[Rhodes22-list] R. M. Nixon
Steve Alm
salm@mn.rr.com
Fri, 24 Jan 2003 15:51:32 -0600
Thanks Brad. Wouldn't you know it, it's a fat-boy-stuffing-his-face story.
Slim
On 1/24/03 8:18 AM, "brad haslett" <flybrad@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Slim,
>
> Everyone asks that question. If I had some solid
> "dirt" I would have been singing like a canary to the
> New York Times. I flew charter for the largest
> charter outfit in Arkansas, did pilot service for
> several corporations, and later flew two corporate
> jets that were leased back for charter. The governor
> of Arkansas doesn't have an airplane so he either
> charters or someone gives him a free ride. Some days
> a bank, some days a utility, some days a political
> action committee. If a freebe couldn't be found the
> state itself might pay. A state trooper always dropped
> him off and another picked him up. There were always
> groupies around but that wasn't unusual for
> politicians. I flew them all. Most were extremely
> friendly, especially Dale Bumbers while he was
> Senator, Wilbur Mills after he left office. I didn't
> agree with Senator Bumper's politics but he always
> invited me to hear him speak anywhere we went, and I
> appreciated the free chicken dinner from the
> Democrats. I also flew a lot of rich and powerful
> business types, i.e., Jerry Jones before the Cowboys,
> etc. They were almost all great people to work for
> and took an interest in the pilots well being (duh,
> like we didn't control theirs). Billy, on the other
> hand, was a different story. The average age of the
> "advisors" that traveled with him was about
> twenty-five (about my age at the time) and they acted
> like they ruled the world. This isn't much of a dirty
> story but its the best I can do. Boy governor is
> flying to DC to make a speech and wants to leave
> Arkansas about 11pm. I called the governor's office
> and explained that National will be close after 11pm
> so we'll fly into Dulles. "Does the Governor have
> ground transportation or would you like me to set that
> up? Standard routine stuff. We had bi-fold business
> cards with our company name on the outside. On the
> inside was our names, the N number of the Jet, the
> name of the FBO where it was parked, the phone number,
> and a copy of our proposed itenerary. If anything
> changed, a meeting ran over, etc., most customers were
> good about calling, or having a secretary call, so we
> didn't sit around at attention all day. Billy never
> did. As we're walking out to the jet that night one
> of his punks asks "what time are we getting to
> National?" I answered "were not flying to National,
> were going to Dulles". That started a whole
> conversation about what the governor wanted and didn't
> want and finally ended when I suggested he call the
> President and ask that they re-open National just for
> them. Anyway, we get to Dulles, I hand them our card
> with the proposed schedule, and explain that we're
> going to a hotel to spend the day and will be ready to
> depart at, whatever time. "NO! The governor has to be
> in Hot Springs for a speech tonight, wait here!" I
> was about to punch this kids lights out but needed to
> eat and keep a career going and all so I said we would
> wait. Twelve hours later we're still waiting and
> getting hungry. Finally I said "screw this lets get
> something to eat". My First Officer says, "what if
> Billy shows up and we're gone?". "Good point, we'll
> order catering". Boy governor shows up about fours
> hours later with no apology and as we're walking to
> the airplane he puts his arm around me and says "Brad,
> we have anything to eat?". "Yes Sir Governor, we've
> got potato chips, granola bars, crackers, and all the
> scotch and soda you want!". We get on the jet and our
> catering is spread out on the center console of the
> cockpit, its odor permeating the whole aircraft. We
> closed off the cockpit to keep their mitts off the
> food and launched. About an hour into the flight home
> my FO says, "I'm stuffed, you want this other sandwich
> and dessert?". I opened the cockpit and looked back
> at Billy eating a bag of peanuts and a Coke. "Keep
> eating, we're not leaving anything for those
> assholes". Sorry, weak story but the best I can do. I
> had some wonderful customers flying charter, Billy
> was not one of them.
>
> Brad
>
>
>
> --- Steve
> Alm <salm@mn.rr.com> wrote:
>> C'mon Brad, let's have the dirt on Billy Boy.
>> Slim
>>
>> On 1/23/03 4:33 PM, "brad haslett"
>> <flybrad@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Wally,
>>>
>>> Wow, I would love to have been a part of that. My
>>> only exposure to a real President was I used to
>> fly
>>> Billy around when he was boy governer of Arkansas.
>> If
>>> only I had known. He was one of my least favorite
>>> customers, a real jerk in fact, and the "punk
>> kids" he
>>> surrounded himself with were even worse. We'll
>> get
>>> together over some beers and I'll tell you the
>> whole
>>> story. I got even with the a***, uh, governor one
>> day
>>> real good. Maybe that's why I never got invited
>> to
>>> the Lincoln bedroom. Excuse me, I digress. Nixon
>> was
>>> the first President I ever campaigned for. I put
>> a
>>> "NIXONS THE ONE" bumper sticker on every car at
>> the
>>> Fayette County Illinois fair in 1968 when I was,
>> uh,
>>> young. He is still a facinating man, very flawed,
>> but
>>> interesting. Opening China was brilliant!
