A few years back, I lived in California. Specifically, I lived in Los Angeles. But work routinely brought me down to San Diego. For those uninitiated, San Diego holds Camp Pendleton, a Marine Corps base. And from time to time, on my way down, I'd see carriers, Black Hawks, Ospreys, and other ships and associated military personnel doing training along the coast.
It was a neat thing to watch, especially for someone who grew up loving Top Gun.
Never once, however, did I see the Marines firing live ammunition over the 5 Freeway, which is one of the busiest corridors in the country. Never once did I see them endangering folks' lives for some idiotic military celebration. Never once did they pull some stupid stunt because some congressional representative or president or vice president wanted a damn show. Well, that all changed, and it nearly went completely sideways to the point of endangering people's lives.
