American Prestige
Back in the 1960's American prestige was very high in the world..
Hollywood was making lots of movies with lots of blondes in them,
the Beachboys were Surfin USA .. the whole music scene was buzzing
...
But beyond that, the economy was buzzing too ..... American science
and innovation were leading the world, just like they had done back in
the 1950s.
But the real " Jewel in the Crown " during the 1960s were those spectacular manned space flights.... each one more adventurous than the one before...
Three men circumnavigating the moon.... in Dec 1968 was a big success....... soon it would be the big one...
a space flight that would put men on the moon.... and Americans at that !
The engagement and hot war in Vietnam was worrying , but at the time
it was just a sideshow.
When the moonlanding finally happened in July 1969 it was a spectacular success ... a high point for the former British colony..... a time for America to celebrate it's spectacular achievement and for Russia to watch, enviously from the sidelines.
Today America has lost much of it's prestige it feels itself being drawn into a worldwide struggle against terrorism and the future seems full of endless wars and global conflict.
With an ear to the ground I sense that Americans today are losing a their sense of Nationhood as politics becomes more and more global and politicians prefer to strut on a world stage. Americans no longer trust their politicions or feel that they are representing them in any way.
The Congress Critters just have their snouts in the trough and don't give a damn about the genuine concerns of their grass roots support.
Maybe what America needs today is another Space Spectacular....
some bold Space adventure that will lift the nation and inspire the youth of the Country.
Why not another flight to the moon ? this time with the object of
erecting the very first building on the moon.... a house, an office.. whatever.
It might need two space ships... one to carry the 3 man crew and one to carry the building materials. Another innovation could be the astranauts riding on electric motorbikes.
A date could be announced for the simultanious take off .... two rockets blasting off together...... and there would be high excitement and anticipation as the flight progressed.
With the progress and success of this audacious space mission America's prestige would once more be sky high... its Universities, Science and Industry once more proving that America has the know how and innovation to carry out such a mission and once again, the Russians would look on enviously from the sidelines.......
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