A lobbying window of opportunity

Dear List, The first manned space flight of China is expected as early as October 10 this year (next month!). America should be outraged and humiliated. Humiliated because, we are now grounded in the wake of the Columbia's destruction. Outraged, because this is almost like "your tax dollars at work," except that here it is your trade dollars at work. In the 1990s rush to implement free trade, Washington missed the meaning of a trade deficit. Now, they may be too humiliated to admit that other largeeconomic problems stem from trade deficits. One part of the outrage is easy to get across: that the $100+ billiontrade deficit with China is "welfare for tyrants" -- money going from here to there. If someone gave you $100 billion a year, you too could have your own army, navy, air force, and space program. You have no idea how much American outrage has been building about China, and how much more could occur based on a China space shot. The flames are already there; one hardly needs to stoke those flames -- only to talk about what is already the case in the matter. To "talk about" this material, I wonder whether funded organizations, and grass roots individuals, can get together and support a public outreach campaign. Where, in our cause, is the lobbying directed? Jeff Krukin? Who else? And, do we have access to grass roots lists and newsletters? My thought is this: raise money, and put a full-page ad into USA Today or such. The message should be developed in concert with SSI, Jeff Krukin, and others whom we reach to be "in on it." (My other organization, the China Support Network, can always supply anti-China vitriol.) What do the members of this list think of this idea? -- China's space shot may make tempers flare, and matters boil over. Washington's space situation is pathetic. --Let me toss this out to the list, to hear your own ideas and input on this. Thanks! --John Kusumi