Guantanamo Bay Base: Give It Up

The U.S. has a Navy Base at Guantanamo Bay, on the island of Cuba, has been operated illegally, against the wishes of the Cuban government for 117 years, should now be torn down, and the port should be returned to the Cuban people.

As far back as 1854, the U.S. has made frivolous claims to Cuba. When Franklin Pierce (1853-57) was President, future President James Buchanan, a member of his administration, issued the Ostend Manifesto, which claimed the U.S. had a right to seize the island by force, if Spain refused to sell it. Buchanan was afraid a slave rebellion would turn the island into a disorderly republic, like Haiti, but his real motive was to create another slave state.

After a revolt broke out in 1895 between the Cubans and colonial Spain, the Maine, an American ship, was blown up in Havana Harbor in 1898, and though there was no proof the explosion was caused by the Spanish, the U.S. invaded the island and won the Spanish-American War.

When the Americans first occupied the island, they were greeted as liberators, but the mood soon changed, as the newly liberated people were forced, under the Platt Amendment (1901), to grant the U.S. a right to intervene in their internal affairs. Although President Theodore Roosevelt granted independence, under the Cuban-American Treaty (1903), the catch was the Cubans had to give the U.S. a perpetual lease to Guantanamo.

A generation later, President Franklin Roosevelt offered to annul the right to intervene, provided the Cubans signed the Treaty between the U.S. and Cuba (1934), which continued the unwelcome U.S. military presence at Guantanamo. Realizing they would never get a better offer from conservatives in America, the Cubans accepted a half a loaf from the liberal FDR, instead of nothing at all.

The Cubans have since continued protesting the American military presence on the island. When Fidel Castro took over in 1959, he escalated the objection by shutting off the water to the base, in an attempt to get the U.S. to go home, but the Americans started filtering seawater through a desalination plant (1964). Cuba does not cash rental payment checks from the U.S.

The U.S. has no legitimate right to use the Guantanamo Bay Navy Base, as the lease was forced upon Cuba under what international law would refer to as an unequal treaty. Since President Obama promised to close Guantanamo, now would be the perfect time to give it back.

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Cuba: End of U.S. Trade Embargo

The U.S. has had a trade embargo against Cuba since 1962 and it is time to end it. After 52 years, it has no purpose and most people now have no idea why it was imposed in the first place.

The story begins with Gen. Batista, who came to power in a coup backed by the U.S. (1952). He ran a dictatorship that censored the press and suspended constitutional rights (1953). Fidel Castro, a lawyer, led the overthrow of Batista’s regime in the Cuban Revolution (1953-59). While Castro’s dictatorship had some of the same faults as Batista’s, most Cuban people accepted Fidel, because at least he eliminated illiteracy and provided health care.

Anger at Cuba from abroad was not because Batista was removed, but instead due to Fidel’s subsequent confiscation of land from foreigners and the nationalization of U.S.-owned oil refineries, sugar mills, casinos and utilities. What Castro did was not however unique. Scores of nations that declared independence at that time also nationalized their natural resources and industries.

In any event, diplomatic relations with Cuba were severed. When President Kennedy took office, anti-Castro exiles unsuccessfully staged a military invasion at the Bay of Pigs (1961). Once the U.S. banned trade with Cuba (1962), Castro turned to Moscow for help. The Soviets said Cuba had a right to be free of foreign interference and supplied Cuba with weapons for their defense. This is when U.S. reconnaissance observed nuclear weapon sites in Cuba, triggering the Cuban Missile Crisis (1962). Although the weapons were removed when the U.S. Navy blockaded the island, the friction between the U.S. and Cuba continued.

The U.S. now trades with the People’s Rep. of China, Vietnam, and other communist countries. There is no logical reason not to trade with Cuba. Fidel Castro recently turned the presidency over to his brother Raul (2008), and soon both of them will be gone.

Today, the streets of Havana still show the effects of 1962 embargo. Most cars pre-date the 1959 revolution and there are no recreational boats in the harbor. Opening trade would not only benefit the Cuban people, it would create jobs for many U.S. businesses and their employees.

