The San Diego Veterans for Peace, plus members of over twenty local groups, will be out on the Carroll Canyon Road Overpass over the I-15 this Thursday, August 29 and every Thursday until the end of September at 4-6 PM protesting the dangerous and highly polluting Miramar Air Show.
As we read the dismal reports of experiencing the hottest year on record along with droughts, floods, far-too-early hurricanes and rising sea levels, the military (the world’s single largest institutional user of fossil fuels and GHG emitter) is planning to pollute our skies once again with the annual Miramar Air Show.
Once again the San Diego Veterans For Peace will spearhead its annual protest against this egregious example of superfluous pollution which is done for entertainment purposes, as we banner across the I-15 North freeway at the Carroll Canyon Road overpass.
We, the San Diego Veterans For Peace, will again serve as the organizers and cadre of protesters EACH Thursday from 4 – 6 PM from now until September 26th. We appreciate you and your group’s support and endorsement of this action and we also urge you to distribute this email and we invite you to stand with us (for any amount of time) to demonstrate against the twin threats of militarism and climate change. Plenty of free parking in the adjacent Carl’s Jr. center.
For more information, contact Dave Patterson, 760 207 9139.
Thanks to KBPS TV and radio who covered our protest last Thursday: https://www.kpbs.org/news/environment/2024/08/23/veterans-group-protests-upcoming-miramar-air-show
Why We Protest
As the visible effects of climate change resound throughout the earth, it becomes increasingly important that ALL of us do our part to responsibly reduce our carbon
footprints. This is especially true in San Diego, since our oceans and our coasts are at high risk of damage by climate change.
San Diegans are asked to modify our behaviors to lessen our carbon usage; we must demand the same commitment from our institutions. Most local municipalities are revealing actions to help implement a meaningful Climate Action Plan to secure a Zero Carbon Future for their citizens. So far none of these plans address the military’s contribution TO the climate crisis! And recent examinations show that many cities, including San Diego, are falling far short of their goals.
San Diego is home to the nation’s largest concentration of active duty military personnel, as well as to a significant number of veterans. And, according to UCSD’s
Rady School of Management, the military complex provides for 25% of our Regional Economy. Since the US military is the single largest institutional user of petroleum products and the single largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, it is reasonable to posit that this outsized military presence contributes a disproportionately large percentage of the pollution in our County.
Yet not one climate action plan factors this pollution into the equation.
The Blue Angels, in their training and performances, use highly-polluting jet fuel in copious amounts that produce additional greenhouse gases to contaminate our
environment. For example, based on figures provided by the Blue Angels, the Commanding Officer needs 3,000 flight training hours to qualify and the other 14 pilots 1,350 flight hours.
The F/A-18 burns about 1,200 gallons of fuel per hour. That’s over 26 million gallons of jet fuel just to get the cast to the runway. Add another 20,000 gallons for the three-day show and the result is tons of greenhouse gases (and worse) emitted into the atmosphere. THIS IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT!. At a time when we are asked to alter our behavior, how can we allow this optional weekend of pollution to occur?
The San Diego Veterans For Peace is once again planning to protest the Miramar Air Show and ask people to not attend. This action is called “No MAS”, meaning No
Miramar Air Show, but also, in Spanish, No MAS means No More.
Back in 2019 SD350, the Sunrise Movement, and others endorsed our actions and their members demonstrated with us during the September lead up to the event. Our focus this year will be “Air Show Fuels Climate Crisis” and we are asking climate and social justice organizations to endorse our actions and encourage their members to participate. We at Veterans For Peace believe the Blue Angels are a symbol of unchecked military pollution. We can’t afford it! Our planet cannot afford it!
We are all in this together. We are asked to modify our behavior; it’s time we demanded the same of our institutions. Which local politician is willing to take the first step in demanding accountability to clean up the air we breathe? We call on the San Diego City Council to demand the military cancel the Miramar Air Show. We need local Climate Action to match Climate Rhetoric!
Here are the local endorsing organizations.
