If I hear someone say “It’s the sound of freedom” to me once more when I voice concerns about the Navy Growler jets turning our Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest into an electromagnetic maneuver warfare training range area, I will scream louder than a Growler itself.
Wanting to save the sanctity and wildlife of this protected area, and the millions of tourist dollars resulting from the 3.5 million annual visitors is not unpatriotic.
I think it’s the opposite.
It is unpatriotic not to want to protect our natural resources such as Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest.
We don’t have to sacrifice the Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest in order to have a well-trained military.
I believe the Navy has other places to do these 5,000-15,000 annual training events, such as their previous location of Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho.
I don’t think we fully know the effects that the electromagnetic radiation from the mobile transponders placed in the forest has on humans and wildlife.
But there have been studies on the adverse effects of 100 decibel-plus noise on humans and wildlife and their habitats.
I believe the real sound of freedom is concerned citizens voicing their objection to something that is destroying one of their country’s most beloved national resources, the very type of thing that makes our beautiful country worth protecting by a strong military.
So please, think twice before casually stating the Growlers are the sound of freedom and thinking those of us who want to protect our country in a different way are unpatriotic.
Kimberly Gonzales,
Sequim