Every year the Blue Angels come to SF in the Fall. They practice their flights for several days, then are part of a 2-day airshow.  During this time, SF residents live through a cacophony of noise that disrupts work, wakes up kids, and freaks out pets (plus non-domesticated animals).  And we could go at length as to the fuel consumption, emissions, and other wastefulness.  Finally, there's the simple inevitability to something going wrong one day.

The Navy likes the event because it's a "useful recruiting tool".

Aren't we supposed to be thinking conservation? When I see a single plane roar by I realize, in an instant, that all the recycling I do *all year* is now rendered moot.  

How many new recruits do we really get at the cost of this unbelievably annoying and wasteful display of excess??