Someone needs to tell John Avalos to relax. Like now.
Avalos, a member of the board of supervisors in San Francisco, told local media that he thinks the United States Navy’s famous flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, are a safety hazard and should never fly over occupied areas in and around the city by the bay, ever again. Like some irrational nervous nelly, he wants them to stay over the water.
He actually said the following to a newspaper:
“It’s about them crashing and hitting a building — a place where people live,” Avalos told the Chronicle. “It’s about the terror that they cause in people when they strafe neighborhoods. That’s something I hear about all the time when Blue Angels fly overhead.”
Yes, the politician actually used the words “terror” and “strafing”, the latter of which is defined by the military as an aircraft zooming a few feet from the ground and shooting its heavy guns and rounds.
And, keep in mind, this is all in the wake of a beloved Blue Angel U.S. Marine pilot, Captain Jeff Kuss, losing his life last week in Tennessee.
Fact there's a large number of ppl who don't want them flying over SF in LARGE proportion to the ppl who want them. https://t.co/YodxW8L1lD
— John Avalos he/him (@AvalosSF) June 4, 2016
Then why are you so bothered by what I say? Unfortunately, more than anything they just maintain US power über alles https://t.co/aPDZsHKlgN
— John Avalos he/him (@AvalosSF) June 5, 2016
Somehow, he’s been singing this disrespectful tune for a time now. The Washington Post dug up tweets from less than a year ago that ranted about “war planes” and even dropped the inflated words “imperialism” and “jingoism”. Fear mongering, pretty much. Not to mention a proverbial slap in the face to the men and women who serve in the U.S. military.
War planes r flying at low altitudes over SF, reminding me of the $580B for US imperialism & the pittance 4 climate and human development.
— John Avalos he/him (@AvalosSF) October 8, 2015
.@tolles U expect me to LIKE war planes buzzing SF w/feel good jingoism? Just the THOUGHT of a crash over the city s/b enuf to shut it down
— John Avalos he/him (@AvalosSF) October 10, 2015
Sounds like the type of guy who wants every game to end in a tie, and trophies for all. Sounds like the kind of dude who puts a helmet on both him and his dog when he takes it for a walk, or puts a seatbelt on when he’s sitting on his couch.
It might behoove him to lighten up, and realize that being an American is a damn lucky thing. And to be proud that people give up their lives to serve and protect his right to be free. Because that’s precisely what happens every damn day.
And that’s just one of the many things the Blue Angels represent.
Maybe it’ll take a rumbly F/A-18 Hornet flyover, a narrow buzz right across the top of Avalos’ roof that shields his happy, warm fuzzy home to shake some life into him.
Or, more simply, maybe it’ll just take some common sense.