Obama, Public Enemy #1

Dear Mr. President,
Every year October is Fleet Week in San Francisco. It’s always a big deal. The politicians and merchants love it for the money it brings in—a million people come to town over that weekend. There are also lots of folks here who hate all things military, especially the roar of the Blue Angels overhead, and want an end to Fleet Week. I respect that; I too hate war, the military-industrial complex and the jingoistic mindset that permeates our society, but my secret vice is that I have always loved airplanes and the Blue Angels. (I rationalize it by the thought that they‘re over here entertaining us and not over there bombing and strafing.) Today however, the Fleet Week organizers announced that because of sequestration, the Navy has cancelled all Blue Angels appearance for the rest of 2013 and, since the Blue Angels are the main draw for Fleet Week, the whole event may be canceled. (Call it collateral damage from the sequester.) Today’s paper went on to say that the annual cost to maintain the Blue Angels is about $35 million, which is the cost of the Navy’s new laser cannon that doesn’t work around water vapor, needs clear weather and line of sight, and isn’t powerful enough to down a missile or fighter plane, (see yesterday’s letter). Talk about screwed up priorities! Even more puzzling is this: “Blue Angels pilots will continue to ‘maintain flying proficiency’ at the team's home base in Pensacola, Fla., said Navy spokesman Lt. Aaron Kakiel.” (SF Chronicle, April 10) So if they’re still maintaining proficiency and flying around the skies of Pensacola, how much extra does it cost to fly around the country at air shows? Did the Pentagon kill the Blue Angels just to upset people who they think will clamor to restore the Pentagon’s budget cuts? Why not stop the wars instead? Or kill that laser cannon gizmo and move the $34 million into the Blue Angels budget? I’m really torn on this one, Mr. President. I want to see the military budget cut as much as anyone but the cuts are in the wrong places—things like Veteran’s benefits and the Blue Angels when we should be cutting senseless immoral wars of aggression and senseless weapons that don’t work and airplanes that don’t fly. You’re willing to cut Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and social programs but not the funding for war or the weapons of war. Bush thought he was the War President, but he was just a pretender. You’re the real War President, defender of war profiteers, and public enemy #1.