Thune Fails to Keep Ellsworth Off List

[brooklynite]

WASHINGTON - Being a loyal Republican apparently didn't help Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as much as he'd hoped it would.

He unseated the state's long-serving Democrat — former Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle — after suggesting last year that he was the candidate who could help save Ellsworth Air Force Base. But the South Dakota base turned up Friday on the list of military installations that the Pentagon proposes to close.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=536&e=3&u=/ap/20050513/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/base_closings_ellsworth
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Well, as long as he's a "family values" supporter, I'm sure his constituents won't mind the lost jobs...

[jean]

1. "Senator Whizzinator" is Thune's new nickname, says Ed Schultz

Seems appropriate.

[Parche]

2. ellsworth

doesnt ellsworth have 150 minuteman nukes surrounding it
like minot and grand forks have?

[CatholicEdHead]

4. No Missles at Grand Forks or Ellsworth anymore

only Minot controls the nukes in the ground. Ellsworth and Grand Forks lost their nukes in the early 1990's.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/ellsworth.htm

"President Bush’s order of September 28, 1991 to remove Minuteman II missiles from alert status profoundly affected Ellsworth. To comply with the pending START I treaty, the Air Force immediately began removing missiles from their silos. Missile removal continued through 1994 when the Air Force began imploding and grading the vacated silos."

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/facility/grand_forks.htm

"With the restructuring of the Air Force in the early 1990s the wing first came under Air Combat Command and then Air Force Space Command jurisdiction. In March 1995, the Base Realignment and Closure (BRA0 Commission selected the 321st Strategic Missile Wing for deactivation. The 321st Missile Group was given a dual mission: To operate, maintain and secure combat-ready ICBM forces for the National Command Authority and to safely and securely transfer its alert responsibilities to the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.

With the realignment and eventual deactivation of the 321st Missile Group, all inspectable items under START have been removed from GFAFB. The launch facilities and launch control centers are being eliminated in accordance with the START Elimination Protocol. The base still receives short notice inspections with the most recent occurring in December 1999. "

[Parche]

10. AFB

I was at Minot in the early 80's

seems so long ago

[kaygore]

5. Why would anyone want to do anything to SD that would need protecting?

Yep, those flat, prairie states love Bush. I wonder if they will love the coming depression and the on-going wars that will sacrifice their sons and daughters so that they can pretend that God loves America more than, say, Iraq!

[CatholicEdHead]

8. Almost all Democratic representation

in the Dakotas.

Everyone but Thune. There is Rep Stephanie Herseth and Sen Tim Johnson of SD, Senators Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan and Rep Earl Pomery in North Dakota.

Of course all the state house and governor seat in ND and SD are all GOP controlled.

[kaygore]

15. OK, let's protect them, then!

You can tell that I come from a state that is sea side and heavily military, by the way. We alwasy figured that in a nuclear attack, we wouldn't know what hit us--just shadows left on the wall--if we wrre lucky!

The state is largely Republican, so shadows on the wall might not be so bad;)

[Bridget Burke]

7. The Minutemen were inactivated in 1994.

Read the history of the base here:

www.ellsworth.af.mil/history.html4/14/1995

I lived in base housing when it was called Rapid City Air Force Base. It was renamed after General Ellsworth in 1953. He and his 23 man crew were killed in the crash of an RB-36 in Newfoundland. My father was among them.



Here's a B-36 (not at Ellsworth). To give an idea of its size--the plane on the left is a B-29.

[MADem]

9. What a devasting brush with history for you!

Were you very young when you lost your father? It isn't easy at any age, but what a sad story...

[Bridget Burke]

13. I was four years old.

The wreckage is still quite visible. My brother visited the site but I haven't yet. Here are some pictures I found online:

http://cville.northatlantic.nf.ca/ptilley/My%20Webs/b36.htm

[MADem]

16. Much too young, I am sorry for your loss

There is a memorial up there for the crew, I see:

If you decide to go, I would recommend going in the summer or on a good day in the early fall. It looks like quite a hike, and that region does get some weather.