Roots of Chechnya Separatism

Towards the end of the Soviet War in Afghanistan (1980-88), Mikhail Gorbachev withdrew troops from what was Russia’s Vietnam. He proceeded in 1988 to advocate reform from within, as he promoted glasnost (openness) and perestroika (rebuilding). Open elections in the Soviet Union followed in 1989, for the first time in 70 years. 200,000 marched in 1990 before the Kremlin, calling for an end to the central Soviet government.

Independent satellite states, like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and others that had been occupied since the end of World War II, insisted on freedom and demanded that the Russians get out.

More significantly, the Soviet Union itself, comprised of 14 Republics, forged together in the 1920s after the Russian Revolution, also demanded independence from centralized Soviet control. The USSR soon imploded from within, as states like the Ukraine, Estonia and Latvia, and 11 others gained independence. A reactionary coup tried to reassert control, but the Soviet egg had been broken, and it couldn’t be put back together again.

After Russia lost control over the states occupied since 1945, and the 14 Republics that formed the Soviet Union, all that remained was the Russian land that predated the Russian Revolution. The problem was the separatist spirit was alive and longstanding religious or ethnic forces sought to break up Russia. This is where the Russians drew the line and fought to hold their territories.

After Boris Yeltsin replaced Gorbachev in 1991, as President of the new Russian Republic, he presided over the 1^st Chechen War (1994-96). He tried to stop a secessionist revolt in Chechnya, which borders North Ossetia to the west, and the Republic of Georgia to the south. When a 2^nd Chechen War (1999-09) erupted, Islamic forces invaded Dagestan, and the Russia people turned to former KBG Chief Vladimir Putin to replace Yeltsin. Putin promptly took a hard line to subdue the separatists, as he bombed the Chechnya capital at Grozny. The war later migrated into Ingushetia in 2007, located between Chechnya and North Ossetia.

Although Chechnya is a part of Russia, its people differ ethnically and have beliefs at odds with the Russians in Moscow. While they say they are freedom fighters, Russia calls them terrorists.

After the World Trade Center attack in 2001, the U.S. and Russia became allies against their respective terrorist enemies. Since Chechnya is opposed to the Russian government, and the U.S. is allied with Russia, the U.S. is now a target of some Chechnyans.

High-Speed Rail: Why Opposed by Right?

It’s always surprising when high-speed rail projects are rejected by people who call themselves conservatives, since they are, when compared to cars, a much more efficient mode of transportation.

In an effort to stimulate jobs, President Obama proposed high-speed rail for Florida, between Orlando and Tampa, and from Milwaukee to Madison in Wisconsin, but right-wing Gov. Rick Scott of Florida rejected his plan, and Wisconsin’s Tea Party Gov. Scott Walker likewise pushed away the Badger State blueprint.

To wealthy Republicans like Florida’s Rick Scott, transportation is no problem, for he has always had his own private jet, and can go wherever he wants without delay. Money is no object for him. The problem with Scott Walker of Wisconsin is he examined only one part of the equation, the start-up costs, while failing to consider the international risk of oil and gas embargoes, the plight of youthful or impoverished people who don’t own cars, and the many environmental costs created by gas-combustion engines.

Europe has always been a much easier and efficient continent, when compared to the U.S., in terms of transportation and travel. Trains generally run on time and connect all the major cities in the Old World. One can connect on buses at train stations, without all of the hassles or expenses related to cars. A little walk or bike ride now and then in Europe keeps them from becoming obese, like their overweight American counterparts.

So what happened? When did the conservatives in America stop caring about conservation? In the early years, it was the Republican Party in the industrial north that expanded the network of railroads. The Union Pacific, started in 1865, was connected to the West Coast in 1869. Businesses needed trains to remove lumber from the forests and resources from the mines. They hauled coal, livestock, and machinery, just to name a few items.

The advent of the electric subway and elevated trains around 1895 was a major source of efficiency for our major cities, as they provided a relatively cheap way for millions of ordinary people to travel in places like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Chicago.

While the airplane has replaced the train for some purposes, and the mail for example can be delivered more efficiently by air, trains still have a purpose, and they should be used in the U.S. much more than they are at present. They are not obsolete.

America would be a much more efficient and better place if all of our major cities had subway systems, and if our national passenger trains were improved so they could enter the class of high-speed lines used in France, Japan, or China, for example. The first step in moving in the right direction, would be to elect people from the left, who have a vision of what the U.S. could be.

