The Romney In-Flight Fire Scare: Cut Mitt Some Slack

As promised, here is your handy one-stop primer on Mitt Romney's seeming wonderment, after an emergency landing by his wife's plane, why airplane windows can't be opened during flight.

1) Cut Mitt some slack. His wife had been through an upsetting and potentially dangerous episode. However stressed she was, he might have felt even worse -- because he wasn't there, and because of reason #3 below. I'm on record as saying that Mitt Romney is rhetorically at his weakest when forced to improvise or handle unexpected questions or situations. But this one shouldn't count. Any of us, if filmed and recorded 24/7 and especially during stressful situations, could and would say things as inapt.

2) In case you were wondering, in-flight fires really can be bad news. An electrical fire is bad because it can destroy navigation, communication, or control systems, plus producing toxic fumes. Fires in the engine, the fuel system, the wing, or wherever are bad too. Apart from the smoke, you never want to have open flames in vehicles that are, essentially, flying metal tubes full of kerosene. After a multi-fatality Air Canada fire nearly 30 years ago, all sorts of safety regulations were tightened to reduce the risk of fire and to contain the effects if one breaks out. Even for small aircraft, part of pilot training is to memorize the various emergency procedures and work through the checklists involved in coping with a fire.

3) People are afraid of different things, and the reasons aren't purely logical. Some people are afraid of dogs -- or snakes or spiders or rats, or the big needles a doctor uses to give a shot. I don't mind any of those, but (like many people who fly airplanes) I'm a little queasy with heights. I also get nervous in very tight spaces, and I have an irrational fear and dislike of horses -- even though many members of my family were avid riders. It's beyond our rational control. We can be brave in some circumstances and terrified in others, for reasons that have no connection to the objective "danger" involved. Thus John Madden, famous tough guy, would never call Pro Bowl games because the bus he relied on for travel couldn't get him all the way to Hawaii.

Here's why I mention this. I have heard over the years, within the flying world, that Mitt Romney views airplanes more or less the way I view horses. He is (I have heard) not a happy or comfortable flyer, and one who can always imagine things going wrong. Fortunately I don't actually have to ride horses -- but he has no choice but to fly, white-knuckled, from one stop to the next. Someone with this outlook would naturally be all the more rattled by an emergency landing. So cut him all the more slack.

3A) Somehow the preceding point makes me think of this classic Twilight Zone moment. Thanks to Capt. David Ryan for the link:


4) How airplanes actually work. Gov. Romney's comments revealed factual confusion in two areas: Why you can't get fresh air into an airliner by opening its windows in flight, and where the oxygen inside the plane comes from. I mentioned before that Patrick Smith, of Ask The Pilot, might address these issues on his site. Even better, he just sent me an email with the answers. I turn the floor over to him:

Dear Rand Paul, WTF were you thinking?

Dear Rand Paul,

Your Dad knows he can still win the nomination, right? We have spent the last Seven months getting elected as delegates all over this country to win at the Convention... That has been the plan this entire time. What changed?? They told you both something!! Well regardless of what you, your dad, or the biased mainstream media tells us, rest assured we will Nominate your father at the convention!

If you think your cute, because you may get the VP spot along the campaign, you better look over the man you'll be standing next to, and what he represents. Greed, Money, and Banker Buddy Bail-outs. Now ask yourself if you can side with him on any of his platform topics? The Answer is NO! Do not committ political suicide, if you haven't already. You're Father has earned your endorsement by raising you and being your idol still to this day, not Mitt!

Rand this is probably the worst decision you will ever make in your entire life. You have endorsed the most flip-flopping Presidential Candidate Americans have ever seen. He wrote Obama-care, and now wants to get rid of it? How can you stand behind him even for a moment, without him trying to play you for a fool.... YOU CAN'T!

