Military kin split on Bush

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | Published on: 03/07/04 | By MONI BASU

[goodnesswins]

The LOWEST part of the BELL CURVE is exposed again....now, how is it that the news people ALWAYS find THEM?

[The South Texan]

Another balanced article from the objective press.

Barf!

[metesky]

"The war in Iraq has taken their loved ones from them," said Nancy Lessin, one of the group's founders. "So that is a very powerful motivator in terms of many things."

Ms. Nancy Lessin is the Health and Safety Coordinator for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.

A union goon...

[freeperfromnj]

Good find. Seems like they have rats planted and trained to come out of the woodwork and meet the press for whatever the issue of the day is.

[bondjamesbond]

Health and Safety Coordinator...

A featherbed position if there ever was one.

[bondjamesbond]

Seems like they have rats planted and trained to come out of the woodwork and meet the press for whatever the issue of the day is.

That is why I hope the RNC has an active opposition research effort going, to trace the connections between these groups and to show where the money is coming from.

If there is enough coordination, that becomes a story in itself when these "independent" groups get skewered for violating CFR spending limits.

[metesky]

Gives her plenty of time for political activity.

There are more on the MFSO website that aren't mentioned in this particular story, like the already notorious anti-Bushite and socialist writer Stan Goff and the wife of a West Point graduate who seems not to have made the connection between who she was marrying and the school he attended.

I'm looking for funding connections now...

[bondjamesbond]

Go git 'em!

[thedugal]

I just don't believe this panzy crap. I don't know a single republican who is angry at Bush over Iraq, except that he lost the WMD debate and should have been more politically savvy. The ONLY republicans I know who are honestly considering not voting for Bush are mad at him because of his stand on immigration and social spending.

Any life long registered republicans who think Bush should've delegated Iraq to the UN needs to go out and register democrat. At least that'd make them honest idiots.

[over3Owithabrain]

My exchange with the author of this article (last to first):

Thank you for responding to my email. Please know that I was not attempting to attack you personally, my comment regarding "considering your profession" was in the context of thinking of how you can come across as more fair and objective in your writing.
I do not recall seeing an eariler piece by you that you say was seen as too pro-Bush. In any case, perhaps if your individual articles contained quotes and viewpoints from both sides, they wouldn't appear to be partisan.
As to placement of the article, headline, etc., thank you for clarifying that. I appreciate that you are forwarding my concern to your editors. The headline was "military families split", but the article doesn't show a split, just one side of things.
Again, thanks for replying and God bless.
Sincerely, xxxxxxxx

-----Original Message----- From: Moni Basu [mailto:mbasu@ajc.com] Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 11:30 AM To: xxxxxx Subject: Re: Why the unbalanced hit piece on military families/Bush?

thanks for reading. i have been deluged with notes such as yours today. a few weeks ago, i got hit by the other side for a story quoting people that praised bush. seems as though i can't win.
i must point out that my opinions are not expressed in this article. it was a story that focused on some military families who have had a change of heart about bush. the intent of this story was to convey the fact there were military families who were going against the grain in november. i thought that was interesting.
just so you know, it is never a reporter's decision on where to play a story. or what the headlines say. i will pass your note on to the editors.
as for reconsidering my career, well, i felt sad that you chose to attack me personally. but thank you again for reading.

To: "'mbasu@ajc.com'" cc: bcc:

Subject: Why the unbalanced hit piece on military families/Bush?

By your own numbers in the article, 59 percent of military families support the President. Yet your article contains not one single quote from that group. Instead, you only include comments and quotes from those opposed to President Bush and the war in Iraq. Your selective quotes from Senator Chambliss (a Bush supporter) are presented as backup to the obvious slant of your article, although I am sure there was far more context to what he had to say. Do you really believe that you were being honest, fair and objective in your reporting and writing? If you truly desire fairness and accuracy, please take the time to interview the myriad of military members/Vietnam veterans who despise John Kerry for his actions after leaving his military service in Vietnam. They are as easy to find as the anti-Bush group you chose to highlight.
Your one-sided attack on the President (in an election season, coincidentally), belongs at best on the editorial page or an Elect John Kerry brochure. It certainly does NOT belong as a front-page AJC article. You should seriously consider the profession you are in and what constitutes fair and objective journalism, or else seek employment as a partisan political operative.

[mystery-ak]

I must admit there is discontent growing in military families, I've seen it in my own family support group...we have about 6 or 7 wives making complete fools of themselves and embarrassing the unit......I for one will crawl to the polls to vote for our CinC.

[HankReardon]

He lost the WMD debate? What debate? Over 450,000 bodies were found in mass graves in Iraq last year, Saddam was a WMD. While stuck in a diplomatic quagmire for 14 months Iraq was busy hiding WMD's and exporting WMD's to Syria and Iran, details to be uncovered later, we are still looking. Since the Iraq War Libya has openly disclosed it's nuclear and chemical weapons programs and is willing to abandon them. Since the Iraq War a nuclear scientist from Pakistan has come forward with information of illegal transfers of technology to Iran and other evil regimes. None of this would have happend if not for Bush having the courage to do what others were only willing to threaten to do. Now, what WMD debate did President Bush lose?

[Republican Red]

I'm in Atlanta where this trashy article appeared in the AJC. It caused quite a controversy on local talk radio this afternoon. I caught the tail end of a caller to the Kimmer's radio show. This woman, a military wife, was livid that her editorial, which happened to be pro-Bush, pro-military was turned down by the AJC where as this one was chosen. Caller after called tore into the wife who wrote this article. Many military wives also called in to say how off the mark this is. The AJC won't print the truth. I guess that's why I canceled my subscription in 1998.

