Robonaut
Dear Paul and Kate, Melanie and Jared, Bridget and Justin, Sara, Ben and Sarah, Heather, Audrey, Rachel, and Matt via hardcopy,
cc: file, Andrea, Tony Hafen, Sara and Des Penny,
Pauline Nelson via Aunt Sara, & Maxine Shirts
Welcome to "Thoughtlets." This is a weekly review of an idea,
belief, thought, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit
to you, my children, with an electronic copy to on-line extended
family members. Any of you can ask me not to clutter your mail
box at any time.
"Well, for the first time in several weeks, I will have the
thoughtlets caught up to date. I wonder if in the volumes
of personal diary notes by those who keep such things how
often they fall behind in their notes and need to take a
few days to get caught up? Also, I apologize the last
three weeks have been so long. Maybe when I'm stressed
this is one of my ways of relieving stress?
I'm breaking one of the rules I've been told lately by a
couple of folks. Namely, I'm writing about something I
have been looking at and which I find very interesting.
I have started discussions for exclusive use of this
technology in certain limited oil and gas fields of use.
However, I do not have the contracts signed, and based
on past experience it will take quite a while to get them
signed. So, trusting those who read these thoughtlets,
and monitoring access to the thoughtlets, I thought I
would share with those I love one of the places my mind
has been recently. Robonaut is an exciting technology
I hope to license and then to take to certain groups
in the oil and gas exploration and production community
and help them use the technology. I will only describe
the technology in this thoughtlet, and not describe where
I specifically see it being applied.
First a summary of my week. It was a good week. It
started last Sunday evening with the baptism of David
Cameron and Bethany Alyse. Andrea is the Whitrock's
Visiting Teacher, and Scott Whitrock is my Home Teaching
companion now. It was a very nice service, and provided
a nice closure to my week of thinking about population
(0312.html).
Monday morning I drove to The Woodlands for a 9:00 meeting
with Alan Royce Huffman of Fusion Geo. He met with me
again at 7:30 AM on Thursday morning. We will have
follow-up meetings next week. Looks like a nice
opportunity, and I will describe it in more detail if we
finalize an agreement. Tuesday Joe Roberts came by and I
described some specific opportunities. The next day he
had me with a guy who just made $12 million selling his
company, and besides a very nice lunch, and we laid out
a couple of specific plans which are of interest to all
of us. Again, I'm getting so gun shy, I don't want to go
into details until agreements are finalized. Wednesday
afternoon I drove up to the Woodlands to talk to Wulf
Massell. He is going through exactly what I experienced
at HyperMedia. It is so sad, and breaks my heart. I
ended up locking my keys in the car, and Wulf drove me
back to the house to get the spare key. We had a great
discussion, and in our mutual optimistic ways found many
things we can do together. Hopefully we will be able to
implement these ideas. It was also nice to catch up on
his family. His daughter, whom I attempted to set up
with Roice, married a Naval Pilot who is flying in Iraq
as I write this. I encourage you to remember him in your
prayers, even though I only know of him as Wulf and
Georgeanne's son-in-law.
Thursday morning, after my meeting with Fusion, Jude,
Vince, and I gave a presentation to the key geotechnical
representative of ConocoPhillips. It was a wonderful
meeting, and I believe we opened the door for Emerald at
ConocoPhillips again. Thursday afternoon I met with
Anne Simpson, who has been living on very little income
since being laid off by Continuum Resources. She has
decided to package all of her work and would like to
give it to me, with the hope I will find someone who is
interested in using it in a way which will generate some
retirement money for her. Wulf Massell is also very
excited about Anne's technology. Thursday evening was
a youth temple trip. I gave Brother Branning directions
up the back way, and missed two turns. It took us an
hour and a half to get there and I got a lot of grief
about it. Oh well! I helped with about 270
confirmations. It was a full and good day.
Friday morning I drove to Clear Lake to start discussions
on Robonaut with NASA's office of technology transfer.
It was interesting how the conversation went. I ended up
giving a fairly extensive demonstration of The Infinite
GridSM, and they see several places for application of
this technology within their own group. I do expect there
will be some good things come out of this. I spent the
afternoon copying CD data to a PC computer at II&T. Also
I picked up the tax forms, along with the good news about
our tax return this year.
