I read in this morning's paper about the progress (or lack there of) in converting the Ex Griffiss AFB into an international airport. What I found odd in the article, was that a plane was sitting in Building 101 being fitted to Russian parts for a Russian Air Line company.

This seems like a disrespectful slap in the great Nuclear Air Bases' face to me.

I know the Cold War ended over 20 years ago, but it just seems so very odd.

I guess the problem is that to me, Griffiss is it's own entity... a living being in its own tarmac and bunker way. It's not just 3500 acres of runway and buildings. To me, its like the giant planes that called it home for so very long - living, breathing, protecting... aware of all things that made it was it was.

With this notion, I find it hard to swallow that we are now fitting planes that belong to it's longest most staunch enemy. Like we're letting them into the secret underbelly of one of the greatest deterrents in US History...

I had the same feelings of disgrace and disrespect when they built those hideous stages for Woodstockk '99. Did no one else see the irony of holding a "Peace" festival on a huge Nuclear Air Base???? And what a inconsiderate thing to do to someone that was still coming to terms with it's deactivation and destruction. It was bad enough she lost her necessity in protecting her country, but let's invite the immature, distrurb and angry Generation X in to deficate on her memory.

I dealt with Woodstock and actually watched some of our favorite bands on high jacked cable, but it still makes me sick when I break it down in my mind.

As for the Russians ... the Cold War has far since been over, and what I have to cling to is that at least it's jobs in this area - an area that's been insanely depressed since 1993.

So we'll let them into the inner sanctum... let them casually taxi past SAC Hill. Be ushered in from our towers, monitored by EADS (Eastern Air Defense Sector) Let them take a drive down Perimeter Road and casually walk around the graveyard that at one time was one of the largest United States Nuclear arsenals.

In this peace time we'll allow it, 

            ... after all it is just an international airport - right?