Click the jet and get a small taste of what we're talking about here. Turn your speakers up all the way.
The US Navy's attempts to place an Outlying Landing Field near the Pocosin National Wildlife Refuge is a story of political intrigue and puppetry. Along the way, three of the Navy's most accomplished admirals abandoned their military missions and prostituted themselves to the Party of Greed and the Bush sadministration.
First was Robert J. Natter, who was nailed in this letter by the Albermarle Environmental Association in 2003.
At a time when reason and cool heads should prevail, we are dismayed at the Navy's latest defense of their decision to site an OLF in Washington County for Super Hornet training. Admiral Natter's campaign to sell the OLF to citizens who don't want to buy has been marked by arrogance, accusatory remarks and veiled threats.
The Admiral, who is Commander of the entire Atlantic Fleet, has told opponents that they have a responsibility to cooperate with the Navy. He has charged that opposition statements are full of distortions, errors and misrepresentations, and he has threatened protracted, expensive litigation if opponents choose to sue. In a Letter to the Editor on August 3, he called the editorial staff of The Charlotte Observer "stupid" because they wrote an editorial calling the idea of an OLF in Washington County "stupid." This Admiral who resorts to tit-for-tat name-calling will make the final recommendation to the Secretary of the Navy for basing Super Hornets.
In 2003, Admiral Natter completed a 41-year Navy career. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve at 17 and then attended the Naval Academy. Being a Naval Academy graduate myself, I appreciate the accomplishment of rising to the illustrious rank of admiral. You can't be completely stupid, and you have to kiss a lot of asses on the way to the top. Because in today's world, achieving flag rank is nothing but political theater, and Natter came to the OLF with plenty of strings attached.
Why was Natter so hot to get an outlying landing field in the first place? Well, let's use his own words in a letter he wrote in October, 2000.
It is precisely because of community concerns over jet noise that we are carefully exploring the establishment of an additional outlying field to accommodate Super Hornet training - should these aircraft come to our community - and reduce aircraft operations at our airfields at Oceana and Fentress.
The mover behind the desire to save the poor people of Virgina Beach (where Oceana is located) was Senator John Warner. Warner cut a deal with Elizabeth Dole to transfer Virginia's "noise problem" to the people of North Carolina. Now that's what I call a responsive senator . . . too bad she was responding to the people of another state.
Now fast forward to last month, where another admiral carries the torch for Warner.
Nathman, a former F-14 pilot, said the Navy must have a new outlying landing field to solve the training and fighter jet noise problems created by encroachment around Oceana and Fentress Naval Auxiliary Landing Field in Chesapeake. Homes and businesses around the two facilities have forced Navy pilots to fly different training patterns than those used to practice for aircraft carrier landings.
Hear that Senator Dole? Noise, noise, noise. It's so horrible to have noise in Virginia, but isn't it just wonderful to have it in North Carolina? How you could have sold out your home state totally boggles the mind. Oh wait, I forgot. You don't really think of North Carolina as your home state. You're just using it as a stepping stone in your sad political career. Right? I mean how else can you explain doing this deal with the devil?
In any case, there's one more admiral in the sorry saga, and he's in the news for other reasons these days. His name is Admiral Fallon, and he is currently being considered to lead the war clusterf*ck in Iraq. Admiral Fallon was the head honcho in charge of the Eastern Seaboard while the OLF was being formulated and selected in September 2003.
Jennifer, who heads the NO-OLF organization, says this about Fallon:
IT would not be too difficult to question the wisdom of the Senate and Congress in today's confirmation hearings of this man as our nation's new troop leader in Iraq. He publicly endorsed the OLF despite experts saying that due to its location Navy airmen would more than likely be killed. Not a person with whom I would trust my child.
So there you have it. Three admirals who care more about politics than about protecting the lives that have been entrusted to them. Pretty damn disgusting.
More on the unfolding OLF disaster.
Fish and wildlife gag order
Dole screws family farmers
Not your father's Navy