Kudos to the New York Times for their front page article "Google claims ultimate perk: NASA runway."
- The truth is often stranger than fiction... and a lot funnier.
Seems that Google and NASA have created a special "two-tiered" information super-runway conveniently 7 minutes away from Google's Silicon Valley Headquarters, where only Google's co-founders planes can land takeoff and park, but no other private planes can.
Seems like Google, the "do no evil" champions of a one-tier net neutral Internet, are not above getting the US Government to discriminate against others when Google is the sole beneficiary of the Government's largess and generosity.
It will only be a matter of time before there will be a request from Congress for the NASA Inspector General to investigate why NASA would contract with private individuals to use their planes configured for private personal use -- for some of the nation's most complex scientific experiments, when there are certainly more qualified and lower cost alternatives to accomplish that task for the American taxpayer.
- Can you say "Golden Fleece Award?"
- Can you say "sole source" or "no bid contract" for only one of your uber-wealthy neighbors?
I am sure that after NASA just got through the scandal over whether or not two astronauts flew drunk, that they want to have a high-profile investigation of special treatment for what Google CEO Eric Schmidt described in the New York Times article as Google's "party airplane."
- I am sure the NASA Inspector General will want to know if the planes that fly NASA's scientific missions have open bars?
- National Lampoon should really do a new movie: NASA's Animal House Vacation.
Bottomline: NASA should also be prepared to give similar special treatment to billiionaires with houses and offices near Cape Canaveral, Houston's space Center and NASA's other prime real estate properties.
