The Backlash or Hoorah of Closing Down a Military Base

This is a tough subject.
I myself have never lived near a Military base, so I have no concrete idea of how I would feel or what it would be like to have one be put up or taken down where you live your life.
However, from what we have read and seen in class, I find myself seeing both sides of the story.
On one side you have the economic aspect of a base, that it provides hundreds or even thousands of people with jobs and a livelihood. In some towns the bases make up their entire economy! That would be devasting for a community who relies so heavily on a base to keep their economy up and running to be shut down. Would anything take its place? Would people have to move? There are so many questions about people's livelihoods at stake that I can see the argument in favor of keeping a base up and running.
On the other hand, you have the people who complain about the base simply being in their backyards ( especially foreign people with U.S. bases surrounding them) and the noise pollution they bring. While reading one of the articles I kept picturing the photo Kelly showed us in class taken by her from a street in Okinawa of the huge plane about to land , and it looked like it was landing on top of houses and buildings! That is just how close the base is to civillians living their lives. There have been studies done about the effects of the constant loud noise of a military base on people and especially children who live their lives exposed to it daily, and it is harmful!
Personally I would be more inclined to have the base shut down. What if someone I depended on worked at base though? I have no idea how I would feel. Probably in favor of keeping it I'm sure.
What would be perfect is if we didn't have wars at all and then there would be no need for Military bases and everyone could be conscience objecters and all live in peace : )
( Can you tell I just finished watching the POV documentary Soldiers of Conscience?!)

Diego Garcia

I think the island of Diego Garcia is the perfect example of militarization. 

I think back to the beginning of the semester when I wrote down, " I don't know" in response to Kelly's question to us, "What is militarization?" Now if somebody asked me that same question I could talk for an hour about all the different aspects of militarization we have learned of.

After reading the blurbs about Diego Garcia from the links provided to us, I realized the history sections didn't speak of the natives of Diego Garcia. I found out they were relocated to Mauritus when the British took over rule and colonized the island. According to a report by Christiane Amanpour, the British did not want any indigenous people left on the island and proceeded to ship them to Mauritus and the Seychelles.

The British used Diego Garcia for its natural resources and now both the UK and US military use it for a base with training purposes as well. 

Perfect example of colonization (militarization) in modern times.

US Military Bases on Okinawa

This article makes me feel bad for the Okinawans. First we kick them out of their own land and then they get tortured and executed by their own government.
Throughout his speech he talks about the history of U.S. opression on the Okinawans but then at the end of speech he asks the U.S. government " a partner in the Security Treaty and a nation known for its respect for democracy and human rights - will take the initiative in these painful issues."
If we are a nation known for our respect of democracy and human rights, why does our history of acquiring foreign military bases suggest the opposite, as Ota talks about in his speech?