Wolf to Bolden: Disinvite Those Chinese Visitors
Letter From Rep. Wolf to NASA Administrator Bolden Regarding Chinese Visitors to CEOS Strategic Implementation Team meeting
“It has come to my attention that NASA will be hosting the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) Strategic Implementation Team meeting at the Langley Research Center from March 12-14, 2013, and that officials from the government of the People’s Republic of China are currently planning to attend. … Because it is now less than 14 days before the commencement of the CEOS meeting and no such certification has been provided, the hosting of any Chinese visitors would be in clear violation of the law. Accordingly, I expect any participation by official Chinese visitors will be promptly cancelled.”
Earlier posts on China
Once again a single Congressman is running an executive department agency. Has he read the Constitution? Wolf seems determined to singlehandedly start a new Cold War. Fallout shelters, anyone? My suggestion is to move the conference off-site.
I am not sure Wolf’s view of NASA is as important as his view of China. Wolf’s goal is not to assure American security but simply to insult China in any way possible. He inserted text into PL 112-55 which singles out China and makes Wolf the sole arbiter of whether NASA communicates with China in any way. Obviously had Bolden asked Wolf’s permission for the conference, Wolf would have denied it. The Wikipedia article on Wolf describes his history of anti-Chinese rhetoric.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik…
In my opinion the most effective way NASA can contribute to security is by promoting dialog and collaboration between the superpowers. Wolf works to forbid any such dialog.
Does Mr. Wolf really not trust NASA officials to be professional, responsible and discrete?
Mr. Wolf’s hostility is starting resemble that of Lewis Strauss who shamefully hounded J Robert Oppenheimer out of a security clearance.
Sorry guys… the law is the law and the administrator is pretty close to the land’s highest position. He has no choice but to follow the law-or get fried if he knowingly breaks it. If you don’t like it, you need to vote the idiots out. It sucks but thats the way it is.
The language inserted by Mr. Wolf into PL 112-55 (a continuing resolution) appears of questionable constitutionality since it gives a specific congressman (Mr. Wolf) direct power over an executive department. Perhaps the Administration should take it to court.
Moreover, the state of Virginia is spending millions to promote exports of agricultural and manufactured products to China. The voters of Mr. Wolf’s district should be aware that he is undermining those efforts. The Republican Party as a whole bears some responsibility as they are responsible for his committee assignments and invariably vote with him on appropriations issues.
Wolf is relatively far to the left for a Republican Congressman from VA. His district is a mixture, so this is his way of throwing a bone to the right wing in his district
“Given this lapse of compliance, I am concerned that there may have been other instances where the law has not been followed. I request an immediate review of all center and headquarters visits since the enactment of P.L. 112-55 to ensure that official Chinese visitors have not inappropriately gained access to any NASA facilities.”
1. This is simple harassment and attention seeking; one can’t respect Wolf for this.
2. Move the meetings to a Marriott down the street, and to hell with Wolf.
Curious; I just left the Hansen thread where some people were condemning him for having a NASA connection and speaking out in an attempt to do something good; good for the country and the world; something for which he has previously spent jail time.
Now, in this thread, we once again have rep Wolf — a member of Congress! — speaking out in an attempt to do something bigoted and completely asinine (in my opinion). This is something with the very real potential to disadvantage or even endanger many millions of innocent people, and it’s simply reported. Why is Wolf not (that we know of) being challenged by anyone from either Congress or the White House? Do they all agree with him? Are they for some reason afraid of him? Is it that they all just can’t be bothered?
I would have expected at least one other Congressperson to stand up and speak publicly against Wolf’s continued adversarial attitude toward China. All he’s doing is encouraging any anti-American forces in China to do the things we’d object to. And I wonder how many people in other oriental nations are thinking, Are we next?
If America truly has elected “Representatives” for their government, then the rest of the world is getting a very bad message — created by one old man, but perpetuated by everyone who failed to stand up to him.
Just my opinion, of course.
Steve, you might not believe what a lousy reputation the US has gained abroad as a result of its right-wing politics. Many developed nations now see the US not as a role model, but as a threat, or an object lesson in how to destroy a nation and an economy.
