Recalling my former high school wrestling manager days, when one team lacks an athlete to compete it is called “forfeit” and the winner’s hand is held up automatically by the judge to reward persistence. Such happened when the Citizens of Ebey’s Reserve got an interim victory in Judge J. Richard Creatura’s court by some qualifying arguments (“Whidbey anti-noise group gets win in Navy Growler lawsuit,” The Herald, Dec. 11).
This is clearly a direct path for COER’s goals to close the landing field near Coupeville and get the Growler removed from the Pacific Northwest. Every argument made was in desperation with most arguments disqualified with prejudice.
Through this fight too few roar for retaining Naval Air Station Whidbey. Local Navy League Councils, Island County Commissioner Jill Johnson and myself, who photographs Coupeville flight operations, have fought but now all without legal representation.
We may still avert the history I’ve read of the 1991 attempt to close NAS Whidbey Island and Naval Station Everett; but current history eerily rhymes. Also eerily like NAS Oceana in Virginia, where leaders and citizens were complicit or complacent by not showing up to address encroachment and noise whining. The Navy then forced the issue by saying either purchase land or lose NAS Oceana. Local taxpayers paid up.
National security, school levies, quality search-and-rescue, and other government services plus the economy are all endangered due to zero local legal representation.
Congrats COER for speaking for the Puget Sound via forfeit in this round of federal court. As they say on “The West Wing,” “Decisions are made by those who show up.”
Joe A. Kunzler
Sedro-Woolley
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