Evelyn Pringle September 16, 2004
RE: Suppression Of War Time President's Lies
Why isn't the media devoting the same amount of air time to coverage of allegations about Bush's military service in the National Guard, as was given to the allegations about Kerry's service in Vietnam from the Swift Boat Vets?
The answer cannot be that documents released by CBS might be forgeries because it doesn't matter if they are forgeries or not, documents contained in Bush's military records clearly show that he did not meet his military obligations in the National Guard.
The media claimed that the Swift Boat Vets allegations were relevant because Kerry spoke about serving in Vietnam while campaigning.
Bush called himself a war time president, put on a uniform to make a show of landing on an air force carrier to boost his image (on the taxpayer's dime), and yesterday he told members of the National Guard about how proud he was of his service in the Guard.
Bush has made his service record part of this campaign.
The military records on Bush show that he got in the national guard by jumping ahead of 1000s of other men already on waiting lists. Tax dollars were wasted on training him to be a fighter pilot, after which he failed to show up for a physical, was suspended from flying, and never served his country in the capacity of a pilot again.
He then went missing for the better part of year, causing his commanding officers to report that they could not complete a yearly evaluation for Bush because no one knew where he was.
Bush's military service, or lack thereof, is relevant. In fact, it is more relevant than Kerry's service ever should have ever been. Bush made the most serious decision a president can make by going to war and putting our soldiers in harm's way. That decision makes his military conduct and experience relevant.
When negative allegations were made about Kerry's wartime record and the 3 battles that lead to him being awarded his medals, every time the media checked official Navy records or with people who actually served beside Kerry in Vietnam, the allegations were shown to be baseless and without merit.
Every time a negative allegation arises about Bush's guard record, he denies the allegation, yet the official guard records prove Bush is wrong. Additionally, of those Guardsmen who served in Alabama when Bush claims to have been there, not one has come forward to vouch for his attendance.
The media has so far given Bush a pass, while granting the Swift Vets a month of free airtime to slaughter the military reputations of not only Kerry, but everyone who bravely served with him in that hell-hole, Vietnam. This is disgraceful.
In my opinion the media has reached a new low by not forcing Bush to explain his actions, when one of the most important issues in this campaign is who can better lead our country and provide direction to our young soldiers in Iraq.
The undisputed facts are that Kerry served in combat, and has experience as a commander in combat. Servicemen who served under him have come forth to say Kerry made decisions that saved their lives.
The official military records document the facts that I've outlined above on both candidates. Yet, you allowed people who didn't even serve with Kerry to go on TV for a month calling him (and presumably his crew members) a coward and a liar and you let Bush portray himself as a gallant war time leader on the basis of his own sing-song, one line statements, most of which are proving to be lies.
Why was it so important for the public to know whether a sitting president lied about a private sexual encounter, when now its not important for the public to know if a sitting president publicly lied about his military service record (over and over and over again), every time he ran for office, and is still lying about it to this very day?
Bush took us into a senseless war based on lies in which the only people who are benefiting are defense and reconstruction contractors. More and more of our young people are dying each day and there is no end in sight. Yesterday Bush said he needed close to another $4 billion in military funding and there's no end in sight to the drain on our financial resources.
It's more than obvious that Bush does not know what he's doing in Iraq, yet the media allows him to paint himself as having a more honorable service record then Kerry, leading people to think that he is more qualified to manage the war in Iraq.
There is something very wrong with this picture.
How many young people will have to die in vain over the next 4 years before the media will be forced to look at its part in helping Bush win this election?
Evelyn Pringle
Founder of Citizens for Honest Fighter Pilots
Miamisburg, OH
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