When a country sacrifices its own people
F-35 training in cities is not good for children and other living things
US and Vermont political and military leaders are using and abusing thousands of Vermonters. Sacrificing cities full of their own people: Winooski, Burlington, Williston, and the Chamberlin neighborhood of South Burlington suffer at the hands of their own federal and state governments.
It’s for no good reason. The training with 115-decibel F-35 jets does not require a runway in a densely populated city. The training could equally be accomplished remote from any populated area.
Instead, the US and Vermont governments chose the most densely populated cities in Vermont to inflict pain and injury. The 115-decibel jets located in cities target children and the elderly. The Air Force itself said the F-35 jets disproportionately impact working class and black, indigenous, and people of color.
Not a single state or federal official ever even met with residents to discuss this. Democratic town meeting votes in Burlington in 2018 and in Winooski in 2021 calling for canceling the F-35 training at Burlington airport were ignored or disparaged. The F-35 training was foisted against the will of the people.
The rule of law was also ignored, including the military’s own regulations that protect civilians. A complaint to the Inspector General signed by 657 Vermonters went unanswered, which itself is a violation of the military’s regulations. Respect for civilians and their rights was not shown. Not a single state or federal perpetrator of this criminal activity was held to account.
Hundreds of affordable homes tightly packed on an area of 44 acres–the size of 44 football fields–were demolished. In addition, the Air Force itself said that 2,963 affordable homes on 2,252 acres that are located in the ultra-intense noise zone of the F-35 are “generally not considered suitable for residential use.”
The Air Force further said that impaired hearing, impaired learning, and impaired cognitive development of 1,300 children living in those homes can be expected from repeated exposure to the F-35 noise.
Not just people hurt. Jobs and economy were degraded: business is hurt because of lack of safe and affordable housing for new employees. The Mayor of Burlington is pushing for rezoning parts of the city so housing can be built where common sense prohibits it.
In South Burlington the loss of those 44 acres for housing, plus the intense F-35 noise daily blasting thousands of homes in the flight path, forced pristine open fields further away to be used for housing developments.
On top of all this, the F-35 is a climate killer, burning 22 gallons of jet fuel every minute of flight.
What is happening in our 115-decibel neighborhoods is a warning to every other state and country hosting US military bases: No other state and no foreign country can expect to be much better treated than Vermonters. What’s happening here is practice for what will happen to you: Your civilians will also be used, abused and pointlessly sacrificed, and it could be a whole lot worse.
Fortunately, the revolutionaries who founded our state and our country established constitutional systems that divide powers in several ways.
Here in Vermont, the legislature delegated the authority “to regulate the operation and use of vehicles of every kind” to our cities, towns, and villages “for the purpose of promoting the public health, safety, welfare and convenience.” By using the phrase, “vehicles of every kind,” the legislature included vehicles operated by the state national guard.
Local governments can and must use that state-delegated power. They can embody the military’s own regulations in city ordinances. The only difference being the local governments will enforce those ordinances. They can establish reasonable noise and emissions standards, as military jet noise and emissions are not regulated or preempted by any federal authority. In fact, the FAA website itself says that the “FAA does not have the authority to regulate the operations of military aircraft.” The FAA only regulates the noise of civilian aircraft.
Local governments are empowered. They have control, especially when federal or state authorities fail. That’s our constitutional plan. Local governments have the power to abolish the F-35 training in our cities, towns, and villages. Let’s use that power.
Huge benefits await such action by city councils and selectboards: Once that 115-decibel F-35 training noise departs, airport agreements with the FAA require the airport to sell the 44 acres in the Chamberlin neighborhood for housing. As the land is publicly owned, city councilors can require that restored housing be affordable. A huge number of affordable housing units can be built. Right in the city center where it belongs.
Furthermore, the 3,000 homes located on the 2,200 acre area where they are considered unsuitable for residential use will again become safe for residential use. With such an influx of land and homes for decent housing in central city made available, our pristine open fields can be protected.
And one more thing: our city councilors can enjoy the pride of having done their job “of promoting the public health, safety, welfare, and convenience” of our people.
Write or call your public servants and demand an immediate halt to F-35 training in cities.
Governor Phil Scott 802-828-3333 Chief of Staff <Jason.Gibbs@vermont.gov>
Vermont National Guard's Complaint Line: 802-660-5379 (Note: the Vermont Guard told a reporter that it received over 1400 noise complaints. But the Guard won’t release what people said).
Submit your report & complaint to the still active Fall 2021-Continuing Now online F-35 Report & Complaint Form: https://tinyurl.com/5d89ckj9
See all the graphs and in-your-own words statements on the F-35 Spring-Summer 2021 Report & Complaint Form (513 responses): https://tinyurl.com/3svacfvx.
See links to the graphs and in-your-own words statements on all four versions of the F-35 Report & Complaint Form since Spring 2020, with a total of 1670 responses from 658 different people plus 77 more so far on the form that remains active now.
Senator Bernie Sanders 800-339-9834 <Senator@sanders.senate.gov>
Senator Peter Welch 888-605-7270 Chief of Staff <patrick.satalin@mail.house.gov>
Congressman Becca Balint
Burlington City Council <citycouncil@burlingtonvt.gov>
Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger <mayor@burlingtonvt.gov>
Winooski Mayor Kristine Lott <klott@winooskivt.org>
S. Burlington City Council Chair Helen Riehle <hriehle@sburl.com>
Williston Selectboard Chair Terry Macaig <macaig@msn.com>
VT Senate President Philip Baruth <Philip.Baruth@uvm.edu>
VT House Speaker Jill Krowinski <jkrowinski@leg.state.vt.us>
Attorney General Charity Clark <Charity.Clark@vermont.gov>
States Attorney Sarah George <Sarah.fair.george@gmail.com>
Vermont’s Federal Prosecutor <usavt.contactus1@usdoj.gov>
Adjutant General Brig Gen Gregory C Knight <gregory.c.knight.mil@mail.mil>
Major J Scott Detweiler <john.s.detweiler.mil@mail.mil>
Wing Commander Col Dan Finnegan <daniel.finnegan@mail.mil>
Vermont National Guard Inspector General Lt. Col. Edward J Soychak <edward.soychak@us.af.mil>
US Air Force Inspector General Lt. Col. Pamela D. Koppelmann <pamela.d.koppelmann.mil@mail.mil>
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall <Frank.Kendall@us.af.mil>
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