Two bases, both on the Pentagon’s chopping block, neither on a coast or offering any more strategic advantage than the other yet one is closed and one is not.

Why?

Wisconsin is home to the 440th refueling wing and it will be closing. We also voted for John Kerry in the last Presidential election. South Dakota has its own base that was slated for closing but it is being spared. South Dakota voted for George W. Bush.

Wisconsin’s 440th offers a sense of pride for the community but it also acts as a magnet for military recruitment. (It’s operations are being moved to Red State, South Carolina — perhaps as a reward for ther votes for “W” last time?) The South Dakota base surely also offers a sense of pride for the community but there are no large population bases for it to draw from for recruitment. So if logic were to influence these decisions, which one would make more sense to close?

Is there a lesson here? If so, it is simple. If you don’t vote for Republican’s they will make you and your community pay and pay dearly. They will strip you of federal funds, they will take away your military bases and they will show their vindictiveness by taking away your community’s sense of pride.