Me:  Afterwards, of course, the conspiracy theorists come out of the woodwork.
        Bob:  Already on the internet there are crazy connections being made.
        Me:  Mostly, it's just anti-Semitic crap.
        Bob:  Anti-Semitism is so boring.
        Me:  You said it.  Can't people just grow the hell up and leave the Jews alone?
        Bob:  Col. Ilan Ramon, was a Jewish Israeli national.
        Me:  Yeah, and some of the wreckage fell on Palestine, Texas.
        Bob:  Ooooo.  One of the crew members who died was Jewish and the wreckage fell on Palestine.  Ooooooo.  Spoooooooky....
        Me:  Yeah.  Hold me.  I'm really scared.
        Bob:  Yeah.  And so the hateful paranoid fundamentalist oozeballs are saying it's either an act of divine intervention from God or punishment from Allah....
        Me:  Oh, no!  Heavens to murgartroid!  Mercy me!
        Bob:  It  makes me sick.
        Me:  And of course people in Canada are whining that on the exact same day 7 people died in a skiing avalanche and no one really reported on them.  Which is actually not the case.  I heard about it plenty on the radio.  It just wasn't on tv that much.
        Bob:  Yeah, but so what?  People die doing stupid things all the time....
        Me:  Yeah, I mean, they're saying, we have our own tragedies here in Canada-- and that is true.  And yet we're being forced to care so deeply about what's happening to the Americans.
        Bob:  And in this case that's just primitive Anti-Americanism.
        Me:  Exactly.  Yeah, sure, some people died skiing, and that sucks, but they died in an avalanche in an area where people died ten days ago-- in an another avalanche.  So basically they were skiing where they shouldn't've been and too bad they died-- but in a way they were asking for it.  Tough.
        Bob:  Exactly.  The deaths of the shuttle astronauts were just plainly and simply more important.
        Me:  Right.  They were coming back from a routine mission-- they weren't doing something they shouldn't've been doing.  They weren't partying in a danger zone.
        Bob:  Exactly.  And sure there are risks and the shuttle crew knew the risks, but there was no indication they were going to die.  I mean if the last shuttle had exploded, and the one before that, okay maybe they would've been stupid try go up there.  But they just broke up on re-entry when they shouldn't have.
        Me:  And now probably because of this, the American space program is going to probably have another setback-- and we need to get off this planet as soon as possible, because we're running out of planet and frankly it's time to move on.  I mean, this species needs to do something more than just wallow in ennui or kill itself and bitch to each other about politics and God.
        Bob:  Or at least if it's gonna keep doing that it should take it outside.
        Me:  Exactly, so sorry to say it but the deaths of the astronauts are more significant than some thrill-seekers who died in an avalanche.  Sorry, but that's just the way it is.
        Bob:  And so all you Canadians are doing is spouting out more childish anti-Americanism.  Get over yourselves.  If you're going to be all anti-American at least focus on, like, George Bush, or something else really deserving of your blind wrath.
        Me:  And, so, again, to repeat:  Sure, the skiers died and that sucked-- but they were skiing somewhere they shouldn't've been and were sorta asking for it.
        Bob:  So stop your whining and get a sense of perspective.
        Me:  And, of course now it's coming out that NASA kinda sorta maybe knew something like this was gonna just maybe kinda happen, maybe.
        Bob:  Yeah, because a tile fell off the shuttle during liftoff or something.
        Me:  Yeah.  And so, as the newscaster I heard this morning said, "Their fates were already sealed."
        Bob:  But NASA didn't say anything.
        Me:  Probably didn't want to panic the astronauts.
        Bob:  Yeah.  After all, how would you like to be trapped up there and know you're not gonna be able to come back down alive?
        Me:  Right.  And so Mission Control was probably just hoping the shuttle wouldn't blow up on re-entry, but then it did.
        Bob:  At least it was quick.
        Me:  Yeah.  When I die I hope it's quick, too.  I wouldn't want to have to think about my death.  Just the thought of my ceasing to exist can terrify me into paralysis for days.
        Bob:  But I wonder why NASA didn't try to get them to dock at the space station?
        Me:  I don't know.
        Bob:  But, all in all, yep, the Columbia blew up.  And it was the first shuttle, too.
        Me:  Maybe they should retire shuttles after, like ten years.  Just so they don't get all structurally damaged and blow up.  And then maybe they can make more.
        Bob:  Instead of wasting their money on bombs and shit like that.
        Me:  Yeah.
        Bob:  But, all said and done, once again it really doesn't bode well for the space program.
        Me:  Not like we'll ever live to see outer space anyway....

Next:  Mouse and eagle revisionism....