North Platte, Nebraska 69103 – My Blue Heaven?

Not even close, although convicted mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill lived in North Platte in 2005, after being kicked out of witness protection. Once a crook …?

Hill’s life went into a book and two movies – Wiseguy, in film as Goodfellas, by Nicholas Pileggi, and My Blue Heaven, by Nora Ephron, Pileggi’s wife.

Ray Liotta vs. Steve Martin. Go figure.

Former Army sergeant, U.S. senator and secretary of defense Chuck Hagel was born in North Platte.

North Platte has Union Pacific Railroad’s Bailey Yard, the world’s largest railroad classification yard, where incoming trains are detached into individual cars, which are then sent to separate tracks for making other trains. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_Yard

The yard covers 2,850 acres and has 200 separate tracks totaling 315 miles. More than 14,000 railroad cars pass through Bailey every day.

Hagel expects BS to satisfy everybody

We need to consider soft power while maintaining capacity to deliver hard blows; don’t look only inward, but consider global events; don’t believe stories of American decline, but don’t fall for American pride; make sure military has people and tools to do the job; and cut the defense budget.

A policy for all seasons.

‘Hagel warns Congress Against Isolationism; Renews Call for Soft Power’

www.breakingdefense.com