Saturday Matt had Sea Cadets from 9:00 until 4:30. So
Andrea and I decided to take Melanie and Jared's camera
and CD of the photos back to them. We got to Vidor at
about 11:15. What a nice apartment/house they have.
Seems to me like it is just about perfect for a young
family starting out. I was very impressed. We had a
great discussion while Colby Cade was asleep, and then
we got to play with him and watch him ride his horse.
Then we all went past their lot, saw their culvert,
and then went to Wright's Bar-B-Que. It was my first
time, and I was really surprised by the neat displays
inside. Lunch was wonderful. Melanie tried to explain
how the cash register works with a barter system. As
I understand it, we got a free lunch because we provided
her to the Wrights. I had no idea her father-in-law was
so much into old cars. I called my cousin, Leon Nelson,
a week ago and offered to sell him the 1928 Willys
Whippet in Grandma Shirts' garage for $10,000. He said
he was interested and would get back to me. He didn't
yet, and Jackie is interested. I took some digital
photos of the photos I have of it when we got home,
and the battery died as I was `finalizing' the disk,
making those photos and the photos we took of Colby
unreadable. Oh well! I'll attempt to redo the photos
of the car later this afternoon and send them to Vidor
via e-mail. It would be nice to keep the car in the
family, and we need the cash more than the car right now.
Maybe because I have been behind in writing Thoughtlets,
there are accumulated e-mail messages I would have woven
into other Thoughtlets, and didn't. So before I describe
Robonaut, let me share some of these other messages
which I think are worthwhile considering.
First, some quotes from a newsletter I get, dated Friday,
March 14, 2003:
<![CDATA[ `We, the United States bought 500,000 barrels of Iraqi
crude oil a day in 2002, and now in 2003 we are forcing
ourselves to buy 1.1 million BBLS a day of Iraqi crude
oil. I'm asking myself, why? Why do we have to do this?
It's pretty simple. We, the U.S., produce 5.9 million
BBLS a day. Our "addiction" is 20 million BBLS a day.
We have to get our oil "fix" from somewhere, so we buy
it from countries who hate us.
I've said it before and I'm saying it again ... they
hate us so bad they are willing to train their nine year
old daughters to be strapped with powerful explosives
and send them into a crowd and blow themselves up to
kill everything around them, thereby spreading terror.
What fools we have become! We are financing the
people who kill us! We are like heroin addicts who are
willing to do anything at the risk of death to get the
fix so that he or she can continue the oblivious high,
not realizing or caring what the consequences are.
Start a movement in your neighborhood. Install some
solar.']]>
http://www.solarenergy.com and
http://www.theantidrug.com
<![CDATA[ `By the way, guess who controls most of the illegal
drugs in the world? ... terrorists. Need some
evidence? Go to the link above or simply pay attention
to what has been in the news lately about the largest
cash crop of opium poppies in the world being in
Afghanistan.
Not only are we buying terrorist' oil, but we also
buy their drugs. Anyone using illegal drugs ought to
be tried for treason!!!
American citizen, oil man, mother, father, wake up.
Wake up before it is too late. We consume more oil,
more illegal drugs; pollute more air and water, and
kill more unborn babies than any other country in the
world. What kind of example are we setting?
Since this article is mainly directed to oil
explorationists, think about this, if you started
an all-out exploration program using your current
exploration tools and put every rig available
drilling, it wouldn't find enough new reserves to
make 10 cents worth of difference in our oil deficit.
You might keep your company afloat, but no significant
increase in oil production will occur. If you don't
think that's true, look at the facts; U.S. production
has decreased every year since 1985. Looks like it's
time to DO SOMETHING.']]>
The following was sent to me by Hayden Hudson on February 24th:
<![CDATA[ `You probably missed it in the rush of news last week,
but there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan
had published in a newspaper an offer of a reward to
anyone who killed an American, any American. So an
Australian dentist wrote the following:
To let everyone know what an American is, so they
would know when they found one:
An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish,
German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American
may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian,
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian,
or Arab, or Pakistani, or Afghan. An American may also
be a Cherokee, Osage, Blackfoot, Navaho, Apache,
Seminole or one of the many other tribes known as
native Americans.