Guantanamo Bay Base: Give It Up

The U.S. Navy Base at Guantanamo Bay, on the island of Cuba, has been operated illegally, against the wishes of the Cuban government for 114 years, and it should now be torn down, and the port should be returned to the Cuban people.

As far back as 1854, the U.S. has made frivolous claims to Cuba. When Franklin Pierce (1853-57) was President, future President James Buchanan, a member of his administration, issued the Ostend Manifesto, which claimed the U.S. had a right to seize the island by force, if Spain refused to sell it. Buchanan was afraid a slave rebellion would turn the island into a disorderly republic, like Haiti, but his real motive was to create another slave state.

After a revolt broke out in 1895 between the Cubans and colonial Spain, the Maine, an American ship, was blown up in Havana Harbor in 1898, and though there was no proof the explosion was caused by the Spanish, the U.S. invaded, and won the Spanish-American War.

When the Americans first occupied the island, they were greeted as liberators, but the mood soon changed, as the newly liberated people were forced, under the Platt Amendment (1901), to give the U.S. a right to intervene in their internal affairs. Although President Theodore Roosevelt granted independence, under the Cuban-American Treaty (1903), the catch was they had to give the U.S. a perpetual lease to Guantanamo Bay.

A generation later, President Franklin Roosevelt offered to annul the right to intervene, provided the Cubans signed the Treaty between the U.S. and Cuba (1934), which allowed the unwelcome U.S. military presence at Guantanamo to continue. Realizing they would never get a better deal from a conservative American President, the Cubans accepted a half a loaf from liberal FDR, instead of nothing at all.

The Cubans have since continued to protest the American military presence on the island. When Fidel Castro took over in 1959, he escalated the objection by shutting off the water to the American base, in an attempt to get the U.S. to go home, but the U.S. Navy started filtering seawater through a desalination plant in 1964. To this day, Cuba does not cash rental checks from the U.S.

The U.S. has no legitimate right to use the Guantanamo Bay Navy Base, as the lease was forced upon Cuba under what international law would refer to as an unequal treaty. Since President Obama promised to close Guantanamo, now would be the perfect time to give the port back.

American Samoa: Reunite with Samoa

American Samoa, some 2,600 miles southwest of Hawaii, and nowhere near the continental U.S., is an American territory in the South Pacific, which should either become an independent free state, or be reunited with the separate island-nation of Samoa, 84 miles to the west, from which it was forcibly severed by the United States in 1899.

Western intervention in Samoa dates back to the 18^th Century. After Dutch navigators first sighted Samoa (1722), French sailors arrived (1768), followed by English missionaries, who erected a permanent settlement (1830). A visit by an American Expedition in 1839, was followed by a U.S.-Samoa Friendship Treaty (1878).

In the First Samoan Civil War (1886-94), the German Navy raided the island, causing the U.S. and Britain to support the opposition in 1887. A battle between the U.S. and Germany was narrowly avoided in 1889, as a typhoon damaged both fleets. A resolution was reached, under the Treaty of Berlin (1889), which created a three-power protectorate to jointly govern the islands, but soon the deal fell apart, and fighting resumed.

In the Second Samoan Civil War (1898-99), Germany, Britain, and the U.S. finally settled the dispute, by partitioning the islands under the Tripartite Convention (1899), which transferred Fiji to the UK, Western Samoa (now Samoa) to Germany, and Eastern Samoa (now American Samoa, east of the 171^st meridian) to the U.S. Republican President McKinley, an imperial expansionist, had no trouble annexing the islands, even though his conduct went against the grain of over 100 years of anti-colonial U.S. policy.

In WWI, New Zealand seized German Samoa, renamed it Western Samoa, and governed for 48 years (1914-62), under a League of Nations mandate (1921), and subsequent UN Trust (1945), until independence was granted in 1962. The name Western Samoa was later shortened to simply “Samoa” (1997).

Although the U.S. has not granted independence for American Samoa, in 1967, self-rule was allowed, and in 1981, the territory received a non-voting seat in the U.S. House. Since American Samoans are not U.S. Citizens, they cannot vote in American elections, or hold public office, but as U.S. Nationals, they may reside or work in the U.S. without restriction, and may apply for U.S. Citizenship, as resident aliens.