San Diego 350.org
CleanEarth4Kids
Pax Christi San Diego
1 st UU San Diego Climate Justice Committee
Mothers Out Front
Interfaith Coalition for Earth Justice
Party for Socialism & Liberation
ANSWER
La Jolla Democratic Club
The Climate Mobilization
Green Sanctuary Team
American Friends Service Committee
Borderlands For Equity
Sunrise Movement SD
Hammond Climate Solutions
Activist San Diego
Code Pink
National Lawyers’ Guild-San Diego Chapter
Peace Resource Center
Women’s International League For Peace and Freedom
Eco Sustainability Peeps
In Good Company
Racial Justice Coalition of San Diego
Green New Deal at UCSD
North County Climate Change Alliance
The Climate Reality Project
San Diego First Church of the Brethren
IF anyone is truly serious about the climate crisis, then 1) make every vehicle not smogged driving the streets and roads of CA, get smogged. The UT about 3 yrs. ago wrote a story that 139,000 vehicles every AM and every PM cross the Border to and from MX. MX does not do smogging. There are many people who live in SD County that have registered vehicles from other states that do not smog. They don’t have to change their registration, but if their vehicle is crossing more than 3 days per week, they need to be smogged and have a sticker on their windshield saying what year the vehicle is smogged & get it renewed every year, like registration tags on license plates, or not allowed into CA. 2) Tell the Mayor of SD to stop narrowing traffic lanes in the City of SD, while recruiting more construction and the end result is more vehicles are idling for several min., in stop and go traffic jams, when free flowing traffic produces fewer toxins escaping from tail pipes. There are far more serious emissions in the sky that an air show.
FYI:
https://apnews.com/general-news-fde8d87eee374d4e9dcfe7f60b5605b1
Airshow pollution is ridiculous. Every In-n-Out drive through might as well be a belching smoke stack too.
Both can be true at the same time.
Right behind every bike lane created that contributes to traffic congestion.
There really is some irony here. SDVFP are not wrong in their assertion as to how bad of a polluter the U.S. military is (air, ground and water), and they’re not wrong about the air show (tho it IS only once a year). The irony is the Rag’s lack of support for more vehicle alternatives (bike infrastructure, more and better public transit and encouraging more people to use it).
That’s kind of malarkey Chris; if you did any kind of word search of the Rag’s archives (search bar) there’s all kinds of posts on mass transit, trains, bicycle paths (real ones), push for the trolley to go to the airport, better bus routes; bike rides around Mission Bay, etc. I think since your “appearance” here, there’s been a lot of words on and against Circulate San Diego which touts itself as the word on bike paths and advocacy — which it is not at all. Some have taken our criticism and critique of Circulate as a bias against bike paths, which is not true. We are against bike paths that help destroy local business districts (30th Street) and against them when they are forced on neighborhoods from above without any kind of democratic decision-making (Pt Loma, Clairemont) and against them when certain electeds use them to showcase their eco-ness. I’ve ridden bikes since the mid-80s mainly for exercise and appreciate a real bike path that is protected (Friars Road) and not just a bunch of paint on the asphalt. (Lots of places). I know this is your issue and you’re a great advocate.
Maybe it’s not meant to, but it definitely comes off that way at times Frank.
More so from the commenters than the actual writers, but it’s easy to see why so many think The Rag is “anti bike”, even if that’s not fully true.
Do you really think 30th St is a “destroyed” local business district?
I do know that better bike routes were available through that neighborhood — just a block away, that the street lost beaucoup spaces, that businesses were slammed and the community’s voices were neglected.
Perhaps you should try this. Are you still in Lemon Grove? If so, take your bike on the trolley (Orange line), get off at City College, transfer to the 215 or 7 (if 7 get off on 30th and University, if 215 get off on El Cajon and 30th). You can ride the full length of 30th from Adams all the way well into South Park. Utah you can ride all the way from Adams to Upas. Do this on a Saturday or Sunday when the weather is nice. Stop for lunch and or beers. You will very much see 30th st lanes getting used and businesses with customers. It’s not this dystopian apocalypse so many have feared it would be come. Some of the places I go to are so packed (depending on the time) I can’t we can’t even get a seat. See it for yourself how it currently is.
