U.S. Navy SEALs have long trained in some Washington state parks because they offer realistic scenarios for some locations around the world where these elite special forces members operate, but that is now a thing of the past, thanks to a state judge.
Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon earlier this week overturned a lower court when he ruled that the Washington State Parks and Recreation Board erred when the panel gave its OK to the Navy to continue using the parks to hold training exercises.
The conflict arose after the commission voted 4-3 to approve a Navy proposal to use over 20 parks for training purposes in January 2021. The decision angered many local recreationists who complained that they felt unsafe, potentially seeing SEALs emerge from the water in darkness, reported NW News.
“Advocacy group Whidbey Environmental Action Network, often called WEAN, sought a judicial review of the commission’s decision,” the outlet noted, adding:
On Friday, Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon said the commission’s decision was illegal and outside its purview, which includes the protection and enhancement of parks.
In addition, Dixon ruled the commission violated the State Environmental Policy Act by not considering fully how the trainings could deter visitors.
Opponents of the decision often said the presence of out-of-sight SEAL trainees would incite a “creepiness factor,” removing a sense of calm often found in nature.
He noted that after thinking on the case for days which included times when he was driving to work, he could not come up with a better legal term than that.
“It is creepy,” he said. “The argument that, ‘Look, judge, no harm, no foul,’ in this court’s analysis falls on deaf ears.”
Adding that the public is advised of the training evolutions, Dixon reasoned: “That fact and that fact alone creates a significant environmental impact.”
Huh?
Mind you, the military does not simply arbitrarily pick training locations; they are chosen for specific reasons and in this case, the Navy has long preferred Washington coastal regions (some of which are contained within the boundaries of state parks) because “Washington’s natural landscapes provide critical cold water training for SEALs,” the oulet reported.
“Washington’s coastlines and currents pose challenges to SEAL trainees that are difficult to find elsewhere,” the outlet continued, citing Warrant Officer Esteban Alvarado, who said at a Nov. 19, 2020, public meeting the region provides a critical component in training exercises.
“According to Navy officials, Washington coastlines account for some of the only cold water training in the U.S., including limited training in Alaska,” the outlet continued.
No longer, appearently, because the left-wing snowflakes inhabiting Washington are suddenly ‘offended’ and ‘scared’ by the presence of some of the most elite fighters in the world (who deploy frequently in defense of those same people).
It’s obscene to think that members of one of our most elite military units may now be put at risk while performing missions in certain parts of the world because they were denied the training opportunity in their own country by frightened little snowflakes.
What a disgrace.