I know the globalists have done everything possible to keep your dad out of the oval office, and you're okay with that?? Stand up for the cause you two have begun, or we'll finish it by adding you both to the list of puppets. This country is sickening, I got cheated out of the mayor's seat here in Stockton, CA. But I will continue to get by any and all of the walls standing in my way! Not by changing direction, but by overcoming them either by hurdling, or breaking them down! You have no sympathy for US Citizens, because you are now running with the devil! Not the thing to do, being christian and all, please rescind your endorsement, and put it towards your father's movement, because it is now too big to be stopped.

Best wishes,
Greg Pitsch (oh zee)
Leader of the "Free World"

RON PAUL WOULD WIN A BROKERED CONVENTION

Romney May Be Finished

Ron Paul Talks About Santorum Dropping Out of the Race – Apr 10 2012 | Ron Paul videos - Ron Paul Flix

Ron Paul Talks About Santorum Dropping Out of the Race – Apr 10 2012 | Ron Paul videos - Ron Paul Flix

Obama campaign chief slams Romney ‘hypocrisy’ on Harvard, out-of-touch attacks

With the presidential campaign in full "I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I" swing, President Barack Obama's re-election campaign manager Jim Messina on Monday accused Mitt Romney of "hypocrisy" for his attacks on the president as a member of a coddled, out-of-touch, Harvard-educated elite.

"I would brand it simply hypocrisy," Messina told reporters on a conference call. "Romney is also a Harvard graduate."

And Messina mocked Romney's attack as "a little difficult when he's shopping for car elevators" -- a knock on the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's plans to include one in a beachfront California home.

The Obama strategist's comments came on a call designed to promote legislation to implement the "Buffett Rule," a measure inspired by billionaire investor Warren Buffett's claim that he pays a lower effective tax rate than his secretary. The proposal, crafted by Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, aims to ensure that Americans making $1 million per year or more pay at least 30 percent of that income in taxes. The Senate will vote on the measure April 16 -- and it is expected to fail.

But that won't necessarily dull its edge as a political weapon to embarrass Romney, who has made a series of verbal campaign-trail gaffes seen as reinforcing the notion that his vast wealth has left him out of touch with average Americans.Romney, who opposes the legislation, is "the beneficiary of a broken tax system and he wants to keep it that way," said Messina. "Why should Mitt Romney pay a lower tax rate than average Americans?"

The former Massachusetts governor and multimillionaire investor recently released his 2010 and 2011 tax returns, which show he paid an effective tax rate of roughly 14 percent on income of more than $40 million.

"That's what this Buffett Rule fight is about," Messina said on the conference call.

With Obama set to make the case for the Buffett Rule at an event in Florida on Tuesday, White House press secretary Jay Carney disputed the notion that the president was targeting Romney, saying he supported the proposed tax change "long before it was evident who might emerge as the nominee for the other party."

"I think that we hope it will pass. I think that every senator who votes on it will have to examine for himself or herself whether or not they want to vote for a bill that says millionaires and billionaires should not pay taxes on their income at a lower rate than middle-class Americans, or vote against it. And they will have to explain to their constituents why they don't agree with that principle," said Carney. "That's what votes do -- they put senators on record."

Romney campaign communications director Gail Gitcho hit back at the White House, calling Obama "the first president in history to openly campaign for re-election on a platform of higher taxes."

"He has already raised taxes on millions of Americans, but he won't stop there. He wants to raise taxes on millions more by taxing small businesses and job creators. We appreciate the Obama campaign reinforcing Mitt Romney's platform of lowering tax rates across the board in order to jumpstart this bad Obama economy," she said in a statement.

More popular Yahoo! News stories:

*Greg Pitsch Vows to Save Stockton

RON PAUL WITH 8,500-PLUS VOTERS AT UC – BERKELEY SHATTERS TOWN HALL MEETING ATTENDANCE RECORD

UNPRECEDENTED CROWD OF SUPPORTERS AND UNDECIDED VOTERS GREETS DR. PAUL AT FINAL OF THREE CALIFORNIA EVENTS HELD DURING THIS VISIT

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul attracted a peculiar 8,500-plus voters to the third of three town hall meetings he held in California this week, this time at UC-Berkeley. In drawing such a huge crowd to Berkeley, the 12-term Congressman from Texas shattered his unrivaled town hall meeting attendance record.