An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or
Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims
in America than in Afghanistan. The only difference
is that in America they are free to worship as each of
them chooses. An American is also free to believe in
no religion. For that he will answer only to God, not
to the government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak
for the government and for God.
An American is from the most prosperous land in the
history of the world. The root of that prosperity can
be found in the Declaration of Independence, which
recognizes the God given right of each person the
pursuit of happiness.
An American is generous. Americans have helped out
just about every other nation in the world in their
time of need. When Afghanistan was overrun by the
Soviet army 20 years ago, Americans came with arms
and supplies to enable the people to win back their
country. As of the morning of September 11, Americans
had given more than any other nation to the poor in
Afghanistan.
Americans welcome the best, the best products, the
best books, the best music, the best food, the best
athletes. But they also welcome the least.
The national symbol of America, The Statue of Liberty,
welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched refuse
of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest tossed.
These in fact are the people who built America. Some
of them were working in the Twin Towers the morning of
September 11, 2001 earning a better life for their
families. I've been told that the World Trade Center
victims were from at least 30 other countries,
cultures, and first languages, including those that
aided and abetted the terrorists.
So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler
did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and Mao Tse-Tung,
and every bloodthirsty tyrant in the history of the
world. But, in doing so you would just be killing
yourself. Because Americans are not a particular people
from a particular place. They are the embodiment of the
human spirit of freedom.
Everyone who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an
American.
Pass this around the World.']]>
Another message from Hayden Hudson, dated February 26th:
<![CDATA[ `Subject: Fw: A Great List
*The most destructive habit........................Worry
*The greatest Joy.................................Giving
*The greatest loss..................Loss of self-respect
*The most satisfying work.................Helping others
*The ugliest personality trait...............Selfishness
*Our greatest natural resource.................Our youth
*The greatest "shot in the arm"............Encouragement
*The greatest problem to overcome...................Fear
*The most effective sleeping pill..........Peace of mind
*The most crippling disease......................Excuses
*The most powerful force in life....................Love
*The most dangerous pariah....................A gossiper
*The world's most incredible computer..........The brain
*The worst thing to be without..................... Hope
*The deadliest weapon.........................The tongue
*The two most power-filled words................."I Can"
*The greatest asset................................Faith
*The most worthless emotion....................Self-pity
*The most beautiful attire......................A SMILE!
*The most prized possession................... Integrity
*The most powerful means of communication.........Prayer
*The most contagious spirit ..................Enthusiasm']]>
Albert Boulanger sent me this on March 1st:
<![CDATA[ `Understanding Islamic End-Times beliefs.
Many Evangelical Christians in America are watching
events unfold in the Middle East with great interest,
seeing in the preparations for war the possible
unfolding of the End-Times scenario predicted in the
Bible. A small segment of ultra orthodox Judaism
shares an apocalyptic vision, centering around
rebuilding the Temple on Mount Zion (where the
Islamic Dome of the Rock Shrine and al-Aqsa mosque,
now sit). What many Americans don't realize, though,
is that Islam also has an eschatological endgame,
and that like any Left Behind-reading American, many
Muslims see current events as a run-up to their own
version of Armageddon.
Islam derives its Last-Days scenario from the Koran,
which appeared centuries after the Christian Bible,—a
fact that for non-Muslims could account for elements of
Christian and Jewish prophecy appearing in the Koranic
text. Particularly since the mid-1980s, modern
interpreters within Islam cast the Arab-Israeli
conflict, and more broadly, the conflict between Islam
and the West, as part of the cosmic conflict that will
mean the end of history and the ultimate triumph of
Islam. David Cook, a Rice University scholar of Muslim
apocalypticism, sketches below the main themes of
Islamic End-Times prophecy, and its ramifications:
Rod Dreher: What are the main beliefs of Islamic
eschatology?
David Cook: Referring to Sunni Islam, the principal
beliefs are:
1) There are a series of signs or portents previous
to the end: moral and social decay, natural and
cosmic disasters, and political events that will
demonstrate in an incontrovertible manner that
the end is about to happen.
