Sorry for the delay on posting this week’s “Sunday Paper,” but I’m on the west coast attending Fleet Week San Francisco.
DT readers will remember that SF city councilman Chris Daly tried — and failed — several times to introduce legislation that would have kept the Blue Angels from performing – an action that would have essentially killed Fleet Week.
Well, after attending yesterday’s air show and a VIP reception (that’s how we roll at DT) last night, I’m pleased to report that Fleet Week San Francisco is alive and very well. The weather is gorgeous, the crowds are massive, and the Blues are kicking butt, as usual. And as a guy who’s been watching Blue Angel air shows since their F-11 Tiger days, I have to say that San Francisco is, without a doubt, the best venue to see the team do their thing.
But the day was not without some noteworthy, albeit underlying, controversy. In what can reasonably be viewed as a direct response to Daly’s efforts, the highest ranking Navy officer at Fleet Week this year is a captain. There are no admirals here. One of America’s greatest cities, the home of Apple, Facebook, Craigslist, YouTube, and other life-changing 21st Century tech companies, has been snubbed by senior leaders of the nation’s sea service.
Now, I can only remember one event in recent memory that was boycotted by U.S. military flag officers: The Paris Air Show in 2003. Resultantly, this is how I framed it for Mayor Gavin Newsom during a conversation I had with him yesterday:
“Congratulations, Mister Mayor. San Francisco is now France.”
I can tell you Mayor Newsom has no desire to be the mayor of France. Stay tuned as this story unfolds in the coming months.
(All photos by Chris Michel.)
– Ward
Ward,
amazing how things have changed. I recall quite fondly staying at the Presidio, the awesome view from Treasure Island, and even visiting the Navy Reserve EKA-3B “Whale” squadron at Alameda, all now closed.
BTW, with Sarkozy talking about full NATO membership, I’d say San Francisco has France beat!
Gee Ward, did you ever think that maybe the senior brass may have been a little busy with something in 2003? And seeing as there are more Canadian ships than U.S. at this years fleet week, (due to deployments) maybe some of the brass has more important tasks at hand… Oh dear lord, I think we’re invading Iran.
Daverino:
The senior brass were directed by Rumsfeld not to attend the Paris Air Show in 2003. I’m not talking about the “fight the war” flag officers. I’m talking about the “buy the stuff” flag officers. It’s their job to do things like attend major air shows.
Make no mistake: Their absence this year is a clear (albeit misguided) signal to the city of SF.
Ward, you’re really reaching here.. Now, was there a snub of SF at Fleet Week? Yea, but not with or from admirals. I mean, Is this one of the smallest Fleet Week fleets ever? Yes. Is USS Abraham Lincoln, right now, on a three day visit to Victoria Canada? Check. Did San Diego host a huge naval parade (including the Lincoln) the week before? Yep. Message? You bet.
http://springboarder.blogspot.com/2007/10/secnav-winter-snubs-san-franciscoagain.html
Anyway, this is Secretary Winter’s war, not the Navy’s. The Navy’s already engaged elsewhere, dude.
And way to be hospitable to your host. Hang out at our party and then fling dung. Classy, dude.
here are my pictures from fleet week!
http://crm.wongbooger.com/gallery/v/blue+angels/
I got there kinda late so I didn’t get any pictures of the other aircraft performances.
So because Chris Daly brought up a resolution THAT FAILED several times, the Brass gives SF a pass? If they had been dumb enough to approve that bill, I would certainly understand. But are we to assume that the Navy’s pissed at SF for letting this guy talk? You know, as Democracies do?
Yes, the SF politicos have a pretty backward view of the Military. And yes, most who do wouldn’t know an aircraft carrier from an M16, but the way to change attitudes is to open up and make them LIKE you, not give them reason to be even more pigheaded in the future.
It is my opinion that there were too many public relations nightmares for an admiral. Between antiwar groups, gay rights groups, and Berkeley types the city is quite hostile to the military. The Navy tried last year but things have if anything gotten worse.