>> Clinton
>>> conferred with Nixon several times after he took
>>> office. Nixon loved it. I can remember the day
>> he
>>> resigned like it was yesterday. He brought a lot
>> of
>>> shame to the office that we're still recovering
>> from
>>> today. And to think, he was in office during the
>>> sexual revolution and didn't mess with the
>> interns!
>>> Pity, Pity.
>>>
>>> Brad
>>> --- Wally Buck <tnrhodey@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>> Brad,
>>>>
>>>> Back in the early 70s my Dad was stationed in San
>>>> Diego. We lived on base
>>>> and the President was coming to visit. We headed
>> to
>>>> the Naval Air Station
>>>> and saw Air Force One come in for a landing and
>> then
>>>> taxi over to the
>>>> cheering crowd. Nixon came down from the plane
>>>> waving to the crowd and
>>>> stopped to shake hands before jumping in his
>> limo.
>>>> Well Tricky Dick shook my
>>>> hand and patted me on the back. I was only
>> thirteen
>>>> years old and didn't
>>>> know squat about politics but I really liked
>> Nixon
>>>> after that. I mean after
>>>> all he did shake my hand right?
>>>>
>>>> Well a few years later we are living in Fairfax
>> VA
>>>> (Dads was working at
>>>> Pentagon then) and Watergate hits the scene. Talk
>>>> about bursting my bubble.
>>>> First Agnew is gone and then Nixon announces his
>>>> resignation. My Mom wanted
>>>> us to see history in the making. She loaded up
>> the
>>>> wagon with the family and
>>>> we went down to the White House to witness
>> Nixon's
>>>> infamous exit. We saw him
>>>> walk over to the helicopter, give his big two
>> handed
>>>> wave and fly away in
>>>> disgrace.
>>>>
>>>> It was kind of cool to see all of this first
>> hand.
>>>> It really opened up my
>>>> eyes though and I have not trusted politicians
>> ever
>>>> since.
>>>>
>>>> Wally
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> From: brad haslett <flybrad@yahoo.com>
>>>>> Reply-To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
>>>> <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>>>>> To: wwrhodes@rhodes22.com,The Rhodes 22 mail
>> list
>>>>> <rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org>
>>>>> Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Social programs.
>>>>> Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 12:05:42 -0800 (PST)
>>>>>
>>>>> Stan,
>>>>>
>>>>> That reminds me of the campaign rhetoric from
>> 1992
>>>>> coming from the "pork belly" Senator from NY,
>>>>> remember, "the greed of the 80's". Much of the
>>>>> "paradigm shift" in the "new economy" of the
>>>> nineties
>>>>> was "smoke and mirrrors". My best friend, a
>> very
>>>>> conservative stock broker, said all through the
>>>> boom
>>>>> there wasn't anything to back up the stock
>> prices
>>>> and
>>>>> he was right. Some CEO's, no, make that a lot
>> of
>>>>> CEO's turned out to be crooks. I hope they go to
>>>> jail
>>>>> but they probably won't. Now we're in the
>> middle
>>>> of a
>>>>> recession, business cycle, correction, what ever
>>>> you
>>>>> want to call it. It would have come no matter
>> who
>>>> was
>>>>> in office or who ran the SEC just as the Tulip
>>>> Bubble
>>>>> burst in Holland several hundred years ago.
>> We've
>>>> made
>>>>> money about as cheap as it can get and people
>>>> aren't
>>>>> spending. Now we're running up the deficit just
>> as
>>>>> FDR did to jump start the economy. Cutting
>> taxes
>>>>> worked for Reagan, maybe it will work for 43.
>> The
>>>>> truth is, as Richard Nixon lamented, the
>> President
>>>> is
>>>>> either hero or goat as a result of the economy
>> with
>>>>> limited means to change it in the short run...
>> Ah,
>>>>> Richard Milhous Nixon! Oh well, save that
>> praise
>>>> for
>>>>> another day Bradley.
>>>>>
>>>>> Brad Haslett
>>>>> --- General Boats <wwrhodes@rhodes22.com> wrote:
>>>>>> You are talking about the C.E.O. generation the
>>>>>> government coddled after Levitt
>>>>>> left the helm of the SEC, right?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> stan/gbi
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Rik Sandberg wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Rummy,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Absolutely agree that a "helping hand"
>>>> sometimes
>>>>>> is necessary and good. What
>>>>>>> we have now is not a helping hand. The better
>>>>>> share of these people are
>>>>>>> doing nothing more than mooching their entire
>>>>>> existence off of the rest of
>>>>>>> us. Probably can't only blame either them or
>>>> the
>>>>>> government for that though,
>>>>>>> as much as we'd like to, WE are letting them
>>>> do it
>>>>>> to us. I'm with Steve
>>>>>>> here. Once you let people get used to getting
>>>>>> stuff for nothing, not only do
>>>>>>> they eventually stop appreciating these
>>>> benefits,
>>>>>> they soon also expect
>>>>>>> more. Just ask them, they'll tell you they
>>>>>> *deserve* this stuff. Some folks
>>>>>>> just don't have the strength of character to
>>>> take
>>>>>> pride in making their own
>>>>>>> way through life. Free handouts uncover these
>>>>>> types very quickly.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Rik
>>
> === message truncated ===
>
>
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