McCook Air Base

As a Pacifist, I am curious as what your take on Nazi Germany is. What should countries have done to stop them? What, in your opinion, should have been done to help the jews?

At the same time could you let me know what the difference between Pacifism and cowardice is?

Martin Luther King, Jr. said that a person that hasn't found something to die for isn't really living. I think that our country and our existence is paved by sacrifice. Sometimes people have to fight and die for freedom.

Freedom isn't really free you know.

What I don't understand, is how can you even be a pacifist if you still belive killing is okay if you're defending your country?

"Now, as those that read my blob on a routine basis know, I am a pacifist. In other words, I don't believe in war, I think there is no need to kill other human beings no matter the reason. Having said that, however, I do believe that when a country, or group attack us it is our duty to attack them back."

Now, I'm not picking on you Mike, but if you were a true pacifist, you should not believe in war or killing for ANY reason, even if we're attacked.

I'm glad you're not. I mean really, aren't we all basically pacifists in that sense? I don't think that most Americans want to go out and start wars or kill people. But, when we're attacked that way we've been attacked in our history...to sit back just go limp? I'm damn proud of the respose this country has given in it's history.

And like wallismarsh stated, what about the jews being slaughtered by Hitler in WWII? I am damn proud my grandathers and their brothers went off to fight in the war.

Anyway, I'm proud of my McCook heritage and our airbase. I too wish there were something to do. I don't know if you're aware of it, but there have been many many attempts ot secure funds to do something with airbase for a long time. For a long time it was owned by a guy that DID NOT give a care about that place. He actually tore down the water tower out there most people think just to piss McCook people off.

It's very sad. The problem however comes from the fact that there are army airbases like ours all over the place. There's really nothing that unique about ours. The builds are in mess. The cost to do anything is daunting. The cost to bring is WWII aircraft, especially B-29s is just rediculous. And since its about 8 miles or so out of town and in the country, it's that much more impractical.

Most McCook people probably feel the same way. A lot of us have a sense of connection to it and don't want to see it fade away because of the historical aspect of it.

My mother and I in fact were having a disussion about the airbase. We are going through all my grandmother's thing as she recently passed. She was wondering about what to do with my grandfathers WWII stuff. She thought about giving it to the airbase museum out there. I'd love to. The only problem I have is what happens to when a bunch of degenerates goes out there some night and gets liquered up and burns the place down for no reason.

Around here that could happen in a heart beat. You may not have been about to see all that is in the one hanger, but it's WWII museum alright.

There's just no feasibility. It's too bad these hangers weren't righ outside town off the highway. It would make more sense to turn one into a museum. It's just like we keep slugging it out about politics. There has to a justifiable reason to spend the money. A business has to be profitable and the governement needs a better reason to spend money other than to make us fell better about our airbase.

I'll tell you one thing. Nothing would be more awesome than to have a B-29 sitting out here. One actually flew in here a few years back and it was undescribable. The sound and the power of those engines could only make you tremble with emotion when you think of what dozens of them in formation flying over to you on bombing missions would have been like. WOW.

That thing flew over McCook for at least an hour. It was a very special day to have that kind of history flying right over us.

Damned if I do, damned if I don't. I write about the McCook Army Air Base and people want to criticize me for being a pacifist. I'm glad there's freedom of speech I could probably be arrested in other countries for daring to be a pacifist.

In the US I just get called names and compared to the worst people in the world.

Whatever will be I guess

All I said was a true pacifist, you wouldn't belive in war at all, even if we're attacked. I guess you just need to come up with a new term.

The thing that gets me when people call themselves pacifists, then include that self defense exception, is what does that make me? I basically believe the same thing as Mike, yet I will never call myself a pacifist because I belive we should aways be prepared to defend ourselves...even if it means war.

You just can't blur a label like that. Either you stand for something or you don't.

Okay I'll try to clarify my position. When it comes to my personal life I am a pacifist. I have never been in a physical confrontation and don't ever plan to. If there is a way for me to settle an issue with physically fighting I will do that.

It's easy to sit there and say if your pacifist you can't EVER fight. But that's looking at an issue in truly black and white form when in reality there are many shades of gray in between.

In my personal and political life I will do what I can to stay out of a fight, but if I am attacked first I won't stand there and take it I will defend myself.

And those of you trying to draw the line from me saying that I am pacifist to those who did nothing about the Holocaust, or suggesting that I would do nothing in the case of a Holocaust are simply just trying to pick a fight and other than what I just typed I will not respond to you.

I am a pacifist first and foremost yes. I hate fighting and believe war to be pointless. But I also believe in protecting our freedom and striking back if we have been attacked.

But this has nothing to do with my original post can we please get back to that?

Mike, I hate to be off subject, but when is war always pointless. If war was ALWAYS pointless, all of Europe would be speaking german right now. Millions more jews would be dead, there actually may not be many if any jews here right now.

I can understand pacifism and I don't like the idea of sending soldiers off in harms way. But sometimes the defense of the defenselss is inevitable. Sometimes defense of ourselves is inevitable, and that means war.