At similar events held yesterday and Tuesday, respectively, Dr. Paul drew remarkable crowds of 6,200-plus voters to Cal State – Chico, and 6,000-plus at UCLA.

Ron Paul’s college campus town hall meeting took place at 7:00 p.m. PST at UC-Berkeley’s Memorial Glade, where he addressed the crowd from atop the steps of Doe Library, Berkeley, CA 94720.

Dr. Paul spoke about his platform of constitutionally-limited government, the enduring bonds between economic and civil liberties, and elements of his ‘Plan to Restore America,’ a fiscal blueprint the cuts Washington spending, shrinks the national debt, and reverses the federal government’s harmful growth and intrusiveness.

Ron Paul’s town hall meetings in California were organized by ‘Youth for Ron Paul’ (YFP). YFP, an initiative of the Ron Paul 2012 Presidential campaign, launched in September 2011, and since its inception, students nationwide have organized 591 chapters and recruited more than 53,600 people. To learn more about ‘Youth for Ron Paul,’ including how to sign-up and establish a local chapter, visit the YFP website by clicking here.

Photographs of Ron Paul’s UC – Berkeley town hall meeting with 8,500-plus voters follow.

MIND MASTERY

MTV KNOWS! WHY DON'T YOU?

RON PAUL'S REVOLUTION IS GETTING STRONGER!

One time for the Good Guyz

Jeb Bush Endorses Romney

I was wondering why the Media was making a big deal out of this particular Bush's Endorsement. The Son of President George H.W. Bush, and Little Brother of George W. Bush, Jeb Bush is the next in the family to reign over this country. Last week Jeb Bush made his endorsement of Mitt Romney public.

I for one think any endorsements from the bush family should be shunned, and looked at as being similar to an endorsement from Adolf Hitler. Both of the Bush's that have served in the Oval office have somehow escaped prosecution for their horrendous war crimes. Both of whom lied to congress on multiple counts, as well as took us to unsanctioned wars in Iraq to dethrone Saddam Hussein.

More than Likely, Jeb Bush will be on the GOP Ticket in 2016, but still his endorsement shall poison Romney's chances of securing the nomination.

Fox News .Com Election Site, Shows Ron Paul the Favorite

Here are the numbers of likes for each candidate, respctively.

Ron Paul 19k

New Gingrich, 7k

Mitt Romney 6k

Rick Santorum 6k

Barack Obama, 978

RON PAUL MORE ELECTABLE THAN MITT ROMNEY IN LATEST POLL

“PAUL IS THE STRONGEST CANDIDATE WITH INDEPENDENTS, TYING OBAMA WITH THEM WHILE THE REST OF THE GOP FIELD TRAILS BY 6-15 POINTS.”

LAKE JACKSON, Texas – 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul polls better against President Barack Obama in a head-to-head matchup than establishment-choice moderate Mitt Romney, according to a recent survey conducted by Public Policy Polling.

The poll found that Obama defeats Romney by 4 percentage points (48-44) and Newt Gingrich by 8 percent (50-42). While Santorum also joins Paul being within striking distance of the President by 3 points (48-45 and 46-43 respectively), Paul brings Obama a noticeable 2 percentage points further away from the 50 percent a candidate seeks to win on election day. Considering the +/- 3.3-percentage point margin of error, Paul in this poll is statistically tied for the presidency.

Reinforcing the electability case for Paul is that he ties Obama among independent voters, while Romney loses the largest voting segment by 6 percent, Santorum by 8 percent, and Gingrich by 15 percent – a cause for concern whether Paul’s three rivals would even be competitive come November.

While many polls have shown Paul to be the most competitive Romney alternative, it also shows Paul to be making substantial progress and momentum for a general election bid. The new poll reveals that Paul is narrowing the gap between himself and Obama by 5 percentage points since last month’s PPP poll.

