Why, why, why . . .

Why would the government be cutting funds for and closing down air bases? Especially air bases in the Northeast, where you may recall there was a little problem with airplanes a while back?

Let's see, first there is the Otis Air National Guard air base in Massachusetts:

"A federal commission voted Friday to accept the Pentagon's proposal to close Otis Air National Guard base on Cape Cod, a hub in the nation's anti-terror network that launched fighters during the Sept. 11 attacks.
. . .
"Fighter jets from Otis were the first to arrive in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, when two planes were hijacked from Boston's Logan International Airport and crashed into the World Trade Center in New York."

Then in my home town there is the eerily named 911th Miliatry Airlift Wing which is in danger of being shut down, although the fight is on to save it. (This being one decent thing Rick Santorum has ever done, which he more than owes the people of Pittsburgh since he has been tax-scamming for his home-schooled kids for years.) Despite the fact that Pittsburgh is
"within 21/2 hours' flight time of two-thirds of the U.S. population at an excellent and underutilized airport, and superb medical facilities made Pittsburgh the ideal place to take casualties if local facilities at East Coast cities were overwhelmed by a terrorist attack", the future of the base is in jeopardy, and at least 8 planes are being moved to Arkansas and North Carolina, which are in [irony alert!] so much danger of being hit by terrorist attacks. Waaaaaay more danger than D.C., New York, or Boston.

Can I get a big, "Fuck You Pennsylvania" from the House? Senate? Executive Branch? Oh yeah - there it is. Thanks, guys.

Think about this. You know if the government has gotten so desperate as to be cutting costs by skimping on the military, that must mean that there is nothing else left to cut.

Have a nice day!