Op-ed:

The Final Frontier vs. Budget Cuts

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio

The article posted here is the authors opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google

...But the bottom line, in my opinion, is that when budget decisions regarding allocations and funding are being considered for certain highly specialized government agencies...with NASA being such an agency...NASA alone should be making their own budget decisions not pencil-pushing bureaucrats, politicians, or even our president. Why so...because few folks truly understand the science, logistics, and intricacies involved in NASA's past and future successes.

And know that NASA is more than just rockets and spacesuits for NASA not only helps to generate economic growth and its corresponding benefits, but NASA's space missions...whether they be robotic or manned missions...helps us to advance the collective of our scientific knowledge...knowledge needed to help make both the dream of Moon and Mars colonization not just a someday possibility, but a not so distant reality. And when you add in all the practical applications NASA's space technology has here on Earth you might find yourself agreeing with my belief that NASA's budget needs to be expanded not be cut back. Cutting “fluff” is always a good thing, cutting man's future is not, for our reaching for the stars that started with Neil Armstrong's but “one small step for a man”...must be allowed to continue on unabated in the name of all “mankind.”...Read entire article and see video here.

Op-ed:

The Final Frontier vs. Budget Cuts

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio

The article posted here is the authors opinion alone, and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google

 

“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before!”

- Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise NCC1701

Let me start this article by saying, I think Donald J. Trump might well go down in our nation's history as one of America's greatest presidents...never mind the fact that no president, to date, has had more obstacles thrown in their path to“Make America Great Again” then has this one man. And while I do not agree with every thing he’s done, as it’s hard to agree 100% of the time with anyone, for me there’s really only one issue I totally disagree with him on...as in his administration's putting NASA's 2026 operating budget on the chopping block with cuts here, there, and everywhere. Needless cuts...dangerous cuts with long lasting ramifications including possibly seeing China, not Russia, beating us back to the Moon. Our returning first to the Moon is of paramount importance. because he who controls the Moon controls the Earth...a saying with more truth than the average person really understands. And by the Trump administration cutting back NASA's budget to the degree that is now being proposed could well become a negative factor affecting all the good that Trump has accomplished to date.

“This is a budget that says America is done leading the world in space, that we are a nation turning inward.”

- Casey Dreier, the chief of space policy at the Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization...a think tank if you will...that advocates for space exploration...a statement I sadly must agree with.

Now as for the basics, let's start with the fact that NASA's budget for fiscal year 2026, sees its funding being cut by a whopping 24%...from $24.8 billion in 2025 down to $18.8 billion in 2026...which is the largest single-year cut to NASA in their history. And to break it down even further said proposal sees a two-thirds cut to NASA's astrophysics budget, a 50+% cut to Earth Sciences, a 30% cut to Planetary Sciences, along with cuts to what's called “legacy human exploration systems” which directly affects both our Moon and Mars manned missions. And not to be overlooked is the proposed 50% cut to the “Space Technology” part of the budget...the very program where space technological discoveries are adapted to help better life here on Earth.

Now as for missions specifically being cut, we find the all important robotic “Mars Sample Return Mission”...done in conjunction with the European Space Agency...being cut; the phasing out the SLS rocket and Orion crew capsule after the Artemis III Moon mission...the mission that is scheduled to land near the Moon's south pole; cutting out completely the much needed lunar orbiting space station “Gateway” project; scaling back the “International Space Station” (ISS) by having fewer American astronauts going onboard along with a slimmed-down research program; a cutting of what were deemed to be key “climate monitoring” and “weather forecasting” satellites; along with postponing indefinitely the what was scheduled to be launched in May 2027, as in the “Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (RST) ”...a wide field infrared space telescope that “would settle the essential questions in the areas of dark energy, exoplanets, and astrophysics.” Sort of the “Hubble Telescope” on steroids rightly named for the pioneering woman astronomer deemed to be the “Mother of Hubble.”

So to my fellow “space geeks” I say, let those numbers and mission cuts sink in a bit, along with the additional fact that the current proposed budget also sees cuts of more than $1 billion in regards to “mission support,” as in reducing employee head counts, maintenance, construction and “environmental compliance activities”...with maintenance and construction cuts leaving open the possibly of much needed safety measures coming into question.

