Bakersfield Bush Visit (embarassing vanity)

none

[umgud]

This morning at 9:10 am, George W. Bush landed in Air Force One at Meadows Field here in Bakersfield CA to attend a townhall meeting at a local business. The business is "Rain for Rent", which is a family owned national pipe, tank and pump rental company providing services to the oil, ag and industrial community.

Rain for Rent is a good choice because they are based here, but have facilities throughout the US. The owners, the Lake family, I suspect are politically active and supportive of GWB. This meeting will have a tentacle effect in that, company pics and memo's mwill surely flood all their locations. This is a proud company and I suspect this will promote support for Bush at all their locations.Bakersfield, BTW, is a vvery conservative enclave.

Now, to the embarrasing part of this vanity post...........I'm a manager for a Bakersfield based HazMat transportation company (with 7 terminals west of OK). We are located a mile east of the Meadows Field airport. At a second location, we have a 2 story office building at the corner of Airport & Norris Rd. which overlooks the airport and the runway.The secret service searched our employees cars in the parking lot. I've never seen this many law enforcement and secret service type before, but then, this is my first prez visit.

On the north end of the airport is a road named "7th Standard. At 8:30 am, one of our trucks was driving past the airport on this road and was stopped by the authorities who didn't want trucks or other traffic to proceed and go under the runway tunnel which goes over this road. The CHP told my driver to trun around. He tried, but there wasn't enough room and got his 70 foot long truck stuck on the shoulder with his trailer jackknifed and completely blocking the road. This didn't make the authorities too happy, as they had some offiical escort and other traffic that needed to go thru here........Needeles to say, every type of official you could imagine converged on us. They checked us out with a fine tooth comb and fortuneately, the driver was empty and not hauling hazmat. Under great pressure, we dispatched another truck with a winch and got the truck unstuck just as the prez was landing.

[umgud]

Sorry for the vanity, but this was exciting and a little embarassing.

[Smogger]

Hey... (bleep) happens.

Good post.

[Republican Red]

Sounds fun!

Fox News carried maybe three minutes of the President's speech. They cut away when he was suggesting that the mayor of Bakersfield should do something about the potholes. I love the President but I wish he'd get some new material, although the audience did roar with laughter.

Fox left the speech before it even began. Pity.

[dakine]

Good story...made me laugh (WITH you, not at you)...

[Professional Engineer]

Cool stupid bureaucrat story.

[OldFriend]

MSNBC actually showed the President speaking to the group. And afterward didn't have a meanspirited comment about it either.

Didn't see it on FNC or CNN......but then I didn't catch the entire speech.

[Fierce Allegiance]

I've done tons of business with RFR. Good people who know how to tkae care of customers.

[IYAS9YAS]

Sounds like you should place the blame squarely on the "official" who told your driver to turn around without having sufficient space necessary to do so.

[imintrouble]

I love the President's opening about "Rain for Rent" and his comments about "renting rain in East Texas too"!!!

I nearly hit another car laughing.

Good show Bakerspatch!

Nothing vanity about it umgud....how often does the President come calling to a little town compared with some of the high powered ones in this country?

[umgud]

His inpromptu stopping along the caravan route to shake hands with kids at an elementary school no doubt was just as inspiring as his planned visit. It was a real feel-good event. He also joked with the local mayor (Harvey Hall), who asked for advice. The prez responded; "Fix the potholes."

[imintrouble]

Aw - you had yourself one great morning didn't you???

I was listening to him on the radio, and I had it up so loud like I was a goofy teenager with a boombox and the window rolled down. When I pulled up alongside of a few cars they looked down in anger and realized what I was listening too and grinned. One dear old gal gave me the "thumbs up" sign haha.

A nice moment in a sleepy, sunny, California Thursday morning!

He's probably right about the potholes too eh?

[No Dems 2004]

The President must really believe that he can win California ... read this too http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1089961/posts

[imintrouble]

Ooops Trillium - I snuck a peek at your "private" message to Umgud and wanted you to know it was a wonderful story too!

Bask in the glory all over again too so we could read about it.

I hope none of us ever take for granted such occasions. It wouldn't be fun any more.

[umgud]

Youm must have hit the wrong button. However, I enjoyed your reply. THX