Run In With Mr. Edwards

If Bush/Cheney deserved the protection then, don't
Kerry/Edwards deserve it now?

Bush and Kerry, perhaps. (I'm not convinced.)

Cheney and Edwards, no.

It's a matter of degree.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

but you were ****ed at what happened to you...

Of course. That's the American way!

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I should also mention that I really don't remember that much of my high
school Latin, so if you go quoting any more Latin phrases don't assume
that
I will understand them. :-)

Hey, I was a post-Vatican II Catholic boy. No latin for me...

However, I CAN recite the entire Catholic Mass (circa 1964) verbatim, if
you'd like...

(Nowadays, this would be called "child abuse." Back then, it was called
"going to church every day.")

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

but if you're under 50, shut up about Vietnam.

Bull****.

Ah, succinct as always, Newps -- God love ya.

I gotta say, George, that your statement (and Jim's) is the biggest crock of
**** I've seen on Usenet -- and that's saying a lot! :-)

Heck, I was 15 when the draft for Viet Nam ended. Was that close enough?

My first memories are of watching Walter Cronkite recite the nightly body
count -- was THAT close enough?

Heck, I even remember watching footage of blacks (then called "Negroes")
torching Watts, and dozens of other American inner cities. But since I
wasn't old enough to participate in the riots, I suppose I shall refrain
from making any commentary on these actions.

And I guess that anyone who wasn't of age in the '60s, really shouldn't say
ANYTHING about that whole screwed up decade, right?

And while we're at it, let's forget about civil rights in the '50s

....and World War II in the '40s.
....and the Great Depression in the '30s.
....and boot-legging in the '20s.
....and World War I in the '10s...

Hell, let's just chuck the whole early 20th century, while we're on a roll.
After all, NONE of us were "there."

Honestly, George.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Geoffrey Barnes" wrote

Kerry's not even getting a honeymoon on groundless
murder accusations! That poor man!

Poor, he's not.
--
Jim in NC

Well, Jay,
I suspected this day would come. You are the "hail fellow, well met"
guy I always figured you for. Friendly and chummy with everyone, but
really a narrow minded little twit. For anyone with a bit of ability
to read between the lines, it has simply been a waiting game.
Keep your political crap off this newsgroup, please. Your attack on
John Edwards was not so much without portent given the tone of your
numerous, "humerous", selfserving and commercially motivated constant
plugs for the Alexis Inn, as it was surprising that you finally had
the guts to finally come clean. Why don't you just admit that you are
against anything that Kerry/Edwards stand for, and are just another
Bush/Cheney toady?!
My wife and I annually fly to the midwest, and I had planned on
stopping by to stay at your 3rd rate motel, just from a sense of
pilot-comraderie. Forget it.
I'll stay elsewhere, thank-you. The incident you report had nothing
to do with John Edwards; it is a result of the necessary security that
surrounds every major pres/VP candidate.


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:p91Wc.21556$9d6.17529@attbi_s54...
After living in Iowa for the last 7 years, it seemed that we were the only
ones left who had NOT been to the "Great Iowa State Fair." This year is
the 150th anniversary of this grand old tradition, so last weekend we
decided to check it out.

After the brief, 0.7 hour flight to Des Moines, Mary taxied up to Des Moines
Flying Service (A.K.A.: "Signature") to park. As we trundled toward the
ramp we noticed an inordinate number of vehicles parked on the airport side
of the fence. As the prop stopped, I noticed that they were all law
enforcement vehicles, of every type and kind, from marked squads to black
Suburbans.

Jokingly I commented on the criminal nature of that last landing (which
netted me a swat to the head :-), but wondered aloud just what the heck
could justify the expense of 30 - 40 vehicles and crew...

...and then we remembered the season, and where we were. It HAD to be a
presidential election-related visit of some sort -- but who?

Mary had quite specifically grilled Flight Service about TFRs, and had been
told there were none. DSM approach mentioned nothing, either, so we were
fairly certain that it couldn't be the President. The fact that the cops
were eying us warily, but otherwise ignoring us, seemed to reinforce this
notion.

This left the Kerry/Edwards campaign as the primary suspects, and we were
not to be disappointed.

As soon as we were inside the FBO, the Kerry/Edwards "Real Deal" Boeing 727
plane rolled in. John Edwards was making an appearance in Des Moines, and
we were lucky to get in when we did -- cuz the ramp was slammed shut, tight
as a drum, as soon as he arrived.

Walking to our rental car with my kids, I pushed up closer to the fence to
take a picture. Immediately a uniformed DSM police officer asked if he
could "help me" -- and ordered me to stay behind a painted line in the
parking lot (that he had chosen entirely at random, at that instant) in no
uncertain terms. So, I took my pictures and left, marveling at the
stupidity of it all.

