Enough Already

The Coast Guard held a public hearing yesterday on the live fire training exercises they will be conducting under Homeland Security mandates. Typically some liberals (allied with anti-war rhetoric) have made hysterical pronouncements suggesting it will be open season on boaters out there, a gratuitous swipe at those who serve in our Coast Guard. (Update Note: if you look at their post you notice they are trolling for more imports from Chicago to come up on the train. Where have we seen this before? Also more here. And Seals supports them and sends a grandstanding letter to the Coast Guard, attempting to delay their training and our protection.)

Wiser heads, including amazingly eventually even the NY Times (buried in a story that led off with suggestions that we're just a bunch of drunken boaters out in flyover country) , have had to admit that the Coast Guard has carefully worked with members of the community to allay their concerns, and has the support of local law enforcement.

Previous post "Put the Security in Homeland Security".

Definitive quote from the Tribune:

Crowley said Coast Guard crews would train at least 5 miles off shore and in water that's at least 30 feet deep, but they wouldn't go out any farther in case they're needed for emergencies along the shore.

Each live-fire zone would be used for target practice by local Guard members two or three times a year and for two to six hours at a time, Crowley said.

"For the whole year, the area would probably be restricted for less than 24 hours total," he said.

Enough already.