The wonderful enthusiasm and the absolute certainty of Clarke and Heinlein that the moon landing was just the beginning of new chapter of human exploration into outer space.
… oh, how much we have lost, how far we have fallen.
**************************
Not just fallen, but pissing on greatness.
On the plus side, if a manned craft had left the day that this was filmed they’d still a few thousand years away from nowhere.
If the spaceship left five hundred years from now at a non-awesome speed, it’d still be in the middle of nowhere.
That’s sorta the problem with space travel. Lots and lots and lots and lots of space. Then… little bits of rocks and gas.
As interesting corollary here though might be Heinlein’s recapitulation of a threshold for useful citizens who’ve proven their worth to the polity to our present idea that people from other countries are Americans merely by virtue of their willingness to take advantage of American citizens.
Flomax and Beano it is, then.
The Romans had hydraulic concrete. They had industrialized food production, brick production, public schools, a form of mass transit, even steel.
As the government became more and more centralized the citizens became more and more dependent on the generosity of that government. Trade slowed, the ports silted up, effective administration and real political power moved to where the real money was. There was no one left who knew how repair the working machinery of civilization.
By the year 600 mud hut dwelling Western Europeans thought the Romans had been giant giants. The new self-styled kings stripped the grand public monuments and aqueducts of stone and brick to build their own castles and walls.
We used to have rocket ships. Now I have a phone that takes pictures.
And I do mean giant giants, not those little giants. The big ones. Like Shaq dressed in a bedsheet, only taller, with a more prominent nose.
Show those little giants some respect. They make good ladders.
you weep? Well then, have a laugh.
don’t cry there there
Some foots just enjoy pissing in public.
On whomever.
*folks*
not laughing yet? Ok then, try these.
but notice, he never mentions Mohammed.
“The littlest giant” was a Ren and Stimpy episode.