2) A tempter, or Antichrist, called the Dajjal will
appear and lead the world (with the exception of
true Muslims) astray. Almost everyone will be
subject to his tribulations, but just before he
succeeds in annihilating the Muslims, Jesus will
come down from the heavens and kill him.
3) There will be a messianic age, led by either
Jesus or another messianic figure called the
Mahdi. This latter figure will conquer the entire
world and convert everyone to Islam.
4) After the time of the Mahdi, then Gog and Magog
[cf. Ezekiel 38, 39; the Islamic version goes by
the name Yajuj and Majuj] will invade the world
and destroy it.
5) God will bring the world to an end.
Dreher: What sort of Muslim tends to make Islamic
End-Times prophecy central to his piety?
Cook: Usually one without much hope in the likelihood
that there will be positive changes that will benefit
Islam in the immediate future. Such people can often
times be attracted by an apocalyptic, destroy-it-all
framework or long for the messianic age.
Dreher: How popular is apocalypticism at the present
moment among Middle Eastern Muslims?
Cook: In certain areas, quite popular. Radical
Muslims (followers of or sympathizers with al Qaeda)
have responded to their setbacks during the recent
past by publishing large numbers of apocalypses, and
mahdi scenarios. Among Palestinians, apocalyptic
speculations are also quite prominent. I think that
apocalypse as a genre has become less popular in
Egypt than it was 3-4 years ago, however, and
Algerian radicals no longer use apocalyptic motifs
either.
Dreher: If one is reading current events through the
lens of contemporary Islamic prophecy, what will one
see?
Cook: Many of the apocalyptic wars before the
appearance of the Dajjal speak of Christian powers
invading Muslim lands. This is the interpretation of
the [seemingly imminent] Iraq war. The Dajjal is
said to be a Jew, and will blaspheme the area of
Jerusalem. Ariel Sharon is usually made to fit that
bill. Among radical Muslims, the Mahdi is often
times said to be either Mullah Omar or in some cases
Osama bin Laden. One of the traditions says: "The
Prophet of Allah promised us a raid on India" which
is widely cited by Pakistani radicals.
Dreher: Given the central role the Temple Mount
plays in the End-Times beliefs of certain fervent
Jews, Christians, and Muslims, what kind of trouble
might we see there in the event of Middle Eastern war?
Cook: Right now the Temple Mount is effectively closed.
It will probably always be the center of scary
predictions and fears for Muslims as long as Israel
has any power or influence in the region, but I don't
foresee any necessary reason why the Temple Mount
should be a focus. Most of the material published now
speaks of wars and apocalypses on a grand scale; the
materials on the Temple Mount were all because of the
fear that Israel would rebuild the Temple in the year
2000 (perhaps contributing to the explosion of the
second Intifada during Sept. 2000).
Dreher: In the secular West, we tend to discount the
role religious visions play in driving or at least
shaping world affairs. If you were advising the
president on what he could do to avoid provoking
unnecessarily Muslims who believe strongly in Islamic
prophecy, what would you tell him?
Cook: I would tell him to convert to Islam if I were
trying to get him to avoid provoking Muslims who
believe strongly in Islamic prophecy. There is
probably no other way to avoid provoking them. For
them, Bush is easily cast into the role of Pharaoh,
the Dajjal (for those who aren't satisfied with
Sharon as the one). He is usually referred to as the
Hubal (the name of a pre-Islamic idol) of this age,
which signifies that there is no chance to mollify
this type of people.
Dreher: It doesn't matter whether or not a particular
prophetic vision is true; what matters is how it
affects the actions of those who do believe it's true.
With that in mind, what kind of problems could Islamic
apocalypticism pose for the United States as it
attempts to foment governmental and society change on
Middle Eastern populations through force?
Cook: The basic problem is that our actions could, in
the perception of large numbers of the population,
coincide with apocalyptic interpretations. If this is
the case then it will serve to radicalize people, and
raise the stakes that much higher for the apocalyptic
groups. If they view the situation (or perhaps I
should say if enough of them, or enough of those
placed in the right place) as an apocalyptic one, then
they will respond accordingly.
Dreher: I guess what I'm getting at with this last
question is this: How cooperative will Islamic
populations be with the forces of a man, George W.
Bush, whom they may see as their version of the
Antichrist?
