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USA F CanRail Garrison.Now that I have your attention I want to have my say about the issue. I seems this issue gets bigger and bigger around here and I find that a little difficult to understand since 97% of the citizens of Mississippi County are in complete support of the possible addition to the local Air Force Base.We did put our best foot foward at the hearing on the rail garrison. Every public official was there with notes in hand; so they could get every word in their alloted three minutes. Thirty citizens gave their view and support of the project. The only locals who spoke with any reservations were the farmers who did not want the project to take their valuable farm land and asked that they use the alternative site. I didn’t see anything wrong with them asking for that consideration. They might not get that consideration but it didn’t hurt to ask.There were nine who voiced strong objections. All of those were from either, Jonesboro,Memphis, or Batesville. They all felt tney should be heard or atleast have a say because the missiles would be passing through their area or would be close enough to have an influence on their lives in case of disaster.They were right, I guess. The Air Force let them speak.There were those for and against who did not get to speak but their ideas had an opportunity to get into the record by completing the forms provided and sending them in to the Air Force. It all goes into a big book and the decision-making body will review the book. They will also review the facts they have about the area and weigh the pros and the cons.It was pretty obvious Mississippi County is for the addition to the Base and that is because the addition will make it a dual-mission base and those bases are more stable in that they are not as likely to be closed. It will also add a good number of new jobs.The people against the rail garrison, in my opinion, were not being very realistic. They were all against war and they were againstuntnuclear weapons and they wanted the people in the Ritz in understand just how powerful these weapons were.It hit me while I was sitting there that 1 did not want to get blown up by a bomb of any kind and I did not want my daughter, mother or brother to get blown up either. I don’t want any of you to get blown up.It also dawned on me that Col. Walsh, who conducted the hearing, nor Col. Smith from our base, wanted to get blown up either.Very few people want to get blown up. There are those who are willing to be blown up to get their point across and there are those who do not mind blowing up other people if they can be assured they will not get the same.Explain to those people holding that airplane in the Middle East that it is wrong to blow up people. They do not care what you think and they do not care what you do to them if they do blow the plane with them in it.Most of the time the only assurance you have that someone is not going to do something terrible to you is if they believe there is a similar price for them to pay. Even the Bible tells you about the wages of sin and promises you the pain of hell for not living the kind of life you should.I agree there should be no nuclear weapons but somehow I do not think the Russians are going to listen. If they told me they were going to get rid of all their nuclear weapons, I doubt that I would believe them. They are not noted for telling the truth and have little fear, if any, concerning the wages of sin.In many ways locating the rail garrison here is very logical because the base gets along with the community so well, as evidenced by the one-sided testimony. I think the Air F’orce had to be impressed with the numbers.I think those worried about the opposition should find something else to worry about. People in the Air Force can count and they can observe; it is very doubtful they will be fooled by a letter to the editor and nine people from another town. •spilleired tifI tothe ni injusiunderthemiser “Nc he sa count write Yoi taxes “Yt badly Oh, come “Bt shouli they c Eco “Ye it. TheeconoWhenbeforeJess what the rk “Oh I’m s alway that.” Yesagoni: cnees “Ri limits Why, saida in thepayin come count and is the taSLAAnothiaboutsylvarprovidnation
Newspaper Details
Blytheville Courier News
Blytheville, Arkansas, US
Sun, Apr 17, 1988
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Arkansas S.
AR, USA 26 Aug 2021
Other Publications Near Blytheville, Arkansas
Blytheville Army Air Corps News
Blytheville Courier News
