F-35's, UVM in the NCAA tournament, and Guns

The topics of this entry are probably a good jumping-off point for explaining my title. I was born and raised in the Green Mountain State (that's VT for you flatlanders out there). Already, I'm sure that you are picturing me in some quaint little town nestled in a valley or out in some shack in the boonies. Well, I didn't grow up in either of those places. Chittenden county is by far the most left-leaning county in VT, and growing up in Winooski, I was right in the heart of heart of this liberalism. After all, it is right next to Burlington, a city which once elected a socialist mayor who went on to become our state's senator, Bernie Sanders.


After graduating from Winooski High School as Valedictorian, I made the 5 minute (on a good day) trip to the University of Vermont. That's right, from the frying pan into the fire. Needless to say, my political and social views have never really been the popular ones, but if anything, I've only become stronger in my views under this pressure.


My time at UVM takes you to the inspiration for this post. Today, while reading the Burlington Free Press at breakfast, a few stories caught my eye.








Burlington International Airport is home to Air National Guard F-16 fighter jets, and their fleet is aging. Apparently, our boys are pretty good at what they do, and BTV is one of five installations under consideration to receive the new F-35 fighter jet. When I first heard this news a while back, I was excited. I've always loved to see the variety of aircraft flying over my Winooski home, especially the F-16's. Now we very well may have the newest generation of fighter jets stationed here! Maybe my fascination/excitement is just a testosterone thing, but not everyone is so excited. Complaints range from noise to pollution/burning of fossil fuels to an objection to the military-industrial complex. Personally, I think it's great that VT could be honored in such a way, and I'm pulling for the Green Mountain Boys to get some new wings.

Saturday, the Catmounts could not stop winning. Men's hockey's win got them into Hockey East semifinals, and both the men's and women's basketball teams got into the NCAA tournament. I just want to say congrats and good luck!


You may have heard about the shooting of two officers near the Pentagon. Apparently, the gun he used was once in the possession of the Memphis, Tenn. PD. A gun used in a courthouse shooting in Las Vegas is from the same source. Like many other departments, Memphis sold confiscated guns which had been used in crimes to legitimate dealers in order to raise funds for new equipment and other expenses. Well, now there is a controversy surrounding this practice. Since these guns were once again used in crimes, some are questioning why all departments don't destroy all guns they receive as evidence in crimes instead of "putting them back out on the streets." People are missing the point. The police sold them to legitimate dealers, not some guy on the street. I'll give the dealer(s) the benefit of the doubt and assume they did not sell these guns to a felon. This means that someone else bought them and they somehow ended up in these scumbag's hands. This can happen with any gun, so the point about the police selling them back is moot. Guns don't commit crimes all on their own.

Seeing as being "green" is in vogue these days, why advocate the destruction of a perfectly good gun? By putting these firearms back on the market, we are allowing more Americans to practice their 2nd Amendment rights. Being used, they will certainly be available at a discount price. That is not to say that I would take advantage of these discounts (unless they were really good, that is.) I've been looking at the Springfield Armory XD(m), and I'd rather buy new to avoid any mechanical complications I can. Plus, if I'm going to make this kind of investment, I'm going to treat myself. I must say, for being such a blue state, I'm glad that VT only scored an 8 out of 100 in the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence scorecard