Cook: It depends upon the issue of perceived victory,
I think. No one challenges the victory of the U.S. in
Afghanistan because it was complete (more or less)
and legitimate (or perhaps legitimized by the new
Afghan government). If that is perceived to be the
case in Iraq, then the result could be exactly the
opposite. What should not happen is for something to
drag out; in hindsight that was the problem with both
the Oslo negotiations and the blockade of Iraq. They
were lengthy and people forgot the original reasons
why they were the way they were, and then allowed
themselves to be swayed by radical and apocalyptic
interpretations of events.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: For a more detailed description of
Islamic eschatology, see this article by Cook, who is
affiliated with Boston University's Center for
Millennial Studies.']]>
On the other side, the following came from David Devor
on March 15th with the two photos below:
<![CDATA[ `OH HOW SOON WE FORGET ?
I HOPE THIS WILL REACH AND SERVE AS A REMINDER TO ALL
FRENCH, BELGIUM, AND GERMAN ARROGANT, IGNORANT, AND
UNGRATEFUL CITIZENS. MY HOPE IS THAT THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT WAKES UP, SHUTS DOWN THE UN (OF WHICH WE PAY
THE MAJORITY) FOR YOU WORTHLESS IDIOTS TO SIT IN NICE
HOTELS, LIMOS AND TALK AND DEBATE NOTHING. THE EU AND
NATO HAVE APPARENTLY OUTLIVED THEIR USEFULNESS AND HAVE
NO PLACE IN THE WORLD TODAY.
I WONDER IF THE EIFFEL TOWER WERE A PILE OF RUBBLE ON
9/11 WOULD THE FRENCH STILL WANT TO PRIDE THEMSELVES ON
THEIR ARROGANCE?
FOR ALL WHO HAVE FORGET THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF GRAVES
OF THE BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES DEFENDING
YOU
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
by John McCrae
GOD BLESS AMERICA AND HER ALLIES
I leave you with the challenge to forward this to as
many as you can with good conscience. And I leave
you with a passage from an American hero
"In closing, let me urge consideration and let the
exhibition of the Enola Gay accurately reflect the
American spirit and victory of August 1945. Those
of us who gained that victory have nothing to be
ashamed of neither do we offer any apology. Some
suffered, some died. The million or so of us
remaining will die believing that we made the world
a better place as a result of our efforts to secure
peace that has held for almost 50 years. Many of us
believe peace will prevail through the strength and
resolve of the United States of America."
Paul W. Tibbets
Command Pilot
Enola Gay']]>
The following came from Steve Shirts on March 25th:
<![CDATA[ `Hollywood vs. America. In honor of Sunday's academy awards . . .
Who's Smarter?
The Hollywood group is at it again. Holding anti-war
rallies, screaming about the Bush Administration,
running ads in major newspapers, defaming the President
and his Cabinet every chance they get with names like
"stupid", "morons", and "idiots". Jessica Lange went
so far as to tell a crowd in Spain that she hates
President Bush and is embarrassed to be an American.
So, just how ignorant are these people who are running
the country? Let's look at the biographies of these
"stupid", "ignorant" , "moronic" leaders, and then at
the celebrities who are castigating them:
President George W. Bush: Received a Bachelors Degree
from Yale University and an MBA from Harvard Business
School. He served as an F-102 pilot for the Texas Air
National Guard.
Vice President Dick Cheney: Earned a B. A. in 1965 and
a M. A. in 1966, both in political science.
Secretary of State Colin Powell: Educated in the New
York City public schools, graduating from the City
College of New York (CCNY), where he earned a Bachelor's
Degree in geology. His further academic achievements
include a Master of Business Administration Degree from
George Washington University. Secretary Powell is the
recipient of numerous U. S. and foreign military awards
and decorations.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld: Attended Princeton
University on Scholarship (AB, 1954) and served in the
U. S. Navy (1954-57) as a Naval aviator.
Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge: Raised in a
working class family in veterans' public housing in
Erie, he earned a scholarship to Harvard, graduating
with honors in 1967. After his first year at The
Dickinson School of Law, he was drafted into the U. S.
Army, where he served as an infantry staff sergeant in
Vietnam, earning the Bronze Star for Valor.
