The Upside of Sequestration: No Blue Angels!

Recently, economic turmoil coupled with a lack of congressional bipartisanship has caused an downward financial slope for government subsidized programs, most recently manifested in an act known as 'sequestration'. It's not great. Lots of programs are losing money, lots of people are losing their jobs, and Congress has an approval rating somewhere in the vicinity of the Val Kilmer Batman movie (topical reference). 

That being said, it's not like the effects of sequestration are all bad. From NBC Bay Area:

The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels announced on Tuesday that because of federal budget cuts and sequestration, the entire 2013 season has been canceled.

The Blue Angels were scheduled to appear in San Francisco during Fleet Week in October. The event is still scheduled to go on, but the Blue Angels were arguably the biggest draw.

Despite what your views on patriotism are, there are no doubt that the Blue Angels are just the absolute fucking worst. They spend the entire week performing over the city, shaking buildings by being very fast and aerodynamic jerkoffs. An unnecessary pollutant the tranquil skies of our oh-so-cherished microclimate, the Blue Angels only function is clogging the bridges and roads with a massive influx of North Bay, Coolpix camera-wielding tourists.

So if a few bus drivers and other city employees lose their jobs, so be it. I full-heartedly embrace sequestration. It enables us to spend one extra week of the year not having to jump under our desks in a Cold War-style bomb drills. Except for every Tuesday at noon. 

Go Congress! 6 more years!

Comments (33)

“I don’t appreciate anything about ______, so it must be terrible.”

This is actually terrible. Fuck the politics of it, the Blue Angels are a San Francisco tradition that anyone who isn’t a transplant grew up with and probably still appreciates. Stop whining about loud noises during daylight hours, you’re worse than the NIMBYs that complain about loud bars or Dolores Park activities.

Well fucking said!!!

I have been in The City since 72 and I can’t stand them anymore. I try to make plans to be out of town when they are here so that the people that enjoy them don’t have to hear me bitch about it.

If they were every 4 years, I think it would be more exciting to people. As it is now, “oh, it’s the blue angels again”.

Zach nailed it. Stop being such a whiny brat about a long-time SF tradition and embrace a few GHGs every now and then. It’s not about patriotism or the military or global warming or “noise” ahahahaha. You ever gone to a club before? You ever ridden BART through the transbay tube? You ever sat on top of Bernal Hill and listened to planes from SFO do their turn-around before heading south?

You ever seen kids faces when they can tell the blue angels are about to scream by?

If you’re worried about noise and global warming, why not do something those stupid 3-wheeled cars w/ the audio tours? Seriously, those are unregulated, and you know they don’t provide a service for anyone in SF. But yeah… you’re on UA so being a whiny brat every chance you get is good business.

It’s just war dances and military propaganda. The Navy left town long ago, no need to further celebrate our mass-killings of foreign civilians.

Chill out bro. You ever been to an airshow? It’s no different. It’s basically gymnastics, or synchronized track-bike dancing or whatever is more your speed.

The difference is these are instruments of death. No one is killing a half million Iraqi civilians with a bicycle.

Bicycles were used pretty extensively in WW1 for the purposes of murdering people. It’s not like drones are putting on the show bro. Try to get accustomed to the concept of differentiation. It will help you live a fulfilling life full of diverse experiences.

Another difference is that people go to airshows by choice. Here in San Francisco we are subjected to it mandatorily. It’s more than just a loud noise too; it’s a visceral experience that is impossible to avoid. Fortunately there haven’t been any accidents, but what if there were? Just because something hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it never will.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air_show_accidents_and_incidents

With all the federal budget hand-wringing, something tells me we’ll have far more important things to worry about in the near future.

Exactly.

Hooray! Boys and their toys. Anyone who has been in a real war zone feels bewildered by those who find the Fleet Week noise entertaining. Send that stupid air show to Reno. The city is loud enough.

Boys and their toys…and those women who are proud and serve as well, including the ones who fought to become pilots and are trying to serve in combat.

If only there was a group in SF that would constantly protest such perceived injustices.

My dog is very happy they will not perform. (Although I think they will once the Navy gets an earful from the 20+ cities cancelled)

Just because they are a tradition doesn’t mean that they don’t suck ass.

Just because some are put-off by them, doesn’t mean they are bad.

I can’t believe someone doesn’t like those things. They’re awesome.

What a whiny, pathetic screed. You suck - please return to wherever you hail from - idiot. I hope they shatter your windows. You bought them, you might as well take them out and fly them once in a while.

WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?!

It means our tax dollars pay for them.

Perfectly stated!

I hate the Blue Angels

Good riddance to the ear-splitting death machines. May they never return, and may they take all these internet tough guy commenters with them.

How about trannies in hot air balloons in their place?

The problem with trannies in hot air balloons is this:
Here in San Francisco we are subjected to it mandatorily. It’s more than just a loud noise too; it’s a visceral experience that is impossible to avoid. Fortunately there haven’t been any accidents, but what if there were? Just because something hasn’t happened before doesn’t mean it never will.

“Do we really need more reminders of our militaristic culture?”
-Said Lawrence Ferlinghetti about the Blue Angels, slyly, as the audience chuckled.

oh boo hoo. so it’s noisy a few days a year.

btw, now that we don’t have fleet week we don’t get Canada’s Snowbirds (who do a great show) also. this is why SF can’t have nice things.

I also would vote against the Blue Angels show in San Francisco.

We should revoke your visa. I doubt if you even have the right to vote.
Let the Angels fly!

-City Kids who are natives and can handle it.