I respect the BRAC process, but I am a bit disturbed that Ellington Field in Houston is losing its F—16s, leaving the nation's 8th largest city, and even more importantly, our largest oil/petrochemical complex vulnerable. I could be wrong, but it seems to me placing the closest fighters 3oo some miles away in San Antonio is not prudent.

The same goes for our other biggest cities, the obvious terror targets. But Houston is a special case. If its ability to receive and refine oil products were crippled, the nation would be crippled.

Thomas Lifson  8 27 05