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404 points voxleone | 50 comments | | HN request time: 1.664s | source | bottom
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bahmboo ◴[] No.45660320[source]
"The president and I want to get to the moon in this president's term" - Sean Duffy NASA administrator.

A scary way to set a schedule on a complex project with lives at stake. They don't care though.

replies(23): >>45660416 #>>45660527 #>>45660821 #>>45660902 #>>45660920 #>>45660957 #>>45661025 #>>45661086 #>>45661197 #>>45661359 #>>45661924 #>>45662101 #>>45662301 #>>45663008 #>>45663548 #>>45663848 #>>45663936 #>>45664547 #>>45665860 #>>45666795 #>>45667744 #>>45670520 #>>45686581 #
1. oytis ◴[] No.45660920[source]
America is becoming a silly place. Lumberjack appointed as a head of NASA for his loyalty.
replies(7): >>45661031 #>>45661132 #>>45661223 #>>45661588 #>>45661634 #>>45664485 #>>45667208 #
2. oytis ◴[] No.45661064[source]
Werner von Braun was competent though, as was Parsons. Being a little silly is fine as long as you can do the job.
replies(1): >>45661095 #
3. vlovich123 ◴[] No.45661095{3}[source]
Being a Nazi is being a little silly?
replies(2): >>45661177 #>>45661421 #
4. mullingitover ◴[] No.45661107[source]
These people had some kooky hobbies, but they actually had resumes that got them their jobs and the key qualification wasn't "completely unprincipled sycophant."
replies(2): >>45661395 #>>45663302 #
5. micromacrofoot ◴[] No.45661132[source]
give him a little more credit than that, he was also on Real World: Boston
6. aduty ◴[] No.45661177{4}[source]
He only cared about sending rockets up. Where they came down was other people's problem.
replies(4): >>45661244 #>>45661343 #>>45662972 #>>45663126 #
7. ◴[] No.45661223[source]
8. spankibalt ◴[] No.45661244{5}[source]
> He only cared about sending rockets up.

Which extended also how exactly those rockets were produced... and by whom.

EDIT: Yeah, I get it, the Zwangsarbeiter from the camps building the rockets are not very conductive to the carefully whitewashed "hero technocrat" image certain "hackers" just love to invest in. :T

9. mwigdahl ◴[] No.45661262[source]
Tau Beta Pi is an engineering honor society with no Illuminati-style secret agenda. The only silliness associated with it is any concern over the "initiation rites and rituals".
replies(2): >>45661432 #>>45661728 #
10. midtake ◴[] No.45661281[source]
Jack Parsons was literally a genius though. Wernher von Braun's dad being Catholic is also not silly.
replies(1): >>45661461 #
11. mulmen ◴[] No.45661343{5}[source]
He was also totally ok with slave labor. He was a voluntary Nazi party insider and SS member. He deliberately chose to participate in Hitler’s totalitarian regime to advance his own goals. This kind of behavior should be remembered and condemned.

He was a brilliant designer, engineer, and project leader but he is an extremely problematic person for the methods he was comfortable using to achieve his goals.

replies(2): >>45661485 #>>45661874 #
12. jrflowers ◴[] No.45661421{4}[source]
No, but in Parson’s case using sex magic to attempt to summon a goddess named Babalon is a bit silly.
replies(1): >>45662562 #
13. tinfoilhatter ◴[] No.45661432{3}[source]
That is what every society with initiation rites and rituals claims.
replies(2): >>45661675 #>>45663728 #
14. tinfoilhatter ◴[] No.45661461{3}[source]
I think you left out the part about the Knights of Malta being a powerful group of individuals throughout history, with many prominent members in high places who are sworn to secrecy regarding their occult society and its dealings.
15. foobarian ◴[] No.45661485{6}[source]
Seems isomorphic to today's slave-driving death-marching CEOs that we celebrate so much. In a past time they would be right up there on the podium
replies(3): >>45661665 #>>45662105 #>>45663136 #
16. hinkley ◴[] No.45661588[source]
He’s a lumberjack and he’s okay.

He sleeps all night and he works all day.

replies(1): >>45664382 #
17. actionfromafar ◴[] No.45661634[source]
In Russia, loyalty is the highest virtue. In the USA, it's the other way around!

⁽"ᵀʰᵉ ʰᶦᵍʰᵉˢᵗ ᵛᶦʳᵗᵘᵉ ᶦˢ ˡᵒʸᵃˡᵗʸ"⁾

replies(1): >>45664736 #
18. mulmen ◴[] No.45661665{7}[source]
> Seems isomorphic to today's slave-driving death-marching CEOs that we celebrate so much.

