Only In Seattle...Or Portland

Climate activists are calling for an end to the U.S. Navy’s iconic Blue Angels air show in Seattle, arguing that the show is too loud and contributes to pollution.

The coalition’s billboard is a protest against Seattle’s Seafair festival, where the Blue Angels have been performing since 1972. 

According to the U.S. Navy Blue Angels website, the Blue Angels, which have represented the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps since 1946, consist of “140 world-class, active-duty Sailors and Marines."

Not only are America's finest "destroying the climate", one woman is claiming the Angels killed her cat.

Now the keepers of the climate and cats want to ground the Angels.

Only in Seattle. 

Or Portland?

Maybe San Francisco.

Be informed, not misled.

“Since 1946, it has been our honor to represent the United States Navy and Marine Corps to audiences both at home and abroad as we showcase the excitement, precision, and power of naval aviation,” a message from the Blue Angels commanding officer on the website says.

Aedan McCall, the “main designer for the billboard,” used to live on Mercer Island – where the Blue Angels fly- before leaving due to the “fallout effects” from the airshow, according to the Seattle Times.

“The sheer amount of carbon emissions the Blue Angels create — 670 tons in one weekend — is immense and wasteful on top of being a big display of U.S. militarism,” McCall explained to the outlet.

The Seattle Times published this:

Before the Blue Angels roar over Seattle, some are calling for the end of the air show. The U.S. Navy pilots have been performing at Seafair since 1972, with their show this year in the first weekend of August.

“SAY NO TO BLUE ANGELS,” a new billboard says in big letters, unveiled Tuesday afternoon along Rainier Avenue South near Rose Street South. As cars drove by, cowbells rang and people with the Airshow Climate Action coalition hung up signs that read: “Demilitarize Seafair.”

Those at the event voiced concerns over the jet show due to health and environmental impacts.

To many, the Blue Angels are the Navy’s most awe-inspiring recruiting tool. The squadron has “the unique ability to highlight the importance of naval aviation while honoring its historical significance,” according to a message from Commanding Officer Adam Bryan. “We proudly represent the heritage, agility, flexibility, and importance of naval aviation to 21st-century warfighting.”

Breck Lebegue, a doctor for the Air Force for over 30 years, wrote an op-ed for The Seattle Times last year, hoping to bid the Blue Angels farewell.

“I realized that fossil fuel is making the Earth heat up too much, and it’s causing harm to the climate, to people’s health and their lives, so I’m doing something about it,” Lebegue said Tuesday.

The Angels also killed a woman's cat.

Fox News is reporting that the Blue Angels are also facing criticism from a Seattle woman who blames the noisy airshow for leading to the death of her sickly, elderly cat.

Lauren Ann Lombardi filed a lawsuit against Blue Angels officers in federal court on Monday, claiming her "beloved family member was terrorized" by the Blue Angels' "state-sanctioned acoustic torture."

The lawsuit claims the noise of the low-flying F/A-18 fighter jets spurred panic attacks in the cat, who was in critical condition due to her worsening congestive heart disease, and ultimately led to her euthanasia in August 2024.

Lombardi accused the Blue Angels of unconstitutionally blocking her profanity-laced comments criticizing the U.S. Navy squadron on its Instagram page. She is seeking a court order to unblock her account and prohibit the Blue Angels from blocking any other accounts "on the basis of viewpoint."

KOMO News says "In the summer of 2024, the lawsuit claims Lombardi's cat, Layla, who was already sick with congestive heart disease, suffered more when she was at home on medication and the Blue Angels flew nearby, creating a 'sonic barrage.'"

She continues, "Even through the narcotic fog of sedation and her weakened state, Layla's primitive limbic system overruled her medication and she fled in primal panic beneath furniture, her labored breathing escalating to clinically dangerous levels."

She concludes, "Layla's condition deteriorated and she spent her last week in a specialty hospital before being humanely euthanized on Aug. 11, 2024."

"Layla's final days on Earth were marred by sadistic suffering - cowering in terror beneath furniture while her ailing heart struggled against the Blue Angel's relentless noise pollution," the lawsuit reads.

Takeaway

"The Blue Angels have the unique ability to highlight the importance of naval aviation while honoring its historical significance," according to a message from the Blue Angels commanding officer on their website. "We proudly represent the heritage, agility, flexibility, and importance of naval aviation to 21st-century warfighting."

Jason Rantz, on his Seattle radio show, summed it up with this: "A small band of insufferable, fringe activists has popped up with a tiny billboard to accompany their insignificant campaign to protest the Blue Angels’ Seafair flyover — with demands to cancel the entire show. They complain about promoting 'militarization,' claim it’s bad for the environment, and say it’s too loud. But here’s an obvious question we should all ask: Who in the world cares what these people think?"

He says, "The billboard is so small that you’d have to squint to read it. And every complaint against Blue Angels in Seattle is ridiculous."

He says, "We’ve got a tiny group upset that a spectacle loved by the region is too loud and too 'militaristic.” For normal people, the Blue Angels’ routines stir national pride and are awe-inspiring to watch. While this doesn’t align with the views of the Radical Left, it does with the rest of us. The complaints are completely contrived, as they are every year when the same minority of activists complain."

There's more.

Claiming the Blue Angels “militarize” Seafair is like saying the Seafair Pirates promote armed robbery on the high seas — by that logic, we should arrest them all for piracy.

Then there’s the environmental angle. They’re griping about carbon and pollution — but the Blue Angels use biodegradable paraffin oil for the smoke. Meanwhile, the fringe activists are using a billboard intended to be seen by people driving in their cars.

They also claim that the Blue Angels’ flyover noise causes hearing impairments, particularly to children. This is, of course, false. Kids aren’t going deaf because of these brief shows. But what’s undeniable is that prolonged exposure to their whining can cause severe intellectual impairment — especially if you mistake it for a serious argument.

"From their vantage, we should feel guilty for celebrating tradition. They’ve bought a billboard nobody sees, rallied a few online petition signatures, and now think that’s enough to cancel one of Seattle’s proudest annual events. This entire stunt is drowned out by the roar of jets and the cheers of real attendees."

One more thing.

To the activists: airshows are loud, violent, carbon-emitting — and people love them. The Blue Angels want to thrill crowds, remind us of sacrifice, and sell patriotic fun. For every person who complains, there are thousands ready to wave American flags and cheer them on.

Stop pretending this billboard matters. Sure, let them protest. Let them shout their piece. But don’t treat their stunt as anything more than what it is — a billboard, staged in obscurity, pushed by a few zealots backed by clickbait coverage. 

And a complicit press.

The Angels will be performing this weekend at Seafair. Don't miss it.

Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Patriotic. Be Grateful. Be Prayerful.