ABC Cáfe Podcast Covers Cancel the F-35

We spoke with James Marc Leas and Ze'eva Chasan on the history and impact of the F-35 in Vermont.

A few weeks ago I was on a walk with my wife and 16-month-old son near our home in Winooski. After a long, locked-down winter, it felt good to get back into the habit of strolling around our city. We were just coming up to the new Four Quarters location when the peace broke, and we were assaulted by the sound canons that are the F-35s. Plane after plane (at least 8) flew low overhead creating a body-penetrating sound from which there was no escape. I tried desperately to cover my son's ears, but my hands did nothing. He screamed, looking terrified.

Our elected leaders want you to believe that the F-35 is good for our communities. They offer inadequate proposals to "mitigate" the noise through building upgrades. But as Frank Haddleton recently wrote, you simply cannot mitigate a sound this loud and at this low of a frequency. Further, these proposals completely ignore the obvious problem that it is impossible to “mitigate the sound” if you are outside. Playing at recess, walking your dog, taking out the trash, sitting on your porch... all of these activities now put you at risk of being assaulted by your own government. All while officials like Leahy inaccurately conflate supporting the Guard with supporting the F-35 program.

To discuss the history of the F-35 coming to Vermont, its impact on our communities, and actions we can take to push back, we recently hosted James Marc Leas (founder of this newsletter) and Ze'eva Chasan on the ABC Cáfe podcast. You can listen directly on our website or find us on Apple, Google, Spotify, and more.