Romney "Disses" Amateur Radio In Televised Town Meeting (and why he won't get my vote)

Eastern MA American Radio Relay League ^ | Wednesday 16 November 2005 @ 15:48:10 | Eastern Massachusetts ARRL

[Rick.Donaldson]

Romney "Disses" Amateur Radio In Televised Town Meeting Posted on Wednesday 16 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."

The television program can be viewed at http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/5334306/detail.html.

[pops88]

My point was that as far as I can see, you’re are putting words in his mouth, and the evidence that I have seen is that he is ignorant of disaster preparedness. I’d like to see statements to back up your assertations. I have yet to see that, but I have seen the argument be skirted and twisted. Up until now, I’ve had no disdain for Mitt. All I want is facts and the truth on candidates, not someone making excuses for their statements or actions, which is all I’ve seen.

[Leftism is Mentally Deranged]

So Romney is a jerk. No surprise there.

[Cuttnhorse]

Any bets he doesn’t really know what HAM radio is and does?? He may think its a bunch of fat guys yammering away on CBs.

[Cold Heat]

I did not put an words in his mouth. He did not really say anything, except to try and politely dismiss the idea that the Feds should be concerned about Hamm radio and apparently this cabal of hamm operators are.

What do they want????A check!!!!

Romney did not diss hamm radio. He simply did not see ow it was relevant to the Federal government who is not resposible for the Communications systems of any State or locality.

After 9/11, the spending spree included moneys for States to use in what ever way they chose to improve communications and first response, largely because they were forced to by Congress as they spent billions.

None of this will be repeated, if I have anything to say about it, and most conservatives understand where the lines are. I know Romney does.

So I was not putting words in his mouth. I am trying to state the obvious, at least to me.

Somehow federalism has gone out the window for some. Not I. Romney would have no comments either for of against something the Federal government has no business in except to the extent that the FCC regulates currently. The FCC does not tell a State what it must have, nor how to do it.

Nor should it.

[Cold Heat]

I apologize for missing letters, I need to clean this keyboard or something....

[toddlintown]

Watch the latest Die Hard flick. When the technology’s gone, it’s back to basics.

[toddlintown]

Romney wants the children of illegals to be given free HAM radio licenses.

Pass it on.

[gitmo]

During the Cuban Missle Crisis, my family was evacuated from Guantanamo Bay to the States, leaving Dad behind to fight a war that (thank the good Lord) never transpired. We were in the States a little over a year. My Mom got to talk to Dad exactly twice during that time, thanks to two ham operators.

[halfright]

Romney can _._ .. ... ... _ _ _._ _ ._ ... ...

de ._ _ ..._ _ _._. .._.dot com

[pops88]

"Romney is saying simply that Ham Radio should remain free and unencumbered"

This is putting words into his mouth. Where was that stated?

My mother was a reading specialist and a pioneer in the field. What am I missing here? How does disaster preparedness, FEMA, etc., not actively involve Amateur Radio Operator's contributions and not actively involve the Federal Government's recognition of that contribution? There is nothing said about regulation, however the involvement of Amateur Radio's contribution to emergency communications is dismissed.

"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.

[Diogenesis]

"And you people call yourselves conservatives......"

We are conservatives in contrast to self-declared-RINO Romney
who is NOTHING like a conservative. He even said so.

"Look, I was an Independent during the time of Reagan/Bush.
I am not trying to return to Reagan/Bush."
(Mitt Romney, 1994 Senate Debate, Boston, MA, 10/25/94)

"I wasn't a Ronald Reagan conservative."
(Mitt Romney In Interview with Marc Ambinder,
"Romney Explains Himself," National Journal, 2/9/07)

"I'm very clear I think, to the people across the Commonwealth -
my "R" didn't stand so much for Republican as it does for reform."
(Romney Video, accessed 9/19/07)

"I'm not running as the Republican view or a continuation of Republican values.
That's not what brings me to the race."
(Romney Video, accessed 9/19/07)

[dragnet2]

OK? What are you suggesting?

I wasn't suggesting anything. You quoted what I stated and my point, which I again post below, is quite clear:

>>So the short answer is you have no means to communicate with the citizens in your region for immediate status reports and other vital information in the event of a major disaster. OK<<

[meandog]

Mr. Romney clearly has misunderstood the role of Amateur Radio Operators around the United States during the many disaster responses that have been provided to states and Federal government over the last 100 years.

Typical Romulan! When we had a hurricane here in Va (Isabel) a couple of years back ALL electricity, phone (and especially cell phones) were kaput and it was the HAMS that kept us going...HAMS also help the military with the MARS system; as well they run phone patches so some of our Sailors at sea can contact their loved ones (when a Navy RM holds a HAM license as many did when I was in the Navy)--try finding a cell phone tower in the middle of the ocean. They do it for nothing more than a Quebec Serra Lima card back. Romney is an asshat.

