Saturday, January 06, 2007

The Heavy Hand of the CIA


The institutional arrogance of the government has struck again.

The Air Force and the CIA retired the Black Bird surveillance planes from service in 1990. The Minnesota National Guard Museum rescued one of the A12 versions from the bone yard in Palmdale, California and moved it to Minnesota. Several hundred volunteers put in thousands of hours and significant dollars to restore the plane to museum quality. The museum show cases the revolutionary contributions of this plane in History, Engineering and Science. It is in its own way, a thing of beauty.

The Air Force has told the museum that they want it back.

So they can give it to the CIA.

Who will use it as a lawn ornament in front of their headquarters in Langley.

Can they get more arrogant?

6 comments:

jj mollo said...

Where no one will see it except people too busy to look. Could you live with the National Air and Space Museum?

mal said...

JJ- maybe, but its moot. I believe they already have at least one

Sheri said...

Hope MN has the fortitude to tell the AF to stick their request where the "sun don't shine". They haven't yet developed a method to recall a smart munition after it's released. I don't see where this is any different. Politics, UGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Notsocranky Yankee said...

I hope MN says "NO!"

Bike Drool said...

That airplane is awesome. And that is ridiculous! I hope MN gets to keep the plane. All the volunteers that restored it to museum quality should be the rightful "owners" now... they should have the say where it belongs!

Fantastagirl said...

I hope MN gets to keep it - I hate it when the government does stupid things like this.