Rantz: Seattle progressives whine that Blue Angels celebrate war, harm refugees

It happens every year: Blue Angels perform at Seafair, and a handful of progressives get upset, spouting off the same, tired talking points of glorifying war and violence, something about the military industrial complex and blah, blah, blah.

Social media amplifies this lunacy, of course, making a handful of lunatics seem like they hold a view reflective of the city. But something positive comes out of all of this: People of all political backgrounds find a common ground in laughing at — and calling out — these fringe voices.

This year’s display came courtesy of an innocuous tweet by Naveed Jamali, a former intelligence analyst who is (kind of) running for Seattle Council in District 7. He posted a video of the test flight to his Twitter feed saying, “Happy @BlueAngels  day #Seattle. #gonavy #flynavy.”

This was controversial for some reason.

Dae Shik Kim Hawkins Jr., a local activist, immediately pounced. He called the Blue Angels “a detriment to society and needs to be canceled forever” because, in part, they trigger PTSD, “while celebrating the warfare and destruction we’ve caused in the Middle East.”

Jamali, to his credit, fought back, humorously telling Hawkins to “Seriously, stop. Go cut some artisanal cheese or play a board game at a Starbucks. And yes I have PTSD and nothing makes me happier then [sic] seeing and hearing jets.”

Crosscut got in on the action with an op-ed written by columnist Glenn Nelson. Not only does he call out the carbon emissions of the jets, but he posits an offensive notion of fragility on South Seattle refugees. He writes:

Every Blue Angel run does more than burn toxic fuel. It rattles nerves, dishes and pets in a way that’s especially disturbing for some people. South Seattle has a significant refugee population and having jet fighters — F/A-18 Hornets — screaming overhead can be triggering.

Nelson does not provide a single quote from a refugee claiming to be triggered.

This hot take, of course, inspired some Twitter craziness because, well, it’s Twitter. One user said: “Dump the wasteful and sometimes deadly Blue Angels nonsense. Anyone who’s excited about celebrating raw militarism by watching outdated equipment can just stream Top Gun at home.”

But Seattleites of all backgrounds pushed back.

This headline/article is why i hate Seattle. One weekend out of the year that they have the hydro races, and some really really cool fighter jets come and do an awesome air show and the whiny Seattle crybabies just cant stand it. i loved seeing the blue angles in person as a kid

— Normal Citizen ☠️ (@AkAxSILKYslim) August 3, 2019

For a city that celebrates inclusiveness, it seems from this article that the generation that lived and help build Seattle who enjoyed these summer events after a long winter are being marginalized and kicked to the curb. My father growing up here loved these events.

— GPA (@GPAtrides) August 3, 2019

Seattle is still home to Boeing. They’re the largest employer in the state and the 2nd largest arms producer in the world.

Virtue signaling about one weekend’s display of what in large part has built this city, strikes me as the quintessential Seattle liberal take. 🙈

— What’s up, bootlickers? (@michael_kubik) August 3, 2019

Opinion | Fun is problematic, here’s why

— Dr. Gonzo (@DrGonzo64447232) August 2, 2019

Simply said you’ve become an old fuddy-duddy

— ✝️🙏🏼CONSERVATIVE ❌⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@MyCrashIs) August 2, 2019

Thank you Blue Angels, and Seafair, for bringing together Seattleites. It’s one day a year where we can set aside our political differences and bond over a shared goal: mocking the ridiculous voices we sometimes give too much power to.

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