(7) Taken as a whole, Leahy's statement actually means nothing. Although it's constructed to push emotional buttons that could distract the casual reader from its emptiness, the careful reader will notice that it lacks relevant content.
The Record Opposing
the F-35 in Vermont is Long and Detailed
Those who oppose basing the F-35 in a densely populated argue that that's just a bad decision -- as public policy, economic policy, military policy, or environmental policy. Their arguments largely go unanswered by any rational counter-argument.
In responding to the Globe story, the Senator's office circulated a dozen or so supporting documents of limited relevance as well as one that outlines several basic issues to which Leahy apparently never responded substantively.
In February 2010, the chair of the South Burlington City Council, Mark Boucher, wrote to the Air Force, with copies to Leahy, Senator Bernie Sanders, Congressman Peter Welch, Gov. Jim Douglas, and others involved then in the F-35 planning process. Among other things, Boucher noted that the Burlington International Airport (BIA) was confined entirely within the borders of South Burlington, but that South Burlington had not even been informed of meetings of the interested parties, never mind invited to take part in a process whose impact would be felt most directly by South Burlington.
Boucher noted that: "For the last several years, the BIA has been purchasing and removing homes adjacent to the Airport using federal FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] noise mitigation funding."
He discussed the impact of the "unfit for residential use" zone on city housing, putting more than 150 homes at risk. He described the area as comprising "the largest inventory of affordable housing in South Burlington." (The 2012 Air Force environmental impact statement says that a minimum of 1,300 homes will become "unfit for residential use" as a result of the smaller of two F-35 basing plans.)
Do Their Elected
Representatives Care Where or How People Live?
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