Are you angry yet...I know I am...especially with said cuts now also including all important “grant monies”...monies involving NASA's “Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)”...cutting said monies from $7.5 billion in FY2025 to $3.9 billion in FY2026. And know that STMD, is the very directorate which helps in the developing of new and “transformative space technologies” ...“technologies” that will enable future space missions, and whose “grantees” include some of America's youngest and brightest of astrophysicists, planetary scientists, geologists, biologists, chemists, and mathematicians. Simply, cutting back on “grant monies” would derail cutting-edge scientific advancements, while potentially impacting the training of the next generation of “STEM” scientists...an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics...which could force the canceling of missions and research projects already in the developmental stage.

Simply put, stifling our nation's “brain pool” is never a good idea no matter the field involved, but when that field directly includes our all-important and much needed dominance in space it's not just a bad idea but is actually a dangerous idea.

So yes, I'm angry even though the current proposed budget does appear to...at least for now...allocate an actual $647 million increase in funding for “Human Space Exploration” along with a $1 billion in new investments for a Mars manned landing and ultimate colonization, thus making this allocation seem quite odd and almost redundant as the very programs needed to actually implement said exploration and colonization are some of the very programs now scheduled to be cut...sort of like “robbing Peter to pay Paul” if you will. 

“Spreading out into space...will completely change the future of the human race and maybe determine whether we have any future at all. It won’t solve any of our immediate problems on planet Earth, but it will give us a new perspective on them, and cause us to look outwards rather than inwards. Hopefully it would unite us to face a common challenge.”

- Dr. Stephen Hawking, theoretical physicist and cosmologist in an April 21, 2008 interview on NASA TV, entitled ,“Why We Should Go Into Space.”  

                                                                                                   

And so President Trump, the man who understands better than most how important it is for our country to be the leader in space, created “Space Force” to not only partner with NASA on national security matters such as “space domain awareness and planetary defense,” but he made said partnership an immediate imperative in regards to both Russia and China. So it makes no sense that President Trump...the man who also stated in his March address to Congress that he wants to “plant a U.S. flag on Mars;”...would suddenly decide that NASA'a budget must drastically be cut.  

So why and on whose advice is Trump doing what former astronaut and recently retired NASA Director Bill Nelson ...a JFK style Democrat whose loyalty is not to his party but to NASA's main mission*...doing the very opposite of what needs to be done? Saying, “You’ve got this incredible agency populated by what I call a bunch of wizards that, on a daily basis, make the impossible possible, and you are going at them with a chainsaw and a meat-ax,” Nelson might well suspect what I suspected when I first heard of these outrageous cuts.

Harsh but true words that I have a possible answer to...an answer some might not like. So let me begin by saying that I personally do not believe that President Trump acted solely on his own or that he was the originator of what I deem to be a NASA “hatchet job,” because, like me, Trump has always believed that NASA is but one shining example of American exceptionalism at its very best. And while technically NASA is an independent civilian space agency created by Congress that is under the direction of the executive branch, specifically the “Office of Management and Budget” (OMB), it is Congress itself who ultimately decides on NASA's final budget through its “budget and appropriations process”...the process by which Congress sets spending priorities and allocates taxpayer dollars to fund specific programs, and where a budget request is either approved, denied or given a set period of time to make recommended “adjustments”...a long and sometimes tedious process as government bureaucracy tends to get in the way more times than not.

But remember, President Trump has made no secret that while he wants to place more emphasis on private space sector “commercial space objects and objectives” than has previously been done, he still wants important NASA space missions to go forward...at times on their own, at other times in conjunction with said private space sector when need be. And that alone would seem to dictate that while NASA does need to cut costs in a few noncritical areas, it in no way implies that he wants a NASA “hatchet job” done most especially when such cuts could set back our current number one position in space sciences, achievements, and applications.

So after giving this some long and hard thought, I believe that while President Trump did not originate this disgrace of a NASA budget plan, what former director Nelson called a "hatchet job," was set into motion whether deliberately or not when Elon Musk suggested to Trump...like D.O.G.E. suggested to NASA which programs need to be cut...that Trump pick his friend Jared Taylor Isaacman...an American billionaire entrepreneur, pilot, and commercial astronaut with no scientific background whatsoever, a man heavily invested in Musk's SpaceX program, and who has been a vocal mouthpiece for advancing competition in the space industry by reducing reliance on government programs like NASA,..to be the new head of NASA...the job Isaacman has yet to be approved by Congress for as he is considered by both parties to be hostile to NASA especiallywith his SpaceX ties rightfully being seen by many as a serious conflict of interest.

