Keep The Press Out!

Throwback Thursday

I reflect back to the days covering politics when all of the politicos wanted to see TV cameras in the forefront, and appreciated every mention of their political plans.

They liked the attention.

Come now, Sir Donald.

Usually liberal columnist Dana Milbank observes the following regarding Sir Donald's foreign policy address:


The campaign also selected its audience carefully, inviting luminaries such as Bob Woodward and Judy Woodruff but turning back others at the door. One pernicious practice of the Trump campaign is to screen journalists covering his events by requiring them to apply for credentials for each event and then deciding which to admit. (The event host, the Center for the National Interest, let me in after the Trump campaign ignored my credential request.)


Such actions are not good - and don't set a very good example of what to expect during this political campaign. If the reporters covering a campaign aren't allowed to "cover" the campaign, the press is muzzled and/or ignored and the public information necessary for an informed electorate is unavailable.

There are some countries who muzzle the press. It would appear that Sir Donald wants "America First" to join those countries.

As one of those who fought to get cameras in the courtrooms many years ago, I can only say this action by Sir Donald and his henchmen doesn't say much good.  As a matter of fact, it says a heckuva lot about what is bad.

Albuquerque NE Heights 1940

Spaceport America

It took a while to get there, but it was easy.  Departing Truth or Consequences we headed east, driving by a depleted Elephant Butte Lake (need more El Nino to fill it up) and the entrance to Ted Turner’s Armendaris Ranch.

It was a nice paved road that led to the entrance.

A futuristic sculpture greeted us, along with a guard shack.

It was an open house, and those of us fascinated by space travel were treated to a personal inspection of Spaceport America.

Airplanes were arriving – these belonging to the Civil Air Patrol – as we wandered around, wondering, when, when, when, when will something be happening and what will it be.

Little birdies tell me there is a launch about every month of some kind of rocket…and perhaps more important – some secret research being done by a giant corporation.  My birdie wouldn’t confirm what was going on behind closed doors – but a Google Search comes up with an idea.  It could be Google (now called Alphabet) that’s experimenting with communications that reach far beyond my little ol’ desktop computer.   No sign of any of that – but who knows what goes on behind those walls.

Sometime in the next couple of years people, real people, are expected to be getting into some vehicle that looks like this mockup and head for a brief visit to space.  It’s an exciting time for New Mexico – and someday, someday this giant of a hangar will house 3 reusable space ships and astronauts wanting a few seconds in space.

Who knows who Richard Branson’s Virgin America will be taking there.

  

I wish, I only wish!

Fascinating, fascinating…Flash Gordon is right in our back yard.

Good for you, New Mexico – and the people of the adjoining counties who agreed to help foot the bill for what will, someday, will be the real deal!