There Goes the Empire

Six or seven Air Force fighters have been buzzing my neighborhood for the last couple of hours.

air force thunderbirds

This annual roaring is blamed by some engineers for the exterior crumbling of the 16-story building I live in. The noise is just ferocious, and much as I hate the volume (decibels and people) of Chicago’s annual air and water show, I can’t deny my marvelling at the raw power of it.

Fascinating, and troubling to my core, this big war show is, with these two comforts: First, it’s a show. I can’t imagine what Iraq or Kosovo or other hot spots must be like when these awful machines come to town for real. And second, the last time I was buzzed by fighter jets was in northern England, as I strolled along the ruins of the Wall built by the Roman emperor Hadrian.

Empire today, gone on Monday.

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