A month ago, the most serious natural disaster struck America since Hurricane Katrina as wildfires burned through huge portions of California, destroying hundreds of homes in its wake. Occasionally within the onslaught of media coverage, a story of neighborly kindness would seep through and we would see a portion of America that we can be proud of. One would think that amidst all of the media coverage, good and bad, that a story about one of our Presidential candidates quietly serving his neighbor (so to speak) would be easily discovered and reported. But, alas, it was not.
Daniel B. at Confessions of a Political Junkie breaks the story, in which Mitt Romney, who was visiting his son in California prior to a meeting later in the day, joined a handful of people to help a local person tear the roots of a tree destroyed in the fire out of his front yard. An email obtained by David B. relates the following:
Remember that big pine tree right in the front as you walk out the front door. It pretty well got cooked in the fire. In fact Brian *, Steve *, Chris *and Jeremy
* cut most of it down the first day we were allowed back in the neighborhood. But the trunk and the stump was too much to handle that day.
Last week a brother in the Del Sur ward sent me an email and said he and some others would like to do something to help. I told him that one of the things on my “to- do” list was to remove a tree stump from my front yard, but it was a pretty big job! He said they wanted to come and do it. I reluctantly said OK, but, “I do not expect you to really get it out because it is a big root. It has been there for over 20 years.” So he called me to confirm and said that they were coming at 7am on Wednesday morning and his DAD might come too. I decided to go to Los Primos and get some breakfast machaca burritos and orange juice for the crew coming to work on my stump..so I was late in arriving. I drove in from Cabela because it gives me a better feeling entering our street as none of the homes at the top of Luz Pl were burned. As I drove up I looked and saw several men down in the hole around the tree.
They were really going at it with power saws provided by the LDS Church. Then I got a Big Surprise. First I saw Matt, then beside him with chain saw buzzing away was a candidate for President of the United States!!! You guessed it!! Matt Romney was there with his DAD, “MITT ROMNEY”, former governor of Massachusetts
and republican presidential candidate. He was actually in Levi’s and a blue T shirt and tennis shoes, with leather gloves and goggles. He was really sawing away at my stump! Others who were there working were LDS Bishop Jim Davies, Greg Davis and 6 LDS Missionaries. Oh and I almost forgot the Secret Service bodyguards were nearby standing guard. The Mormon Missionaries were there because they have been reassigned to disaster relief projects all over San Diego where the fires burned. They got assigned by their leaders to come to our home at 11372 Luz Place that morning. There were no local news media. Mitt and Matt Romney were just being good neighbors helping neighbors. Mitt was in Southern Calif for some meetings later in the day up in
Riverside/San Bernardino. I can really tell that the Romney’s know how to work and to work really hard. I looked over my shovel at one point and sweat was running down Mitt’s face. When I suggested we
stop for a breakfast burrito, I got a polite ‘maybe later, gotta get this root out.” Mitt told me that this reminded him of taking out a stump on the ranch with his father.after it was too much his Dad(George Romney) said get some dynamite! Well, Mitt attacked that old stump, cutting as many of the big roots as he could until it was well time past for he and Matt to leave for their meetings up north. I put a Machaca burrito in Mitts hand and a glass of O.J. I could tell he didn’t like leaving the job partially completed and neither did Matt. But I knew
they had “bigger stumps” elsewhere that day.”
I have a hard time explaining my thoughts about this. This is the kind of man Mitt is. This is the kind of man America needs at its helm. The thing that eats at me is all of the ignorant people who think that Mitt is a fake and silver-spoon, selfish CEO. What are the chances that those folks’ respective candidate would do this without the media? Let me name those who I think would: Mike Huckabee, John McCain (maybe), and Barack Obama. I couldn’t imagine Rudy Giuliani or Hillary Clinton doing something like this. Additionally, what a stark contrast when compared to the latest news coming out about Rudy, that he misappropriated New York funds and security to cheat on his wife.
Sadly, this story will likely be missed or, more likely, blatantly ignored by the MSM and new media folks who have more of an audience than I do. Besides, even if it is reported widely, cynics and die-hard anti-Mitt folks will simply try to spin it as Mitt only doing it for publicity.
The great thing is, is that it is highly likely that Mitt would prefer to keep this under wraps. Service isn’t meant to be broadcast for all to see. But I cannot let this pass, especially as Mitt is so often attacked for being fake and insincere. America should only be so lucky to have a person like Mitt Romney to serve as our President.
My Dry Fly 