The colonial relationship between the U.S. and American Samoa should now come to an end. It started in 1899 when there was no Panama Canal, and ships needed to sail around the horn of South America into the South Pacific, to ultimately reach the West Coast. The reason we took American Samoa is now long gone.

American Samoa, 4,770 miles from San Diego, has no chance of becoming a U.S. state, and it should now either merge with the nation of Samoa, or gain recognition in the UN as an independent country. Their population of 65,628 could easily assimilate with the 219,998 who live on one of 14 inhabited Samoan islands, and it is time for the U.S. to let go and allow American Samoa reunite with Samoa.

UK Falklands Violate Monroe Doctrine

The Falkland Islands, a British territory in the South Atlantic, is a cold, windy, and rainy place (more than half the year), as temperatures range between 30 F and 55 F. They neighbor Argentina, 300 miles to the west, the uninhabited Sandwich Islands, to the southeast, and Antarctica, 700 miles to the south. There is virtually no work here, except fishing and shepherding.

The Falklands War broke out in 1982, some 30 years ago, when roughly 3,140 English citizens on the islands witnessed an invasion by thousands of Argentine troops. After ignoring a UN Resolution calling for a withdrawal, a British submarine sank the Gen. Belgrano, an Argentine ship, causing 362 sailors to die at sea, and soon thereafter, Argentina’s military junta surrendered. 13 years later, a different government agreed not to invade again, as weekly flights between the islands and Argentina resumed.

Today, Argentina continues to assert that they own the Falklands. They point out Spain was the first European power to claim them, when Magellan sailed past in 1502. Although Englishmen erected a settlement in 1766, they argue Spanish forces evicted them in 1779, just four years later. While a 1771 treaty gave Britain a right to return, they note the English voluntarily gave up the place again in 1776. Argentina asserts Spain subsequently governed the islands, until Argentine independence was declared in 1811. Argentina alleges an unbroken chain of title flowing through Spain, their predecessor-in-interest, all the way back to Magellan.

Britain, on the other hand, has a claim traced back to Capt. Davies who visited in 1592. After Viscount Falkland, a Royal Navy treasurer, went ashore in 1690, the islands were named after him. Although a newly independent Argentina opened a penal colony on the islands in 1828, it was closed down when British citizens started arriving in 1833. The UK argues English descendants have continuously occupied the Falklands since 1833, and the islanders have voted to remain a territory of the United Kingdom.

At the time of the 1982 Falklands War, President Reagan, a light-weight in international affairs, sided with Britain’s Margaret Thatcher, and her Conservative government, because he simply did not know any better. He could have reminded Britain that when the people of Latin America rose up against Spanish colonialism, in the early 19^th Century, and won their various wars of independence, the U.S. through President Monroe, issued the Monroe Doctrine in which the Americans sided with Argentina, and the other newly independent Latin American republics.

President Monroe declared in 1823, ten years before the British started colonizing the Falklands: “The American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers.”

When the British started colonizing the Falklands in 1833, they were in direct violation of U.S. Foreign Policy, under the Monroe Doctrine. At that time, Monroe would have sided with the Argentines and against the British, and if he were alive in 1982 or today, he would take the same anti-colonial stand.

While giving the islands to Argentina now would go against 179 years of ongoing British rule, and the self-determination rights of the islanders, the Falkland Islands will have a more stable future, if they established permanent relations with Argentina, their only real neighbor. The era of colonialism is over, and it is time for Britain, Argentina, and the people of the Falklands to work out a new arrangement.

Army Bases in U.S. Could Close

With the growing National Debt, many of the multitude of Army bases in the U.S., as listed below, could be closed.

HAWAII: The Pohakuloa Training Area is on the big island. On Oahu, the Honolulu area has several duplicitous facilities: 1) Fort Shafter; 2) Fort DeRussy; 3) Wheeler Army Airfield; 4) Schofield Barracks; 5) Tripler Army Medical Center; and 6) the Hale Koa Hotel on Waikiki Beach, which they say gets no federal funding, but I am sure it is subsidized one way or another. The army should not be running a beach hotel. Close it.

ALASKA: Fort Richardson, in Anchorage, is shared with the AF, Fort Wainwright is in Fairbanks, and Fort Greely is a missile base, 100 miles SE of Fairbanks.

