Watch out for ‘space pirates,’ Ted Cruz warns
Senator Ted Cruz wants Congress to approve the formation of a ‘space force’ tasked with protecting ‘the nation’ against space pirates. Naturally, the people of Twitter responded in an appropriately dramatic fashion.
Cruz made the comments during a senate committee hearing on aviation and space on Tuesday. Cruz, chairman of the subcommittee, reasoned that because pirates threaten the open seas, “the same is possible in space.”
Ted Cruz argues that Space Force is necessary because... wait for it... space pirates. Leave it to Cruz to take a dumb Trump idea and make it sound even dumber. pic.twitter.com/xjjItA3EV3
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) May 15, 2019
Senator Ted Cruz thinks those of us concerned about climate change are alarmist, but he’s adamant that the nation invest in protection against space pirates https://t.co/aq1VL1kHhs
— Katie Mack (@AstroKatie) May 15, 2019
Running to my computer to work up a pitch for ‘Ted Cruz vs the Space Pirates of the Seven Galaxies’ right now. https://t.co/nEd6WPkBaz
— Christopher Tillman (@christophertill) May 15, 2019
READ MORE: Mars & Moon bases for military? Elon Musk ‘likes’ Trump’s Space Force plan
“In this same way, I believe we too must now recognize the necessity of a Space Force to defend the nation and to protect space commerce and civil space exploration,” Cruz urged.
Oh my god. Ted Cruz’s new priority is SPACE PIRATES. Inject this right into my veins. https://t.co/zDE7A6PCAV
— Caroline McCarthy (@caro) May 15, 2019
You laugh now, but wait till it’s the year 2350 and you realize Ted Cruz was right. 🏴☠️ https://t.co/tuROCGnp33
— Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) May 16, 2019
🏴☠️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 15, 2019
When I saw that “Space Pirates” were trending because of Ted Cruz, I just assumed they were here to take him back to his home planet.
— Palmer Report (@PalmerReport) May 16, 2019
Ted: We can't do anything about climate change, because it's going to cost a lot and it's way in the future. Also it's totally made up. Also Ted: Space Pirates!Everyone: No such thing!Ted: But there could be. Some day. Maybe. If Somalia gets a space program. https://t.co/LasbVX8GRS
— Stonekettle (@Stonekettle) May 15, 2019
The comments caused such a frenzy among netizens that Twitter turned the thread of tweets into a ‘moment’ – one not appreciated by Cruz, who called out the social media company for only including input from “snarky leftists.”
Hey @jack how come Twitter’s “moment” quotes all the snarky leftists making fun of my comments, but doesn’t include my tweets in response explaining the real point that NATIONS like China have already developed & tested weapons to destroy satellites? https://t.co/dwkM5ndXj3
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 16, 2019
The Trump administration is currently seeking more than $2 billion to fund Space Force, according to The Hill who cite a report from the Congressional Budget Office. The proposed force purportedly needs up to 7,800 personnel to get it off the ground, adding more than $1 billion to the Pentagon’s annual costs, the report found.
READ MORE: Trump signs directive to create not-so-‘equal’ Space Force as part of Air Force
Congress has yet to approve the creation of the new military branch, but allotted $15 million to study the implementation of the Space Force. Even so, Trump has signed off on the setup of a revived US Space Command as part of the Air Force.
Trump admitted last year that he initially coined ‘Space Force’ as a joke in a discussion of government spending and private investment in space. The president decided to take the matter seriously, however, after China landed the first probe on the far side of the moon, and other countries began eyeing up their own chunk of extra-terrestrial space.
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