Why Go to Mars?

I've heard this question many times lately.  Why should we go to Mars?  There are so many other things that our nations money should be spent on.  We should be creating jobs, feeding the hungry, funding health care, and any number of other good causes that the money could be spent on.  I agree, there will always be other, more worthwhile causes for our spending.

But I say, despite all the things we could be spending our money on, there is nothing better than funding a manned mission to Mars.  As a people, we have adventure in our blood.  The first inhabitants of North America walked across the Bering Strait.  Granted, they were probably just looking for a better place to live.  But whatever their motivation, they were explorers.

The Europeans who sailed thousands of miles across open ocean in tiny ships were driven by the hearts of explorers.  The need to see what was out there.  If they happened to find a way to profit from their adventure, that would be icing on the cake.

Then there were the explorers who were willing to take their chances to settle the most western regions of our nation.  It didn't matter that there were savages to battle or strange weather patterns to endure or hard land to tame and farm.  The promise of adventure and a better life for their families pushed them forward.

Now, what is left for the adventurers soul that lives in all of us?  The spirit passed down from generation to generation longs for the thrill of the unknown.  The nation was enthralled as the astronauts walked on the moon forty years ago.  For all these years, we've waited for the next great exploration, a manned mission to Mars.  Cost isn't an issue.  In fact, this exploration would create jobs, probably contribute new technologies, and would most assuredly stir a pride that has become dormant in the people of our nation.  As a side benefit, perhaps we could start a journey that will lead us to another inhabitable planet.  A planet that we could migrate to if ours ever becomes imperiled.   So, again I ask, why go to Mars?

Because We Can!

for my wife . . .

Friends and family often ask why it matters whether we can marry. In their eyes, todays' gays and lesbians lead fairly normal lives with little interference. Why can't we just leave things alone and be happy with what we've achieved. I don't know if my feeble attempts to explain to them the importance of that piece of paper ever really gets through, although I do try.

For them, this is why we want to marry. This is what it's all about. Although all the rights and privileges afforded married couples would be great, at the heart of the matter is our dignity. When the person we have shared years of our lives with lays dying in a hospital bed, we want to be able to hold their hands and be with them. When decisions need to be made concerning medical care, we want the person closest to us to be consulted rather than someone we may see only once or twice a year. We need to have our relationships acknowledged at the most critical times in our lives.

The trailer below is for the documentary, for my wife. It is Charlene Strong's tribute to her partner of nine years, Kate Fleming. Kate drowned after a torrential rainstorm flooded the couple's basement. Charlene was only allowed into the hospital room where Kate lay dying after Kate's sister called the hospital. After Kate died, the funeral director would not recognize Charlene in making the funeral arrangements, instead directing all questions to Kate's mother. Watch the trailer, read the story in the Advocate, and see the film. Then, hopefully, you can stand with us in seeking to gain the rights and dignity all people deserve.

Train Whistle

As a kid, I remember hearing the sound of the train in the distance.  The train would blow it's horn and I could hear the clickity clack of the wheels as they ran over the tracks.  I wanted to know who was riding in the passenger cars and where were they going.  Sometimes, if we were close to the tracks when a train would come by, the engineer would wave as they passed us.  Back then, there were conductors on the trains as well, so I'd get a second wave as the caboose passed as well.

I heard the trains in the distance tonight and for some reason, those old memories came back.  I know that almost all of the trains these days are carrying goods for delivery in some distant place.  But every now and then I know one of the trains is a passenger train.  I still wonder where the people are going and who they are.  And it makes me almost wish the slower days of the past could come back.  I think we all could learn from sitting on a passenger train for a few hours, away from the hustle and bustle of the cities, to contemplate the scenery and to just be.

With Focus on California, Northeast States May Pass Marriage Laws

Over the past few months, while the nation has focused on Prop 8 in California, three states have inched forward in a move toward equality.  Both Vermont and Maine have introduced legislation to legalize gay marriage and New Hampshire is holding public hearings on the possibility.  Each of these small steps forward will eventually lead to our equality throughout the entire nation.  Progress takes time.  But we are getting there.

Equal - for Six Months

The New York Times got it right today.  In an op-ed piece entitled What It Felt Like to Be Equal, Judith Warner talks about the passing of Prop 8 from the perspective of a straight person.  She saw the passing of Prop 8 and the other bans passed in Florida, Arizona, and Arkansas, as oh well, too bad.  Not realizing that a right had been recognized, and almost as quickly taken away. Then she started getting emails from people and had her eye's opened.  As one of the emails stated,

“I don’t feel equal anymore. It was a great feeling, while it lasted.”

From the Dred Scott Case to Barack Obama

This is what I see when I look at the pictures. . .

In the background, the Old Capital Building, where the Dred Scott case was heard . . .

In the foreground, the first, serious, black contender for President of the United States. . .

And in between, 100,000 people who represent how far we have come and the change that has already taken place in the years in between.

And it brings me to tears.

Nostalgia

Ever find yourself longing to go back to some place in your past? Tonight for some reason, I' longing for those days, not to long ago, when I had next to nothing.

I was living in a one bedroom apartment. The kitchen was small, but it was just enough. Didn't have a lot of things. I just guess I was looking around wondering where all this "stuff" came from.

Can I go back? Can I?

Late Night Discussions

No, this is not a post about Late Night with David Letterman.  It is, instead, a post about discussions after midnight over a beer.  My significant other works nights.  I work days.  It makes for some long stretches without much meaningful discussion.  So when we find the time in to talk, they are some of the best discussions.

Saturday night was one of those nights.  She got in about 12:30.  I had cold beer and the night was not too humid.  We took up residence on the back steps and just talked.  We would finish one beer and open another.  We didn't solve the problems of the world or discover a new galaxy.  But we did talk about life.  We made a plan for the planting bed in the front - our next big project.  We talked about moving to the country in a few years so we could see the stars.  We wondered what our kids would be like.  We wondered what our friends were doing.  You know, the stuff couples are supposed to talk about. And it was good.

The Last Lecture

Almost all of us have childhood dreams; for example, being an astronaut, or making movies or video games for a living. Sadly, most people don’t achieve theirs, and I think that’s a shame. I had several specific childhood dreams, and I’ve actually achieved most of them. More importantly, I have found ways, in particular the creation (with Don Marinelli), of CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center of helping many young people actually *achieve* their childhood dreams." - Randy Pausch

If you knew you had only a few months to live, how would you spend those months? Who would you talk to to? What would you say to them? Would you take the chance to give a final lecture? Carnegie Mellon a has lecture series in which professors give their Final Lecture. It is supposed to represent what they would say if the lecture they were giving was their final one.

Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon actually got the chance. Several months ago, Randy was diagnosed with terminal cancer. A month later he delivered his final lecture. It was on realizing your childhood dreams. Carnegie Mellon has made the lecture available for all of us who didn't get to see it.



The Wall Street Journal also published an article, A Final Farewell, that gives some insight into the man, his family, and his beliefs. Randy has also written a book called The Last Lecture. Check out the video and the article. Randy is an inspiration to us all.