Politics > Politics-USA > That $2000 reward's still out there, folks. Anyone with proof that Bush served between May 1972 and July 30, 1973?
| Topic: |
Politics > Politics-USA |
| User: |
"Harry Hope" |
| Date: |
09 Feb 2004 05:10:25 PM |
| Object: |
That $2000 reward's still out there, folks. Anyone with proof that Bush served between May 1972 and July 30, 1973? |
The offer is posted to this website. So who's got the goods?
That's 2000 good ole American bucks, folks. Any takers?
http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=9254
GEORGE W. BUSH: NOT ONE WITNESS HE SERVED LAST YEAR IN GUARD
Posted by Clayton Hallmark on Monday February 9, 2004 at 3:43 pm MST
Link to story: http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/3671
George W. Bush has long been criticized for his Air National Guard
service during the Vietnam war.
George Bush was criticized for using political clout to get into the
Texas ANG.
Lately President Bush has been accused mostly of using political clout
to cover up how he got out.
The strangest thing about the whole story is that of the hundreds of
men who served in George W. Bush's unit during the period in question,
not one can recall seeing Bush.
Sen. John Kerry is one of the more recent critics of Bush's service.
Sunday, Kerry, in accepting the endorsement of Virginia Sen. John
Warner, said:
"The issue here is, as I have heard it raised, is was he present and
active in Alabama at the time he was supposed to be," said Kerry, a
decorated Vietnam War veteran.
"I don't have the answer to that question and just because you get an
honorable discharge does not in fact answer that question."
In an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," George
Bush said he reported for duty and that his critics were wrong.
"I served in the National Guard. I flew F-102 aircraft. I got an
honorable discharge," Bush said.
"I've heard this - I've heard this ever since I started running for
office. I put in my time, proudly so."
A vast amount of evidence on this issue has been compiled.
Much of it has been chronicled by Martin Heidt, a retired railroader
in Clinton, IA, and posted to a web site:
http://www.tompaine.com/feature.cfm/ID/3671 .
The only problem (for the President) is that of the hundreds of men
who served in the Texas and Alabama ANG units when Bush was under
orders to serve with them -- no one remembers him.
These people are approximately Bush's age.
Most of them are alive and still have good memory.
However, not one can say he served with Bush in the Texas or Alabama
ANG during the period.
In fact, a group in Austin, TX, the Vets for Real Truth, published a
newspaper advertisement offering a "$2000 Reward: Payable to any Texas
Air National Guard airman with proof of 1st Lt. George W. Bush 'in
person' performing any scheduled nonflying duties at Ellington Air
Force Base between May 1972 and July 30, 1973."
Not only does no one remember Bush, he himself can't recall what his
duties were for this period of over a year.
Few persons who have served in the military, even as "weekend
warriors," can say as Bush does that they don't remember what they did
for a year of their service, even Guard duty.
The writer can recall that the monthly drills were an interruption of
normal activities that one did not dare ignore and that seemingly came
on the only fair-weather day of each month.
In 1973, his ANG commanders in Texas, Col Haris and Col. Killian,
stated in his annual evaluation:
"Lt. Bush has not been observed at this unit during the period of
report; civilian occupation made it necessary for him to move to
Montgomery, AL. He cleared this base on 15 May 1972 and has been
performing equivalent in a nonflying status with the 187 Tac Recon Gp,
Dannell ANG Base, AL."
Of all the men who served at the Texas and Alabama bases, no one
remembers "Missing George" during these times.
Also, it is not known what pressing "civilian occupation" called
George Bush away to Montgomery, AL, that was more important than
completing his reserve obligation at a time when thousands of
Americans died in Vietnam.
It is worth noting that military reserve members are currently dying
in a war that Mr. Bush started under what his administration has since
admitted were false assertions.
The reserve obligation is a serious commitment.
Bush's denial on "Meet the Press" employs some typical tactics of
deception.
First, he stated the partial truth he dares to state on the matter, "I
served in the National Guard. I flew F-102 aircraft. I got an
honorable discharge."
That is true, but it is an evasion of the question of whether he was
AWOL at the end.
Then he said, "I've heard this - I've heard this ever since I started
running for office."
As Jeff Nance, a former police interrogator, stated in his book
"Conquering Deception," "Because people have a natural aversion to
speaking a lie, they prefer to simply point back to one rather than
repeat it....The deceptive person, to avoid that stress, will often
use responses like these: 'We've already covered this.'"
What Bush said, for comparison, was "I've heard this ever since I
started running for office."
Unfortunately for George Bush, he finally gave in and told the lie:
"I put in my time, proudly so."
As Nance said, "The best part of deception is the wriggle-room that it
allows....If ... opts for line #5, he's committed himself to a lie,
and if proven wrong, will sustain maximum damage to his credibility."
Some of George W. Bush's records in the Texas ANG were altered long
after he got his honorable discharge, while he was the governor.
However, there are official records - military pay records, retirement
points, and other accounting records - that can tell the story.
President Bush should release his military records for scrutiny, just
as Sen. John Kerry and other candidates have done.
If he does not, now that his service is being questioned, it is akin
to refusing a breath test when stopped for DUI.
__________________________________________________________
The offer is posted to this website. So who's got the goods?
http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=9254
.
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
