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9/11 pilot's brother runs for Congress
Associated Press ^ | 04/24/07

Posted on 04/24/2007 9:22:18 AM PDT by presidio9

The brother of a pilot whose hijacked airplane was flown into the World Trade Center in 2001 announced Tuesday he is running for Congress.

Air Force Lt. Col. James Ogonowski is the first Republican to announce his intention to run for the seat of Democrat Rep. Martin Meehan, who is leaving Congress to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Ogonowski's brother, John, was one of 92 people killed aboard American Airlines Flight 11 from Boston to Los Angeles on Sept. 11, 2001.

He said his brother's death played a "significant part" in his decision to run for Congress.

"We lost our innocence that day," he said. "It's something we should never allow to happen again."

Ogonowski, 49, plans to retire from the Air Force next month after a 28-year career. He announced his candidacy at a memorial dedicated to his brother near the house where they grew up in Dracut, in northeast Massachusetts.

Ogonowski describes himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate.

Two other Republicans are considering a run for Meehan's seat: former NFL defensive lineman Fred Smerlas and Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan.

Six Democrats have announced their candidacy, including Niki Tsongas, wife of the late U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas; Lowell City Councilor Eileen M. Donoghue; and state Rep. Barry Finegold.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Politics/Elections; US: Massachusetts; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: ltcoljamesogonowski; wtc

That's Jim on the right at John's funeral. It should be noted that this is sort of an odd picture of him. Normally he doesn't look anything like another former Air Force pilot turned Republican Politician that we know and love.

1 posted on 04/24/2007 9:22:19 AM PDT by presidio9
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To: presidio9

I wish all well to him and a smashing victory against the Democrat.


2 posted on 04/24/2007 9:23:26 AM PDT by SolidWood (Islam is an insanity cult that makes everyone act Arab)
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To: SolidWood

We finally took a plan out of the Dems play book. They ran retired military against incumbants in a number of races and won. Sure hope this one gets rid of Marty.


3 posted on 04/24/2007 9:25:08 AM PDT by mware (By all that you hold dear..Doing real on this good earth... I bid you stand! Men of the West!)
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To: presidio9

Surprising that AP gave him any coverage at all. I wish him luck.


4 posted on 04/24/2007 9:25:23 AM PDT by JillValentine (Being a feminist is all about being a victim. Being an armed woman is all about not being a victim.)
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To: mware
Sure hope this one gets rid of Marty.

Marty's on his was out the door either way. The seat is open.

5 posted on 04/24/2007 9:26:26 AM PDT by presidio9 (Suspended for posting an article about Scalia and Arthur Miller arguing at SCOTUS. Seriously.)
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To: presidio9

I would rather have a fiscal moderate and a social conservative.


6 posted on 04/24/2007 9:50:04 AM PDT by Torpedogirl
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To: Torpedogirl
I would rather have a fiscal moderate and a social conservative.

In MASSachusetts? Are you kidding? I'd take any Republican seat in what is now an all DemocRAT delegation if it unseats Pelosi as Speaker.

7 posted on 04/24/2007 9:57:29 AM PDT by Paleo Conservative
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To: presidio9

Ooh. A Social Moderate. BURN HIM!


8 posted on 04/24/2007 10:05:14 AM PDT by GenuineChocolateFace (Sarcasm - it beats killing people.)
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To: presidio9
another former Air Force pilot turned Republican Politician

A little help? McCain was a Naval Aviator.

9 posted on 04/24/2007 10:24:09 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets ("We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.")
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

Man, am I the only person who looks at that picture and sees an uncanny resemblance to George Bush with slumped shoulders?


10 posted on 04/24/2007 10:26:58 AM PDT by presidio9 (Suspended for posting an article about Scalia and Arthur Miller arguing at SCOTUS. Seriously.)
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To: Torpedogirl

LAWSAMIGHTY girl, I live in the 5th Mass. Cong. Distr. I came within a hairsbreath of being gerrymandered into Joe Kennedy’s district.

Any imaginable Republican would be a huge improvement over the run-of-the-mill social and economic numbnuts in the Massachusetts Democratic stable.


11 posted on 04/24/2007 10:27:02 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets ("We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.")
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets
Any imaginable Republican would be a huge improvement over the run-of-the-mill social and economic numbnuts in the Massachusetts Democratic stable.

Shhhhhh! Don't talk like that! If he's not a social conservative, he's unacceptable.

12 posted on 04/24/2007 10:28:48 AM PDT by GenuineChocolateFace (Sarcasm - it beats killing people.)
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets
No, I don’t see Bush. And I think of W as a former TxANG member, an honorable condition, but not really an Air Force pilot.

Anyway, I live the the 5th Mass. Cong. District and any imaginable Republican would be a huge improvement over the menagerie of misfits, wannabes and whiners in the Massachusetts Democratic party bullpen.

13 posted on 04/24/2007 10:31:14 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets ("We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.")
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To: presidio9
"We lost our innocence that day," he said. "It's something we should never allow to happen again."

bump.
14 posted on 04/24/2007 10:33:03 AM PDT by reagan_fanatic (I have a big carbon footprint and I'm not afraid to use it.)
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To: presidio9; Clintonfatigued; Radix; JohnnyZ; Clemenza; AuH2ORepublican; BlackElk; Torpedogirl; ...
"Ogonowski describes himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate."

Once your social views migrate leftward, it's almost impossible to reconcile your fiscal views if they run counter to them. In other words, you can be a fiscal liberal and a social Conservative, but not the other way around. This sounds like he's a pro-abort.

15 posted on 04/24/2007 1:37:23 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Would you vote for President a guy who married his cousin? Me, neither. Accept no RINOs. Fred in '08)
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To: fieldmarshaldj
This sounds like he's a pro-abort.

Possibly, but I'm hoping not. Most Poles that I know take their Catholicism pretty seriously.

16 posted on 04/24/2007 1:39:21 PM PDT by presidio9 (Suspended for posting an article about Scalia and Arthur Miller arguing at SCOTUS. Seriously.)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

I sympathize for the Lieutenant Colonel’s loss, but that doesn’t mean he should be running for Congress in MA. Mike Sullivan sounds like the only GOP candidate who’s feasible.


17 posted on 04/24/2007 3:06:55 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued (If the GOP were to stop worshiping Free Trade as if it were a religion, they'd win every election)
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To: GenuineChocolateFace

Moderate= unprincipled liberal.


18 posted on 04/24/2007 3:13:33 PM PDT by darkangel82 (Socialism is NOT an American value.)
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To: Clintonfatigued

His family was a prominent Dracut family before 9/11. They have been working to privately save the many acres of farm land in the city despite creeping development because of its proximity to Lowell.


19 posted on 04/24/2007 4:50:47 PM PDT by MassachusettsGOP (May the West and Republicans Always Win...)
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