Chris, maybe you could do a photo essay displaying all this for publication here.
I could snap some photos and send them. Probably not this weekend because I’ve got a full plate but for sure within the next month.
Well Frank, I could not agree more on this issue! Taking out traffic lanes and parking spaces which people actually use, in favor of bike and dedicated bus lanes which no one uses, is just dumb community planning which increases traffic and pollution while simultaneously destroying businesses.
Fall Brewing (NP location), The Friendly (30th st location), Fairplay, Working Class, Chris’s Ono Grinds, Happy Medium, Underbelly, Dunedin, Blue Foot. All of these places are full to packed over the weekend. Several had bikes locked out front.
Chris, Have you used public transportation recently? It is disgusting! It also takes an inordinate amount of time to get anywhere, especially if you do not reside in the downtown area. I can tell quite clearly that you do not use public transportation, by the mere fact that you are encouraging others to do so. Anyone who has already knows, the “loser cruiser”, which is what sane people call municipal buses, is not for sane people. Bike and dedicated bus lanes, which no one uses, are increasing traffic and pollution, not decreasing it!
Despite the fact that I own a vehicle, yes I take public transit all the time. Often I combine both biking AND taking public transit. So no, you cannot “tell quite clearly” that I don’t. Yes it leaves much to be desired and needs drastic improvements, but overall I’m good with it.
“Bike and dedicated bus lanes, which no one uses”
Simply not true nor your personal observation. Yes many of the bikes lanes are underutilized (still being used), but low #s doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be there. As to the bus lanes, are you expecting to see a bus in them every minute? You know most lines run 15 to 20 apart so of course they’re going to be empty and any given time. That’s the whole idea so they can get to where they’re going not being held up by car traffic.
Since I DO in fact take the “loser cruiser” I guess I’m not very sane.
FYI, I take public transit these days far more than I drive. Saves on gas and where and tear on my truck.
I agree that the airshow is for entertainment purposes only, and that is does cause pollution. By that logic, we should be protesting the local international airport as well. I mean, how dare people go to Hawaii, or Puerto Vallarta, or Japan for vacation!? You are going to spew out all that jet fuel pollution just so you can get a tan and drink Mai Tai’s, Margaritas, or Sake on the beach? How selfish are you!? Shame on you for polluting our atmosphere just so you can take a joy ride! Please… get a life people!
And all the pollution fireworks shows terrorizing animals. But there’s one person on the rag who benefits from bikes and public transportation. And that gives you the numbers on how a failed system it is.
As that one person, I kinda enjoy the fact that your tax dollars are benefiting me.
Yeah, well, with SANDAG’s 250M a year bike lane spending, change will take time. Hope to start this election. Rising taxes = cost of living deterioration starting with SANDAG’s 1/2 cent tax increase and Toad’s costly policies.
Look at the bright side, on “Bike Anywhere Day” (formerly bike to work day), I got a free t-shirt, some free snacks (cliff bars, gels, etc), a couple free bike reflectors, so there’s that.
Separate note, you are full of crap saying I’m the only one on rag who benefits from bike lanes and using public transit. More so the public transit. I remember a long time ago you accused me of being disingenuous. Ironic.
There’s been an over reaction to “bike lanes” to the point of spending massive amounts of money that benefit a few without regard to the overall impact in some applications. But that’s status quo for a Gloria/State admin currently. There’s a few dysfunctional policies going on. When you get on a bike you’re doing the same thing I advocate for, balance.
No bike lane supporter (or public transit supporter for that matter) that I know of is under some delusion that Todd Gloria is out there for anyone’s benefit other than his own political career. He doesn’t take public transit at all, not even for virtue signaling publicity. He doesn’t drive and has his own private driver. I doubt he even knows how to ride a bike. So, none of us think he has our best interest at heart or anyone else. Also I’d be the first to admit some of these lanes just plane suck in terms of how poorly laid out they are.
You Chris’s have hijacked this article, you know. It was supposed to be about the polluting effects of the airshow, and evolved into a discussion on public transit and bikes.
Yeah I know. Sorry about that. I’ll try to keep those issues on actual articles about those matters.