Supporting the private space industry is one thing...most of us, me included, do support said industry...but when it's suggested that a vocal proponent of said industry be the one to head your competition of sorts...as in NASA... that's quite another thing, And this is especially true when the individual proposed already has gone "on record" as saying which key NASA missions he will cut when and if he gets the job or even before he does...which Isaacman has already done.

"We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."

- President John F. Kennedy's words spoken at Rice University on September 12, 1962, to inform the public about his plan to land a man on the Moon before 1970.

But the bottom line, in my opinion, is that when budget decisions regarding allocations and funding are being considered for certain highly specialized government agencies...with NASA being such an agency...NASA alone should be making their own budget decisions not pencil-pushing bureaucrats, politicians, or even our president. Why so...because few folks truly understand the science, logistics, and intricacies involved in NASA's past and future successes.

And know that NASA is more than just rockets and spacesuits for NASA not only helps to generate economic growth and its corresponding benefits, but NASA's space missions...whether they be robotic or manned missions...helps us to advance the collective of our scientific knowledge...knowledge needed to help make both the dream of Moon and Mars colonization not just a someday possibility, but a not so distant reality. And when you add in all the practical applications NASA's space technology has here on Earth you might find yourself agreeing with my belief that NASA's budget needs to be expanded not be cut back. Cutting “fluff” is always a good thing, cutting man's future is not, for our reaching for the stars that started with Neil Armstrong's but “one small step for a man”...must be allowed to continue on unabated in the name of all “mankind.” Case closed.

____________________________________________________

Footnote

* NASA's main mission is to advance science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration for the benefit of humankind.

Copyright © 2025 Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved.

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, Liberals Ignore the Plane Truth.

*********************************************************************************************

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                           

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19th from 7 to 8:00pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'The Final Frontier vs. Budget Cuts'; 'Liberals Ignore the Plane Truth'; and important news of the day. Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50pm EST, show begins at 7pm EST.

Op-ed: 

Our 'Woke' Military...Priming For Loss  

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio

The Op-ed posted here is this authors opinion alone,and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google.  

 

...And also, not to be forgotten, is the fact that it's not just the Biden administration itself that's pushing these policies onto the sum of the six branches that comprise our U.S. Armed Forces,** but that it's also what's now being called a developing “military woke complex.” And just what is said “complex” but a leftist group of nonprofits...some very well-funded with others continuing to operate under the radar...who are pushing the “woke” nonsense on our military as well. And what really should not come as a surprise to anyone is that it's the likes of George Soros, the Tides Foundation, and the Ford Foundation who are the main ones bankrolling said “military woke complex.”

The United States military surely does not need these anti-American, leftist sorts watering down their prime directive, which clearly is “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, and to maintain, by timely and effective military action, the security of the United States, its possessions and areas vital to its interest.”

 

Remember, the ultimate goal of our fighting forces must remain to be the victor in any wars we are part and party to while not having...Read entire article and see video here.

Op-ed: 

Our 'Woke' Military...Priming For Loss  

By: Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / Right Side Patriots / Right Side Patriots Radio

The Op-ed posted here is this authors opinion alone,and does not necessarily represent the views of blogspot.com or Google. 

Since the steal in 2020, Joe Biden and his joke of an  administration have proven themselves to be dismal and abject failure on all fronts. From his total sum of economic policies; to the border fiasco; to crime running rampant in numerous American cities; to our now weakened foreign policy stances including Biden basically turning America's back on our ally Israel; all coupled with the “green energy” nonsense constantly being shoved down our collective throats; the list is not only endless but it's growing by the day.

Not a damn thing right has Joe Biden done for this country or for “We the People” since assuming office but, in my opinion, probably the most grievous and dangerous of all Biden's actions by the scope of its very nature, was his basically forcing social conformity within our military courtesy of the nonsense known as “wokeismism.” In more direct words, America's military must now accept, cater to, and embrace the entirety of the far left's social ideology known as “being woke,” as in what are weaponized personal grievances masquerading as a supposed genuine social issue.

