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For the annual cost of the Drug War, we could have 100 shuttle missions
By Reilly Capps
I know this is a website about science and the environment, not politics, but I need to note here a couple obvious facts:
Our pockets are empty, so we're cutting funding for basic science research. We're shutting down the Space Shuttle.
And yet I haven't heard talk of cutting funding for the War on Drugs. Even though it costs $44 billion a year.
You know how many people died in the Drug Wars ...
500
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="757" caption="It's been a good run. [NASA Photo"]"][/caption]
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We live in magical times: you read in the news that our national space shuttle just floated away from the international space station, and just that sentence seems like it comes from the future, even now. Even after I've heard it 100 times. For a few goosebumps, if you're a space nerd like me, watch this tour of the space station. If you're short on time, the payoff comes at about 8:40, when you can see out the magnificent Millennium Falcon-like window a floating blue sphere.