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Highlands Today

Bombing Range

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Robert Beadle

Published: December 20, 2007

Mr. Reark, I'm responding to your completely misunderstood retort to my November letter regarding the bombing range. Your inability to comprehend what you read is astonishing.

No where in my article did I complain about the noise of the bombing or planes. Nor did I complain about the use of live ammunition. To the contrary, my letter explained that I endorsed the live use of ammunition. I agree with what you wrote and admire your patriotism. However, you failed to see that we are on the same side. When you go to war you must know who your enemy is. I'm not your enemy!

To your credit you must realize that Highlands Today's inept editing policy led to the omission of two essential paragraphs. Had they been included, your comprehension might have been improved. This omission is also my fault for not counting the minimum 350 words which I exceeded. Half my article was quoting what others had said.

My sole thesis was if the military is lying about the date of the live bombing then they undoubtedly lied about the use of depleted uranium. Depleted uranium was the key to my article. Here are the deleted two paragraphs:

"We do not want radiation poisoning permeating our air as the military did in Vieques, Puerto Rico for 60 years. The Puerto Rican Health Department revealed that the cancer rate at Vieques is 20.9 percent above Puerto Rico's average."

"A Google search on depleted uranium reveals that our military admits to using thousands of tons of depleted uranium in the Gulf wars, in Iraq, and in Afghanistan since 1991. This equates to the release of radiation from at least 400,000 Nagasaki bombs!"

As a patriot, you must agree that we don't want uranium poisoning in Avon Park as the result of the military "live bombing" at the bombing range. And no, I am not a native of Florida and neither are you unless you are a Seminole Indian. But I got here as quickly as I could in 1990.

Robert Beadle Avon Park

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