State argues against closing air wing -- and I'm starting to look for the pointers to all the details. Help hoped for, please.

State argues against closing air wing Top officials tell base-closing panel Pentagon is wrong

Friday, July 08, 2005 By Maeve Reston, Post-Gazette National Bureau

WASHINGTON -- Several hundred yellow-shirted Pennsylvanians converged in Washington yesterday to show support as state officials told an independent commission that the Pentagon was dead wrong this spring when it recommended closing the Pittsburgh-area 911th Airlift Wing, an Air Reserve unit in Moon, and the Willow Grove Naval Air Station, which is north of Philadelphia.

I'm going to go out on a limb and tip my hand at a hunch I've got. Then, I'll ask for your help. This speak first, ask second approach works on one's own blog -- as I can go back and NUKE the dang posting if I wish. That said, ....

I have no problem telling top officials that they are wrong. I do it often. I respect those who have the corage to do the same.

However, if I need to side with one or the other and the options are STATE OFFICIALS and PENTAGON -- that becomes a hard call and I'm more in favor of leaning on the side of the PENTAGON.

Those in the Pentagon have a job to do. They are trusted with a massive duty. I'd rather let them be free to set up their resources as they see fit.

Most of all, I don't want to see a line of reasoning from locals about how the bases are an economic asset that can't be lost. That line of thinking came out in short bursts early in the sound-bite process. I do hope that cleaner lines of thought prevailed and those mentions were left unsaid since then.

So, for now.....

WHERE can one find all the details of what was presented to the base closing commission? Are the materials made available online? Are there transcripts online?

I didn't tune in to see the coverage at PCNC or C-SPAN. Is some of that archived?

I'd love to read the works and have those materials that were presented online.

Thanks for the pointers.