And Joe Biden did so by checking off all the socially mandated boxes, never mind the fact that this not only puts our nation's national security at risk, but that he has actually endangered not just the lives of each and every American citizen but our active military members as well. And what's even worse is that this fool still dancing on Obama's puppet pulled strings simply does not care that he did, leaving me to wonder just what his beloved now gone, ex-Army officer son Beau would think of this particular action given that his dad is currently Commander-in-Chief.

So now with time being of the essence...what with the war weary state of the world itself coming into play...we must have the courage to reclaim what was the “greatest fighting force the world has ever known”* ...that is if we want to retain our number one position as the world's leading “super power.” And in these dangerous times said position is more important than most people think, which means that the entirety of Biden's forced “woke” nonsense must be removed from our military protocol before both he and said nonsense can cause anymore harm, both here at home and abroad, than it already has.

The United States military must never become a social ideological battleground for to do so directly threatens not only our national security but it helps to undermine the founding principles of our Constitution while also negating our military's long held principal belief that it's America's traditional values that helps to promote and spread unity, cohesion, and equality amongst all of our service members. And also, not to be forgotten, is the fact that it's not just the Biden administration itself that's pushing these policies onto the sum of the six branches that comprise our U.S. Armed Forces,** but that it's also what's now being called a developing “military woke complex.” And just what is said “complex” but a leftist group of nonprofits...some very well-funded with others continuing to operate under the radar...who are pushing the “woke” nonsense on our military as well. And what really should not come as a surprise to anyone is that it's the likes of George Soros, the Tides Foundation, and the Ford Foundation who are the main ones bankrolling said “military woke complex.”

The United States military surely does not need these anti-American, leftist sorts watering down their prime directive, which clearly is “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, and to maintain, by timely and effective military action, the security of the United States, its possessions and areas vital to its interest.”

Remember, the ultimate goal of our fighting forces must remain to be the victor in any wars we are part and party to while not having to worry about upsetting the sensibilities of some who, while they might check off the now socially mandated boxes, are in reality both psychologically and physically unprepared for war nor do they understand let alone care about what is their prime directive. 

And while some claim that those who embrace “wokeism” are an integral and important part of American society... which I personally believe they're not...those willing to accept “wokism” as a normal part of society, including in our military, have forgotten that our military must remain comprised of only those who not only have the physical strength and mental stamina to defend our country in times of war, but who are also of the mindset to know when something is right for our country and our American way of life, and when something is not only morally wrong but an actual danger to the very fabric of American society as well.

“Wokeism” in all its guises remains a “distraction” and an overall danger to our country, most especially to our military which has seen since “woke” policies were initiated their all-important enlisting numbers going way down. So before Biden even has a chance to again put his pen to yet another disastrous EO paper, one needs to understand that because of Joe Biden we, the world's still number one “superpower”...but for long... now sees the world at large slowly turning away from not just American leadership, but from American values, rule of law, and our societal structure as well. And when our military becomes rife with those who seem to embrace anti-American rhetoric and socially damaging values, what we become is a nation that has not only lost its way, but a nation whose military can no longer be counted on by both friends and allies alike, let alone defend our nation against internal and external threats nor assure the safety of our citizens.

Simply, contrary to “woke” ideology it really is, militarily wise, all about tangible strength...both physical and mental strength...especially in today's highly volatile world, thus giving even more credence to the fact that “wokism” must be purged from our military's discourse. Why so...because for a nation to be recognized and respected as having the world's strongest and most respected military force, adhering and catering to social issues does indeed get in the way of brute strength. And brute strength encompasses the fact that a given nation must physically control both the air and the sea, and not find itself being bogged down in ever frivolous and so unimportant “woke” nonsense.

And while our United States combined naval forces...which includes our Marine Corps...still controls the seas as per the March 2024 edition of “The World Directory of Military Modern Warships” (WDMMW)*...that does not negate the fact that “wokeism” mandates have surely intruded upon how our navy functions.

How so? While the U.S. still rates number one with a fleet of over 400 ships and submarines, as well as over 3,000 naval aircraft, and when coupled with our amphibious warfare force known as the Marine Corps, you'd think we'd have a solid lock on being the world's number one “superpower,” but how wrong you'd be. And why so...because in position number two is China's “People’s Liberation Army Navy” (PLAN) which actually encompasses within it the largest navy in the world by the total number of its combined ships and physical manpower...as in its actual body count numbers. 

