Editor,
The so-called Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve, or COER, a small group whose key members were part of “WISE,” which helped place Whidbey Island Naval Air Station on the 1991 Base Realignment and Closure list, has been “networking” with like-minded, small groups in Lopez Island, Port Townsend and, now, Sequim.
These groups have also partnered with a second-rate Al Jazeera reporter who ran a hit piece claiming the Navy emitters will cause cancer — emitters that will be deep in the National Forest and much lower energy profile than an iPhone. They now have a new petition claiming the Navy will “destroy” the Olympic National Forest.
Funny, have these elitists actually visited the forest and viewed the clearcutting?
Recently, this “consortium” — with COER leaders in attendance — barraged new Congressman Kilmer at a town hall meeting in Port Townsend. On their Facebook page, they coerced a huge turnout complete with signs and prefabricated statements.
This group, though small in number, will stop at nothing until the Navy is denied training at all their traditional locations, including the OLF and National Forest.
They know that this training denial would close the base and force 30,000 families into unemployment.
The tragic part of this tale is that their claims of “permanent hearing damage,” “cancer” and “noise-induced heart disease” are all falsehoods without a shred of factual support.
Not a single claim of this type has been filed over the past 50 years of Navy jet training.
This is all about their ego and pocketbook.
Although they knowingly purchased a home near the airbase — like many of us — they now want the Navy, and 30,000 middle-class families, to move.
Fortunately, Congressmen Larsen and Kilmer are not listening to these aggressive groups who have not shaded the truth — they have shredded the truth.
Scott Smith
Oak Harbor
Editors note: The “Al Jazeera” reporter referenced is Dahr Jamail, an American reporter with Truthout. Also, the Navy has stated that transmitters will be on par with that of a television news truck.
