God knows, sharks patrol these waters whenever Donald Trump (or fans of the imbecile) enter them.
But this is honest praise for an idea of the Pumpkin-in-Chief: The Space Force.
Donnie has taken quite a pummeling on the late-show circuit for the idea, which became a clever Netflix comedy. Even serious news outlets couldn’t resist taking a jab at the notion, including noting how similar the emblem is to the iconic Star Trek insignia.
But let’s resist the irresistible for a moment to seriously consider the notion.
It ain’t bad.
Consider: Every government dollar that goes toward the agency is a dollar NOT spent on an absurd border wall (though, granted, that endeavor is always going to be flush with cash as long as the dimwit and his cronies are in office).
But more importantly, this is the rare instance when GOP money (and interest) is dedicated toward a real scientific pursuit, not on debunking one — like the administration’s orchestrated effort to undermine findings on, say, global warming. Or a pandemic.
Imagine for a moment that Trump wants the fastest spaceships to round up future immigrants who he believes will fly into orbit and descend smack dab in the middle of the country, bypassing his glorious wall. Or he wants to build a Trump hotel-casino on Mars.
Ridiculous? Of course. But so is accusing a 75-year-old of intentionally cracking his head open in a presidential conspiracy. The guy puts the dic in ridiculous.
But Elon Musk wants to colonize the red planet, too.
And give Trump this: Few presidents have a political party as obedient as Trump. And if he wants dominion over the galaxy, you know Mitch McConnell and Sean Hannity will literally move heaven and earth to provide the echo chamber of agreement Trump craves — and demands.
In doing so, scientists would be tasked with valid challenges things like improving how quickly we move through the cosmos. Legitimate scientists have been pursuing light speed capability since we learned the concept.
And that casino on Mars? That would mean exploring ways to terraform a planet, another dream of scientists (and considered by some of them an option for an overheating Earth).
History has proven that wild scientific pursuits produce real-world breakthroughs. Kennedy was roundly criticized for his moon landing promise. Critics initially called the $25.4 billion exercise nothing more than a vanity project. But it helped produce more than 6,300 technologies, including the CAT scanner, freeze-dried foods, satellite television, memory foam and the joystick. NASA partnered with Black & Decker to invent various battery-powered tools for drilling and taking rock samples in space, which led to the creation of the DustBuster.
So let’s not unilaterally dismiss Dumbo’s ideas. Some of those big-eared notions might have the power to fly.
