F/A-18 Hornet -vs- F-35 JSF

Reduce Jet Noise in Virginia Beach

Oceana was here before the "City" of Virginia Beach but for the most part (F-4 notwithstanding) the aircraft  have gotten louder and louder and thousands of homes have been built... yet the base was here first.

All local home owners can hope for, as we approach the end of the fiscal year and the inevitable conversion of JP-5 into dB's, is a minimal level of noise awareness by our military pilots.  Even though many in the military and politicians alike think the recent F/A-18 crash and the new louder F-35 JSF will have little or no impact on Oceana being added to the next BRAC list, I remember how panicked our local politicians and senior military were the last time Oceana was on the BRAC list.  Bottom line, believing Oceana is immune from the BRAC is foolish.

One idea to help shore up Oceana's future is to make the airfield home to Virginia Beach's General Aviation (GA) fleet now mostly based in Norfolk and Chesapeake.  This would be great for local military who are interested in flying but acknowledge Chesapeake's two airports are too far away and Norfolk, while much closer, lacks hangers, GA repair facilities, aviation gas is $7.30 verses $5.79 a gallon and annual plane property taxes are whopping $2.40 verses .58 per $100 in Chesapeake and Suffolk.

Joint use air bases work great for the Coast Guard.  The Air Force has 12, the Army 10 but the Navy only has one.  Clearly the Air Force, Army have over come traffic issues and security concerns.  It should be noted that until post 9-11 NAS Oceana didn't even have a perimeter fence.  Finding a way for GA planes to coexist with Navy Jets would take coordination.  Certain times of the day would have to be excluded as jets, costing taxpayers nearly $25,000 per hour, would always have priority but the Navy could figure out something.

When the next BRAC comes a calling it will be too late to think outside the box.  Establishing a GA presence now for interested military and civilians would shore up Oceana against the the next BRAC and the increased contact between military and civilian pilots might encourage jet jocks to keep their power down and thus noise levels while flying over populated areas or until "feet wet"... tallyho.
 

Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act

Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act

There has been little public support for the repeal of the Gun-Free School Zone Act other than from active gun groups and a few legislators.  Most states (all but three) already had or have laws dealing with guns on school property which makes me wonder why the federal government continues to pass feel good legislation.

Some say, and I agree, that this law has done nothing to curb school shootings and violates the Constitution; specifically the 10th amendment verses the Commerce Clause, which was used to rule the previous 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act unconstitutional.

Many concerned legislators and citizens argue that schools are safer and that's all that matters.  

Smart Gun Laws

However, the continued erosion of our legal precepts by groups that apply this Machiavellian approach to enforcement worries me.  Our laws protect our individual freedoms and those guaranteed by our founding principles are being lost a little at a time.
  
Two states have challenged the Gun-Free School Zones law arguing that teachers and administration personal should be allowed to carry concealed weapons if they have undergone the back ground check and training required.  The idea that our schools are known "soft targets" must have had some impact in the various school shootings from Columbine to Virginia Tech.  Don't get me wrong... I don't want untrained teachers and principals walking around with a concealed or holstered six shooter.  I don't want parents picking up their kids with AR-15's strapped to their backs but I don't have a problem with a former navy seal, now 4th grade teacher, carrying a concealed SIG Sauer 9mm. 

Is this law effective?  If it’s not effective get rid of it.  It would seem that many legislators and anti-gun supporters don't want to know or don't care.  For me it’s clear that teachers, staff and children following the law are at risk while criminals and the mentally ill do what they have done over and over and no law or feel good legislation is ever going to change this.