A recent article published by the Seattle Times, which discusses a new battle in the war against Navy aircraft using NOLF Coupeville, has parties on both sides of the “aircraft noise” fence hammering away at their keyboards like a pissed off Thor. The “issue” at hand? Whether the jets, who use Coupeville to stay current in a variety of combat training areas, should go away and find somewhere else to practice their freedom-defending mission.
The aircraft noise issue is as old as aviation and has impacted both the civil and military communities alike. Is there an answer that will make everybody happy? Absolutely not, because the military and aviation aren’t going anywhere. That’s the short answer.
Let me tell you why this legal battle is ridiculous: NOLF Coupeville has been around since 1943. That’s why. If developers choose to continue building near airports, then people choosing to look at property in those areas should be prepared. They love airplanes when they benefit them, but let them make some noise when they don’t need their services and all hell breaks loose. There’s an old saying along the lines of, “Nothing attracts new subdivisions like airports and shooting ranges.”
Food for thought.
I completely understand urban sprawl, and I also understand a desire to live in certain areas over others. However, there is nothing more frustrating than people searching for a reason to be pissed about something because they have nothing better to do. In the Seattle Times article, they mention that Cecilia Askins is concerned because the jet noise (aka the badass sound of freedom) triggers anxiety in her 6-year old son.
If you can’t adequately explain to your child that his anxiety is actually triggered by your selfishness in buying property near an OLF that has been around for over 70 years, then you have much larger issues. I don’t mean to sound insensitive, because I have children of my own, but I am beyond tired of people who choose to move next to a military facility and then piss and moan when that facility’s users create noise that offends their delicate sensibilities.
I know that in this great country not everybody turns into a kid every time they see or hear an aircraft fly overhead, but all of this is a massive waste of taxpayer dollars. If I choose to move my family into a high crime area, knowing the potential risks, do I have any right whatsoever to act shocked when crime comes knocking on my door? Hell no. This isn’t rocket science, people.
There was a time in our wonderful nation when people thought of others first and common courtesy was the status quo. That time is long gone now, and it seems that damn near everybody is concerned about numero uno. Nothing more, nothing less. You can see it in every aspect of how most modern Americans live their lives. It’s their land or it’s their road. That attitude is a small part of what’s destroying America from the inside out.
My sincere hope is that our brothers and sisters in every branch of the military continue to hold steadfast and fight for what so many have laid their lives down: the defense of OTHER AMERICANS.