13 January 2007

Things That Make You Go Hmmm....

Posting on the road today from that Midwestern metropolitan center known as Omaha, or, as the residents of Elkhorn found out yesterday, Russia re-incarnate with Omaha's naked grab of the town formerly known as Elkhorn. Interesting little law in Nebraska that allows a municipality to 'borg' a neighboring town without allowing the victim township the opportunity to vote on the matter. Omaha's lawyers said "yea, a bad law but we're still going to use it" and the Soviet Nebraska Supreme Court has agreed with Omaha. Only state in the union with such a law too -- and here you thought Big Red referred to the team down at UNL...

Meanwhile, over at Lockheed-Martin, Big Navy is manifestly unhappy with progress on LCS:

NEWS RELEASES from the United States Department of Defense

No. 039-07 IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 12, 2007

Navy Issues Stop Work Order for Littoral Combat Ship 3 Announced

The Navy has issued a stop work order today to Lockheed Martin Corp. Maritime Systems & Sensors unit, Moorestown, N.J., for the construction of the third Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). This stop work order will take effect immediately and is for a period of 90 days.
The stop work order was issued because of significant cost increases currently being experienced with the construction of LCS-1 and LCS-3, under construction by Lockheed Martin. "I determined that at this point in time it was critical to stop work on LCS-3 to assess the LCS program and ensure we understand the program's cost and management processes before we move forward. It is essential that we complete LCS 1 and get it to sea so we can evaluate this new ship design" said Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter.
More to come, I'm sure...

As YHS casts a wary weather eye towards the South and East at the mess that stretches up through the central region, he pauses to reflect how the weather genie once again manages to drop trou and let fly on his flight plans. More regular postings once we return to our humble abode in Occupied Territory, hopefully earlier rather than later this coming week.

- SJS

P.S. For all you OSU fan out there...