CALIFORNIA: Southern California has the Los Alamitos Army Airfield in Orange County. A Desert Training Center is east of LA County in the Mojave Desert. The duplicitous Fort Irwin National Training Center is also in the Mojave. Camp Cook is in Santa Barbara. Camp San Luis Obispo is on the central coast. In Northern California, the Sierra Army Depot is near Reno. The Presidio-Monterey hosts a defense language institute. Monterey is houses Fort Hunter Liggett, as well as Camp Roberts. The Parks Reserve Forces Training Area is in Alameda County by the Bay. Camp Beale is in greater Sacramento. The Army uses the Military Ocean Terminal-Concord. The army also operates the Sharpe Army Depot and Tracy Army Depot.

OREGON: The Umatilla Chemical Depot is to be closed by 2015. Oregon also has an Army National Guard base at Camp Rilea.

WASHINGTON: Fort Lewis is a joint base with the AF, 9 miles from Tacoma. The Yakima Training Center is south-central.

IDAHO: Idaho reportedly has Gowen Field, and Orchard Range, both in Boise, and Edgemeade at Mountain Home.

MONTANA: Fort William Henry Harrison is where the Montana National Guard train.

WYOMING: Guernsey Maneuver Area is an Army National Guard post.

COLORADO: Fort Carson is in Colorado Springs; Pueblo Chemical Depot is in Central Colorado; and the Fort Logan National Cemetery is in Denver.

UTAH: While the Utah Guard uses Camp Williams, 25 miles from Salt Lake, the Dugway Proving Ground is 85 miles SE of Salt Lake, and Tooele Army Depot, near Salt Lake, is for storage.

NEVADA: Hawthorne Army Ammunition Depot is an ammunition storage facility in western Nevada.

ARIZONA: Fort Huachuca is 15 miles from the border, the Yuma Proving Ground is southwest, and Camp Navajo is a National Guard base up near Flagstaff.

NEW MEXICO: Rockets are tested at the White Sands Missile Range, covering parts of five counties in southern New Mexico.

NORTH DAKOTA: Camp Grafton, in the northeast, is used by the National Guard.

NEBRASKA: Camp Ashland is a National Guard post.

KANSAS: Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley, are both in northeast Kansas. The state also has the Munson Army Health Center, and Nickell Barracks.

OKLAHOMA: Fort Sill is 85 miles SW of Oklahoma City. Camp Gruber, and the McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, are both in is in the eastern part of the state.

TEXAS: Corpus Christi Army Depot is in southeast Texas. Camp Bullis and the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston are both in San Antonio. Camp Mabry is in Austin. Camp Swift is in SE Texas. Fort Hood is between Austin and Waco. Red River Army Depot is northeast in Texarkana. Camp Wolters is a National Guard training center in the north-central area. Fort Bliss is our west near El Paso. Camp Bowie is an active training station.

LOUISIANA: Camp Beauregard and Fort Polk are in the central or west-central areas.

ARKANSAS: Fort Chaffee is in the northwest, while the Pine Bluff Arsenal is in the south-central area.

MISSOURI: Fort Leonard Wood is a major military base in the south-central part of the state, where many did boot camp.

IOWA: The Fort Des Moines Training School, as well as Camp Dodge, are both in Des Moines. The Army Ammunition Plant is on the Mississippi in the SE.

MINNESOTA: Camp Riley, in the center of the state, is used by the Minnesota National Guard.

WISCONSIN: Fort McCoy, in Sparta, is used as an Army training center. Camp Williams, a National Guard facility in the town of Camp Douglas, is also in western Wisconsin.

ILLINOIS: Charles M Price Support Center is located east of St. Louis. The Rock Island Arsenal is on the Mississippi.

INDIANA: The National Guard uses Camp Atterbury, in the center of the state, and is opening a duplicitous facility at the site of the old Fort Benjamin Harrison.

MICHIGAN: Camp Grayling trains the National Guard. The Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant is where Chrysler makes Army Tanks. Fort Custer, in the SW, is also used by the Army National Guard.

OHIO: Camp Perry is a National Guard facility on Lake Eire. The Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center is in northeast. Camp Sherman is a Guard base in southern Ohio.