Other notables are that among one of the fastest growing voter segments, the Hispanic vote, Paul takes a full third of the Hispanic vote against the sitting President, with no other candidate able to come within 5 points of Paul’s Hispanic support.

Among the largest voter segment, self-identified independents, Paul is viewed favorably by 41 percent, whereas Romney and Santorum are relegated to a melancholy 29 percent and Gingrich further behind with a mere 24 percent favorability. These favorability numbers among independents translate into a clear Election Day advantage unique to Paul, where he would tie President Obama 42 to 42 for their votes.

Young voters, those 18 to 29 years in this poll, have long been considered to be in the President’s court. Yet, in a Paul-Obama matchup, these voters leave Obama and comparatively flock to Paul, backing him with a hefty 40 percent of their support. The range of youth support for Paul’s three competitors in a head-to-head with Obama ranges 22 to 29 percent, meaning about half of Paul’s margin to weak at best.

“The media may find an inevitability about Romney becoming nominee, but it is clear that with anyone other than Ron Paul as nominee a second term for Obama is the inevitability,” said Ron Paul 2012 National Campaign Chairman Jesse Benton.

“When polls say ‘Romney is actually not the most electable Republican candidate,’ voters should flock to the candidate who can defeat Obama by winning on true conservative principle. That man is Ron Paul,” added Mr. Benton.

The PPP poll is based on telephone surveys of 900 voters and has a +/- 3.3-percentage point error margin.

To view the poll release online, please click here. To view the complete poll document including questions and tables, please click here.

New Ron Paul Ad: Etch A Sketch

HOW SANTORUM REJECTS THE CONSTITUTION

More than anything else, the U.S. Constitution is an outline of the concept of federalism. Federalism is the very basis, or is supposed to be the very basis, of American government. This doesn’t register one bit with Rick Santorum. Writes Ann Coulter:

Even when I agree with Rick Santorum, listening to him argue the point almost makes me change my mind.

I also wonder why he’s running for president, rather than governor, when the issues closest to his heart are family-oriented matters about which the federal government can, and should, do very little.

It’s strange that Santorum doesn’t seem to understand the crucial state-federal divide bequeathed to us by the framers of our Constitution, inasmuch as it is precisely that difference that underlies his own point that states could ban contraception.

Of course they can. States could outlaw purple hats or Gummi bears under our Constitution!

State constitutions, laws, judicial rulings or the people themselves, voting democratically, tend to prevent such silly state bans from arising. But the Constitution written by James Madison, et al, does not prevent a state’s elected representatives from enacting them.

The Constitution mostly places limits on what the federal government can do. Only in a few instances does it restrict what states can do.

A state cannot, for example, infringe on the people’s right to bear arms or to engage in the free exercise of religion. A state can’t send a senator to the U.S. Congress if he is under 30 years old. But with rare exceptions, the Constitution leaves states free to govern themselves as they see fit.

In New York City, they can have live sex clubs and abortion on demand, but no salt or smoking sections. In Tennessee, they can ban abortion, but have salt, creches and 80 mph highways. At least that’s how it’s supposed to work.

And yet when Santorum tried to explain why states could ban contraception to Bill O’Reilly back in January, not once did he use the words “Constitution,” “constitutionally,” “federalism,” their synonyms or derivatives. Lawyers who are well familiar with the Constitution had no idea what Santorum was talking about.


He genuinely does not seem to understand the Constitution’s federalist framework, except as a brief talking point on the way to saying states can ban contraception…

If he truly believed in the Constitution, Santorum wouldn’t be promoting big social programs out of the federal government, such as tripling the child tax credit exemption and voting for “No Child Left Behind.”

No federalist can support this man.

For those who claim to be “constitutional conservatives” supporting Santorum basically renders that label meaningless. Santorum has repeatedly attacked the 10th amendment, which most of the Founders considered the strongest emphasis possible of what the entire Constitution was really all about. I made this same point about Santorum, his ignorance of the Constitution and his rejection of federalism at The Daily Callerearlier this week.

