The stupidity . . .

THE LA TIMES has an obituary written by Claire Noland, that details the life and times of Qian Xuesen, who died at the ripe old age of 98.

So, who was Qian Xuesen, and why should you care?

He was one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in California, that did the early ground-breaking research in American rocketry — and a victim of the McCarthy paranoia. Deported in 1955 on suspicion of being a Communist, the aeronautical engineer educated at Caltech became known as the father of China's space and missile programs.

Can you say Silkworm?