Posted on 09/11/2004 5:41:41 AM PDT by MarDav
After hearing of CBS's denial of any wrong-doing, and their arrogance in stating that they do not feel the need for any kind of internal investigation, we must ratchet up the pressure on CBS to come clean. Since FreeRepublic has been in the news of late, in the role some of you played in unearthing this story (read: performing the due diligence that CBS should have been doing as journalists), perhaps we can use our new-found weight in stoking the fires a bit by drawing attention to CBS's second gaffe of the week--failure to acknowledge any shortcoming/wrong doing on their part (isn't this one of the points the Left tries to club President Bush with?). Here is the email I sent this morning. Perhaps some time this weekend we can all find a few moments to shoot off a little missive voicing our displeasure:
Here's my letter(I cleaned it up a bit--just wanted to add this disclaimer in the event CBS suggests the letter below is a forgery and, thus impugns the character and veracity of all Freepers):
"The '60 minutes' report was based not solely on the recovered documents but on a preponderence of evidence, including documents that were provided by what we consider to be solid sources and interviews with former officials of the Texas National Guard. If any definitive evidence to the contrary of our story is found, we will report it. So far, there is none."
Dan Rather stated the above in his response to the charge that CBS used possibly forged documents in its 60 Minutes piece on President Bush's National Guard service. Yet, evidence did, in fact, exist prior to the story's airing that CBS was aware of, yet willfully chose to disregard. I'm speaking about the son and widow of Lieutenant Colonel Killian, who both put forth strong, personal knowledge of Mr. Killian's habits and past dealings with Mr. Bush, all suggesting that he was not in the habit of maintaining paperwork (particularly the kind labelled 'CYA'), he was not prone to typing, nor had he suggested to them that he was, in any way, dissatisfied with Mr. Bush's service. Mr. Killian's son also apparently gave to CBS the names of others that could be used to corroborate these observances (thus forming a different sort of preponderance of evidence). Yet, CBS chose not to include their testimony. How come? Additonally, Mr. Barnes' own daughter has now come forward to contradict his testimony, saying that at an earlier point in time he acknowledged he had nothing to do with Mr. Bush's induction into the Guard (she even went so far as to suggest he is politically motivated--a point CBS spent little time examining viz a vis his strong ties to the Kerry Campaign, his vast political contributions to the Kerry election effort, the house he owns next door to one of Kerry's residences). In addition, if I'm not mistaken, Mr. Barnes' career path did not put him in position to have the power to assist Mr. Bush, as his tenure as Lieutenant Governor began after Mr. Bush's induction.
I expect CBS to step forward with all of these revelations and to offer explanation as to why, when given the testimony of Colonel Killian's own family members, when learned it did not jibe with the testimony of Mr. Barnes, it was not included in the 60 Minutes broadcast. Only after these concerns are addressed will you be able to begin the process of recovering your credibility before the American people.
This is a reminder that national defense is the very first value that government, and it's agents, must profess.
The work Freepers did over the last couple of days concerning the false documents flows directly into that value.
CBS must lay out everything--stop stonewalling. Where did they get these documents? Where are the originals? Why haven't they given better copies to outside experts to examine? How many experts did they interview before they found one who would support their story? Why did they not disclose that the widow and children of Killian said the story was a lie? Why have they been sitting on this story for 4 years, and suddenly report it now, just as Bush is pulling away in the polls?
Jason Blair came clean -- after a fashion, laughing at the New York Times for believing his frauds. But Dan Rather come clean? No way. After a lifetime of cheating the truth, he's not going to change his ways.
Perhaps they were unsatisfied with the slow speed of the poll rise? When the enemy repeatedly blows up their own strategic assets and shoots themselves in the foot, the eye, and the groin can they be said to be perversely on our side?
The pressure should come from the FCC. Here we have the DNC posing as a legitimate news source running fictitious stories for the purpose of interfering with an election.
When they describe the source as "solid", maybe they mean obese?
Could it be the MSM's favorite fat film producer? He certainly seems solid.
Their answer to all those questions:
"We don't have to tell you."
That's it in a nutshell.