PENNSYLVANIA: There are many facilities in south-central PA including Carlisle Barracks, founded in 1757, which conducts army training and hosts a War College. Fort Indiantown Gap, near Harrisburg, trains the Guard. The Harrisburg Military Post is a historic site. The New Cumberland Army Depot, 3 miles from Harrisburg, is called the Eastern Distribution Center. The Letterkenny Army Depot is south-central. Tobyhanna Army Depot (NW) repairs and upgrades surveillance and reconnaissance systems.

WEST VIRGINIA: Camp Dawson West Virginia Training Area is near Morgantown.

KENTUCKY: Fort Campbell, on the Tennessee border, is the home of the 101^st Airborne. Fort Knox is south of Louisville. Conventional and chemical weapons are stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot, in the state’s center.

TENNESSEE: Explosives are manufactured at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant. The predecessor to the Kingston Demolition Range, known as the Clinton Engineer Works, is where uranium for the atomic bomb was enriched in WWII. Milan Army Ammunition Plant is in western Tennessee.

MISSISSIPPI: Camp Shelby is a training site in Hattiesburg.

ALABAMA: Anniston Army Depot (N) is where chemical weapons are stored, and track vehicles are repaired. Aviation training occurs at Fort Rucker in southern Alabama. The Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville is involved in the space program, and does missile testing.

MAINE: The state reportedly has Guard bases at MTA Deepwoods; MTA Riley-Bog Brook; TS Caswell; and TS Hollis Plains.

VERMONT: Camp Ethan Allen Training Site is a Guard facility.

MASSACHUSETTS: Camp Curtis Guild, Fort Devens, and the Natick Army Soldiers Systems Center are all in Middlesex County, in the north. Camp Edwards is near Cap Code.

NEW YORK: Fort Hamilton is in Brooklyn. The U.S. Military Academy, which should be kept, is 50 miles north of NYC. The Watervliet Arsenal is further up along the Hudson River. Fort Drum is way up at the northeast end of Lake Ontario.

NEW JERSEY: Fort Dix near Trenton is now a joint base. Picatinny Arsenal, in northern NJ, is a facility where research and development is conducted.

DELAWARE: The Guard uses the Bethany Beach Traning Site.

MARYLAND: The Aberdeen Proving Ground is in northern Maryland. Fort Detrick is in the western part of the state. Fort Meade is the home of the National Security Agency (NSA).

WASH DC: Fort Lesley J McNair was founded in 1791.

VIRGINIA: Fort Myer is across the Potomac; Fort Belvoir, in Fairfax County, is also near DC; Fort Hill, one of the largest installations on the East Coast, is 90 miles from DC. Fort Lee is in metro Richmond. Fort Eustis is a joint base at Langley in Newport News. Fort Story in Virginia Beach is a subdivision of Eustis. Fort Pickett is a Guard facility in the south-central part area. The Radford Army Ammunition Plant, in western Virginia, is where explosives are manufactured.

NORTH CAROLINA: The south-central area is home to Fort Bragg, a major installation, Pope Army Airfield, and Camp MacKall, the home of the 82^nd Airborne. The Guard uses Camp Butner, in the north-central part of the state. The Military Ocean Terminal at Sunny Point is 26 miles south of Wilmington.

SOUTH CAROLINA: Fort Jackson is in Columbia, SC.

GEORGIA: Fort Benning is a major installation, midway along the Alabama border. Fort Gordon is on the South Carolina line. Hunter Army Airfield is in Savannah, and Fort Stewart is also in southeast Georgia, near the Atlantic.

FLORIDA: Camp Blanding, in greater Jacksonville, is used by the Florida National Guard.

Air Force Bases in U.S. Could Close

The Air Force could close many of their 68 bases in the United States. No nation is ever going to invade or occupy us, and we simply don’t need such a large military. Many of the following could be decommissioned.

HAWAII: The Air Force should be allowed to continue sharing the Pearl Harbor-Hickam base.

ALASKA: The Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage can be saved, as well as Eielson AFB, 26 miles SE of Fairbanks, but the redundant Clear AFS, 78 miles Southwest of Fairbanks could be eliminated.

CALIFORNIA: In Southern California, we could disband two of the following four: 1) March Joint ARB in Riverside County; 2) Los Angeles AFB (involved in the space program); 3) Edwards AFB, northeast of LA; and 4) Vanderberg AFB, in Santa Barbara. In Northern California in the Sacramento area, two of the following three could be boarded up: 1) McClellan AFB; 2) Beale AFB; and 3) Travis AFB, between Sacramento and San Francisco.