After spending a marvelous day at the fair we returned to the airport -- and
were dumb-founded to see all those police officers rolling up to the ramp
once again! With incredibly bad timing, we had arrived precisely at the
same moment as the advance security detail, meaning that Edwards couldn't be
far behind.

Now hurriedly paying for gas and the car, hoping against hope to get off the
ground before the V.P.-wannabee returned to his plane, we grabbed our stuff
and made a bee-line toward the plane -- only to have a secret service agent
step between me and the door, asking that I please wait for Mr. Edwards to
depart.

Now you must realize that my plane was MAYBE 40 feet from the door he was
blocking, while Mr. Liability-Attorney's 727 was several hundred yards
farther out. I pointed this fact out to him, and also pointed to my
children, stating that all we wanted to do was get off the ground before
dark, since neither of us were legal to fly at night.

This carried no weight with him, and he quietly told me that we'd just have
to wait.

So, I resignedly told my family to find comfy chairs, and that it would be
while. For the next ten minutes or so, we observed at least 50 officers and
agents, all on the tax-dole, making sure that the ramp area was "sterile"
for Mr. Perfect-Hair. Some were just standing around staring into space,
while others were actively scanning the fence line and building tops.

Aggravatingly, two characters -- obviously pilots -- kept freely going in
and out of the same door that the jar-head secret agent had blocked. This
continued for 15 minutes, until I could no longer stand it. I approached
the door guard and asked him what THEY had that we did NOT have -- to which
he replied succinctly: "Clearance." Apparently they worked for Signature,
and had been pre-screened to be on the ramp.

By now thoroughly aggravated, I raised my hands over my head and said "Well,
screen me. Escort me. Tow me. Do whatever you've got to do to make sure
I'm not a threat -- but we've got to get off the ground soon, or we'll be
stuck here overnight!"

Unsmilingly, he simply said "You're not going anywhere until that plane
departs." -- and that was that.

Finally Mr. Ketchup's side-kick taxied out to the active runway -- and held
for departure. We all immediately grabbed our stuff and started heading
for the door -- which our favorite S.S. officer was STILL blocking!
Dumbfounded, I asked what the problem was -- and he said that Edwards had to
be OFF THE GROUND before he could clear us onto the ramp!

Now thoroughly ****ed, I just stared at the guy incredulously. He got the
message, and promised that he would try to "get us clearance onto the
ramp" -- and started talking into his lapel. He then walked out onto the
ramp, where he was animatedly talking with someone when Edwards' plane
finally got clearance to depart, and blasted into the evening sky.

Within minutes, the Signature ramp was empty, with no vestige of the
incredible security presence that had been there only moments before. They
all headed to the donut shoppe, and we were able to depart normally, as if
nothing at all had just happened.

Harry Truman once famously said that the "position of vice-president ain't
worth a bucket of warm spit." Worse, Edwards isn't even THERE yet -- he's
just a wannabee! He is nothing, absolutely NOTHING -- yet we are treating
him like royalty, and my family was treated like criminals when we were
anywhere near him. If this is what we have to look forward to under a
Kerry/Edwards presidency, I fear the worst is yet to come.

As we climbed out I laughingly told my kids that this was "your tax-dollars
at work." I then closed my eyes and wished fervently that 9/11 had never
happened...

(BTW: If you've never seen the Iowa State Fair, it's worth the trip. It's
the biggest fair in America, apparently, and it is so chock-full of
traditional Americana that I felt like a kid again. And my kids were
absolutely in awe of the place, with the rides, live entertainment, food,
and animals. Ever seen a 3000 pound bull? Me neither -- but they have one.
It's as big as a car!)

"Jay Honeck" writes:

State's Rights and free trade are subjugated during wartime -- and always
have been. Don't worry -- they'll be back again, after this one is over.

Ever the optimist.

How will we know when this "war" is over? When some future president
playing boy soldier tells us it is?

"Bob Noel" wrote in message
...

snip

So, if you are under, say 100, shut up about slavery?


I'll drink to that!!!


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.742 / Virus Database: 495 - Release Date: 8/20/2004

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:nVTWc.54974$Fg5.20899@attbi_s53...

And I guess that anyone who wasn't of age in the '60s, really shouldn't
say
ANYTHING about that whole screwed up decade, right?

Hey, I liked the 60's! At least what I remember of them...

Michael

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:8yTWc.85344$TI1.35696@attbi_s52...

State's Rights and free trade are subjugated during wartime -- and always
have been. Don't worry -- they'll be back again, after this one is over.
--

I got the feeling "this one" won't be over for quite some time.

I hope I am wrong.