Text 2275, 108 rader
Skriven 2004-09-15 09:38:32 av John Hull (1:379/1.99)
   Kommentar till text 2264 av Ed Connell (1:379/1.6)
Ärende: Re: Bush Entitled to wear ribbon
========================================
14 Sep 04 22:47, Ed Connell wrote to John Hull:

 EC> Hey, John.

 JH>> Internet claim on Bush award disputed
 JH>> By Gene J. Koprowski
 JH>> United Press International

 JH>> Published 9/13/2004 3:33 PM

 JH>> CHICAGO, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- The Air Force has knocked down 
 JH>> allegations by a Web site that said President Bush, when serving as 
 JH>> an officer in the Texas Air National Guard, wore a ribbon he was 
 JH>> not authorized to wear -- a military offense that could have led to 
 JH>> a bad-conduct discharge from the service if true.

 JH>> The original story was offered to United Press International 
 JH>> during late August by operatives from Democrats.com, an Internet 
 JH>> activist group whose founder had earlier this year served as a 
 JH>> source for The Boston Globe and other media outlets on stories 
 JH>> about Bush's service in the guard in the 1960s and 1970s.

 JH>> A summary of the story was also posted on the 
 JH>> DemocraticUnderground.com Web site by Walt Starr of Democrats.com 
 JH>> last month, along with a photo from the George H.W. Bush 
 JH>> Presidential Library of Lt. George W. Bush wearing the Air Force 
 JH>> Outstanding Unit Award.

 JH>> An e-mail message to UPI on Aug. 27 from Bob Fertik, founder of
 JH>> Democrats.com, stated, "Walt Starr called the Air Force and 
 JH>> discovered that the only AFOUA given to Bush's unit was in 1975 -- 
 JH>> five years after the photo. Case closed!"

 JH>> The Air Force and the White House last week in interviews with UPI 
 JH>> said the allegations were misleading. White House spokesman Trent 
 JH>> Duffy referred UPI to the Air Reserve Personnel Center in Colorado 
 JH>> where Technical Sgt. Rob Mims is the spokesman.

 JH>> Mims said the claims were "not true. I verified that (Thursday).
 JH>> Lieutenant Bush received Air Force Outstanding Unit Award while he 
 JH>> was in basic training with the 3724th Basic Military Training 
 JH>> Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas."

 JH>> Starr sent UPI a copy of a file of his research, including
 JH>> correspondence he had with the Air Force seeking to obtain the 
 JH>> service records of Bush.

 JH>> "This means, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that George W. Bush was
 JH>> photographed wearing a ribbon he clearly did not earn," wrote 
 JH>> Starr. He said awards earned by the unit were given before Bush 
 JH>> joined the unit.

 JH>> Mims said that personnel records in the military are often 
 JH>> incomplete due to "clerical errors."

 JH>> "But I did verify that that unit did get the award while he (Bush) 
 JH>> was there," said Mims.

 JH>> The sergeant added that the photo in question was "taken after 
 JH>> pilot training."

 JH>> Mims said he confirmed his information about the medal with the 
 JH>> Air Force's history office. "It's all there in black and white, 
 JH>> we've spelled it out," said Mims.

 JH>> The White House, through Duffy, said: "Lieutenant Bush at the time 
 JH>> was completely authorized to wear those ribbons he has in those 
 JH>> pictures. He could only wear those ribbons if he has the wings. He 
 JH>> earned his wings in 1969."

 JH>> When contacted by UPI Monday about the Air Force's statements, 
 JH>> Fertik refused to comment.

 JH>> The news of the Air Force and White House disproving the 
 JH>> allegations about the Bush medal came Friday, as CBS News and other 
 JH>> news organizations were reeling from the disclosure that they had 
 JH>> published or aired possibly forged documents about Bush's military 
 JH>> service record.

 JH>> The source of the CBS story has not been disclosed, but CBS is
 JH>> conducting an internal investigation into the controversy.

 EC> They are trying everything including the use of rotten bait.  They are 
 EC> desparate, but they don't seem to let disappointments and failures keep 
 EC> them from trying for something else - anything else.  Someone should make 
 EC> a list of all the failed smeer attempts by the Democrats.  By itself, that

 EC> would be eye-opening.

Stan would be a good one for that with his memory.  But wait till you see what
I got in my email this morning!  I will post it in this packet.

 EC> John, on that thing you wrote me about a while ago.  I didn't see the 
 EC> post for a while because I now use a different address due to the volume 
 EC> of spam. I have a good filter, but there is so much spam that it takes 
 EC> the filter abominablly long to sort the mail.  Anyway, I am totally on 
 EC> board with your idea.  I will provide if someone else is in charge. <g>

I'm putting together a list.  If you have a better email address please send it
to me.

John 

America:  First, Last, and Always!
Go to www.madgorilla.us for all your Domain Name Services at the lowest rates.

--- Msged/386 TE 05
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