Air Shows and Sequester Double Speak

Remember Indianapolis Air Show Chairman Robert Duncan announcing shortly before the federal budget sequester cuts were scheduled to take effect that this year's air show at Mt. Comfort Airport would be canceled because the Navy's Blue Angels, scheduled to be a part of this year's show, would be grounded due to sequestration?

"Due to budget uncertainties resulting from the threat of sequestration and its impact on military participation at our show, all of which are beyond our control, we have been forced to make the very difficult decision to cancel the 2013 Indianapolis Air Show," Robert Duncan, chairman of the show's executive committee, said in a news release.

Well, the show's going on in Evansville despite sequestration.

Undeterred by $85 billion in automatic military spending cuts, the Navy's Blue Angels are still expected to perform at an airshow in Evansville in July.

Organizers of the Hadi ShrinersFest tell the Evansville Courier & Press that they have received no cancellation from the jet performance team.

Shriners spokesman Dale Thomas says the team told organizers they intended to cancel their April shows and keep other show dates after that. But he says the real decision is up to Congress, which is currently battling over the automatic spending cuts.

He says organizers have lined up five other acts for the airshow and are still negotiating with two others.

Even if the Angels have to cancel, Thomas says the air show will go on as scheduled.

It looks to me like Mr. Duncan had a different agenda at play when he hastily announced the cancellation of Indy's air show.