Of course, as I point out in my blog (http://kosherwisdom.blogspot.com), military issues are perhaps the least of their problems given that they have a seven mile square area with over 800 registered sex offenders running free.
It’s my city, dude. And you obviously haven’t enjoyed a beer with Roughead in it, either. Know these people, heh.
I guesss some people are failures in life, neh?
I don’t want to compare address books, SB, but for the record I DID enjoy a beer with my good friend and former boss ADM Roughead at FW two years ago. Also talked to him about the Navy’s support of FW a week ago at the CJCS change of command in DC.
If you want FW to continue in 2008 and beyond, you shouldn’t ignore the facts.
Well, to get back into technical terms–Technically, military.com is owned by Monster International. Which, in 2004, bought military.com’s parent company, Military Advantage, which happens to, ah, still have an office in San Francisco, as I recall.
So as to whose party? Monster International’s shareholders threw it. And you know, they sometimes pop up at embarassing moments.
As a former denizen of the Bay Area, let me toss a few comments out there.
First of all, it’s a great place to play, live, and work — especially if you can find a good paying gig. More on that later.
Thing is, the town was already changing before the Summer of Love, and that was forty years ago. There’s a strain of knee jerk liberal noise out there that’s just part of the environment. If you can’t turn the squelch up and ignore it, let it fade into the background like traffic, or the surf, it will drive you nuts — it’ll make you into a reactionary. Like, say, a knee jerk “liberal”.
That’s no way to live — reacting, rather than seeing or thinking.
Which leads into my second point: if you think everyone in the Bay Area cleaves to the knee jerk “liberal” thing, you don’t know the Bay Area at all. Spend some time in the parking lot or cheap seats at a Raiders, Giants or As game. Hang out in Oakland, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Daly City or Richmond. An SF City Councilman doesn’t speak for those people, much less many San Franciscans.
Once upon a time, the military pumped a lot of money through the Bay Area, and provided a lot of jobs — particularly, shipyard jobs. Those sort of jobs guaranteed a hell of a constituency for the Blue Angels — or for that matter, the Raiders. More on that to follow.
Third, have you considered the possibility that this guy Daly is grandstanding? I mean, it wouldn’t be the first time that a political hack picked a hot button issue as a stalking horse for something else: like, say, the changing nature of the polity, or a run at Gavin Newsome’s job.
Fourth, if you want to know why this sort of nonsense finds fertile ground anywhere in the Bay Area, think BRAC — if you close bases, you lose the servicemen, dependents and relatives that support the military most.
Over the past few decades the Bay Area’s lost bases at Alameda NAS, Treasure Island, Hunter’s Point, the Presidio, Moffett Field, Mare Island, Hamilton AFB, and God knows how many other installations. The contractors who serviced those bases are gone. When you cut jobs like that — like say, shipyard jobs — you lose votes. More importantly, you lose perspective — your Blue Angels and Raiders fans get pushed into the background, and grandstanders aren’t accountable to them any more.
This sort of thing is also happening in other parts of the country hit by BRAC. For example, you get homeowners in Virginia Beach protesting jet noise.
OK? Sorry for the rant, but don’t mistake an effect for a cause, or take a symptom as useless noise. If you have a squeaky bearing, it needs some grease.
Unfortunately, sometimes the squeaky bearing means it needed some grease a while ago. DoD’s been closing Bay Area bases for decades. It’s pushed the Bay Area up into the cheap seats of American defense.
In spite of that, the fans are still there. They’re just a little harder to hear.
One of the two US Navy vessel Commanding Officers is scheduled appear somewhat to the south of San Francisco tomorrow evening. The venue is a Navy League Council in Santa Clara County. Chris, and Ward, y’knot come on down, if’n you can.
Chris should have my contact INFO.
V/r
–SJBill
Thanks, SJ Bill. Unfortunately I’m headed to the east coast. Have a great event.
GSBJoe:
As the Geico caveman might say: “Uh … what?“
What part of this post leads you to come to the conclusion of “blind hatred of San Francisco”? Is it the part where I say San Francisco is one of America’s greatest cities?
What’s with everybody today? (Or is it me?)