Veterans For Ron Paul Rally

America For Ron Paul

Sunday, February 26th, marked an exciting day for Ron Paul Supporters, when A new Coalition was formed, America For Ron Paul. Supporters of all ages, and ethnicity joined forces, in Mountain House, CA, amassing 4,000+ people in attendance. All of his loyal supporters were enjoying a day in America, with music, games, and speakers to entertain the large crowd. Ron Paul was not scheduled to show, he is struggling with the media, and the voter fraud that seems to be encompassing the nomination for the Republican Party.

Ron Paul Supporters look to convention

By Aaron Gould Sheinin

They are full-throated and full-throttle for the Texas congressman and Republican presidential hopeful.

Paul’s fans here are easy to spot and plan to stay busy through Super Tuesday. Though many aren’t traditionally associated with the Republican Party, their activities are common: sign waving in Cherokee and DeKalb counties, a rally in Marietta, a potluck dinner in Gwinnett. In cyberspace, Paul’s following is legion, and from Facebook and Twitter to Meetup.com, his supporters are voracious in their championing of the candidate.

Their attraction to the libertarian-leaning Paul is varied. Some love his record as a strict fiscal conservative who eschews tax increases and fights to lower the national debt. Others are drawn to his interest in moving the country’s currency back to the gold standard and still others love his foreign policy, which is centered around a withdrawal of most U.S. troops from around the world.

The same enthusiasm for Paul was there in 2008, when Paul also ran for president, yet he finished a distant fourth in the Georgia primary. This year, he again trails — polls show him in single digits — in the race for Georgia’s March 6 primary, but his supporters hope their influence in the state won’t end March 6.

Paul has a plan to remain relevant through the Republican National Convention this summer in Tampa. The blueprint goes beyond the primary to the GOP state convention in May, when Paul supporters will try to get themselves elected delegates to the national convention. If that happens, they could try to crash the party and force a floor fight for the GOP nomination.

In a strategy that’s being employed in other states, too, Paul’s Georgia supporters lay out the idea right on their website: “Take back the GOP from the ne’re-do-wells by becoming a Georgia GOP Delegate!” the site implores, complete with instructions on how to navigate the party’s rules.

Christopher Wall, a Johns Creek firefighter, is a Paul supporter seeking a ticket to Tampa.

“I’ll go as far as I can,” he said.

Wall, who will be a delegate to his county convention, said if the nomination comes down to a fight at the convention, anything can happen.

“It’s likely we’ll have a brokered convention,” he said.

Georgia’s Paul-backers are not alone. Paul has not campaigned in Georgia and is not expected to. Instead, he has focused on states that are awarding their delegates through caucuses, rather than primaries, because they are a higher payout for candidates who rely on grass-roots support.
To finish Reading this Article, Click Here!

O'REILLY: It was mutual destruction. Now you can handle any weaponry or any kind of thing to surrogates, who will do your killing for you. Look, if you don't think Iran is sponsoring terrorism, you're living in the land of Oz, congressman.

PAUL: Well, so is Saudi Arabia. What are you going to do about Saudi? What are you going to do with Pakistan?

O'REILLY: It's not a government policy in Saudi Arabia. It's just a failure to do any effective policing. It's a policy in Iran to wipe out Israel...

PAUL: It's our policy...

O'REILLY: ...to attack USA.

PAUL: It's our policy of preemptive, deliberate invasions of foreign countries and occupying these countries that has jeopardized our safety. This blowback principle is what caused 9/11. And we have to come to realize it. If you keep living in this dream land of saying that they attack because we're free and prosperous, believe me, we're never going to get free from fear ...
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,296404,00.html#ixzz1nHpryeq4

Poll People Poll

Cast your vote, and show my readers the huge distance between what 'we the People' are voting for, and what we are being told!! Please post your Comments Below.