[SEDXC] Mitt Romney and Ham Radio

[MAllphin at aol.com]

More on the controversy...this from Skip, W5GAI
73, Bob
K4UEE
 
Ham Radio has entered the presidential issue dialog.
Skip  W5GAI
-----------------------------------------
Wednesday 16 November 2005  @ 15:48:10 | Eastern Massachusetts ARRL Romney 
'Disses' Amateur Radio  In
Televised Town Meeting Posted on Wednesday16 November 2005 @  15:48:10

Governor Mitt Romney dismissed the role of Amateur Radio  operators in 
emergency communications
during a televised 'town meeting'  program last night on WCVB's 'When 
Disaster Strikes: Segment Two.'
The  program featured public safety and volunteer organization officials from 
across  Massachusetts
among its audience.

Host and moderator Natalie Jacobson  asked an increasingly-agitated Governor 
Romney questions about
communications  interoperability, and communication without commercial power. 
Romney was next  asked
by Jacobson, '...so does it come down to ham radio?...'

The  Governor replied in a disgusted tone, 'No, we don't need to deal with 
ham radio  operators...'

Embarrassed public safety officials later tried to put in a  good word for 
Amateur Radio. National
Weather Service Warning Coordination  Meteorologist Glenn Field was prepared 
to state the importance
of Amateur  Radio, when Salvation Army Colonel Fred Van Brunt was called 
upon. Van Brunt  remarked
about his organization's quest to improve its communications  capabilities 
and how Amateur Radio has
aided his organization. 'The ham radio  situation helps a great deal,' he 
stated.

'I have already written and  submitted a letter to the Governor's Office,' 
wrote Eastern MA  Section
Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY. 'I have also written an  email to 
Natalie Jacobson.'

ARRL Section Manager Mike Neilsen, W1MPN sent  a section-wide email today to 
all Eastern MA ARRL
members describing the  incident along with actions he and his staff were 
taking to mitigate  the
situation.

'[Romney's] attitude about us sets an unfortunate tone  within the state's 
executive branch,' wrote
Neilsen. 'As a former military  officer, I see this as a failure in 
leadership. My immediate concern
is our  working relationship within the [Massachusetts Emergency Management 
Team]  environment.'
Neilsen intends to address the Governor's comments as 'an  urgent matter' at 
a meeting on November 17
with Don Carlton from the  Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

'I was very disturbed about  what the Governor stated on the program,' wrote 
Ron Wood, W1PLW,  the
section's Public Information Coordinator. 'It does show that more work is  
needed by all hams in the
section. It's a great idea to write letters  explaining the good we do.' Wood 
is attempting to
schedule a meeting with the  Governor's office tomorrow so that EMA ARRL 
staffers might discuss the
matter  further.

Tom Kinahan, N1CPE wrote that Governor Romney's comment has made  'a PR 
problem' for Kinahan in his
role as MA State RACES  Officer.

'I've got a roster of over 150 Amateur Radio operators that  support local 
communities, and those of
us that directly support the state  government. There are at least double 
that in terms of people
that are  actually out there that I don't have formal paperwork on that 
support Amateur  Radio
emergency communications in some organized manner... The Governor has  said 
that he 'certainly
doesn't need to rely on ham radio' -- where does that  leave the RACES 
program now?'

'I am ashamed tonight that I am a  Republican!' remarked one ham radio 
viewer. '[Romney] speaks in
derogatory  tones about hams. He certainly shows an ignorance as to what we 
do and are  capable of. I
suggest a grass roots campaign of local hams calling the State  House and The 
Governor's Office  to
protest.'






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