[DeBug=int13]

 

 

 

Don't forget this bunch -

 

 

 

Veterans for Peace, Inc. (VFP) -

 

 

 

CEASE FIRE!
VETERANS FOR PEACE--From Warriors To Diplomats (1999 story)
http://www.countryink.com/currart1.html

 

"Membership in Veterans for Peace is not limited to veterans with honorable discharges. Associate memberships are open to family members and may soon be expanded to include anyone who supports their principles. Contact them at (202) 347-6780, 1511 K Street NW, Suite 525; Washington, DC 20005; email: VFP@igc.org."

 

 

There's been two addresses found for them - don't know (yet) for sure whether these are old, new or current

 

 

1511 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 347-6780
fax: 202-347-6781
VFP@igc.org

 

One thing kinda interesting (maybe)  - The 733 15th Street address sits smack among a number of foreign embassies

 

733 15th Street, NW
Suite 928
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 347-6780 voice
(202) 347-6781 fax
vfp@igc.org

 

The 733 15th Street address is the "Woodward Building" in D.C., and "VFP" apparently shares building space with some interesting neighbors, among -

 

Volunteer Coordinator National Organization for Women (NOW), Second Floor
International Labor Rights Fund. (Human Rights and Labor Laws)
Gray Panthers
American Civil Liberties Union National Prison Project, Suite 620
Code Pink Women's Pre-emptive Strike For Peace, #507     (how convenient)

 

 

 

 

 

"Veterans for Peace" is shown as a grant recipient from the HKH Foundation of New York, NY

per http://www.hkhfdn.org/directory/national.html
Veterans for Peace
David Hart
1511 K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 347-6780
fax: 202-347-6781
VFP@igc.org
"An educational organization made up of veterans working to educate the general public concerning the cost of war, the arms race, US foreign policy issues, and the exigency of abolishing war as an instrument of international policy."

 

Contact addy -

HKH Foundation -aka- the Harold K. Hochschild Foundation
521 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1612
New York, NY 10175
hkh@hkhfdn.org

 

 

 

Here's a small rundown of some top grantees of HKH across varied timeframes -

per http://www.activistcash.com/donor_detail.cfm?DONOR_ID=125

 

 

	Activist Group		Total Donated		Time Frame
	Tides Foundation & Tides Center		$235,000.00		1991 - 1997
	Natural Resources Defense Council		$185,000.00		1990 - 2001
	Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy		$151,600.00		1997 - 2001
	Greenpeace		$100,000.00		1995 - 2001
	Western Organization of Resource Councils		$50,000.00		2001 - 2001
	Center for Media & Democracy		$45,000.00		1999 - 2001
	Union of Concerned Scientists		$40,000.00		1995 - 1998
	Center for Food Safety		$35,000.00		1996 - 1996
	Organic Consumers Association		$35,000.00		1999 - 1999
	American Corn Growers Association		$20,000.00		1999 - 1999

 

 

 

 

 

"Veterans for Peace" is listed as an organization that has had direct contact with the International Action Center - you know, the outfit apparently founded by Ramsey Clark 

http://www.iacenter.org/orgs.htm
"International Action Center"

 

Towards the top, after wading through the "mission" gobbley goop -

Organizations opposed to sanctions

 

"The following list covers a number of groups that have organized some form of opposition to sanctions against Iraq, especially those based in countries that were part of the alliance that waged war on Iraq in early 1991. The list is by no means complete, but consists of those groups that have been in direct contact with the International Action Center. The activities carried out by the organizations described here cover a wide variety of approaches to opposing sanctions: providing humanitarian assistance, organizing political opposition, publishing books and other educational material, and taking direct action. They illustrate both the growing opposition to sanctions and the variety of tactics to fight them."

 

 

(and what a list it is)

 

 

("Veterans for Peace" is shown using the 5011 "K" St. NW, #525 Washington address here)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkled around on the "Veterans for Peace" site, such as on a page http://www.veteransforpeace.org/Defaultold.htm, can be seen "Email VFP", which turns out to be vfp@igc.org ,

 

 

What is "igc.org"???

 

 

A quick descriptor is on http://www.cein.net/cgi-bin/en/company_info.asp?CID=263 (circa 1999)

Institute for Global Communications (IGC)
Address   POBox 29904
              San Francisco, CA  94126-0904
Voice     (415) 561-6100
Fax       (415) 561-6101
Web       http://www.igc.apc.org/

 

http://www.igc.org/

 

 

Excerpts off of http://www.cein.net/cgi-bin/en/company_info.asp?CID=263 

 

"Since 1992, IGC and its APC members have been the primary information and communications service provider at UN world conferences, including the 1992 United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, the 1993 United Nations Conference on Human Rights in Vienna, the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo and the 1995 World Conference on Women in Beijing."

 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 

and most interesting, down towards the bottom -

 

"IGC Internet is a project of the Tides Center, a 501 (c) 3 tax-exempt organization."

 

 

 

 

 

 

On their "links" page is a link to the September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, which stuck out like a sore thumb
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/links.htm

(Them again)

 

 

 

And finally, Veterans for Peace has a listing in the San Francisco Bay Area Progressive Directory - http://www.bapd.org/dir.html, an index of organizations in the San Francisco area that are related to "progressive activism", though only their website is listed for contact

 

Hmm, okay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

more Ketchup stains.......

 

 

 

 

 

[b4its2late]

Tell me if I'm wrong, but I kinda find this hard to believe.