Bring in the big planes

Time to fish or cut bait, everybody. We KNOW that Big Smoke is coming, just as surely as we have seen it over the past four or five years and that our only personal recourse, so far, is to hide in our houses in the vain hope that we may avoid having to breathe that poison.

Now it is time to take arms against a sea of troubles and to make democratic government work for us as it was conceived by our nation’s founders.

So, I propose that we all write to all of our elected representatives to demand our military’s approximately 1,000 large cargo aircraft be committed to join the far smaller civilian aircraft fleet in dumping water and retardant on to the huge wildfires that will, otherwise, cause smoke to seep into our dwellings, as well as threatening the lives and health of our overwhelmed ground crews.

Since our elected representatives rely on our votes, not to limit their terms, and, therefore, put out contact sites for our convenience, what have we got to lose by making our demands? As much as they may ignore individual appeals, they can’t afford to ignore us when we appeal in great strength! Military aircrews must fly for qualification experience, anyway, so let’s have them fly crucially important missions! Let them squelch smoke!

Philip J. Mulligan

Spokane