Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

PCIntern

(25,347 posts)
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 08:13 PM Sep 2022

Two "incidents" to report:

I’ve been away for a couple weeks, vacationing, and other than watching MSNBC in my free time which was not plentiful, the two weeks was fairly apolitical. However there were two incidents of note which I thought I would report here because, well, that’s sort of what we do…

First, I was thrust together with a couple who was sitting across from Me on a tour bus who were wearing Rush Limbaugh quotation T-shirts, and had that sourpuss, angry face which was unceasing for the three hours that I was near them. The Yiddish word is “farbissiner”, (generally pronounced ’furbissina’), which is apt and highly descriptive. Anyway they, but particularly SHE, took every opportunity to rail on and on about “crooked politicians running Congress” and high taxes and prices. Of course, she was on an expensive vacation carting a $3000.00+ pocketbook, but I digress. Everything from long red lights to the price of gas on the station signs was Biden this and Biden that. Moreover, they were from Pennsylvania and how that Governor has run the state into the ground. My lengthy point here is that they were seeking an agreeing audience which they did not find. I will add that the Limbaugh tee shirts had American flags on them which, when I was a kid, was a sign of Commie-disrespect to the sacred flag but we here know all about this. I was uncharacteristically silent through this entire process even though she kept looking at me to give some assent, I simply stared back at her with a practiced cold stare such as you get from an IRS auditor.

Second, at the end of the vacation, I was “privileged“ to overhear a conversation between two individuals who have never met previously. He was a 6’4” to 6‘6“ gentleman approximately 35 years of age, and she was a 70+ year-old lady, well dressed and welcome comported with expensive clothing and jewelry. We were all stuck in a line for about 45 minutes and I overheard him telling her that he was a police officer and had had a black woman call him a racist, and how outraged he was that these people had the nerve to do this and that one of his best friends is of Nigerian origin. He detail this conversation intricately, and all I could think was that he had been called a racist significantly fewer times that she had had the N-word thrown at her, but I remained silent of course. The lady reported that she had had similar experiences and this country was just falling apart. He said then, and this was memorable, even if Trump had taken all those top secret documents and lied to the insurance companies and the mortgage companies and the lenders, and I quote: “Who gives a shit?” He went on to say that there are millions of people out there who’ve done worse things and there’s been no retribution to them and this is all political and this is how business is done. I thought to myself: as though you understand how business is “done”.

I do want to make another point after all this: part of my trip involved a six hour stopover at Cape Kennedy which I had never visited. Simply put, it is just remarkable what man is capable of and the scale, the intricacy, the same approach which was exercised to effect these missions is and was remarkable. Yes, I am fully aware that these are Elements of the defense department and yet the advancement of pure science in the endeavor has been nothing short of spectacular. I highly recommend a visit there if only to see the scope and breadth of what we accomplished in a very few years. I was thinking that man’s first experience heavier than air flight in 1903 and 66 short years later we put men on the moon. Now we seem to be striving for even greater ends, and I hope I live long enough to see at least the first steps on Mars. I would put my amazement level up there with Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon in terms of overwhelming emotionality from seeing physical entities. In addition, appropriate homage was paid to those we have lost in space program starting with Apollo I and of course the two space shuttles. These issues were addressed and were not hidden under some diversion or placed in a remote corner somewhere. And yes, I know that the Challenger exploded because there was pressure from the Reagan administration to launch that morning because that night was the State of the Union message delivery. All in all, a terrific experience for two weeks bookended by the usual RW idiocy which is unfortunately pervasive.