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice: Earned her
Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, Cum Laude and
Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Denver in 1974;
her Master's from the University of Notre Dame in 1975;
and her Ph. D. from the Graduate School of International
Studies at the University of Denver in 1981. (Note:
Rice enrolled at the University of Denver at the age of
15, graduating at 19 with a Bachelor's Degree in
Political Science (Cum Laude).
So who are these celebrities? What is their education?
What is their experience?
Barbra Streisand : Completed high school. Career:
Singing and acting
Cher: Dropped out of school in 9th grade. Career:
Singing and acting
Martin Sheen: Flunked exam to enter University of
Dayton. Career: Acting
Jessica Lange: Dropped out of college mid-freshman year.
Career: Acting
Alec Baldwin: Dropped out of George Washington. Career:
Acting
Julia Roberts: Completed high school. Career: Acting
Sean Penn: Completed High school. Career: Acting
Susan Sarandon: Degree in Drama from Catholic University
of America in Washington, D. C. Career: Acting
Ed Asner: Completed High school. Career: Acting
George Clooney: Dropped out of University of Kentucky.
Career: Acting
Michael Moore: Dropped out first year University of
Michigan. Career: Movie Director
Sarah Jessica Parker: Completed High School. Career:
Acting
Jennifer Anniston: Completed High School. Career: Acting
Mike Farrell: Completed High school. Career: Acting
Janeane Garofalo: Dropped out of College. Career:
Stand up comedienne
Larry Hagman: Attended Bard College for one year.
Career: Acting
While comparing the education and experience of these two
groups, we should also remember that President Bush and
his cabinet are briefed daily, even hourly, on the War on
Terror and threats to our security. They are privy to
information gathered around the world concerning the
Middle East, the threats to America, the intentions of
terrorists and terrorist-supporting governments. They are
in constant communication with the CIA, the FBI, Interpol,
NATO, The United Nations, our own military, and that of our
allies around the world. We cannot simply believe that we
have full knowledge of the threats because we watch CNN.
We cannot believe that we are in any way as informed as
our leaders.
These celebrities have no intelligence-gathering agents,
no fact-finding groups, no insight into the minds of those
who would destroy our country. The silence was deafening
from the Left when Bill Clinton bombed a pharmaceutical
factory outside of Khartoum, or when he attacked the
Bosnian Serbs in 1995 and 1999. He bombed Serbia itself
to get Slobodan Milosevic out of Kosovo, and not a single
peace rally was held. When our Rangers were ambushed in
Somalia and 18 young American lives were lost, not a peep
was heard from Hollywood. Yet now, after our nation has
been attacked on its own soil, after 3,000 Americans were
killed by freedom-hating terrorists while going about their
routine lives, they hold rallies against the war.
It is time for us, as citizens of the United States, to
educate ourselves about the world around us. If future
generations are going to enjoy the freedoms that our
forefathers bequeathed us, if they are ever to know peace
in their own country and their world, to live without
fear of terrorism striking in their own cities, we must
assure that this nation remains strong. We must make
certain that those who would destroy us are made aware
of the severe consequences that will befall them.
Yes, it's a wonderful dream to sit down with dictators
and terrorists and join hands, talking of world peace.
But it is not real. We did not stop Adolf Hitler from
taking over the entire continent of Europe by simply
talking to him. We sent our best and brightest, and
with strength and determination defeated the Nazi regime.
President John F. Kennedy did not stop the Soviet ships
from unloading their nuclear missiles in Cuba in 1962
with mere words. He stopped them with action and threat
of immediate war. We did not end the Cold War with
conferences. It ended because of the strong belief of
President Ronald Reagan...PEACE through STRENGTH.']]>
And this came four minutes later:
<![CDATA[ `Dear Mr. Ex President Clinton:
I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, "Thank me,
I voted for Clinton-Gore." So, I sat down and reflected
on that, and I am sending my "Thank you" for what you
have done, specifically:
1. Thank you for introducing us to Jennifer Flowers,
Paula Jones, Monica Lewinsky, Dolly Kyle Browning,
Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broderick. Did I
leave anyone out?
2. Thank you for teaching my 8 year old about oral sex.
I had really planned to wait until they were older
to discuss it with them, but now they know more
about it than I did as a senior in college.
