Environment and the Military

The comments of Capt. Phillips upon his departure from the naval base at Port Hueneme as reported in The Times of July 12 [“Navy Base Changeover Fires Up Outgoing Leader”] are most injudicious and very unfortunate.

Capt. Phillips accuses “selfish people” from the local environmental movement of hampering the work of the base. The captain appears to be under the illusion that the purpose of our American society is to have a perfect military and that the public insistence on clean air and water is merely an impediment to the achievement of this purpose, an impediment to be shot down.

He has it backward. The purpose of our society is to ensure every American life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which most of us take to include an environment that does not threaten us with noxious air, polluted water and contaminated land areas. If these goals come into conflict with the Navy’s self-aggrandizement, then it must be the Navy that will have to make the adjustment, not the “selfish people” the Navy is supposed to serve.

The Beacon Foundation has been quietly but effectively fighting to protect our environment from the residue of massive industrial and military neglect. It has saved La Jenelle Park from adjacent dumping, initiated an annual environmental “cleanup day,” supported endangered species protection, focused attention on the problem of infectious bacteria at Kiddie Beach, insisted on impact studies prior to the issuance of development permits, etc.

We hope the new base commander will reassess the Navy’s responsibility as a neighbor in this community.

Norman Eagle

Ventura County Green

Party Council

Oxnard