Dole: I'm still opposed to OLF

The Navy's financial presence in Hampton Roads climbed 10.5 percent last year, to $13.9 billion -
Va. Pilot, 10-3-08
30 of the 46 largest defense contracting firms in the world have a footprint in Hampton Roads.
The federal government expended $24.9 billion in Hampton Roads in 2007 - Va. Pilot, 10-14-08

An OLF would not bring any of these benefits to Gates or Camden/Currituck. We are thankful to Senator Dole for her support of our opposition, she is listening to and speaking for the people
in NC. It is time for all elected officials to join her and stop the Navy from pursuing an OLF in areas where it only brings destruction and devastation. It is a hugh waste of taxpayer money.
There are areas, with an existing military presence, that would welcome an OLF. That's where the Navy should be looking.

patanthony -

I do concur that a Senator should read and heavily weigh each decision based on the facts of the bill. If Hagan were a US Senator, she would only have the short amount of time to make a decision.

There is an underlying, yet easily noticeable theme in the Hagan campaign. Be as non committable towards impromptu interviews and let your great communications director handle the situation through a press release. I will credit the Hagan campaign as they hired a great gun in Colleen Flanagan. Nevertheless, Colleen can only do so much as Hagan has shown a general incompetence in her ability to make a decision, instead doing whatever it takes in the general to fool the electorate, in order to go lock step with the national Democrats that are bank rolling her campaign. Let's not forget that Kay Hagan voted 99% of the time with members of the North General Assembly such as Marc Basnight and Tony Rand, and formerly Jim Black.

New York US Senator Chuck Schumer has spent over $9 million dollars to defeat Dole. It is well documented that Senator Schumer and Dole do not see eye to eye, especially when it comes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac regulation and oversight.

Read!
http://www.nrsc.org/news/read.aspx?id=1647

Again, Chuck is running the DSCC, which is responsible for 67% of the negative ads against Senator Dole. They are merely doing the dirty work and systematically attempting to destroy Senator Elizabeth Dole. North Carolina should be thankful for the hard work and dedication she has provided North Carolina.

Meanwhile, Kay Hagan is merely standing on the sideline, ultimately buying time for her campaign to release a statement that will equate to support in the polls. Let's listen to Kay Hagan's inability to make a decision on the bailout bill...do not forget she was a banker.

Listen to Kay Hagan talk about the Bailout...
http://www.news-record.com/multimedia?playNowId=3027

And this is from her hometown newspaper

There's no denying that Elizabeth Dole refused to speak out against the OLF until it became clear that she was virtually alone - in NC - in supporting it. Her friends in Virginia, on the other hand, were all too happy to have us take their problems while they continued to enjoy the financial benefits of the training stations.

On your point about the bailout bill - you're complaining because Hagan took 10 hours before commenting on a 300 page bill? I would hope she would take time enough to find out what's in it before commenting.

I'm not sure we were sold out, I have always believed that the Navy had more on the table than what was presented to the 22 counties tied up with the OLF situation. I do believe whatever deals the Navy had originally enticed our leaders with fell thru, and was probably a bogus offer to begin with. Maybe now, all our state officials will see that some things are not for sale, and that there are truly other ways to build the economy in NC, we do not have to destroy hundreds or thousands of generational families to bring a little economics to our state. Whatever deals were discussed way back when Washington county was involved, and now Gates and Camden will never probably see the light of day, which is fine with me, as long as they stop the OLF that Virginia wants from being sited in our rural communities. ALL people in Gates and Camden need to get involved more, their voice will be heard if they continue to voice their opposition to ALL state officials and Department heads.

It's fact Elizabeth Dole had sold out North Carolina on the OLF. She was too busy making buddy buddy with Sen. It's true Dole should not support an OLF without broad local support. She can not remove us from the list, but she can support us and hopefully at when the process is presented before her. I hope all our state officials will join in and support her concerns and consider siting an OLF in a region or county that truly wants it to support military operations in their area.
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warne008

Multi List Service

I agree it has taken some time for her to be more vocal, but I have steadily been in contact with her office, and I have been reassured she would not support an OLF without broad local support. We have talked to her, her staff, and made visits, and she has always listened to our concerns and on many occasions she has acted upon some of our concerns like addressing the Navy and their lack of information to the public. She can not remove us from the list, but she can support us and hopefully act when the process is presented before her. I would like to say Thank you to Senator Dole, for recognizing that no one in Gates or Camden should be forced to have an OLF sited in their county , it would destroy generational farms, peoples lives, wildlife, rivers, agricultural production, and totally destroy the economy of these small poor counties. It is great that she recognizes the true reason for an additional OLF, to stop the complaints and law suits at Oceana, and Virginia keeps all the economic benefits, and tries to sweep the negative impacts across state lines. I hope all our state officials will join in and support her concerns and stand strong to protect the people of Gates & Camden, and would only consider siting an OLF in a region or county that truly wants it to support military operations in their area. Eight years is way too long to put people's lives on hold,and make them suffer every day not knowing if they will lose their homes and families, the economy is scarey enough to face each day.

