Rep. Don Young (R - Alaska)

In the 1940s Ray Nelson appropriated the propeller beanie as a symbol of science fiction fandom. Fans ever since have cast a jaundiced eye on mundane exploitation of our icon.

But no manifestation of the beanie could have been more unexpected than on Alaska Representative Don Young’s bulbous noggin during a Congressional hearing on November 16.  According to public radio station KMXT:

Alaska Congressman Don Young gave Interior Secretary Ken Salazar a piece of his mind on the Obama Administration’s energy policy Wednesday. Young tried to drive his point home by showing up late into the hearing wearing a beanie on his head. It was topped by a propeller, and sported a pin that said “Obama’s Energy Plan.”

[Thanks to Martin Morse Wooster for the story.]