With boxes of fudge and ice cream serving as props, opponents of the F-35 fighter jet staged a press conference/protest outside the Burlington office of Sen. Patrick Leahy on Wednesday.
The event wasn’t just desserts, however. The activists also enlisted a local grandmother who warned that basing the planes at the Burlington International Airport (BTV) could force her to move from the home she has occupied for the past 40 years.
The two boxes of fudge resting on top of the Democracy sculpture on Main Street were a reference to a recent Boston Globe story reporting that the Pentagon had “fudged” an assessment identifying BTV as the top choice for the F-35 bed-down. The Globe said the results of an evaluation process had been manipulated in order to ensure the plane would be based in Leahy’s state. The senator had pressed the Air Force to bring the F-35 to Burlington, the Globe also reported, citing anonymous officials as its sources for the account.
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Mr. Kelley did you “get the scoop”?
The opponents always cry no is listening to them. There is a difference between not listening and not agreeing. Our elected officials have heard them…they are just following the wishes of the majority of their constituents who support the basing of the F35 in Vermont.
I think that it is rather ironic that all the pro F-35ers don’t live in the flight path and surrounding areas that are affected and contrary to what the “Green Ribbons” would like you to believe, there are many, many opposers to this high powered, noisier military plane practicing their low flying patterns over our residential neighborhoods. Have you not been following all the technical problems they are having with the F-35, not to mention the outrageous cost? Thank you, Ben, for calling attention to this proposal, along with Leahy’s “not me” statements, which I’m sorry, I don’t believe. I do respect our military but do not think the F-35 belongs in our back yard AND that it is solely responsible for Vermont’s future economy. I would like to see our “reps” concentrate on bringing decent jobs to Vermont that would benefit us all.
There is no evidence that most elected officials —
Leahy, Sanders, Welch, Shumlin (and Douglas), Weinberger —
have “heard” opponents.
None of them has spoken knowledge about the issues,
and none of them has yet to give the opposition
a meaningful hearing (except maybe Weinberger).
Basically our democratically elected officials
have turned their backs on a serious democratic process,
despote their press-released weasel-words.
No one knows what the majority of Vermonters wants,
because no one has made a fair effort to find out
(and the result would still be the logical fallacy of
argumentum ad populum).
http://readersupportednews.org…
Sadly the Green Ribbon people are mostly guards people and cronies in commercial real estate who stand to profit, when noise drives people from their homes and they can snag up and convert to office buildings, warehouses, hotels in VTs largest city. Noise is their friend and Ernie Pomerleau, Leahy’s cousin in law has proven that at any cost; he wants those planes here. 23 k to charter a plane to “listen” to F35 at Eglin? All they had to do is read the dEis. 4x louder than F 16. Just read it. People bought homes next to an airport not a military base!!I have heard no complaints about commercial planes. Why is Air Force hiding scoring data and denying FOIA, if this basing was up and up. Bernie knows there are serious questions about the slimey scoring data, as did Leahy. Leahy loves FOIA, but FOIA advocate Leahy silent, not a word demanding transparency?? Then wonders why people believe the Pentagon SOURCES saying this was fudged??? if it wasn’t fudged, the scoring data would have been quickly released. just proving that AF/Leahy do NOT want transparency. trucking bombs 200 miles from Fort Drum?? Dangerous and hardly fast way to get directly to enemy. who IS the enemy anyway Canada? the F 35 doesn’t do well in cold weather, all those millions of computer code, should be interesting when 20 below zero. Why did GBIC make a fool of themselves and the commercial realtors who signed Ernie’s ad saying home values have not been affected by noise!! Ridiculous,while using full price home sales that FAA bought in 65 + DNL. Pa-LEEZE… If your house is condemned and someone says I will pay you market value anyway, obviously the home values in the area will stay propped UP. Dah. FAA has no plans to buy any homes in 65 DNL zone expanded by the F35’s. This whole thing smells to high heaven. The cronies and the process is what disgusts me, no one cares if good for VT or it’s people, or even cares about MISSION, it’s not about the guard, it’s about the mission. Not giving a base to every state that has a Senator on the guard caucus, or will write a law favoring the Air Force. The entire Congressional delegation has proven they are exactly like all the rest of politicians. No thanks for bankrupting poison Pork, benefitting family and cronies
There is plenty of evidence that they have “heard” the opponents. You’ve sent them emails, You’ve sent them petitions. Youve sicced Roseanne Greco and Jim Dumont on them. You’ve protested in front of their goddam offices. Yes, they’ve heard you. They don’t agree with you.
This is a typical claim made by opponents of projects in Vt., whether it be basing the F-35s, or siting a wind or solar facility, or a gas pipeline, or anything else. If the decision-makers didn’t decide in your favor, then they didn’t “hear” you. This is totally bogus.
There is a lot of misinformation in your post Brutus, but you are entitled to your opinion and I’m not going to change your mind. One thing I will correct is that Green Ribbons was created by me, Nicole Citro, and I have no ties to the Guard. I am a small business owner in South Burlington. Many, many of my customers own homes inside the DNL, my business is within sight of the runway. The economic ramifications of this base closing will be far reaching, not just jobs on the base. I started this campaign to show that there are far more people who support the MISSION of the Guard with the F35 than oppose it. The ratio is easily 100 to 1 in favor.
Although I respect your right to “create” your Green Ribbons, and do understand your reasoning and your support of this proposal as you are a small business owner and therefore, you would lose out on revenue, I highly doubt that the ratio is “easily 100 to 1 in favor” of bringing the F-35’s to our neighborhoods (perhaps in your circle of business owners, developers, Guard employees, etc.) As stated earlier, I disagree that the F-35 is the ONLY ANSWER to Vermont’s economic future…I personally feel the price is too high to pay with the increased decibal noise, potential accidents of this high powered, highly technical military jet performing their low flying manuveurs over our densely populated neighborhoods, along with the increased pollution to our environment, and decreased home values. I for one, do not want to see the area that I grew up and love, turned into a super powered military base. If you open the door to the F-35’s, what is next? We are not set up for that, nor do hundreds, nay thousands of us, want the F-35’s in our backyard. Thank you for listening.
Oh, sure, they’re hearing us alright, they’re just doing what cronyism demands rather than The People. Reference the Declaration of Independence, particularly the phrase “The Consent of the Governed”. What’s spelled out there in, is that government that ignores The Will of The People, is ILLEGITIMATE and would rightly be prosecuted for Treason, where The People of the USA are sovereign, NOT this god damn EmPyre.
The People of the USA are “the enemy”, that Leahy and Sanders are planning their demise. Especially, gun owners, libertarians, constitutionalists and Christians. There’s a bunch of resources online that describe the various Federal EmPyre documents that detail who they’re targeting and it’s that list of people I typed right up there. They’re brainwashing cops and bribing them with tanks and federal dollars to convince them to fight The People of the USA. The Federal EmPyre is owned by the banksters that stole $7 TRILLION dollars of home equity from America and they’re all (the gov and the banksters) TERRIFIED of JUSTICE.
It’s the Job of Sanders and Leahy to submit to the congress articles of impeachment against all corrupt government officials. 7 government agencies from the Justice Dept. to the ATF, DEA, Customs, DHS, were ALL INVOLVED in “Fast and Furious”, which was Obama’s plan to blame US gun stores for his plan to give access to Mexican Drug Cartels large caliber rifles.
December 7, 2011 1:44 PM
Documents: ATF used “Fast and Furious” to make the case for gun regulations
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31…
Yet Sanders and Leahy are sitting on their hands watching this bold criminal syndicate rule America like we’re an easy target, like we’re a society of victims.