26 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Two "incidents" to report: (Original Post) PCIntern Sep 2022 OP
Good stuff. My wife has just gotten her hearing aids and I discovered my muttering ... marble falls Sep 2022 #1
Ugh I never heard how Ray-Gun caused the shuttle wreck IbogaProject Sep 2022 #2
Yeah, it was unusually cold at launch time and the O-rings around the booster catbyte Sep 2022 #11
That is really disgusting. ShazzieB Sep 2022 #13
Iran Contra, training Bin Laden IbogaProject Sep 2022 #16
Exactly Duppers Sep 2022 #19
That must've been awful, knowing the dangers of launching in those conditions. catbyte Sep 2022 #20
Yeah, me either! 😮 Reagan 🤬🤬🤬 electric_blue68 Sep 2022 #22
My Trumper brother says NASA is a hoax Cartoonist Sep 2022 #3
Tell your brother that if the Earth was flat, cats would've knocked everything off of it catbyte Sep 2022 #12
Dayum Katcat Sep 2022 #14
They've got theories about that! 🤣 ShazzieB Sep 2022 #17
There is a great documentary genxlib Sep 2022 #23
Sounds interesting! ShazzieB Sep 2022 #26
I'm glad you enjoyed Cape Kennedy Higherarky Sep 2022 #4
Now you know why I took cheap vacations, if I took them at all Warpy Sep 2022 #5
Yes. Amazing. No. No tours of VAB allowed. PCIntern Sep 2022 #6
The launch of Artemis was supposed to go on 9/27... llmart Sep 2022 #7
Hope your son can get you a tour of JSC. Liberal In Texas Sep 2022 #10
I'd love that. llmart Sep 2022 #25
Vinegar-faced - what a perfect description. 3catwoman3 Sep 2022 #8
We visited Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center earlier this month, mama Sep 2022 #9
RWNJs The Wizard Sep 2022 #15
Three points: Mira Sep 2022 #18
Thank you for the elucidation, PCIntern Sep 2022 #24
I must just be lucky DFW Sep 2022 #21

marble falls

(56,367 posts)
1. Good stuff. My wife has just gotten her hearing aids and I discovered my muttering ...
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 08:31 PM
Sep 2022

... has gotten a lot louder than I realized.

Fortunately, what she heard was "who cares" and not the rest of it.

I don't take them on, but I do mutter "who cares" a lot.

You have better patience than I.

catbyte

(34,174 posts)
11. Yeah, it was unusually cold at launch time and the O-rings around the booster
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 10:41 PM
Sep 2022

rockets became brittle and they failed after launch causing the Challenger to explode. NASA knew it was too cold, but they launched anyway, so Reagan could have his Hollywood moment at the SOTU that night. It was one of those "I remember where I was" moments that are few and far between in life. It was sickening.

ShazzieB

(15,958 posts)
13. That is really disgusting.
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 10:56 PM
Sep 2022

Don't know how I ever missed hearing this until now, but good lord, that is a mind-blowing level of disgusting.

I remember watching that launch on TV, and I’ll never forget that heart-stopping moment when it exploded. None of us could believe we'd seen what we'd just seen.

If I needed any more reasons to hate Raygun, this would have definitely clenched it.

IbogaProject

(2,694 posts)
16. Iran Contra, training Bin Laden
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 11:14 PM
Sep 2022

And the whole S&L fraud debacles. In most ways worse than the last administration since T didn't get as much done and was only 4 years.

Duppers

(28,094 posts)
19. Exactly
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 11:37 PM
Sep 2022

Hubs was a material scientist for NASA. That morning, before he left for work, he said, "they better not launch." He knew all the parts had not been tested, specifically the seals, at those temps.

It WAS indeed Reagan's fault, his pressure. And apparently some in management valued their positions above lives. And we know Repubs can't be reasoned with.

catbyte

(34,174 posts)
20. That must've been awful, knowing the dangers of launching in those conditions.
Sun Sep 25, 2022, 12:12 AM
Sep 2022

And I get angry even now thinking about how Reagan came on with his bullshit, sophomoric "They slipped the surly bonds of Earth..." speech in that "faux-concern" tone he had that people always fell for after it happened, then knowing it was his and his toadies' fault.

ShazzieB

(15,958 posts)
17. They've got theories about that! 🤣
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 11:21 PM
Sep 2022

Sometimes I like to read about this stuff, just for giggles. I can only take so much at a time before my brain starts to feel like it's going to melt, but up to a point, it's amusing.

One thing I've learned is that they have lots of different theories to explain all the things about the idea of a flat earth that just don't make sense, and they love to have meetings where various theories are presented and they all argue about them. When it comes to the question of why things don't fall off the edges of the earth (and therefore cats can't knock them off), one popular theory is that Antarctica consists of a 100-foot-tall ice wall that surrounds the entire outer edge of the disc-like earth.

Yeah, I know that sounds nuts, but the whole thing is nuts!

genxlib

(5,508 posts)
23. There is a great documentary
Sun Sep 25, 2022, 08:54 AM
Sep 2022

Called “Beyond the Curve” that delves into the beliefs and community. Fascinating and scary

Higherarky

(637 posts)
4. I'm glad you enjoyed Cape Kennedy
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 09:19 PM
Sep 2022

I visited the area for the final space shuttle launch. It was a night launch during a full moon. Quite spectacular!

