Letter: Navy, its supporters, are not going anywhere

Editor,

For nearly 40 years, we’ve listened to their hysterical garbage claiming that the Navy’s jets are “ripping the fabric” of the universe, or that the Navy is a bunch of (expletive), as stated in Michael Monson’s and Al Tennant’s Facebook posts on Dec. 7.

Yep, we got it. Nice touch on Pearl Harbor Day. We know what you think.

I could dive into Ken Pickard’s history, but since he ran away to Canada, like so many of his generation, no one really cares about Ken’s antics anymore.

I went to Vietnam; many of Ken’s friends ran away to Canada. Same people, same story, and America never forgets.

The end result of 40 years of begging, threatening, filing lawsuits, sending postcards and claiming that electing an Island County commissioner would put the Navy on notice — nobody cares.

And, by the way, Island County elected officials and state historic preservation officers don’t tell the Navy what to do. They simply go through the process.

Good on the Navy for telling them all to pack sand. The jets are already here, the pilots are already here, and the base is well-funded. Congress has already approved all the jets, the Department of Defense has already expanded all the airspace, and still, it appears, a few comic book figures still haven’t gotten the memo.

Anyway, enjoy your future lawsuit that has no power to actually remove the aircraft. It’s as if these people think that if they sue the Navy enough, the Navy will run out of flight-hour funds.

Here’s a little tidbit of knowledge from the “inside:” Those funds aren’t connected at all; there is no judge or individual congressman who can order the Navy to remove the jets. Navy supporters aren’t going anywhere, just like the jets.

And we speak to our congressman and senators every day too. That’s why you can’t get anywhere on the issue. Enjoy the airshow. The vast majority stand with our pilots, our sailors and our Navy. For the rest of you, enjoy posting on Facebook. We know what you think. You have no power, and we will never let you have it.

Ryan Draeger

Oak Harbor