NASA Is a Federal Government Agency Whose Administrator Should Be a Nonpartisan Science-Based Executive, Not a Political Extremist

PresidentÂ Donald Trump has taken more time to fill the hundreds of key federal government positions necessary for a fully-functioning government than any other president in modern history. To give you an idea of just how badly he is doing in thisÂ critical job responsibility, let’s look to The Washington Post, which is tracking all of Trump’s nominees for 591 key positions that require Senate confirmation. (There are actually more that require Senate confirmation, and thousands that do not, but we’ll keep our focus on the most important roles.)

As of Wednesday, for thoseÂ 591 key positions,Â Trump has had only 117 nominees confirmed. He has formally nominated another 106, which the Senate must act on. There are 2 people he has said he was going to nominate but has yet to do so formally. And, there are 366 key positions for which he has not bothered to nominate anyone.

Again, that’s as of Wednesday, according to The Washington Post. Trump did nominate several dozen candidates late Friday to various positions, so these numbers are a bit off, but overall they give you an excellent idea of just how bad a job Trump is doing.

One of the people Trump nominated late Friday is his candidate to run NASA, theÂ National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA is a federal government agency whose administrator should be a nonpartisan science-based executive.Â

NASA is not just about putting people into space. It’s a vital federal government agency that is responsible for many of the modern-day technology we use in our everyday lives. NASA in 2008 produced a 215 page document detailing all of the commercial products and technologies that it has contributed to.

NASA is also a big part of America’s research into climate change, which, contrary to the Commander-in-Chief and almost every Republican in Congress, is real. The U.S. Dept. of Defense says climate change is a major threat to national security.

So naturally, President Trump has just nominated a climate change denier to run NASA.

U.S. Congressman Jim Bridenstine, Republican of Oklahoma, is 42 years old. He sits on the HouseÂ Committee on Armed Services and on the HouseÂ Committee on Science, Space and Technology. And because the Speaker of the House is also a climate change denier, Rep. BridenstineÂ is the chairman of the HouseÂ Subcommittee on Environment.

BridenstineÂ is also, unsurprisingly, an anti-gay extremist.

“Jim Bridenstine is a Hard-Core Conservative,” says OnTheIssues, a nonpartisan site that tracks politicians’ votes and statements.

When the Boy Scouts voted to remove its own ban on gay Scouts, Rep. BridenstineÂ took to the House floor to attack LGBT people.

“Some of us in America still believe in the concept of sexual morality, that sex is intended for one man and one woman within the institution of marriage,” BridenstineÂ said in 2013, as Towleroad reported. “Organizations that hold this philosophy and promote it among our youth should be commended, or at least you would think, tolerated. Unfortunately, the intolerant Left bullies and browbeats private organizations like the Boy Scouts into accepting their philosophy.”

BridenstineÂ argued that LGBT activists “didn’t start their own organization,” but rather, “went after the Boy Scouts of America.”

Remember, it was the Boy Scouts that voted to remove their ban.Â

“The Left’s agenda is not about tolerance, and it’s not about diversity of thought. It’s about presenting a worldview of relativism, where there is no right and wrong. Then using the full force of the government to silence opposition and reshape organizations like the Boy Scouts into instruments for social change.”

He concluded with a reference to Jesus.

“To my friends on the Left, this is not tolerance. but here’s the good news about true tolerance. the most tolerant one of all has the ability to redeem us all.”

One year later, when a federal judge ruled Oklahoma’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional, BridenstineÂ made clear his thoughts.

“Marriage is not a ‘governmental benefit.’ Marriage is the foundational institution in our culture which recognizes the very unique and complimentary contributions men and women make in the raising of children.”

And afterÂ the U.S. Supreme Court ruled same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage, BridenstineÂ bristled. At a Christian anti-gay, anti-abortion rally Bridenstine told supporters, â€œfive unelected lawyers changed the definition of marriage in this country.â€

BridenstineÂ is everything you’d expect of a Republican Congressman from Oklahoma. He’s anti-gay, opposes same-sex marriage, opposes ObamaCare, opposes a woman’s right to choose, denies climate change is real and even opposes supporting alternative energy, he “pals around” with far right wing extremists likeÂ Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins, wants fetuses to have the same civil rights as people who have been born, wants a federal law banning same-sex marriage and thinks states should have the right to ban it. BridenstineÂ also wants special protections for people of faith who oppose same-sex marriage, wants no federal standards for education, supports abstinence-only “education,” opposes restrictions on gun purchases, supports privatizing social security, wants to get rid of the IRS, and more.

You get the picture.

BridenstineÂ does not belong at the head of what is a nonpartisan vital U.S. government agency. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) agree.

Let’s hope more Senators do, and vote this abominable nomination down.

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