Carter letter: Jet noise article

The media is currently under fire, and I hate to pile on. We need the free press, but we need them to be honest and competent. The people rely on them to provide facts, to inform. So when I open the Statesmen and see they’ve covered another story with their typical bias and dreadful reporting, I cringe. According to the Statesmen, residents are upset because the potential F-35 stationing will “make life in their neighborhoods less enjoyable.” If by “less enjoyable” they mean walls and windows shaking, antiques falling from shelves, pets quivering, home values plummeting, and children needing hearing protection to attend school or play outside then, yep, they nailed it, “less enjoyable.” Don’t write that story, or use more than 200 words. Don’t inform them the F-35s will destroy thousands of lives in Boise. That isn’t freedom, that’s oppression. The “sound of freedom” isn’t a jet buzzing the tower, it’s your children playing in the backyard without ear plugs. I don’t mind living close enough to hear commercial jets, it’s where I chose to live. And I agree, fighter jets are important, but so is a free press, a free society, and the ability to hear them both.

This story was originally published February 7, 2017 at 11:52 PM with the headline "Carter letter: Jet noise article."