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:

The Good, Very Good, and Not So Ugly Truth

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 as the prison's population's numbers grow it will only be a matter of time before some prisoners will be released to Venezuelan authorities at which point...I believe...Maduro will likely release the worst of the worst to make their way back to the U.S. to not only raise havoc, but to then be recaptured, deported, and released again to El Salvador... ”revolving door” style that is. Remember, Bukele isn't doing this “prison thing” out of the goodness of his heart but for the $6 million being paid to his government by the Trump administration for but one single year of deportation services.

I wonder how much of that will end up going to Maduro or how much Bukele will jack up his price after the first year of service has passed. After all $6 million will likely not be enough money to handle the multitudes arriving as the deportations ramp up.

So right now, in my opinion, what President Trump faces in regards to Venezuelan and other violent gang members is a vicious cycle of catch...Read entire article here.

Op-ed: 

The Good, Very Good, and Not So Ugly Truth 

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.                                                                                                                                                  

“It turned out that all we really needed was a new President.” 

- President Donald J. Trump's ever so rightful words during his March 24, 2025 Joint Address to Congress

A few weeks ago George Glezmann, the American held captive in Afghanistan for over two years returned home. But it was not thanks to Joe Biden on whose watch Glezmann was captured, but thanks to President Trump's having made Glezmann's safe return a “top priority.” In fact, Joe Biden did nothing to secure this American's release except to have his State Department issue a statement back in late 2023 that Mr. Glezmann had been “wrongfully detained” by the Taliban. All that time in Taliban hands yet in less than two months after President Trump assumed his second term in office, George Glezmann returned home. Amazing isn't it.

A good thing indeed.

On October 7, 2023...”Israel's 911”...21-year old Israeli-American Edan Alexander, who at the time was voluntarily serving in the IDF’s Golani Brigade, was taken hostage by Hamas and remains so to this day what with Joe Biden, as expected, doing nothing of substance to help secure this American's release. But again in the two months Donald Trump has been president he not only issued dire warnings to Hamas regarding repercussions if Alexander and the other few hostages still believed to be alive were not immediately released (which as I write this they have not been)...but he gave Israel the “okay” to renew their military incursion into Gaza after Hamas, in breaking the ceasefire agreement, stated they would not be releasing anymore hostages.

But know President Trump is still working behind the scenes to bring this young man home...a noble task that if anyone can accomplish it he can.

And on Tuesday, March 18, 2025 we witnessed the two stranded NASA astronauts safely returning to Earth thanks to President Trump, Elon Musk, SpaceX's Crew Dragon, and of course NASA, having joined together to rescue them. Their lives and rescue became a priority after what was to be a week long mission turned into nine plus long months simply because their lives were not a priority for the Biden administration. And why so... because they were too busy wrecking our country, our economy, our military, and our standing on the world stage. And yet again, in less than two months time into Trump's second term in office, astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore made it safely back to Earth, and thanked both men for caring enough to help bring them home. In fact, NASA spokewoman Bethany Stevens issued a statement saying that, “This is a huge win for the Trump administration. And it would not have happened without President Trump's intervention.”

American exceptionalism on display for the world to see thanks to President Trump and Elon Musk...a very good thing indeed.

And now let's revisit Biden's disastrous withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of 13 Americans and 170 Afghan civilians at Abbey Gate. Well, it seems that Gen. Mark Milley, the head of U.S. Central Command and the very man who oversaw the withdrawal itself...along with Gen. Frank McKenzie, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff...stated in testimony before Congress as having met with Biden and “recommended” to him that we keep 2,500 troops in Afghanistan even after the August 31, 2021 withdrawal deadline. And Joe Biden's response to their testimony was to claim that his“advisers” failed to tell him to leave what he called a “small military presence” in the country.

Odd isn't it that the generals stated they met with Biden himself, while Biden places blame on his own “advisors” while never saying if said “advisors” were even present at his meeting with the generals or not nor does it negate the fact that Biden willingly left $7 billion in military equipment behind... equipment now in the hands of the Taliban. So it's no wonder that Trump made one of DOGE's first jobs being to look into the wasteful and caviler spending at the Department of Defense,

In fact, Elon Musk and DOGE recently announced that, to date, the Defense Department wasted $80+ million on programs not supporting the DOD's core mission ...as in to “provide the military forces needed to deter war and ensure our nation's security”...and that said monies would be much better spent on “lethality and readiness.” Including in the findings was $1.9 million spent on holistic diversity, equity, and inclusion transformation and training; $6 million given to the U of Montana to help bridge divides and strengthen American democracy; along with $3.5 million given to support DEI groups; and $1.6 million given to the U of Florida to study “social and institutional detriments of vulnerability and resilience to climate hazards in [the] African Sahel.”

Simply, know that thanks to President Trump and DOGE more cuts will come to assure that monies are spent solely on DOD's aforementioned mission to basically keep our country and “We the People” safe. So, “Go Elan Go!” What you and President Trump are doing is truly a very, very good thing.

And while President Trump's positives are truly adding up, let's add his “illegals” being deported into the mix, but with a caveat of sorts in mind that might unknowingly have been overlooked. First, we know the number of “illegals” who invaded our country while Biden was president nearly doubled during those four years, going from 10.2 million “illegals” in 2020 to 20.3 million “illegals” by the end of his term not including the estimated two million “got-aways”...as in those who were able to evade the authorities and are now living “undocumented” here in the U.S. 

