Obama to NASA: Forget space, think about the poor Muslims

[Patroklos]

Exactly the same, he could have said vegans and the objection would be the same.

 

[civ_king]

The majority of Muslims are neither Arabic nor Middle-Eastern.

I wonder if the response would be different if he had said "Buddhist nations" or "Catholic nations".

It's not like Catholics have made any important scientific contributions recently like the Big Bang Theory or anything

 

[Quackers]

The majority of Muslims are neither Arabic nor Middle-Eastern.

I wonder if the response would be different if he had said "Buddhist nations" or "Catholic nations".

You can look for some "Islamophobia" behind this all you want, you won't find it. People object because NASA is not a PR department for Obama's foreign policy its a space agency.

 

[Tee Kay]

You can look for some "Islamophobia" behind this all you want, you won't find it. People object because NASA is not a PR department for Obama's foreign policy its a space agency.

Get me a government science agency that does nothing except science. International cooperation and image is important to NASA and the agency have in the past been used for PR purposes.

Seriously, if the guy hadn't said the M-word, it wouldn't be on the news, and there wouldn't be an uproar.

 

[Fetus4188]

All previous NASA PR is indirect through acts like going to the moon or putting robots on Mars. Making technical achievement available as a stepping stone for some politician is not the same as asking NASA to directly focus on diplomacy.

 

[Earthling]

Does the rest of the article change anything?

Actually, the rest of the Fox News article actually makes more sense and seems less biased, and on top of that the actual interview really makes more sense than the story the Fox journalist(s) are trying to invent/make an issue.

 

[Yared]

Why? The official used the word Muslim. What is the problem with that? They are clearly unconcerned about non-Muslim people who live in the middle east. And there are millions of people who are Muslim that are not Arabic.

The majority of Muslims are neither Arabic nor Middle-Eastern.

Never mind guys. I misunderstood it as saying that he was going to Cairo to speak to the nations in the Middle-East and calling them the Muslim world.

 

[Quackers]

Get me a government science agency that does nothing except science. International cooperation and image is important to NASA and the agency have in the past been used for PR purposes.

Seriously, if the guy hadn't said the M-word, it wouldn't be on the news, and there wouldn't be an uproar.

Actually I just checked the new British space agency site and didn't see any outreach to arbritary religious groups around the world.

I think that if NASA tried to reach out to African traditionalist religons it would of maintained the same level of outrage (which actually isn't that much). It is bringing politics into science and thats not needed.

 

[JollyRoger]

Actually I just checked the new British space agency site and didn't see any outreach to arbritary religious groups around the world.

They are already more than 4 decades behind in getting a man to the moon, so I can see why they need to focus on the fundamentals.

 

[Formaldehyde]

You can look for some "Islamophobia" behind this all you want, you won't find it. People object because NASA is not a PR department for Obama's foreign policy its a space agency.

In other words, it is just more partisan whining with the Islamophobes along for the free ride as usual.

I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand, but the primary job responsibility of the NASA administrator is being a spokesperson for the current administration. That is essentially all he does. He isn't a researcher or an engineer, but he may have been one before assuming that position. He is a glorified PR figure who rarely makes any actual policy decisions other than what color to paint the bathrooms, and other important decisions such as that. And this has remained constant no matter who has been the president.


Link to video.

 

[amadeus]

In short, it is loyalty, not skill, that takes you to the Obama White House.

 

[Quackers]

In other words, it is just more partisan whining with the Islamophobes along for the free ride as usual.

I really don't understand why this is so difficult to understand, but the primary job responsibility of the NASA administrator is being a spokesperson for the current administration. That is essentially all he does. He isn't a researcher or an engineer, but he may have been one before assuming that position. He is a glorified PR figure who rarely makes any actual policy decisions other than what color to paint the bathrooms, and other important decisions such as that. And this has remained constant no matter who has been the president.


Link to video.

It seems to me that every issue has some underlying racism, homophobia, islamophobia or "provincial moral values" to you.

The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the highest-ranked official of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the space agency of the United States. The administrator serves as the senior space science adviser to the President of the United States. According to NASA, the role of the administrator is to "lead the NASA team and manage its resources to advance the Vision for Space Exploration." - wikipedia

Well wikipedia says it isn't a spokesmen, hes an advisor to the president. You can make of that what you will.

 

[Formaldehyde]

It seems to me that every issue has some underlying racism, homophobia, islamophobia or "provincial moral values" to you.

Gee, I wonder I might think that? You did read this post. Right?

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showpost.php?p=9356933&postcount=28

Wow, it is getting scary out there. All The Kings men are starting to look like him. I wonder if they are all closet muslims, with some kind of terrorist intents, like destroying the USA, from with in. Don't get me wrong, I am not racial Profiling, but if you place these men side by side (Obama,Eric Holder,Charles Bolden) they could be profiled, Dang...Blessed Be

GOD THEY WILL BLOW UP THE SPACE STATION ON A SUICIDE ASTRONAUT

Are you actually trying to claim there is no rampant Islamophobia or bigotry which has surfaced due to this topic, as it frequently does with partisan whining from the far-right?

Well wikipedia says it isn't a spokesmen, hes an advisor to the president. You can make of that what you will.

So you are claiming the NASA administrator is not a spokesman for the current administration? Did you watch the video I posted and which you even quoted? Want to see more examples?

And now, back on topic:

White House denies NASA remark on Muslim outreach

WASHINGTON -- The White House is contradicting the NASA administrator's claim that President Barack Obama assigned him to reach out to Muslims on science matters.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden recently told Al-Jazeera network that one of the charges Obama gave him was "to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science and engineering."

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that such activities are not among Bolden's assigned tasks. He said administration officials have spoken with NASA about the matter.

So it appears all this is much partisan ado about nothing, as usual. Bolden is apparently merely guilty of a bit of hyperbole, likely made on the spur of the moment to a question from a Muslim reporter, as others suggested much earlier in this thread.

 

[Bill3000]

In short, it is loyalty, not skill, that takes you to the Obama White House.

...has it ever really been otherwise? Post-Jackson, anyway.