Honor King by opposing F-35 jets — Steven Klafka
Wisconsin State Journal | 13 Jan 2020 | Steve Klafka
“For the upcoming celebration of Martin Luther King Day, people will recall his mandate to love and serve all people and stand up for justice. They’ll remember how he decried the “giant triplets of racism, extreme materialism and militarism.”
Locally, we can put his lessons into action by opposing plans to base F-35 fighter jets at Truax Field in Madison. The Air Force has confessed that those who will be impacted most by these absurdly expensive and polluting jets are the low-income families and people of color forced to live adjacent to the airport. Noise from existing jets and air traffic already affect the health and education of nearby residents.
The Air National Guard has contributed to the contamination of groundwater, Starkweather Creek and a city well. Further, more low-income housing developments could go in the area the military has determined to be “incompatible with residential use.” Why are we forcing people to live in the so-called “airport ghetto”?
Shouldn’t we be following King’s advice and reversing current injustices rather than exacerbating problems? Are we clueless or just cruel? King would ask why.”
Steven Klafka, Madison