I visited the Kennedy Space Center, which was impressive and fascinating. The best part to me, though, was that I was wearing a shirt imprinted with the word "peace" in nine languages, and tourists who were obviously from all corners of this earth would smile and nod as they passed me and saw that word in their language.

✌️☮️🕊️

Warpy

(110,913 posts)
5. Now you know why I took cheap vacations, if I took them at all
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 09:25 PM
Sep 2022

I rarely had time, money and health all at the same time.

Did you get to wiggle your butt around in a seat in the Shuttle crew cabin? I did, the place wasn't crowded that day. I'm just astonished how many people they managed to cram into that tiny cabin. Did you get into the VAB? That thing is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, and it's huge on the outside. I imagine the Artemis rocket was being repaired inside, so probably not.

Sorry about the vinegar faced RWNJs, but I know I'd rather see such people than be them. That allows me to pity them and pity rather than anger brings my blood pressure down.

llmart

(15,502 posts)
7. The launch of Artemis was supposed to go on 9/27...
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 09:57 PM
Sep 2022

but my son, who is a NASA engineer on the Artemis program, just told me it's been rebooked due to the hurricanes. I have never been down there to see a launch in person and I so wanted to see this one, but this is the third time it's been rescheduled. They have a series of alternate dates in October.

I was blown away on my first visit to Kennedy Space Center. The museum is amazing.

I think your approach to the negative naysayers on the tour was perfect. I just ignore people like that. They're looking for an audience and in my experience, they rarely get anyone to engage with them. You described them perfectly. Permanent scowl.

Liberal In Texas

(13,456 posts)
10. Hope your son can get you a tour of JSC.
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 10:22 PM
Sep 2022

The tourist part is cool, the private tours even better. My son until recently worked at NASA as an engineer and he got family in touring the behind-the-scenes places tourists just can't go. Not only did I get to see projects he was working on and things like the Space Shuttle simulator, but what was really cool is walking around Mission Control on the floor. At one time I also got to see the old Mission Control before they started to restore it and was blown away as this was one of the iconic places we saw on TV during the moon missions.

llmart

(15,502 posts)
25. I'd love that.
Sun Sep 25, 2022, 12:15 PM
Sep 2022

They only just recently allowed the engineers to work at the center. He'd been working from home for over two years. Now he's allowed to work two days a week on-site. He was very impressed at how NASA was extremely diligent in keeping them safe from Covid. Their standards were very strict. I believe he works in firing room 1.

mama

(163 posts)
9. We visited Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy Space Center earlier this month,
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 10:19 PM
Sep 2022

hoping to see the launch of the SLS.

Twice we sat for hours amongst interesting, intelligent people who wanted to see the beautiful liftoff (twice scrubbed). I didn't hear a bit of political talk.
I had been a little worried about living amongst the MAGA crowd for a week, but apparently they feel out-of-place amongst the remarkable scientists of Titusville, because they were neither seen nor heard.

The Wizard

(12,482 posts)
15. RWNJs
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 11:09 PM
Sep 2022

Like to spout their ignorance with the hope of attracting a sympathetic ear. Misery loves company, and for the most part, Repubics are miserable and want to drag others into their depression. Point at them and laugh. It gives them a nervous tic.

Mira

(22,378 posts)
18. Three points:
Sat Sep 24, 2022, 11:21 PM
Sep 2022

I love learning new Yiddish words. "farbissiner" surely comes from "Verbissen" which is the German word for that face you describe, and has the word for "bite" in it, appropriate for your profession

I laud you for staying quiet. I could not have. I know it saved you from spending energy on the regret of not having achieved anything should you have tried to offer alternative views. I could not have done it, so I praise you

Cape Kennedy is all you say and more. I consider it almost hallowed ground for all your reasons, a tremendous place to be proud of, and a definite must-visit if you head South.

Thank you for your posts. I read them immediately if I'm around and find one.

DFW

(54,057 posts)
21. I must just be lucky
Sun Sep 25, 2022, 12:42 AM
Sep 2022

In the course of my day job, I rarely speak any English, and rarely meet any Americans. When we go on longer vacations, as in more than 4 days, it’s to Cape Cod in Libbrulland, also known as Massachusetts. We would be seeking out other places to go rather than let people like that spoil our free time.

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»Two "incidents" to report...