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Petition: Halt the Blue Angels To Mayor Gavin Newson and the Board of Supervisors: We the undersigned, who live and/or work in San Francisco, ask that you join us in seeking a permanent halt to the annual strafing of the city by the Blue Angels, for the following reasons:

IMMEDIATE RISK TO LIFE AND PROPERTY: As the planes fly in extremely tight formations, the slightest error by a pilot or ground-based controller, a computer malfunction or aircraft mechanical trouble could spell disaster. NOISE POLLUTION: When jet aircraft fly low over the city, the canyons of concrete, steel and glass magnify the noise to nerve-shattering levels that would bring arrests if it came from the civilian sector. It absolutely terrifies small children, the elderly, persons who have experienced war, and pets.
AIR POLLUTION: While we try to stem global climate change and avert its catastrophic consequences, the aircraft spew tons of toxic exhaust during their fly-overs.
FUEL WASTE: This is inexcusable, especially in a time of alleged under-supplies of crude oil and its byproducts. WASTE OF TAXPAYERS DOLLARS: This, too, is unforgivable, especially in a time of federal deficit and precipitously mounting national debt.

WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION.

http://action.globalexchange.org/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=458&t=&limit=25

Living in San Francisco, I enjoy the weather and the great part of the city within which i reside. Politics are quite another story. We have quite an assortment of lunatics running city hall, but they just believe they’re in charge, but mostly what they do is bring this sort of dribble to the press. Another example of the left-wing foul mouthed, self-absorbed, chris Daly is a grandstander. He is without substance and will fade into oblivion not without screaming and whining. Don’t worry, this event WILL go on. One of its staunchist supporters is our previous mayor and current Senator Diane Feinstein. Regardless of your views, she does support and elevate this event. She is above the fray and useless ranting of the type Daly and Code Pinko represent!

"...annual strafing of the city," eh? These cretins want strafing, Spooky'll give'em strafing!

My dad's last tour of duty was at the Presidio, so I had the great good fortune of spending a few formative years off the leash in the City when it was still safe for unescorted kids (and livable for grownups -- like Sydney or Melbourne today, or so I'm told). Anyway, Dad and Mom retired to southern Marin, and for many years Fleet Week meant gathering on the deck with a tubful of cold ones, turning up the radio play-by-play, and watching the Angels do their thing: the High Show, conditions permitting, or the Low Show, which also sent the good shivers down one's spine, and all that poisonous toxic exhaust did odd things to the lachrymal glands.

Later on I lived in Alameda, while the NAS was still operational, and then in Sunnyvale. Late one afternoon I was heading up Central Expressway toward Mountain View, on that stretch that's about 20ft below ground level, when there was the most Godawful roar and a palpable shockwave. Looked up and it wasn't Armageddon or even the Big One -- just three of the Blues on final to Moffett, and I swear that in the time it took my heart to start again I could count every rivet on the dirty side.

Left the Bay Area for good in '99, no regrets. Went back briefly last year when my kid brother was killed by, surprise, an illegal driving drunk on 101. Story for another day. Nothing wrong with that part of the world a neutron bomb wouldn't fix.