3. Thank you for showing us that sexual harassment in
the work place (especially the White House) and on
the job is OK, and all you have to know is what the
meaning of "it" is. It really is great to know that
certain sexual acts are not sex, and one person may
have sex while the other one involved does NOT have
sex.
4. Thank you for reintroducing the concept of
impeachment to a new generation and demonstrating
that the ridiculous plot of the movie "Wag the Dog"
could be plausible after all.
5. Thanks for making Jimmy Carter look competent,
Gerald Ford look graceful, Richard Nixon look honest,
Lyndon Johnson look truthful, and John Kennedy look
moral.
6. Thank you for the 73 House and Senate witnesses who
have pled the 5th Amendment and 17 witnesses who have
fled the country to avoid testifying about Democratic
campaign fund raising.
7. Thank you, for the 19 charges, 8 convictions, and 4
imprisonments from the Whitewater "mess" and the 55
criminal charges and 32 criminal convictions (so far)
in the other "Clinton" scandals.
8. Thanks also for reducing our military by half,
"gutting" much of our foreign policy, and flying
all over the world on "vacations" carefully disguised
as necessary trips.
9. Thank you, also, for "finding" millions of dollars---
I really didn't need it in the first place, and I
can't think of a more well deserving group of
recipients for my hard-earned dollars than jet fuel
for all of your globe-trotting. I understand you,
the family and your cronies have logged in more time
aboard Air Force One than any other administration.
10. Now that you've left the White House, thanks for the
140 pardons of convicted felons and indicted
felons-in-exile. We will love to have them rejoin
society.
11. Thanks also for removing the White House silverware.
I'm sure that Laura Bush didn't like the pattern
anyway. Also, enjoy the housewarming gifts you've
received from your "friends."
12. Thanks to you and your staff in the West Wing of
the White House for vandalizing and destroying
government property on the way out. I also appreciate
removing all of that excess weight (China, silverware,
linen, towels, ash trays, soap, pens, magnetic
compass, flight manuals, etc.) out of Air Force 1.
The weight savings means burning less fuel, thus less
tax dollars spent on jet fuel. Thank you!
13. And finally, please ensure that Hillary enjoys the
$8 million dollar advance for her upcoming "tell-all"
book and you, Bill, the $10 million advance for your
memoirs. Who says crime doesn't pay!
14. The last and most important point - thank you for
forcing Israel to let Mohammed Atta go free.
Terrorist pilot Mohammed Atta blew up a bus in Israel
in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned
him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the
Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release
so-called "political prisoners". However, the
Israelis would not release any with blood on their
hands. The American President at the time, Bill
Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren
Christopher, "insisted" that all prisoners be released.
Thus Mohammed Atta was freed and eventually thanked
the US by flying an airplane into Tower One of the
World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the
American TV networks at the time that the terrorists
were first identified. It was censored in the US from
all later reports. Why shouldn't Americans know the
real truth?
What a guy!!
If you agree that the American public must ! be made
aware of these facts, pass this on. God bless America
and THANK YOU (once again) for spending my taxes so
wisely and frugally.
SINCERELY,
A US Citizen
PS. Please pass along a special thank you to Al Gore for
"inventing" the Internet, without which I would not be
able to send this wonderful factual e-mail.
AND THE REST OF THE STORY Hillary Rodham Clinton, as a
New York State Senator, now comes under the
"Congressional Retirement and Staffing Plan," which means
that even if she never gets reelected, she STILL receives
her Congressional salary until she dies. (Would it not
be nice if all Americans were pension eligible after
only 4 years?)
If Bill outlives her, he then inherits HER salary until
HE dies. He is already getting his Presidential salary
until he dies. If Hillary outlives Bill, she also gets
HIS salary until she dies. Guess who pays for that?
WE DO!
It's common knowledge that in order for her to establish
NY residency, they purchased a million dollar-plus house
in upscale Chappaqua, New York. Makes sense. They are
entitled to Secret Service protection for life. Still
makes sense.
Here is where it becomes interesting. Their mortgage
payments hover at around $10,000 per month. BUT, an
extra residence HAD to be built within the acreage to
house the Secret Service agents.
