Posted on by mwhybark

Blimp Week followup Pt. I

In the May 18 edition of the Seattle P-I, a story by Mike Barber picks up on the initial Blimp Week story of Boeing’s investment in CargoLifter:

Dirigibles get the call: Uncle Sam wants you

Dirigibles — massive flying machines that went the way of the mammoth a half-century ago — are being resurrected as high-tech weapons in the war on terror.

Twice as big as a jumbo jet and soaring twice as high, they may soon be deployed to guard Canada and the United States, scanning for intruders on the Pacific Northwest’s long coastline and international border.

Posted on by mwhybark

NYT coverage of Martinsville arrest

After Arrest, Town Shamed by ’68 Killing Seeks Renewal

An interesting article, which provides some opinions that support my own: Martinsville has acted as a scapegoat for the intolerant history and heritage of Indiana politics. This is not to say that I didn’t subscribe to this idea while resident in Indiana, nor is it to say that Martinsville has not given us examples of racial intolerance.

from the article:

Last fall Martinsville was back in the news after the assistant police chief, Dennis Nail, wrote a letter to the local paper complaining about “queers,” “Billy Buddha,” “Hadji Hindu” and the outlawing of organized school prayer.

Neither the mayor nor the police chief disciplined Mr. Nail or publicly criticized his letter, which he had written as a private citizen. Mr. Nail was given a standing ovation at a packed City Council meeting.

So, let’s just take it as a given that I won’t be moving to Martinsville anytime soon.