I think Rather is just going to maintain it's genuine until it becomes a he said she said situation. CBS needs to fire that guy, and quick. A boycott of the entire network would certainly frighten them.
Wasn't it Rather that had a slip-of-the-tongue during a National election by using the collective pronoun "WE" in describing the status of the Democratic Party at the time?
What I find amusing is that nobody in the MSM sees the ridiculous profit potential to drop the Liberal Bias and follow FOXNEWS' lead in touting the Conservative viewer/voter.
Why not pressure CBS to acknowledge Ben Barnes is on the Kerry campaign staff. He's C0 Chair for crying out loud! It's imperative that CBS admit this conflict of interest. We need to keep up the pressure on both these fronts.
Keep hammering them.
www.cbsnews.com, comments section at the bottom.
Maybe they will make MTV and Ashton K say it was the biggest Punk'd ever?
We also need to know why Rather is continue to lie. Ret.Lt.Gen. Hodges has admitted of being duped when he verified the documents. Matley is a librarian in San Francisco, a hand writing analyst, NOT a document specialist.
I also feel that CBS if any credibility desire exist to invest Kerry's records, FBI Records, in which he was actively investigaed due to plan to overthrow the American Government by violence during his radical years. Why is nobody talking about that? There is a good editorial at newsmax about it, and that particular actions by Kerry far outweigh anything regarding the Bush records.We need to push the issue of Kerry's violent behavior.
Boy, your post brought so much into context for me. Sadly, some of the remembrance of 9/11 may be blunted by all the political controversy swirling around. But 3 years ago there was no politics. There was no misleading the American people (though, now, many have been lulled back to sleep). For those with eyes (and a bit of reason), what we realize is the great American family was assailed, brutalized. Evil came to our shores and lashed out. I watched with my colleagues from a window in our office in Jersey City (right across from the World Trade Center) as the second plane came in. What we couldn't see was the suffering and anguish and terror and heroism of our fellow citizens--our brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, as their lives were snatched away by barbarians. From across the river we saw the impact, the explosion, the flames. We were removed a bit, but still very terrified. It wasn't until we got home and followed the unfolding stories closely that we learned of the personal tragedies and acts of heroism. Not till then, when we were able to get up close right there at the foot of the buildings, amidst the flames and peril did we begin to understand how our friends and family suffered, how they charged courageously in to rescue to give "the last full measure of devotion." Once we learned these things, we were changed, weren't we? We became just a little more American. We became just a little bit better fathers and mothers, husbands and wives, neighbors and friends (sadly, many have retreated back from this).
My point is, it wasn't until we were all directly exposed to the danger, the peril, the tragedy, the heroism that we fully understood and had the chance to be changed into something better. I don't know why the media so quickly stopped showing us the planes hitting the buildings, the men and women jumping, the carnage (I have my stong suspicions, though). But what they do by keeping these images locked away is to keep us from seeing, from remembering clearly, from changing, from growing.
I have a picture of the smoldering towers as my screen saver and I'm not sure why. Am I trying to start a conversation? Possibly. Am I trying to vent some anger? Possibly. Am I trying to stroke some inner part of myself with a reminder of what it is that has made raising my 3 children just a bit more frightening and uncertain? Maybe. 3 years ago today, I watched in a window the surreal events unfold on a crisp, beautiful day. Something became clear for me then. Evil is around us and knows where we live. I know God was watching and was sad (was he rueing the day He ever created man again, as He did in the days of Noah?). What we do here by exercising our rights of free speech (responsibly, always responsibly--anything short of this takes away, adds a taint of death to such a right) is a tribute to those who died on 9/11 and those who have sacrificed to serve and fight, and in some cases, die in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Perhaps we need to freep the sponsors. Hit them in the pocketbook.
The entire thing is a lie, not just the forgeries.
I don't know of anything that can be done about it, the only consequences they will suffer is that maybe 10% of the population which hadn't yet caught on about the CBS agenda will now be suspect of anything coming out of Black Rock.
The bottom line is that they can get away with this and they will.
Sandy Berger and O.J., please welcome Dan Rather and Scott Peterson to the "club".
YES! What was Barnes doing when President Bush was in the Guard? What position did he hold?
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