Article Captures Essence of Marine Training Dilemma
I read with great interest Mr. D’Agostino’s article ["Endangered Species Envelop Marines in California," HUMAN EVENTS, February 24, page 5] that appeared in the "Online HUMAN EVENTS."
The article was of great interest to me because I work at the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base in the Operations and Training Department. For the past three years I have been presenting the base Encroachment Brief.
This brief was developed by the Operations and Training Department in order to create an awareness, appreciation and understanding of the threat to mission readiness brought on by encroachment. Stated simply, encroachment degrades mission readiness and prevents Marines at Camp Pendleton from training the way they will be expected to fight.
Mr. D’Agostino’s article was one of the clearest, and to the point, that I have read, and my brief has been the source for many, many media pieces.
His explanation of the Critical Habitat designation proposals could not have been much clearer. The only information not included regards the pending designations of habitat for the Pacific Pocket Mouse and the Steelhead Trout.
These two designations will only add to the burden and restrictions that the other designations bring to military training on military land; land that was bought for the sole purpose of providing a training environment to prepare our armed forces for the defense of our nation.
Camp Pendleton’s Red Beach was mentioned in the article. This is the exact same beach that was used to train the Marines who made the landing at Iwo Jima 58 years ago this month. Today this beach is still the primary landing beach used to train Marines in amphibious warfare techniques.
Congress designated the amphibious mission to the Marine Corps and it still today remains a viable and important military option. However, unlike the Marines of the 1940s, today’s Marines face extraordinary challenges in their attempt to conduct training at Red Beach; the least restricted of the four amphibious landing beaches on this base.
Red Beach is approximately 1,500 yards wide and 800 yards deep. If you could see it you would notice that over 60% of the beach area is vegetated. Everywhere there is vegetation there are restrictions.
No off-road vehicle travel! No digging! Not even the first fighting hole.
The primary, and overlapping, restrictions are brought about by the Endangered Species Act, cultural resource regulations, and regulations regarding wetlands. In fact these three factors account for over 75% of the restrictions to training faced by Marines when they land at Red Beach.
The article correctly noted there are 18 threatened and endangered species found on Camp Pendleton. We don’t know of another military base that has as many.
Within San Diego County, where Camp Pendleton is located, there are more threatened and endangered species, than any other county in the continental United States.
Looking to the future we know there are 101 "Species of Concern" in San Diego County. If environmental groups had their way all 101 would be added to the threatened and endangered list.
At the pace the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has designated species in the past, we can safely predict that within the next 20-25 years Camp Pendleton will see the number of threatened and endangered species aboard the base double. Not a situation that bodes well for this base.
In order to offset the impacts to training brought about by encroachment, this base seeks clarification in the laws that place us in the situation. Congress enacted Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which requires the armed forces to defend our country.
Congress also passed the Endangered Species Act, which brings restrictions to training. These two requirements are often at odds when mandated-realistic military training needs to take place where an endangered species is located.
At this point in time military training must take a back seat to the endangered species. It becomes the bill-payer for species stewardship.
Again, I applaud the article-it tells our encroachment story very well.
Those ‘Ditsy Chicks’
As a loyal southerner, (southern Italian born in southern Ontario, Canada) I propose a new name for the Dixie Chicks. How about Ditsy Chicks?
They are a disgrace to Dixie and should not be associated with her.
Bartlett Resolves Problem Of Iraqi War Costs
Bruce Bartlett’s recent column is a real jewel, ["Paying the Price of War," HUMAN EVENTS, March 31, page 11] and I concur wholeheartedly.
Applying the profits from Iraqi oil toward the war costs seems only reasonable, under the circumstances. And they won’t need to build any more expensive palaces now.
A liberated Iraq, freed from the UN sanctions limiting export of their oil, will become a wealthy country-all due to Bush’s determination to dislodge Saddam even without UN concurrence.
Another source of repayment for war costs could be to deny foreign aid to countries that failed to cooperate with our plan to free Iraq.
Why should the U.S. be the world’s welfare organization when we owe our own citizens so much money already?
Giving large sums of money to nations that hate us makes no sense.
Disabilities Act Among Worst Govt. Programs
Regarding your most outrageous government programs list, ["Ten Most Outrageous Government Programs," HUMAN EVENTS, March 10, page 4] the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) not only did not make the top 10, it did not even make the Dishonorable Mention list.
President George H. Bush signed that abomination into law.
Abandon the UN Once and For All
In Regards to your article on the increase in funding for the UN, ["U.S. Will Pay Increased UN Dues-Despite All," HUMAN EVENTS, April 7, page 6]: Why?
The UN’s performance during the past 12 years is clearly an indication that the UN is not an effective body at this point in time.
So now they want "more of a role" in the post Iraq era?
They refused to take the appropriate necessary actions when called upon, which validated exactly what the U.S., England, and Spain said.
Now they want a part of the post-war action and more money to boot? If only the American taxpayers were more aware of this without the "Politically Correct" spin from the mass media.
When is our Nation going to finally stand up to the UN and those Countries that spit in our face and then want us to thank them for doing so?
I find the entire UN situation unbelievable and why our elected officials "cave in" is absolutely disgusting.
