Watch a debate on military jets at mydesert.com

We had a spirited debate about the military jets that fly in and out of Palm Springs International Airport.
Our guests were Vic Gainer, chairman of the Palm Springs Airport Noise Citizens Committee, and Lee Albert, a retired pilot who lives in La Quinta.
We had Marine Staff Sgt. John Mejia lined up to defend the aviators, but sadly a friend of his was killed in Afghanistan. He’s escorting the body home.
This is a controversy that started about a year ago with a letter to the editor from a visitor who said the jets interrupted her cocktail hour poolside at a Palm Springs hotel. I’ve since gotten dozens of letters either from people who are annoyed by the noise or from defenders who call the jets “the sound of freedom.”
The Desert Sun office is across the street from the airport, so I hear them all day long. On occasion, they have interrupted our editorial board discussions. But they don’t bother me. I love watching the jets from our balcony.