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Date: | Wed, 7 Dec 2005 12:20:59 -0500 |
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> 'Ham radio operators not needed' says Massachusetts Governor
>
> It appears as if Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney does not know
> the role radio amateurs play in emergencies or maybe he just does
> not care.
>
> At least that's what hams in New England are saying after Romney
> dismissed the role of Amateur Radio operators in emergency
> communications during a recent televised 'town meeting.' Burt
> Hicks, WB6MQV, has more:
>
> The program was WCVB television's 'When Disaster Strikes: Segment
> Two.' It featured public safety and volunteer organization
> officials from across Massachusetts among its guests and in the
> audience.
>
> According to reports, Governor Romney seemed to get agitated when
> host and moderator Natalie Jacobson asked questions about
> communications interoperability, and communication without
> commercial power. Based on his answers, Romney ! was next asked by
> Jacobson if in the end it all came down to depen ding on ham radio
> to which the governor replied - quote: "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. The National Weather Service Warning
> Coordination Meteorologist Glenn Field was prepared to state the
> importance of Amateur Radio. Salvation Army Colonel Fred Van
> Brunt beat him to the punch talking about his organization's
> quest to improve its communications capabilities and how Amateur
> Radio has been an important aspect of this.
>
> But it was after the TV show ended that hams in the state went on
> the offensive. Eastern Massachusetts ARRL Section Emergency
> Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY made public that he had submitted a
> letter to the Governor's Office, ARRL Section Manager Mike
> Neilsen, W1MPN, sent a section-wide email to all Eastern
> Massachusetts ARRL members describing the incident along with
> actions he a! nd his staff were taking to mitigate the situation.
>
> Neilsen wrote that the Governors attitude about ham radio sets an
> unfortunate tone within the state's executive branch. Neilsen
> added that as former military officer, he sees this as a failure
> in leadership. Neilsen said that he intended to address the
> Governor's comments as an urgent matter at a meeting with Don
> Carlton from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
>
> Meantime, Tom Kinahan, N1CPE wrote that Governor Romney's comment
> has made a public relations problem in his role as Massachusetts
> State RACES Officer. Kinahan asks where it leaves the RACES
> program when the Governor has said that he "certainly doesn't
> need to rely on ham radio."
>
> Burt Hick, WB6MQV
> Amateur Radio Newsline
>
> While Governor Romney has yet to issue a formal apology to the
> ham radio community a representative from the Governor's office
> has reached out to the Amateur R! adio community in the wake of the
> perceived "snubbing."
>
> Ac cording to Eastern Massachusetts Section Emergency Coordinator
> Rob Macedo, KD1CY, Pam Hickman from the Governor's Office of
> External Relations telephoned has him. The message delivered was
> that the Governor's would like to the make the situation right.
> Macedo told Hickman that he and the local ARES leadership want to
> visit with Romney so that they might describe Amateur Radio and
> its benefits to the community. No word on if or when that meeting
> might take place.
>
> The television program can be viewed at
> http://www.thebostonchannel.com/video/5334306/detail.html.
>
>
> Thomas C Musolf
> N8NJY
> In GOD We TRUST
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