WASHINGTON: Since there are Navy bases in near Seattle, the Air Force can keep Fairchild AFB, in western Washington, 10 miles from Spokane, while they dismantle the Joint Base-McChord Field, 9 miles from of Tacoma.

NEVADA: Nellis AFB, 7 miles northeast of Las Vegas, can carry on.

ARIZONA: We should maintain Davis-Monthan AFB, southeast of Tucson, but shut down Luke AFB, 15 miles west of Phoenix.

NEW MEXICO: The Holloman AFB, near the Mexican border, is in a sensible location, but let’s close Cannon AFB, on the Texas border in the east, and Kirtland AFB, up in Albuquerque.

IDAHO: Mountain Home AFB, southeast of Boise, can remain.

MONTANA: Malmstrom AFB, in the middle-western part of the state, can be saved, just in case the Canadians go nuts and invade.

WYOMING: Since we don’t need any bases in Wyoming, Francis E Warren AFB should get the ax.

UTAH: The U.S. can get by without the Hill AFB near Ogden.

COLORADO: Four facilities in the middle of Colorado are not required for our national security. We can spare the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, but the redundant Peterson AFB, also in Colorado Springs, should go, along with Schriever AFB, near Colorado Springs, and Buckley AFB, just to the north.

NORTH DAKOTA: Bases in North Dakota are unnecessary, unless we are concerned about those pesky Canadians. Close either Grand Forks AFB, in the east, or Minot AFB, up in the northwest.

SOUTH DAKOTA: Unless Native Americans in Rapid City are planning an uprising against the U.S., Ellsworth AFB has no purpose.

NEBRASKA: Offcutt AFB near Omaha exists so planes can strafe the corn fields, searching for terrorists among the corn cobs.

KANSAS: Thank god we have plenty of jet fuel to burn, so our pilots at McConnell AFB can cover the wheat fields of Wichita.

MISSOURI: Just to be sure every state has a wasteful Air Force installation, the Whiteman AFB was built near Kansas City.

OKLAHOMA: Since Texas has so many bases, Oklahoma must lose two of three. Take your pick between Altus AFB, in the southwest, Tinker AFB, near Oklahoma City, and Vance AFB, in the north-central area.

ARKANSAS: If the right-wingers go nuts and re-segregate Central High, instead of sending in army troops, Little Rock AFB could be used to just bomb them right off the map.

TEXAS: San Antonio, home to Lackland AFB, once served as boot for many vets, and it can be preserved, but Brooks City Base, in the same area, and Randolph AFB, northeast of San Antonio, should be decommissioned. Laughlin AFB in southwest Texas along the border can remain, but western Texas simply doesn’t need Dyess AFB in Abilene, Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, or Sheppard AFB on the Oklahoma border.

LOUISIANA: Since the Air Force shares a Joint Reserve Base in New Orleans (close to Bourbon St), it can be saved, but the Barksdale AFB, up in the northwest part of the state, should be shut down.

ALABAMA: Montgomery would get to keep Maxwell AFB.

MISSISSIPPI: The Keesler AFB, down in Biloxi, may serve a strategic purpose, so let it continue, but Columbus AFB, in the northeast on the Alabama border, should be decommissioned.

TENNESSEE: The U.S. does not need the Arnold AFB, located in the south-central part of the volunteer state.

ILLINOIS: No one would miss Scott AFB in metro St. Louis.

INDIANA: Close Grissom Joint Air Reserve in Kokomo.

OHIO: Is the Wright-Patterson AFB in SW Ohio protecting us? If so, from what?

MASSACHUSETTS: One of the two in the Bay state can be eliminated: Take your pick: Hanscom AFB in the east, or Westover Joint Air Reserve Base, in the west near Springfield.

NEW JERSEY: Jersey can keep McGuire AFB, near Trenton.

DELAWARE: For the boys who didn’t make it home, it’s been a tradition to bring them back to Dover AFB. Let’s preserve it.

MARYLAND: The Air Force can continue sharing the Joint Andrews Naval Air Facility in Maryland.

WASHINGTON DC: The Bolling AFB, in southeast Wash DC, is ok.

VIRGINIA: Langley AFB will never be closed.

