

As an Orlando resident, we can visually see the shuttle launches and hear the sonic booms when the shuttle returns. It is breathtaking, and most in the area are big supporters of the space program.

To Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins, job well done Gentlemen, and a giant step for mankind it certainly was.