[LiviaOlivia]

3. South Dakotans can move to the new mega bases in Iraq.

They voted in Thune and Bush.

[strangemedicine]

26. My family and I live in South Dakota, we are ALL Democrats

And we all, up to and including my 75 year old mother worked relentlessly for Democrats, have always and will always. Not all of us voted for Thune and Bush; many of us in small towns, cities and the Reservations voted against them. 60,000 PEOPLE live in and near Ellsworth. 20,000 PEOPLE will be directly affected by this.

Thank you, fellow Democrat, for your support and good wishes.

[LiviaOlivia]

27. strangemedicine,

I apologize. I know better but when I see the name Thune I think Gannon/Rove/Bush and I get really angry. I do have knowledge of the "not voting" to get back at Daschle(who pissed off many Lakotas) and that the state GOPer's screwed Res voters with voter registration BS.

[KennedyGuy]

6. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

guess they miss 'ol Daschle now.

[agates]

11. I think it is a set up to make Thune look like the savior

He'll have all the appropriate brass fly in to the base. Thune will show them a really cool powerpoint presentation in front of one of those Rovian backgrounds. The pentagon will give in after a quiet but leaked call from the White House. They'll take Ellsworth off the list, then Bush will announce that Thune saved the base. Thune will then campaign on this for the rest of his life. He'll be the guy who "saved Ellsworth." It is the ultimate (and hopefully final) slap in the face to Daschle, who really DID support the military.

[dave502d]

12. Thinking the same thing. n/t

[Vickers]

14. Man, that is the FIRST thing I thought when I saw this thread!

If it goes down this way, I will....wait, what will I do?

:shrug:

[MADem]

17. I thought that too, BUT....

...he has six years to make up for his horseshit, and the people who are actively pissed off at him will probably leave the state in the interim, looking for jobs elsewhere.

I think they will use the MAGIC SAVIOR pill for CLOSE races, and races that are CLOSER IN, like 06. Why reward a guy who doesn't come up for reelection until you are well out of office? Those fools who elected him have him for six years, like it or not...

[CatholicEdHead]

19. But Tim Russert just plugged Thune on NBC right now

so that is probably a big part of it.

[MADem]

21. You could be right, and Timmy Two Shoes loves to scoop 'em!

I sure as hell have no secret insight...it just seems that it is a bit of a waste to spend a magic bullet on him.

Although, on the other hand, when you look at the economies of office seeking and office holding, that is one of the less expensive states to hold, in terms of media costs, direct mail, that sort of thing...since they have fewer people in the entire state than some of our larger cities! When you think of it, it could be that they wanted to grab and lock down the cheap seats and were willing to spend an arm and a leg to get them now, so they would be able to spend way less in the outyears...

[K8-EEE]

18. Yeah That's What I Thought Too....A SET UP

Daschle needs to GET RIGHT IN THERE....get involved & get the community involved so the lying liars can't set the whole thing up as a Thune thing.

[agates]

20. Tim Johnson got right on it

He had his "I'll do everything I can to keep Ellsworth open" media release out first. Then he did a joint news conference with Thune. Gag.

[K8-EEE]

24. Yeah I Noticed Daschle Was On Ed Schultz Today Too

saying he would work hard to sway the thing....he needs to be as visible as possible, maybe start a community based action group. Throw a wrench in the script!

[alcuno]

22. EXACTLY

It's the way for him to be the savior. It's a set up.

[Elidor]

23. He's a freshman senator

He's low man on a 55-person totem pole. What he wants is irrelevant to his masters in the GOP. South Dakotans are very naive if they thought Thune was going to have any sway in this matter.

[Cha]

25. Yeah, and we got Harry

Reid! Gotta say I think he's making me more proud than Daschle would be.

[Elidor]

28. Reid is not everything I could hope for, but he's certainly got some spine

I find him to be a less-than-inspiring speaker on those rare occasions when I hear him speak, but he does make a stand and he has shown a willingness to fight that was sadly lacking for many years with Daschle.