NORTH CAROLINA: Either the Pope AFB (actually an Army airfield) in south-central NC, or the Seymour Johnson AFB, in the center of the state, should get the ax.

SOUTH CAROLINA: The Charleston AFB, on the coast, or the Shaw AFB, inland at Sumter, should be boarded up.

GEORGIA: Moody AFB, near the Florida border, or Robins AFB, in the middle of the state, should be slated for termination.

FLORIDA: Patrick AFB on the Atlantic could remain, but two of the three in western Florida: Tyndall AFB (Panama City), Elgin AFB, and Hurlburt Field, are redundant. The government could bulldoze and subdivide MacDill AFB in the City of Tampa, sell the land for development, and make a fast buck for the treasury.

Marine Bases in U.S. Could Close

Do we really need so many Marine Corps bases? All of them in the U.S. are listed below with the hope you become exhausted reading through them. If we want to balance the federal budget, we have to cut waste by eliminating duplicitous military installations. Take your pick as to those we really need.

HAWAII: The Island of Oahu hosts Marine Corps Base-Hawaii in Honolulu, Camp H. M. Smith, and an Air Station at Kaneohe Bay.

CALIFORNIA: Camp Pendleton, a major training base, is in San Diego County, along with the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Also in San Diego are redundant Air Stations at Camp Pendleton, and at Miramar. The 29 Palms Air Ground Combat Center, and the Barstow Marine Logistics Base, are in San Bernardino County, just east of Los Angeles. A Marine Aviation Detachment is at China Lake, further north in the Mojave Desert. Aviation Training Support Group 23 is based in the center of the state, at Lemoore. A Marine Corps Detachment is at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey. The Mountain Warfare Training Center is at Bridgeport, on the California-Nevada line, near Reno.

WASHINGTON: Marine Aviation Training Support Group 53 has a presence on Whidbey Island, near Seattle.

ARIZONA: The Marines have an Air Station at Yuma and another Marine Corps Detachment at Huachuca City.

OKLAHOMA: A Marine Corps Detachment is based at Fort Sill.

TEXAS: There are Marine Corps Detachments at Fort Bliss in El Paso, and at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo. Aviation Training Support Group 22 is situated at Corpus Christi. The Marines also have a reserve Detachment at Fort Worth.

LOUISIANA: The Marine Reserve HQ is in New Orleans.

MISSOURI: The Marine Mobilization Command is in Kansas City. Another Marine Corps Detachment is at Ft Leonard Wood.

INDIANA: The Marine Reserve Center is based in Indianapolis.

KENTUCKY: Another Marine Corps Detachment is stationed at Fort Knox in Louisville.

ALABAMA: There is also a Marine Corps Detachment at the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville.

RHODE ISLAND: The Navy War College at Newport houses another Marine Corps Detachment.

MARYLAND: Marine Aviation Detachments are located at Patuxent River, Fort Meade, and at the Aberdeen Proving Ground.

VIRGINIA: The important Quantico Marine Corps Base is in northern Virginia. The Marines also operate Henderson Hall, near the Pentagon, as well as a ceremonial Marine Barracks in DC. Marines are at the Camp Allen Naval Station at Norfolk. At nearby Virginia Beach, Aviation Training Support Group 33 is operated. A Marine Corps Detachment is also based at Fort Lee.

NORTH CAROLINA: In addition to the major base at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, NC, there are several redundant facilities there including: 1) Camp Geiger, 2) Camp Gilbert Johnson, 3) Courthouse Bay, and 4) Stone Bay. The New River Air Station is also in Jacksonville, NC. The nearby City of Havelock houses another redundant Cherry Point Air Station. The Marines practice carrier landings at the Bogue Landing Field. They have yet another training area at Camp Davis.

SOUTH CAROLINA: An enlistee training base, Parris Island Marine Recruit Depot, is in Port Royal. The Marines also have an Air Station at Beaufort.

GEORGIA: The Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany is in the southwest part of the state. Additional Marine Corps Detachments are located in Augusta, and at Fort Benning, in Columbus.

FLORIDA: Jacksonville, Florida is the home of the Blount Island Command. Pensacola houses a Marine Corps Detachment at Corry Station, as well as Aviation Training Support Group 21.

Why do we maintain such a large military? No foreign state is ever going to invade us, as it would be virtually impossible to maintain a foothold. Let’s get real and start closing some bases.