The Clintons charge the Federal government $10,000
monthly rent for the use of that extra residence,
which is just about equal to their mortgage payment.
This means that we, the taxpayers, are paying the
Clinton's salary, mortgage, transportation, safety
and security, as well as the salaries for their 12
man staff -- and, this is all perfectly legal!
When she runs for President, will you vote for her?
How many people can YOU send this to?']]>
Uncle Tony sent this and the photo below on March 25th:
<![CDATA[ `Be sure to read all of the bottom info....
2 1/2 hours north of Los Angeles.
Soldiers' Prayer
Please send this on after a short prayer.
Prayer wheel for our soldiers...please don't break it
When you receive this, please stop for a moment and
Say a prayer for our servicemen. There is nothing
attached.... This can be very powerful....
Do not stop the wheel, please....
Of all the gifts you could give a US Soldier,
Prayer is the very best one.
In regard to the above flag:
Between the field where the flag is planted there are
9+ miles of flower fields that go all the way to the
ocean. The flowers are grown by seed companies.
It's a beautiful place close to Vandenberg AFB.
Checkout the dimensions of the flag.
The 2002 Floral Flag is 740 feet long and 390 feet
wide and maintains the proper Flag dimensions as
described in Executive Order #10834. This Flag is
6.65 acres and is the first Floral Flag to be planted
with 5 pointed Stars comprised of White Larkspur.
Each Star is 24 feet in diameter; Each Stripe is 30
feet wide. This Flag is estimated to contain more
than 400,000 Larkspur plants with 4-5 flower stems
each for a total of more than 2 million flowers.
You can drive by this flag on V Street south of
Ocean Ave. in Lompoc, CA.
Aerial photo courtesy of Bill Morson']]>
Hayden Hudson sent this on March 27th:
<![CDATA[ `Powell Quote
When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin
Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if
our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire
building by George Bush.
He answered by saying that, "Over the years, the
United States has sent many of its fine young men
and women into great peril to fight for freedom
beyond our borders. The only amount of land we
have ever asked for in return is enough to bury
those that did not return."
It became very quiet in the room.']]>
And so it should have. I remember when I was serving my
mission the Archbishop of Canterbury was a very outspoken
political figure, and he represented the Church of England
very poorly. During the first 4 1/2 months of my mission,
when I was serving in Canterbury, I never felt at all bad
spending time in the Canterbury Cathedral proselyting.
My reaction was certainly colored by comments like those
made to Colin Powell, as referenced above.
So having caught you all up, or at least any of you who
have been willing to make it through all of the included
material to get to this point, let me get to my topic.
Robonaut, shown in the image to the left, is a
robotic representation of a human being from the waist
up. Needless to say Robonaut can be stronger than a
person. What is surprising is this robot can thread a
needle or sign the operator's signature, or at least
that is what I have been told. I have a bunch of video
clips, and they are certainly impressive. They
demonstrate Robonaut can take on the two oil field jobs
Swede Nelson and I have identified. Once, and maybe
this statement should be, if we have an agreement with
NASA, I will go into these plans in more detail.
My point in bringing Robonaut up at this time is that
it is the most exciting technology I was involved with
this week. It is a beautiful example of the fact life
continues to unravel entropy (humans continue to create
more complex machines). I anticipate Ethan, Colby, and
Grant are going to grow up in a world full of robonaut's
cousins. They are certainly too expensive for personal
use, and the approach of remote control of these robots
doesn't fit personal use. However, like mainframe
computers when I was going to college in 1973, these
technologies will be personalized by 2033.
It is easy to imagine very large and very small versions
of Robonaut, and to imagine all kinds of ways people
will be able to use this technology to support humanity.
I further anticipate as each of you are introduced to
some kind of support by one of these types of machines,
at some time down the road, you will find yourself
looking back to this Thoughtlet, your first introduction
to viable robotic servants, and saying `This is what
Dad thought would come of Robonaut.'"
I'm interested in sharing weekly a "thoughtlet" (little statements
of big thoughts which mean a lot to me) with you because I know how
important the written word can be. I am concerned about how easy
it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of
distractions of daily life. To download any of these thoughtlets
go to http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets or e-mail me at
rnelson@walden3d.com.
With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)