tdaxp

"Base Closure Countdown," Rapid City Journal, 22 March 2005, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2005/03/22/news/opinion/top/opin01.txt.

"RCJ whistles different tune, has fingers crossed," by Seth, Clean Cut Kid, 22 March 2005, http://www.cleancutkid.com/2005/03/22/rcj-whistles-different-tune-has-fingers-crossed.

Before CCK only implied that Daschle was a merchant of death. Now, South Dakota's own MyDD joins the "gold for blood" party

First, Seth notes that John Thune personally believes that Ellsworth is an "effective" base, though it needed to improve its value:

Now, though, I want to discuss the about-face that the Rapid City Journal pulled today. At issue, once again, is Ellsworth. During the 2004 General Election, the editors were falling all over themselves gushing over John Thune, saying “Thune supports President Bush’s war on terrorism, supports strengthening the military and will work to preserve Ellsworth Air Force Base’s effectiveness. He told the Journal that adding to Ellsworth’s missions was the surest way to improve the base’s value to the Pentagon’s long-range plans.”

But, horror of horrors, the RCJ will defer to military experts when the question of base closing comes up:

So why is the Journal talking about western South Dakota’s “anxious months ahead” today? Once reliant upon John Thune to make the base vital to national security, the editors now suggest a different tactic, hoping that those of us west of the Missouri are “keeping our fingers crossed.”

Thank you editors at the Rapid City Journal, for selling western South Dakota’s economic future to the highest (conservative) bidder. At your recommendation, we now have an impotent representative in Washington who is unable to secure missions for Ellsworth. Why stop at crossing our fingers, though? I propose we make voodoo dolls of the members of the BRAC and then place curses on anyone who votes against Ellsworth.

The passage which enraged the South Dakota Kid is this:

Defense needs in World War II created Ellsworth; defense needs in the Cold War kept the base in operation. The B-1 bomber has since been modernized and has shown its value over the skies of Iraq and Afghanistan. We are confident that Ellsworth's rural location is strategically useful, and its mission is important to the defense of the country. How Ellsworth fits in with future defense needs will decide whether the base remains a fixture in Western South Dakota for decades to come, or closes for good

.

The Rapid City Journal believes the purpose of the military is to secure the nation.

Patriotic.

Clean Cud Kid believes the purpose of the military is to bouy the economy of Pennington County

Sickening.