Von Braun used literal concentration camp slave labor. You should reconsider your use of “slave-driving” here because it is a very bad look.

replies(1): >>45662432 #
19. jjk166 ◴[] No.45661675{4}[source]
And the overwhelming majority of societies with initiation rights and rituals are not world-controlling cabals. Turns out people just like having rituals (and afterparties).
replies(1): >>45661904 #
20. Spooky23 ◴[] No.45661728{3}[source]
Funny how joining a college club is more notable to this individual than “enslaver”
replies(1): >>45661889 #
21. zorked ◴[] No.45661874{6}[source]
The message you replied to is a reference to an anti-von Braun song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEJ9HrZq7Ro

replies(1): >>45666037 #
22. tinfoilhatter ◴[] No.45661889{4}[source]
I did point out that he was a Nazi, and was attempting to shine light on the fact that he was connected to people in high places via a society that has initiation rites and rituals (what you are referring to as a college club).
replies(1): >>45661950 #
23. tinfoilhatter ◴[] No.45661904{5}[source]
Where did I say they were a cabal that controlled the world? There are many famous and influential people that are a member of that society, and they swear oaths and go through initiation rituals. Believe whatever you'd like!
replies(1): >>45663392 #
24. Spooky23 ◴[] No.45661950{5}[source]
I’m reporting you to the nearest IEEE branch.
25. Braxton1980 ◴[] No.45662017[source]
You're comparing their side beliefs and oddities to others main careers and expertise
replies(1): >>45663028 #
26. drivebyhooting ◴[] No.45662105{7}[source]
Very insightful thought. Which tech CEO today would not have been up on the podium along side the leaders of the third reich? Would you, would I, if necessity required it?
27. ◴[] No.45662244[source]
28. NeutralCrane ◴[] No.45662432{8}[source]
Their point is that plenty among our current batch of sociopathic CEOs would be using concentration camp slave labor where they in Nazi Germany as well. That they don’t is because of the societal restrictions preventing them from doing so.
29. tcmart14 ◴[] No.45662562{5}[source]
Hey look, some of us have sex for fun, and some of us have sex to summon ancient goddesses, that isn't so different now, is it? I don't kink shame.
replies(1): >>45664125 #
30. ternus ◴[] No.45662972{5}[source]
That's not his department.
31. tinfoilhatter ◴[] No.45663028{3}[source]
I would hardly call being a Nazi a side belief or oddity. It was a pretty defining part of his identity. Same with Jack Parsons and occultism - it helped shaped much of his personality and beliefs. Regardless of all of that, the point I was attempting to make, wasn't they were Nazis or occultists. Rather, it was that they were members of influential societies / networks of people and didn't necessarily obtain their positions based on merit alone, similar to the lumberjack.
replies(1): >>45663236 #
32. dekhn ◴[] No.45663126{5}[source]
I always laughed at that line from Lehrer, but Von Braun absolutely cared about where his rockets came down.
33. dekhn ◴[] No.45663136{7}[source]
I recommend reading "Operation Paperclip" to see the conditions the Nazis put their concentration camp workers in. Not really isomorphic.
replies(1): >>45669434 #
34. nxor ◴[] No.45663236{4}[source]
They don't seem to care. It's not, by the way, like the other side hasn't done similar things. In fact, it seems common here in the US to employ people for some other reason than them being capable of something.
35. aeve890 ◴[] No.45663302{3}[source]
>kooky hoobies

>literally a Nazi

lmao

36. jjk166 ◴[] No.45663392{6}[source]
And most of those people are famous and influential because of their accomplishments in engineering, which it is an honor society for.
37. FooBarBizBazz ◴[] No.45663728{4}[source]
Wait til you hear about Phi Beta Kappa. Sometimes they even have pizza parties. Probably.
38. _carbyau_ ◴[] No.45664125{6}[source]
There are plenty of people who participate in religious services simply for the social benefits without necessarily believing in the religion.

I imagine there might be a few people who would in the case of the ancient goddess...

39. nativeit ◴[] No.45664382[source]
Somewhat ironically a sketch ending in gender blending.
replies(2): >>45665025 #>>45665131 #
40. ◴[] No.45664485[source]
41. jb1991 ◴[] No.45665025{3}[source]
How so?
replies(1): >>45665129 #
42. hinkley ◴[] No.45665129{4}[source]
He wears high heels, he skips and jumps, he likes to press wildflowers.

He puts on women’s clothing and hangs around in bars.

replies(1): >>45665203 #
43. hinkley ◴[] No.45665131{3}[source]
I said what I said.
44. jb1991 ◴[] No.45665203{5}[source]
I’m confused who you are referring to.
replies(2): >>45665493 #>>45666801 #
45. anigbrowl ◴[] No.45665493{6}[source]
The Secretary of Transportation (who is allegedly trying to fold NASA into his own portfolio, and is openly feuding with Elon Musk) is a former lumberjack and became a professional competitor in lumberjack/tree climbing competitions.
46. DonHopkins ◴[] No.45666037{7}[source]
Wasn't Vernor von Braun also infamous for poisoning pigeons in the park?
47. simiones ◴[] No.45666801{6}[source]
Let me dissect the frog:

1. The lumberjack song (I'm a lumberjack and that's ok) is a Monty Python sketch [0]

2. The song goes from the singer being proud he's a lumberjack to being proud that he puts on women's clothing and hangs around in bars, and wishes he were a girlie (just like his dear papa)

3. Trump and his administration is famously anti-trans and anti-drag

4. The current secretary of transportation was a lumberjack before

So, overall, the joke is that the secretary of transportation was a lumberjack, which has this comedic queer association because of the Monty Python sketch, that Trump would hate.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FshU58nI0Ts

replies(1): >>45667188 #
48. ◴[] No.45667188{7}[source]
49. m_fayer ◴[] No.45667208[source]
Maybe they’ll send Taylor Swift to the moon.
50. daveguy ◴[] No.45669434{8}[source]
Conveniently this administration is not allowing access to their extrajudicial concentration camps.