In fact, Biden not only rolled out the likely George Soros funded welcome mat even more so than Obama did when he was president, but Biden actually encouraged the invasion of our country even knowing well that thugs, thieves, drug dealers, rapists, murderers, and foreign born terrorists would be embedded amongst those arriving for his promised “free stuff.”

But thankfully President Trump has put an end to all that what with his had been promised roundups and mass deportations going on even as I write this...a very, very good thing.

The illegals must be removed from our country in full... if that's even logistically possible...and Trump was right invoking the “Alien Enemies Act” of 1798...the very act that allows the president to deport any what are “non-citizens” during “wartime.” And if the “invasion” at our southern border is not an act of war, then pray tell what exactly is.

But in specific regards to the Venezuelan illegals, with most being connected to the “Tren de Aragua gang”...Venezuela's version of El Salvador's ever violent MS-13 gang and dictator Nicolas Muduro's proxy army of sorts...Trump must not forget that Muduro...in his own words...sent them to the U.S., to “pillage and prey upon us.” And while President Trump did let the world know that any persons “perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion of predatory incursion against the territory of the United States” was not just an act of 'irregular warfare” against our country, but that there would be a “heavy price to pay” for those attempting to do so.

I hope Maduro takes those words to heart for President Trump has proven to back up his words with both proven and successful actions taken.

Now here is where it gets real interesting. How so? As the deportations of “Tren de Aragua” gang members... and other assorted nasties...has again resumed, and with Nicolas Muduro foolishly spewing that the nature of the flights themselves were a chance to “rescue and free migrants from prisons in the U.S.,” what must not be forgotten is that these “criminals” are actually being deported to El Salvador where they are incarcerated in President Nayib Bukele's mega-prison...”Terrorism Confinement Center” or CECOT as it's more commonly known...a prison so strict that visitation, recreation and education are not allowed. 

But as the prison's population's numbers grow it will only be a matter of time before some prisoners will be released to Venezuelan authorities at which point...I believe... Maduro will likely release the worst of the worst to make their way back to the U.S. to not only raise havoc, but to then be recaptured, deported, and released again to El Salvador... ”revolving door” style that is. Remember, Bukele isn't doing this “prison thing” out of the goodness of his heart but for the $6 million being paid to his government by the Trump administration for but one single year of deportation services.

I wonder how much of that will end up going to Maduro or how much Bukele will jack up his price after the first year of service has passed. After all $6 million will likely not be enough money to handle the multitudes arriving as the deportations ramp up.

So right now, in my opinion, what President Trump faces in regards to Venezuelan and other violent gang members is a vicious cycle of catch, deport, release and catch again being set into motion all courtesy of a hefty price tag...some of which I would surmise encompasses our hard earned taxpayer dollars.

Not such a good thing I'd say for our taxpayer dollars should be spent solely to help “We the American People,” and not to help keep alive those whose goal is to harm our country by raping, torturing, and killing our people. And all the cries by the uber left...uber leftist judges included...about these criminals supposed “human rights” being violated is sheer and utter nonsense for while “due process” is one thing, these who fit well into the definition of what I call “pieces of human garbage” are simply here to turn our beloved America into a reincarnation of their socialist driven “third world” countries they came from, which President Trump and the majority of “We the People” will simply not allow.

So while I'm sure President Trump knows well that the deportations of these vicious gang members and others who came here “illegally” is indeed a very good thing, and that the majority of the American people support him in this endeavor, he must also know that there are other ways of handling what will be future deportations, some of the aforementioned “revolving door” kind, and do so before said deportations become an overly expensive necessity. How so...by allowing the U.S. border patrol to shoot to kill those who do not turn back when ordered...three strikes and you're figuratively and permanently out so to speak, especially those of the “revolving door” kind.

A bit bloody and ugly perhaps in the beginning of implementation, but sometimes blood is the only way to assure that a message has not only been sent but that it's contents have been both received and accepted as fact. And while the Democrats won't like this idea, sometimes reality alone dictates what truly must be done. Remember, sometimes a certain amount of blood does need to be shed to send a loud and clear message that there's a new “sheriff”...a new “president”...in town. A very, very good thing indeed. Case closed.

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, The Latest Liberal Manufactured Crisis.

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

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                           

Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 1st  from 7pm to 8:30pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss 'The Good, The Very Good, and Not So Ugly Truth'; 'The Latest Liberal Manufactured Crisis'; 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.

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...Podcast

 

If you missed last nights live broadcast where RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discussed Biden's D-Day ceremony disaster; Biden's border Executive Order fails on day one; the Hunter Biden gun trial; the possibility that a Trump 'Hush-Money' juror discussed the guilty verdict ahead of time;. and the successful NASA and SpaceX launches....listen to it and past shows at https://rspradio1.com ... go to Podcasts.

 

RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS...LIVE!                                             

Today, Friday, November 17th, from 7-8:00pm EST, RIGHT SIDE PATRIOTS Craig Andresen and Diane Sori discuss Biden's very bad deal with China re: fossil fuels; Georgia judge issues a protective order re: "sensitive" evidence in Trump's election interference case; pro-Palestine group with NYC as a target calls for "Globalization of the Intifada"; and the FAA has cleared SpaceX's Starship/Super Heavy for a second launch. 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.