And while China is working to expand its current fleet... while also being the second largest navy in terms of tonnage...it's body count numbers are increasing along with it while our naval numbers are decreasing thanks to our Navy being forced to deal with“woke” nonsense. Also not to be forgotten is that the Russian Navy in the number three position...while low in its number of naval aircraft still does have an impressive fleet of over 600 ships and submarines...is also gaining in naval strength and manpower while again, our naval recruitment numbers are sadly decreasing.

And so both China and Russia ...countries that don't like us very much...remain a little too close for comfort regarding air and sea superiority, leaving one not to forget that if, for whatever reason, China and Russia were to actually join forces together that they could well cripple both our Navy and Air Force to a point from which we might militarily not be able to recover from in the foreseeable future. And “wokeism” would be to blame for the very nature of “wokeism” itself places much needed military necessities behind social ideologies in its “to do” list of importance.

Now as for who controls the air, that honor still goes to these United States, but has a caveat attached to it...a caveat called Afghanistan and our disastrous pullout thereof. Simply, our Air Force could have very easily rendered the Taliban militarily impotent, but our current joke of a president instead had our military tuck its tail between their legs and high tail it out of there. And he did so not because it was the right thing to do...in my opinion it assuredly was not...but because Afghanistan had become a political liability for Joe Biden, his administration, and his “woke” military agenda. How so...because how dare our military show strength instead of fighting for the hearts and minds of the enemy...Obama style if you will.

And this one military action alone has not only put a humiliating shadow of possible defeat over our combined naval and air forces, but it also helped to set the stage for the disaster that is Ukraine and the backstabbing, flip-flop actions this administration has shown to our ally Israel. Remember, our now “woke,” military coupled with our “woke” political leaders are dead set against our military fighting in any “boots on the ground” style of war...the very thing our U.S. Army excels in especially when they don't have their hands tied behind their backs. Instead we now find our leaders hiding behind the skirts of once military men now pretending to be women.

And in this discourse we dare not forget “Space Force,” America's newest military branch...thank you President Trump...a branch more important than most think for the fact remains that the nation who controls space controls the world and thankfully, as of now, we alone have such a military branch. But while the Biden administration wants “Space Force” to be more like a weaker version of a state run militia than an actual military force that would be used to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and provide space capabilities to our joint forces....we could actually lose our current space superiority as both Russia and China find themselves in a growing space “arms race” with our now militarily“woke” U.S armed forces...a scenario that by default alone might not end well.

And lastly, to add insult to what has become a military incurred “woke” injury, Biden and crew while not happy about seeing funding being diverted away from “illegals” to a bill that would automatically register men ages 18-26 in the “Selective Service System,”*** leaves one to wonder just how many “transgender/woke” individuals would actually be called up for military service if the need did so arise. Not too many I would guess for the last thing our military would need to be distracted by in a time of war is being forced to train and deploy individuals to fight who don't even know what sex they really are. And to that I say, case closed.

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Footnotes

* The United States Armed Force consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard.

** The March 2024 edition of “The World Directory of Military Modern Warships (WDMMW)” is the directory that rates world navies annually via what's known as a “True Value Rating” (TRT)...a rating system that evaluates both “quantitative and qualitative” factors such as the number of deployable ships and naval personnel, with the “qualitative” aspect concentrating on modernization, logistical support, defense and offensive capabilities, training and preparedness, and lastly what's known as “inventory mix.”

*** The "Selective Service System" is the federal database used for a military draft in case of a national emergency or an all out war.

Copyright © 2024 / Diane Sori / The Patriot Factor / All rights reserved. 

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For more political commentary please visit my RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS partner Craig Andresen's blog The National Patriot to read his latest article, Joe Biden – Unfit For Duty.

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RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                           

Tomorrow, Tuesday, June 25th from 7-8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'Our Woke Military...Priming For Loss  ';  'Joe Biden – Unfit For Duty': and important news of the day. Hope you can tune in to RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS on https://rspradio1.com Click 'LISTEN LIVE' starting at 6:50 pm EST with show beginning at 7pm EST.