Commander Moonikin Campos
From the take the money and run department. Commentary has probably had two brief conversations with local activist Quanell X in all these years. In the beginning, I thought he was doing his activism thing for free. Then I learned that some folks pay him to help their cause, predicament, or injustice. Hey, a fella has to make a living.
Yesterday, the Chron gave Quanell X over half of the top front page and three, yes three inside pages in the front section of the hard copy. That’s a lot of ink and it was not good publicity for Quanell X. It turns out, folks write him a check, and in many cases, he does not do squat for these folks. He gets sued and apparently, he doesn’t even show up in court to contest the lawsuits. What a mess.
Guess what? Folks will keep hiring him.
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Commentary has said before that I don’t know everything, and I am always learning something new. Thanks to my real good friend James Rodriguez who sent me the CNN story on Commander Moonikin Campos. Here is the beginning of the story:
Artemis I will carry an unconventional crew when it’s expected to lift off Monday on a journey around the moon.
Rather than astronauts, a mannequin named Commander Moonikin Campos will helm the Orion spacecraft, with two mannequin torsos called Helga and Zohar along for the ride.
The Artemis program aims to land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon and eventually deliver astronauts to Mars.
The inaugural mission will test out the new Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft and multiple components designed to make deep space travel safer for humans.
Commander Moonikin Campos and twin torsos Helga and Zohar will be the crew for Artemis I. – NASA.
Mannequins in a spacecraft with enviable views of the moon may sound like some sort of joke, but these three passengers will serve as canaries in the coal mine of space.
Orion will travel 40,000 miles (64,373 kilometers) beyond the moon, breaking the record set by Apollo 13, to go farther than any spacecraft intended to carry humans.
This is far from low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station circles the Earth. Orion’s future crews will be exposed to deep space radiation – especially once they venture for longer stays on the moon and set off for Mars.
Commander Moonikin Campos’ name, picked via a public contest, is a nod to Arturo Campos, a NASA electrical power subsystem manager who aided in the troubled Apollo 13’s safe return to Earth. The mannequin, sporting the Orion Crew Survival System suit, can collect data on what future human crews might experience.
Here is the entire CNN read: Meet Commander Moonikin Campos, the mannequin going farther than any astronaut (msn.com).
Here is a good read on Arturo Campos who left us in 2001: Arturo Campos: A Key Player in Bringing Apollo 13 Home | NASA.
This morning’s launch was delayed.
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Now let’s venture over to the semi-fascism thing.
President Joe Biden spoke the truth last week when he said this:
“What we’re seeing now is the beginning or the death knell of an extreme MAGA philosophy. It’s not just Trump, it’s the entire philosophy that underpins the — I’m going to say something, it’s like semi-fascism.”
Let go look up the definition of fascism here:
an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.
President Biden is correct.
Donald Trump lost the 2020 election fair and square. Every honest person I know acknowledges this.
MAGA has taken over the republican party in the USA. MAGA republicans refuse to acknowledge that Trump lost and are doing crazy stuff trying to return him to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. That is what I call authoritarian and nationalistic BS or semi-fascism.
MAGA republicans are passing voter suppression laws across the country to keep people of color like me from participating in elections. That is what I call authoritarian and nationalistic BS or semi-fascism.
MAGA republicans are making access to abortion impossible in some states and are endangering the lives of women. That is what I call authoritarian and nationalistic BS or semi-fascism.
Want more evidence. Up until recently, Anissa Herrera was the elections administrator of solidly republican Gillespie County in the Texas Hill Country. She oversaw a local election in Fredericksburg on removing fluoride from the water system. The extremist wing of the local GOP supported the anti-fluoride initiative and got beat 63% to 37%. The sore losers challenged the result on baseless claims of fraud. They intimidated and harassed the elections administrator, and this is what one of the nutjobs sent Herrera:
“F—king Anissa! Go back to Mexico bitch! You are obstructing the election process and will be prosecuted!”
Herrera had enough and quit her position.
That is what I call authoritarian and nationalistic BS or semi-fascism.
I am glad the President of the United States is calling out the semi-fascists Maga republicans. He is not kidding around. These MAGA republicans are a dangerous menace.
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Some would say the MAGA movement got an early boost 14 years ago today. That is when GOP nominee Sen. John McCain picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.
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On a very different note, 56 years ago today, the Beatles played their last concert for paying fans in San Francisco. Two and a half years later, they would play in the Roof Top concert with no paying fans.
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Former Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt is 45 today. Happy Birthday, Roy!
Astros relief pitcher Seth Martinez is 28 today. Happy Birthday, Seth!
Justin Verlander took himself out of yesterday’s game after the third inning. He has a dinged-up leg.
82-47. 3 ½ game lead over the Yankees for best record in the AL.
Tags tweeted this yesterday:
After today, the Astros will play 18 consecutive games against teams with losing records: at Rangers, at Angels, vs. Rangers, vs. Angels, at Tigers, vs. A’s.
We have today off.