[BlazingArizona]

They do this ALL THE TIME.

But the story usually reads something like "Hams get aid for stricken family" on page 14 of the big hurricane coverage edition of the paper. I'm talking about hams as a group in an area establishing a communications relationship with the emergency management apparatus of a community, so that in times of disaster they become an extension of it.

[DBrow]

“What I don’t understand is, how does this elitists idiot even know what a HAM radio operator is or does?”

Because most serious large-scale disaster plans from FEMA to MEMA include Ham Radio as an option for communications. Every state has provisions for the relatively long wavelengths hams use. As Governor he surely read those plans, and just maybe when he was Savior Of The Olympics.

His response was “heck no, no hams” rather than “umm, who?”

[DBrow]

“There is no backup that would survive a EMP anymore than a hamm radio”

An old tube ham radio, say a Hallicrafters, will survive an EMP burst of frightening intensity. It’s the solid-state wonders that fry. Tubes are quite hard, if a bit power hungry due to the filaments.

Hard to melt vacuum, yano. Silicon melts much better.

[DBrow]

“He simply did not see ow it was relevant to the Federal government”

FEMA and several other agencies actually have ham radio as an official part of disaster planning. State level planners do too. I suspect the former Governor knows this, hence his speedy dismissal rather than a blank stare and a Who?

[DBrow]

From the MAss General Laws (someone at the state level in MA, at some point, saw the importance of radio amateurs):

Chapter 40A: Section 3. Subjects which zoning may not regulate; exemptions; public hearings; temporary manufactured home residences

No zoning ordinance or by-law shall prohibit the construction or use of an antenna structure by a federally licensed amateur radio operator. Zoning ordinances and by-laws may reasonably regulate the location and height of such antenna structures for the purposes of health, safety, or aesthetics; provided, however, that such ordinances and by-laws reasonably allow for sufficient height of such antenna structures so as to effectively accommodate amateur radio communications by federally licensed amateur radio operators and constitute the minimum practicable regulation necessary to accomplish the legitimate purposes of the city or town enacting such ordinance or by-law.

[CenTex]

During the Cuban crisis, I, and a bunch of other hams, were working ‘can to can’t’ getting the communications equipment in the tanks and other units ready for deployment at Fort Hood. We had turned our hobby into our vocation.

I currently support a seven county, thirteen hospital amateur radio network and two county EOCs. I also sent equipment to the Katrina recovery and was planning to go myself. We have had to support one of the EOCs on two occasions when the state of the art center took lightning hits.

My Katrina deployment plan was reworked when another Lady of the Gulf, Rita, headed toward Texas. Our area, the initial target area, was spared, but we, hams and other volunteers, worked the shelters for two weeks.

The ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) group to my south sent a repeater and operators to reestablish communications for the first responders in an East Texas Community.

Establisting the hospital network required over a thousand hours of my time and supporting it requires ten to twenty hours a month. We have been asked to add three more hospitals.

I also support a wide area repeater that covers all or part of twenty counties. This is a resource used extensively by the National Weather Service during severe weather situations (SKYWARN). There are about a hundred hams, scattered over mostly rural areas, that report their observations directly to Fort Worth via the repeater and a facility called ECHOLINK.

The information is passed on via the EAS system(weather radio) and local media within a very few minutes of the observation being reported. BTW, I have a meeting in the morning with the FTW severe weather meteorologist to plan for the upcoming tornado season.

I could go on but I have to prepare for an amateur radio license class that starts Monday. At least half of the students are ‘professional’ first responders.

I reserve a little time for sleep between my amateur radio activities and time spent on FR. My amateur radio signature is:

Joe Dorn, W5VEX, Belton, Texas

Trustee W5BEC 147.140 (PL 123), Echolink W5BEC-R (Node 99000)
Bell County EOC Reservist

Instructor & Mentor ARRL EC Courses (Over 190 students and counting)

Instructor: United States Power Squadrons’ Weather Course

Central Texas Trauma Council Amateur Radio Coordinator

Have Ham Tests, Will Travel!!!

[gitmo]

Thank you for your service. You mentioned the time you spend serving the community, but neglected to mention the monetary costs to you. I don’t personally know what that equipment costs, but it’s got to be a pretty penny.

I’ve always had a lot of respect for the hams around the world. They have been the link that held the world together when everything else went to heck in a handbasket. The rest of the time, they’re just weirdos who sit up at night talking to distant voices across the void.