In Part 5, the report goes back to Valparaiso, Florida, where the F-35 base at Eglin threatened to destroy about a third of the city's residential area. After significant popular resistance, the Air Force agreed to mitigating its impact by changing some flight paths, but tensions remain high enough that the mayor was too uneasy to go on camera.
The fight over f-35 basing in Florida was divisive, especially pitting those most directly impacted against people living father away would wouldn't hear much noise but wanted the presumed economic benefit as in Burlington, although the comparison was not mentioned. Valparaiso has only a handful of test F-35s flying there now, but unlike Burlington, the Air Force plans a full complement of as many as 59.
The series of reports ended with the news anchors and reporter offering some light fear-mongering, noting that if the National Guard were to leave, then the City of Burlington would have to pick up the costs of fire fighting to the tune of $2.5 million per year plus "millions in start-up costs." Capping the moment with a nice Fox News touch, the female anchor said, "Wow!"
Deceptive
Petition from Chamber of Commerce
The suggestion that, if there's no F-35 base in Burlington, then the Vermont Air National Guard (VTANG) may be shut down completely is an extortionate threat that was floated by Gen. Michael Dubie last spring and by others since. But the Air Force has not said anything officially about the future of VTANG and the speculation keeps being reported as a realistic possibility.
The petition mentioned above, with the 10,700 supposed signatures, used the same threat in a manner designed to mislead possible signers. Drafted by the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC) and distributed with the help of the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce (LCCC), the petition was placed at gas stations, convenience stores, and similar locations across northwest Vermont.
The goal of the petition was modest enough, asking the city council of Burlington to "abandon" its public vote in opposition to basing F-35s in South Burlington. But the casual reader would never know that from the petition's headline: "SAVE THE GUARD" in large letters, or the slightly smaller subhead "Petition in Support of the F-35 at the Vermont Air National Guard."
Media
Taken in by Petition Con
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