[Peace-discuss] Adler Planetarium responds to McCain

Thu Oct 9 19:24:27 CDT 2008

ZOMG it was a rhetorical question about Monetary Policy.   =-O

"...do we need to spend /that kind of money/"

Robert Naiman wrote:
> This is, as the saying goes, an empirical question.
>
> "He voted for nearly a billion dollars in pork barrel earmark
> projects, including, by the way, $3 million for an overhead projector
> at a planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. My friends, do we need to spend
> that kind of money?"
>
> http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/07/presidential.debate.transcript/
>
> On Thu, Oct 9, 2008 at 4:39 PM, Ricky Baldwin <baldwinricky at yahoo.com> wrote:
>   
>> Just a minor point: McCain did say it was for a planetarium at the debate.  I remember it clearly.  It was the first I had heard that McCain was attacking planetariums :-) so I know I heard it.  The distortion was in referring to it as an "overhead projector", evoking an image of one of those little things you see in classrooms, as if it were a million-dollar toilet seat or something.
>>
>>  Ricky
>>
>>
>> "Only those who do nothing make no mistakes." - Peter Kropotkin
>>
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message ----
>> From: Stuart Levy <slevy at ncsa.uiuc.edu>
>> To: peace discuss <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
>> Sent: Thursday, October 9, 2008 3:14:32 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Peace-discuss] Adler Planetarium responds to McCain
>>
>> On Thu, Oct 09, 2008 at 03:04:17PM -0500, Karen Medina wrote:
>>     
>>> YES!. Thanks for sharing the article.
>>>
>>> But I'm pretty sure the quote in the article is wrong; When McCain mentioned
>>> that Obama had approved the expensive projector in Chicago, McCain
>>> intentionally left out that it had anything to do with a planetarium. I'd have to
>>> look for a transcript.
>>>       
>> Actually, McCain *did* say something (to a Florida newspaper, in September)
>> about pork for "planetariums and other foolishness":
>>
>>
>>     
>>> Subject: planetariums become political footballs
>>>
>>> Saw these two notes on the dome-l planetarium mailing list.
>>> It seems McCain, stung by those who pointed out that Sarah Palin
>>> had supported the famous Alaskan bridge project before deciding
>>> to oppose it when it became a public issue (and then taking the money
>>> for AK anyway), tried to reply by saying that Obama's record on
>>> pork projects was no better:
>>>
>>> In a recent interview with AP and Florida newspapers, McCain ...
>>>
>>>       
>>>> [...] was asked about nearly $200 million in congressional pet projects Palin
>>>> requested for 2009 for her state, despite her boasts that she opposes such
>>>> projects and his claim that she didn't ask for any. McCain responded by
>>>> criticizing Obama for seeking more than $900 million in these earmarks, by
>>>> one count.
>>>>
>>>> "That's nearly a million every day, every working day he's been in
>>>> Congress," *McCain said. "And when you look at some of the planetariums and
>>>> other foolishness that he asked for, he shouldn't be saying anything
>>>> about Governor Palin."*
>>>>         
>>> and now...
>>>
>>>       
>>>> == 1 of 3 ==
>>>> Date: Tues, Sep 16 2008 9:50?am
>>>> From: "Night Spirit"
>>>>
>>>> In my other post, I noted McCain slammed Obama for foolish pork requests
>>>> like planetariums.  I just found out that the he was talking about Obama's
>>>> support to provide the Adler with a $3.3 grant to replace its 40 year old
>>>> projector which is becoming impossible to repair.  Words fail me.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Laurent Pellerin, Director
>>>> Kika Silva Pla Planetarium
>>>> at Santa Fe College
>>>> 3000 NW 83rd St, Office X-132
>>>> Gainesville, Florida 32606
>>>> 352.395.5381
>>>> laurent.pellerin at sfcc.edu
>>>> http://www.sfcollege.edu/planetarium
>>>>         
>>     
>>> -karen medina
>>>
>>> ---- Original message ----
>>>       
>>>> Date: Thu, 9 Oct 2008 07:47:43 -0500
>>>> From: "Robert Naiman" <naiman.uiuc at gmail.com>
>>>> Subject: [Peace-discuss] Adler Planetarium responds to McCain
>>>> To: "peace discuss" <peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net>
>>>>
>>>> http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/pressroom/pr/2008_10_08_AdlerStatement
>>>>         
>>> _aboutdebate.pdf
>>>       
>>>>    STATEMENT ABOUT SENATOR JOHN McCAIN'S COMMENTS AT THE
>>>>         
>>> PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE
>>>       
>>>>    Last night, during the presidential debate in Nashville,
>>>> Tennessee, Senator John McCain made the following statement:
>>>>    McCain: "While we were working to eliminate these pork barrel
>>>> earmarks he (Senator Obama) voted for nearly $1 billion in pork barrel
>>>> earmark projects. Including $3 million for an overhead projector at a
>>>> planetarium in Chicago, Illinois. My friends, do we need to spend that
>>>> kind of money?"
>>>>    To clarify, the Adler Planetarium requested federal support --
>>>> which was not funded -- to replace the projector in its historic Sky
>>>> Theater, the first planetarium theater in the Western Hemisphere. The
>>>> Adler's Zeiss Mark VI projector -- not an overhead projector -- is the
>>>> instrument that re-creates the night sky in a dome theater, the
>>>> quintessential planetarium experience. The Adler's projector is nearly
>>>> 40 years old and is no longer supported with parts or service by the
>>>> manufacturer. It is only the second planetarium projector in the
>>>> Adler's 78 years of operation. Science literacy is an urgent issue in
>>>> the United States. To remain competitive and ensure national security,
>>>> it is vital that we educate and inspire the next generation of
>>>> explorers to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and
>>>> math.
>>>>
>>>>    Senator McCain's statements about the Adler Planetarium's request
>>>> for federal support do not accurately reflect the museum's legislative
>>>> history or relationship with Senator Obama. The Adler has approached
>>>> the Illinois Congressional delegation the last few years for federal
>>>> assistance with various initiatives. These have included museum
>>>> exhibitions, equipment and educational programs we offer to area
>>>> schools, including the Chicago Public Schools. We have made requests
>>>> to Senators Durbin and Obama, as well as to 6 area Congressmen from
>>>> both political parties. We are grateful that all of the Members we
>>>> have approached,including Senator Obama, have deemed our activities
>>>> worthy of their support, and have made appropriations requests on our
>>>> behalf, as they have for many worthy Illinois nonprofit organizations.
>>>>
>>>>    As a result of the hard work of our bipartisan congressional
>>>> delegation, the Adler has been fortunate to receive a few federal
>>>> appropriations the past couple of years. However, the Adler has never
>>>> received an earmark as a result of Senator Obama's efforts. This is
>>>> clearly evidenced by recent transparency laws implemented by the
>>>> Congress, which have resulted in the names of all requesting Members
>>>> being listed next to every earmark in the reports that accompany
>>>> appropriations bills.
>>>>    October 8, 2008
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Robert Naiman
>>>> Just Foreign Policy
>>>> www.justforeignpolicy.org
>>>> naiman at justforeignpolicy.org
>>>>
>>>> Ambassador Pickering on Iran Talks and Multinational Enrichment
>>>> http://youtube.com/watch?v=kGZFrFxVg8A
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