Hey Folks,
If any of the North Carolina politicians are serious, they would be asking the Navy for a true Need Study. They should also ask about BRAC and the roll back of encroachment.
Between NAS Oceana, Chambers Field, and NALF Fentress the Navy has six runways, all of these runways are designed for high-performance aircraft. When the jets were being moved from Florida, the available capacity at both NAS Oceana and NALF Fentress was measured to accomplish the move. Now suddenly ONLY Fentress can be used to do FCLP’s. Yes, read the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register dated April 9, 2008. They are only considering NALF Fentress for FCLP’s
Then read the Hampton Roads Joint Land Use Study http://www.vbgov.com/file_source/dept/planning/Document/JLUS_Ch4.pdf
The Navy is not to use NAS Oceana for FCLP operations; Virginia Beach is mandating this on the Navy. This is to help the good patriotic folks who want the $1 billion in revenue however they don’t want the byproduct. Export the negative impacts across the state line.
Also, take a look at new residential development in the Accident Potential Zone-1 and high noise zones where Virginia Beach and Fentress was to roll back encroachment. http://va-virginiabeach-realestate.governmax.com/ This is just under the runway in APZ-1 – look at their advertizing http://www.209sykesave.com/brochure.php?b=3&number=31020. These are the folks suing the Navy to the tune of $500 million because the noise bothers them, why did they move there? It’s a good way to get our NC tax dollars, just file a suit. There are hundreds of new homes in these prohibited zones after BRAC law to stop encroachment.
The greed of Virginia and Virginia Beach is staggering. They are even applying pressure the Navy to keep the new carrier George H.W. Bush, being built at Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Newport News shipyard. They don't seem at all concerned about what's best for the Navy or national security...they just want that carrier in Virginia for financial reasons, period. http://hamptonroads.com/2008/10/congress-members-lobby-navy-secretary-against-fla-carrier

By direct failure to curb and roll back encroachment around the Master Jet Base, we are now in a roundabout way on a list for an Outlying Landing Field.
Where are our politicians? If you read this and find it appalling, help us by contacting our elected officials. There have been over 22 potential sites for this Outlying Landing Field, you could be next.
Please help us and stand with NC. THIS IS WRONG.

It isn't Hagan talking points. It's fact Elizabeth Dole had sold out North Carolina on the OLF. She was too busy making buddy buddy with Sen. Warner than to help her own constituents, or even listen to us. She had to wait until everyone in the State was against the OLF before she came out against it.

On all the important issues facing North Carolina, Liddy Dole has been quiet until the very end. She is not a leader, she is a follower. Nothing will change that.

JJSmith - You are merely re-typing a Hagan talking point.

Where was Kay Hagan on the financial bailout?

She is a banker; therefore, she would be well versed in the ins and outs of the bailout, yet she waited until after the Senate had voted to voice her opinion.

The full text of the bill was released around noon, yet it took her until 10 pm to make a statement.

She has demonstrated her inability to be a leader and make her own mind up, but I guess that is find with the Dems in this state that will be satisfied with her following the like of Reid, Obama, Schumer and Dodd in the US Senate.

Why don't you guys do some real research about the financial crisis in this country and you will notice that Schumer and Dodd can be blamed.

By the way, it was Dole that for years in the US Senate spoke out repeatedly about the dangerous activities taking place at Fannie and Freddie.

Educate yourself...

Dole has never lead on this issue. She waited for the Junior Senator (Richard Burr) to come out in opposition before she did. She is not a leader. She is a puppet.

Perhaps Sen. Dole is anxious to replace the offending OLF with a new oil refinery on the Pamlico Sound instead. Today at the N.C. League of Municipalities conference in Charlotte she boasted of her call to "streamline" regulations on refineries. I'm sure our coastal farmers, fishing industry, and tourism industry will love that.

Well she WAS slow. She dragged her heels on OLF until well after everyone else and his aunt had weighed in. For Dole it was never about the obvious problem that the OLF would cause in the proposed areas; it was whether or not she would win more or lose more votes by whichever position she took.

How on earth it could take a person sooooo long to evaluate what was at stake for wildlife in the immediate and surrounding ecosystems and what these changes would do to the communities, not to mention the eco-tourism dollars that would be lost is beyond me. That the military continued its push way past the point when it was clear how VERY unwanted OLF was in this area was galling, but the fact that Elizabeth Dole wouldn't say BOO until the momentum on OLF was obviously running in favor of opposition and yet now wants to claim some hand in helping defeat it makes the military's intransigence seem almost respectable.

How dare she?