Reply to Op-Ed piece on Kerry's NASA photo

[Scooter24]

I am writing to you to show my disgust over your article on July 28 casting Kerry as a "goof" during his trip to Cape Canaveral.

Republicans who find it necessary to degrade Kerry over these pictures should be ashamed of themselves. Not only are they demeaning our space program, but also the thousands of people personally involved in its daily operation.

It's an insult to the hundreds of people who work tirelessly every day to protect our astronauts safety and advance the astronomical sciences. Many of whom must wear those "silly" clean suits.

It's an insult to those people who gave their life in pursuit of the exploration of space, their childhood dream, who rely on those people who wear these "silly" clean suits to design, build, and maintain the shuttles.

It's an insult to a cornerstone of the American dream -- our childhood curiosity of space. It's indefensible that some find it funny to mock our leaders who make an honest attempt to study and witness the advancement of our progress, not just from a chair in a big white house, but from inside the actual device that delivers those people to the vast land of promise and curiosity.

John Kerry should not be laughed at because he wore a "silly" clean suit, he should be commended for his efforts to see first hand the science and mechanics involved to explore our universe. For those of you who find it funny, I encourage you to write to the parents of astronauts William McCool, or David Brown, or Mike Anderson, all of whom lost their lives in last years Columbia tragedy, and let them know how silly the people who wear those clean suits look. Keep in mind while you do, that those individuals you are insulting make up the backbone of our nations space program -- our scientists, our astronauts, our engineers.

There is no excuse for this level of ignorance. It's time for those who wish to cast negative spin on these pictures for political gain to grow up and recognize Mr. Kerry's sincere effort to embrace our technological advancements. At the very least, he is not learning by simply reading it in a briefing drafted by advisors, but from the actual source.