Blue Angels over Chicago

Now that we’re talking about stupid events as this morning’s theme, let me vent about another.

During my years in Chicago, the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels stunt team would come annually to perform.

Chicago seems like a very logical city for doing this. After all, Chicago sits at the edge of Lake Michigan, one of the world’s largest bodies of fresh water. This would provide the Blue Angels with an unusually safe way to perform for the residents of a large city without endangering anyone, right?

Wrong.

They performed over the city of Chicago itself.

Since I no longer live in Chicago, I don’t know if the practice has been discontinued because of 9/11 or for other reasons. But I do know that this is the most patently ridiculous policy decision I’ve seen: allowing Navy stunt planes to operate at high speed over a city of millions when there’s already a big empty lake next door that is fully visible from the city.

And regardless of the (significant) accident risk, those planes are very loud. All mental work in the city basically came to a halt during these events.

I’m trying to post a photo, but the hotel wifi isn’t letting me yet. OK, there it it is…