It would appear to me that throughout recent history it’s almost always the same thing — a relatively small number of people create a decrease in the quality of life (for lack of a better term) that effects almost everybody in their country, directly or indirectly.
In all fairness, on the other side of the coin, many of us seem to have the common bad habit of referring to the people of a country as a single, homogeneous group, instead of specifically talking about “some of the people” (Americans are …, Russians will always …, etc.). Although less inappropriate than the insanity of someone like Rep Wolf, it’s still not a fair way to talk, painting everyone with the same brush.
On the bright side, I have noticed that in recent times it’s less and less likely that a trouble-maker can inflame other people with their particular brand of antisocial behavior. The average person seems (to me) to be more willing to make their own decisions, develop their own values, and in general behave more like a good citizen, respecting other people and groups. There are still little pockets of crazies around the world, but they are slowly being “cleaned up.” I strongly suspect that some of these groups are diminishing because their own children refuse to support them; just one more example of the power and great value in a good education.
Hopefully, as the last of the Cold War adherents die off, the world can move forward and people like Rep Wolf will become mere footnotes in the history books, generating only the same sort of head-shaking embarrassment as Joseph McCarthy, Hitler and Stalin.
Agree
Doesn’t Bolden have staff who are supposed to take care of these things?
They should know Wolf has a “hot button” for anything Chinese to beat Bolden with.
Gonzo,
The question is: “ take care of these things” how? Whether we’re talking about Bolden or his staff, how are they to react to a legal order to do something that he/they know in their heart(s) to be just plain wrong, and potentially very damaging the the country and its people?
They’re screwed either way and the only other alternative is to do nothing, which is what they have appeared to do so far, and is as close a they can come to saying “get stuffed Mr. Wolf” without actually either being insubordinate or breaking the law.
Once again, someone from Congress has put NASA, and Bolden specifically, in a complete no-win situation with no way out. The only thing I’m not sure about is whether Wolf is sneering or laughing at this.
how are they to react to a legal order to do something that he/they know in their heart(s) to be just plain wrong,
NASA needed to provide notification that Chinese visitors would attend the conference 14 days prior to the visit. That’s a law, whether they like it or not. They failed to do so.
There are plenty of laws that I don’t particularly like that I have to follow anyways. I deal with it. So should NASA.
and potentially very damaging the the country and its people?
I think the country will get over it pretty quickly.
“That’s a law, whether they like it or not. They failed to do so.“
In most cases, I think I would agree with you. But, what do you do when a law is enacted that is not representative of the feelings of a majority of citizens? To do nothing is in effect surrendering your democratic way of life and your supposedly representative government.
“… government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.“
— Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address
Are you satisfied to instead have: government of the Congress, by the Congress, for the Congress?
The law you speak of was legislation created by one old man living in the past, and passed by a collection of people afraid to stand up to him, or perhaps they just couldn’t be bothered. Or worse yet, what if a majority of the Congress actually agrees with him?
I might also point out that there all kinds of laws currently in effect, both federally and in each state, that are ignored thousands of times every day, for various reasons. Did you know that flirting is illegal anywhere in the state of New York? If they started collecting the fine for that broken law the national debt could be paid off in 10 years!
At some point, people have to do what they reasonably can to take a stand. Only because our ancestors did so at various times in the past can we live free today.
To do nothing is in effect surrendering your democratic way of life and your supposedly representative government.
I don’t know why you are trying to make this sound like a last desperate stand for truth and freedom.
Bolden failed to follow a law he was obligated to obey. He will get slapped on the wrist and move on to the next political game show.
>”They’re screwed either way and the only other alternative is to do nothing”
I wonder if Korolev had to deal with issues like this.
Michael,
If we can believe the various books that have been written about him, he faced the same sort of thing, only worse, but not through stupid laws but rather military overlords.
He was more than once given an assignment to do something that no one knew how to do, and when he explained this, the military “bosses” would simply give him a deadline. Like many others, he must have really loved his work (or what he dreamed his work could become) in order to put up with all the BS.
In a way, I guess it’s not all that much different today, in the US or Russia; except now the overlords smile while telling you to do the impossible or the idiotic. Bummer.