Blue Angel Blues: We’re approaching the season when literal fighter jets swoop around our city like a playground, and some Seattleites are over it. The Airshow Climate Action coalition put up a new billboard on Rainier Ave that reads: “SAY NO TO BLUE ANGELS.” Think of the rescue dogs! Think of the military trauma! Or think of the 670 tons of carbon emissions they blow through in one weekend.
Our understanding of the world changes. The sound of jets and the sound of fireworks triggers people with PTSD, especially vets. Why would we keep doing that knowing what we know? Pageantry should never outstrip health of the people.
I grew up in a state where fireworks were illegal. This seems a reasonable middle ground.