Bush Rodgers in Outer Space

This may not turn out to be significant, but it's certainly worth considering:

Did the Columbia crash create a significant public health hazard?

It's possible. Several public officials warned souvenir-seekers away from crash debris with the warning that the flight contained radioactive material. That may have been an attempt to stave off the slavering e-Bay freaks. But it may also hint at bigger problems.

Here's a report from Democracy Now!, a Pacifica-style progressive radio broadcasting outfit. Their report caught my eye, partly because hardly anyone has stopped to consider whether the crash might indeed pose such a hazard:

NASA so far has not publicly acknowledged the existence of radioactive material. But the crash comes at time when the space agency is quickly pushing forward its controversial plans to increase the use of nuclear power in space flights. Experts warn that had the Columbia been powered by nuclear rockets, much of East Texas and the region would have to be evacuated due to radioactive contamination.

Two weeks ago the Los Angeles Times reported that NASA is seeking "significant resources and funding" to design a nuclear-powered propulsion system. The Times reported: "The project, dubbed Project Prometheus, would greatly expand the nuclear propulsion plans that NASA quietly announced last year when it said it may spend $1 billion over the next five years to design a nuclear rocket. NASA and the Bush administration are keeping the lid on the details, including how much more the agency expects to request from Congress, but O'Keefe said the funding increase will be 'very significant.'

Judging from the way this is shaping up -- and by the modus operandi of the Bush administration to date -- the Columbia crash is being viewed by the president's people as their opening to proceed with the militarization of space.