Guess Ant-Man and the Wasp were too busy for the Avengers. . .still, Hawkeye's a nice replacement, although he didn't join till Thor, Iron Man & the other two left for their first 'vacation' (by then Ant-Man had become Giant-Man).

. . .and the Avengers teaser trailer's already been removed from YouTube. . .what a rook!

The X-Plane program, for decades, has been a research platform, looking at problems and possibilities to do with aviation and space exploration. Being research vehicles, there is no guarantee whatsoever that the final, finished products will look anything like the vehicles of the X-Plane program.

for instance, one X-Plane was built to look into VTOL. From that we got the Harrier and the Joint Strike Fighter. none of the three resemble each other.

there's been mention above of several of the possibilities making it useful in later versions, and they seem reasonable. but there exist other possibilities.

one, which i don't see listed, is a possible rescue vehicle for astronauts trapped in orbit without a way home (think the old movie 'Marooned').

another, although perhaps fuel intensive, would be the ability to gather the larger pieces of space debris left in orbit from previous flights.

yet another could be the 'hijacking' or theft of satellites belonging to other nations, if those satellites are perceived as having purposes inimical to the interests of the US. its ability to return to the Earth would make this a desirable goal, if it was decided that such a choice was needed.

sometimes, satellites (as was the case with the Hubble telescope) went into wrong orbits. the X37B could grab those satellites and move them into proper orbits. this would be useful if such a problem happened with US surveillance satellites.

its design speaks flexibility and reusability, possibly over a short time of refitting and refueling. emergency supplies or personnel could also be lifted into orbit on short notice.

it could even be a research vehicle to look into possibilities for the next generation of space shuttle. . .

at this point, it's still a research vehicle. . .so anything goes. anything positive (or negative) could come out of it.

let's remember that Texas was the last state to get rid of a law deeming homosexual conduct a crime.

there is hope, no matter how little. yet i admit i'm skeptical.

the reason being the usual Texas politics. they're my people, and i know them.

i keep remembering that they made George W Bush Governor. And then Rick Perry.

did this judge make the decision out of reason? empathy? the logic's right, as far as i can tell.

or is he just close to retirement, and wanted to leave a decision that'd screw with people's minds?

wish i knew. . .

frankly, i always thought FOX News was closer to al Qaeda than gays. . .lots more proof.

(continued from above)

My oldest nephew's career Army. He's done four tours in Iraq, and he's now in Afghanistan.

If these changes in the NSS lessen the amount of anti-Americanism and bring him back home to his daughter--and if they bring everyone else home safely--I'm for it.

And, before it's said. . .i'm not a liberal. i'm not a conservative. i'm not a libertarian, progressive or teabagger. I don't agree with this CIC any more than I did the last.

I belong to no herd.

And the Corps doesn't count (mid-70's). . .it's a wolf pack.

Keep in mind that the current President will one day be gone, as have so many others.

'Mess with the best, Die with the rest' AND 'Peace through strength' are both good guides. Followed 'em most of my life.

But 'Be an ass' isn't.

Gentlemen. . .there's a lot of emotion around this issue, as there are so many others. In my opinon, this change doesn't reflect a weakening of American position, as much as a realistic statement of it.

Our security's as strong as it ever was; we still have the best military in the world, the greatest amount of force that can be brought to bear, and much more.

There's no need for the United States to be a bully, forcing other countries to tow the line. We can afford to be gracious sometimes.

There's no need for over-reaction, either. There IS a need to enforce already standing laws and treaties, international and domestic. There IS a need to protect the country and its people, and the rights we've been accustomed to.

But there's no need to make us look like complete jerks.

And showing respect--including respect for the ways of another culture--can bring benefits. It's not a sign of weakness. We don't rule the world any more than anyone else. We just happen to be the strongest at this point in history.

(to be continued)