What kind of city would -- in the middle of a war -- no longer welcome its traditional annual (since 1981) precision flying performance by the legendary Blue Angels?

San Francisco, unfortunately.

As a 30 year resident of Berkeley (although I'm currently bicoastal), and former city official there, I'm familiar with the type of thinking which dominates Bay Area politics, and I'll offer an all-too-typical example.

Here, from today's San Francisco Chronicle, is a letter to the editor:

Editor -- Regarding the news article, "A Fleet Week sans Blue Angels?" (Dec. 12): The Blue Angels (the Navy's precision flying team) will not be missed. The vulgar display of triumphal military regalia has long been a civic disgrace.

Such garish spectacles may have a place in the protocols of authoritarian fascist regimes, but are grotesquely out of place in a city such as San Francisco.

At a time when many San Franciscans continue to recover from the threatening prospect of another eight years of oligarchic civic administration under Mayor-elect Gavin Newsom, good news does come in unexpected places.

GEORGE GUTEKUNST

San Francisco

Urinalysis might be more appropriate, considering the contents of the piss.

I'll take the Blue Angels' triumphal military regalia over Mr. Gutekunst's vulgar display of a letter any day -- especially at a time when a leading authoritarian fascist regime has finally been defeated. Trashing the Blue Angels at a time like this is indeed a civic disgrace.