Final round for Ft. Monmouth

They keet tryin', but it just won't work.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant New Jersey an emergency stay that would have prevented the release of the BRAC report on military base closures and realignments to Bush. Sen. Corzine had asked the court to block the release so the state had enough time to file a proper appeal. The list was presented to Bush last night, who said he will pass it along to Congress without any changes.

That's the final nail in Fort Monmouth's coffin. Ok, Congress could vote down the recommendations (they don't get to make changes) but that's highly unlikely.

The good news from the BRAC report is for McGuire AFB. They will pick up the the Navy and Marine squadrons, 500 jobs total, from Willow Grove Naval Air Station outside Philly. Also, Fort Dix and Lakehurst Naval Air Station will join McGuire in the nation's first Mega-base, which will consolidate command and enable the bases to work more closely on large projects.

The appeals were what our representatives in Washington were supposed to do. They made their noise and stated their cases to keep Fort Monmouth, but it's always been just a matter of time before the fort was closed. They made it throught the last two rounds of closing by the skin of their teeth. The folks I know who work there have been expecting this for years, as have our representatives and the media.

So, thank you Sen. Corzine, Rep. Smith, Rep. Holt, and all the legislators who tried in vain to save Ft. Monmouth. It was worth the effort, if only for the political clout.

(Cross-posted at Blanton's and Ashton's- What's the noble cause?)