As of 1300 EST on 27 Oct 03, the ARRL news page has not one
word about the many fires in California which have consumed a
quarter million acres (half the land area of Rhode Island), over
500 homes destroyed, over 11 dead, now in its 5th day. Over
5000 firemen are deployed and personnel and equipment from six
western states are arriving to help firefighters in an area from
Ventura County to the Mexican border.

Where are all the "emergency ham teams" who are supposed to
jump like minutemen into all the disaster work?

All the ARRL news page has on it are a single "In Brief" squib
about "Montana hams receive recognition" for the long-past
Montana wildfires. PAST news.

The nice comfy northereasterners apparently don't recognize much
of the western states of the USA, hardly have in the past. They
only consider hurricanes and floods as emergencies...because
those things happen in the east. Nice "representation of all" by
the League?

Yup, there's the premier amateur radio communications outfit
sitting up there in Newington with the Internet at its disposal
(not to mention W1AW) and can't get the word out. Too busy
being "representative for all amateurs?" Lots of nice newsy
stuff elsewhere, especially localized along the east coast.

Center of population for the USA is well WEST of the Mississippi and
California has the greatest population of any state in the Union and
on par in population with all of Canada. Apparently "6-land" doesn't
exist in the thinking of new englanders.

LHA