There are two different kinds of war to talk about too. You can talk about Vietnam and WWII. One of those was manditory in my book, and the other was not for our own good.

I'm just saying that stiking back for something like Pearl Harbor or 9/11 means that war IS NOT pointless. There is a point and a cause. It's sad that we have to resort to that, but if we can't protect ourselves, what will become of the mighty USA? Can you say Canada? LOL

If it wasn't for us, Canada probably would have been invaded by the USSR for oil years ago, and they'd be speaking Russian by now. Thank goodness for the arms race and determent.

It's a great idea, but think about people. It's out in the country and no one around to care for it. What happens when some idiots gets high or drunk and goes out there and sets the hangers on fire either intentionally or accidentally.

dale Cotton has done a great job over the years donating his time and labor to that place and tried ot get things rolling, as othes have in addition to him.

The land is now owned by Norm Timmerman (feedlot guy) who bought from the city in an auction several years ago after the big debacle over that.

basically the entire runway system has been torn out for farming. One of the big hangers has had grain stored in it for years and all of them are in bad shape.

If we had unlimited funds you could just go out there and tear it down and move right outside town, or just build a replica and have a real B-29, non-operational inside as well as all the other things from the museum hanger out there now.

I hate to be pessimistic about it but those things are so old and the entire area that once was has been so stripped of all that was once there I don't see the draw.

I would be more likely to dontate family memorabilia if it were closer to town and it was actually secure and we had the ability to keep an eye on it just like any other building or business in or just outside of town.

Here is a suggestion for building interest and gaining support in preserving McCook Army Air Field.

Write a publication about the history of the Air Field and its impact on the city of McCook (and surrounding county), of Nebraska and World history. Use this publication in your schools when studying American History and WW II. Start thinking about a history tour of a network of Nebraska and Kansas Army Air Fields involving the Chamber Of Commerce of respective nearby towns.

Assist Mr. Cotton in building a Strategic Plan for preserving structures of the Air Field and obtaining state and federal grants for restoration and operation.

An example of such a publication is:

"Local historian, Dorotha Giannangelo, has written about the Army Air Base located in Pratt Kansas in WW II. Pratt's significant role in the development of the B-29 Superfortress is discussed in this book."

You can read a few sample chapters online at the PAAF Website. ( http://www.prattarmyairfield.com )

An example of a strategic plan can be found at:

http://sites.google.com/site/b29museumin...

I find it interesting that Mike and others are suddenly worried about going off topic when many of you in the last topic posted, went from discussing poor and deceptive journalism to American vs Chinese labor costs or their respective environmental regulations or lack thereof and even racism. If you want to limit what you comment on, go for it, but are you going to continue this on all subsequent topics posted or is this a special exception? Personally, I don't subscribe to the idea of limiting discussion. That's half the intrigue of debate, is where the debate takes you.

First of all, McCook will not go near that air base ever again. They wanted it for water not a museum and since that problem's resolved they have no legitimate use for it. The benefit of the public weighed against the monumental cost to taxpayers to rehab and maintain that air base is not feasible. Rehabilitating that air base would cost in the hundreds of thousands. The best bet is for a collection of private citizens and businesses to come together and donate time, money and the specific resources at their disposal. For example, a concrete business that donates concrete and labor for the facility, a lumber yard donating materials, a construction business donating labor, individuals or businesses donating their time to promote the rehabilitation as well as private donations of capital.

It would also be easier to get businesses to donate if it is done privately rather than through a government entity because most people automatically think government has bottomless pockets and they are less inclined to donate to a government project than a privately funded project.

McCook1, as for my last blog I don't recall saying anything about American vs. Chinese. I try to stay on topic when I respond, but sometimes I just have to answer a question.

Wallismarsh, I see you can't stay off your favorite whipping stump, President Obama, very long before trying to tie his budget to the McCook Air Base.

I wish, as I said, the city would take charge. But I know it is unfeasable and that's why hopefully a group or individual will take over.

Mike, I think you are right. The old air base would be something to see, if it were restored to its ariginal condition. I would pay to tour the base. I also think that putting some of the aircraft on display would be very interesting. I dont really care if it was a money maker, it would be worth while to preserve a little snapshot of our history.

I am not a pacificist. I have never heard the quote, "Peace is ideal, but not always appropriate". The word appropriate provoke alot of thought. What is appropriate, and how much. I have a tendency to go a little overboard at times on the "what", and "how much".

Seems like the bottom is in for oil. The reflation trade is on. My future concern is now inflation. Or stagflation. We have expanded the fed's balance sheet several trillion dollars with M2 money supply growing $600 Billion in the last few months.

The banks earnings are strong thanks to the great yield curve and zero cost of capital. Hope the fed and congress react quickly enough so we can keep future inflation under control. Bernanke's term is up in 2010. Just when this get critical we could have a new chairman. If we do not take drastic measures in a few years we could see hyperinflation.

People need to own commodities: I.E. oil,gold,silver, grains.