(Saw this one on Chris’ site Saturday, so I asked Chris for permission to reprint. There, Chris prefaced the op/ed with the following: “My grandfather, a West Point graduate who led an infantry company in Korea and a battalion in Vietnam, opposed Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and testified against it before a joint House-Senate committee early in 1993. He would’ve been happy to see the repeal vote today in the Senate. He wrote this op-ed for the Washington Post in November 1992.”)
He Was One of Us
By Lucian K. Truscott III
November 24, 1992
“A Gay Young Cavalryman”
How times change. The words above appear as the title of a song opposite page 1 of the brief memoir my father wrote of his service in the U.S. Cavalry between the two world wars. Can you imagine a song today called “A Gay Young Fighter Pilot — or Infantryman — or Leatherneck”?
I commanded an infantry rifle company in the first year of the Korean War. Among the 150 or so men I had with me on the tops of those mean mountains in that bitter cold was at least one gay soldier. All of the other 149 of us knew that if nothing else he was effeminate. That and his red hair are probably why I remember him so well after all these years.
I saw men ridiculing him to his face on occasion, as men will. You know: one hand on a hip, the other waving in the air with a limp wrist as the mimic took prim, mincing steps around him. And the first sergeant approached me one day and said, “Sir I think Wilson [not his name] is a goddam queer.” About all I could say was, “Well, Top, I guess there’s no damn law against it as long he’s doing his job.”
His job was BAR-man; the initials stand for Browning Automatic Rifle. It is a big weapon, weighing more than 20 pounds, but even at his size — about five-seven and 140 pounds — he carried the BAR in his squad. The weapon was so reliable and deadly that the Chinese invariably went for the BAR-man first.
But he did that job, which few men wanted, until a wet spring day in 1951, when I knelt down and looked at the small round hole dead center in his wet greenish-gray forehead below the line of his red hair. I noticed some of the men in his squad turning away from me so I wouldn’t see them crying softly as they put him on a litter so we could carry him with us. He was one of us, a soldier.
I’m as sure of the fact that he was gay as I am that he no doubt wasn’t the only one in the company, that he was a damned good soldier and that there were undoubtedly gay soldiers in the infantry battalion I commanded in Vietnam in 1967-1968. There are probably homosexuals in any group of a hundred or so men you assemble any place, any time.
A few years ago my son wrote a novel about a gay cadet at West Point and brought down the wrath of many graduates upon his (and my) head for even intimating that West Point ever had a homosexual cadet. And now looking back from the vantage point of 40 or 50 years of knowledge, experience and our society’s finally having let gays out of the closet, I’m certain that four general officers I knew (two of them very well) were gay; one was a highly decorated infantry officer in World War II.
I am surprised that the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin Powell, takes a stance against gays in the military. As a black officer, he must be more intimate with discrimination than most of us.
The argument seems to be that integration of gays will disrupt the discipline of an organization. Of course it will! Did the integration of blacks? You’re damned right it did! And still does to a degree. But the armed forces have controlled it and will continue to until the last of the bigots is gone and we finally have complete equality.
Why don’t we have the guts to admit that there always have been and always will be gays in our society? Admit it and treat them as men. They are, you know.
The writer is a retired Army infantry officer.
The writer was also correct.
And in the “Better Late Than Never” category, DADT has been replealed.
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
On October 16th, I asked several fellow veterans about a comment the Republican Candidate for Governor in Minnesota – Tom Emmer – said to the Marshall Independent newspaper on 9/26/09. That quote by Emmer – “I don’t believe you can be a freedom-loving American and be a Democrat” was not widely reported in the allegedly “liberal” mainstream media.
This video documents a few Veterans responses to Emmer saying, essentially, that Democrats, even military veterans, can’t be real patriots.
I’d like to remind everyone that on 07 April 1775, Samuel Johnson said that “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.”
On 26 September 2009, Republican Candidate for Governor Tom Emmer demonstrated that he indeed is a scoundrel.
I paid for this with my dime. It’s not not approved by any candidate nor is any candidate responsible for it. It’s my deal and my deal only. Let’s look!
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject.com, please post comments there)
OK, I read the article in the PiPress; it’s about GOP State Chair Tony Sutton calling the 13 former GOP state Legislators “quislings” and saying – and I quote – “there’s a special place in hell” for them. Two of those 13 are veterans – former GOP State Sen. George Pillsbury (World War II) and former GOP State Sen. Bill Belanger (Korean War).
So I wrote the following, in the PiPress comments section:
In June 2009, in this very paper (the PiPress), Colonel Joe Repya states exactly why he is leaving the GOP; in the comments the GOP Deputy Chair (Nathan Hansen) of CD-4 writes in the comments of Repya’s opinion piece that Repya is a “Communist” and essentially calls Colonel Repya a baby-killer. Hansen is subsequently awarded a plum position at the GOP State level, chairing the Bylaws and Constitution Committee. Later, the GOP endorses Hansen as candidate for Sate House 55-A.
In September 2009, Candidate Tom Emmer told the Marshall newspaper: “I don’t believe you can be a freedom-loving American and be a Democrat.” Emmer essentially calls all DFL and IP veterans “un-American.” The GOP subsequently endorsed Emmer.
A couple of days ago, State GOP Party Chair Tony Sutton calles two former GOP Legislators, and veterans, “quislings” and says there’s a special place in hell for them. Later, Sutton backs off and says he didn’t mean to compare these two veterans, one from World War II; the other a Korean War vet — he simply meant to call them “traitors.”
Now, Sutton is saying these veterans are like Benedict Arnold, from the Revolutionary War.
Neither Hansen, nor Emmer, nor Sutton served; all three have maligned the integrity and service of all veterans in all parties. All three were elected by party activists to their leadership positions.
It’s abundantly clear today’s Republican Leadership and many GOP activists have great disdain for veterans that refuse to bootlick for the leadership of today’s Republican Party.
Actually, today’s Republican “leadership” has great disdain for ANYONE that doesn’t bootlick for them; locally, in Eden Prairie, they’re trashing former Republican Mayors and City Council Members as “liberals.”
For example, here’s a line from a Letter to the Editor of the Eden Prairie News on 30 September 2010:
“The two prior budgets under Tyra-Lukens and the liberal majority …”
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Eden Prairie City Council has never – NEVER – had a “liberal” majority.
Apparently, this letter writer, and today’s Republican Leadership, forget that in 1990, Republican candidate for Governor Doug Kelley picked former Eden Prairie Mayor Dr. Jean Harris (1996 – 2001) as his choice for Lieutenant Governor on the GOP ticket.
Even if that letter writer was correct – and he isn’t – that previous City Councils was dominated by “liberals” it was those so-called “liberals” that earned the City Of Eden Prairie’s top rating from Moody’s Investors Services – in 2003.
Then, there’s GOP State Party Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb’s blog trashing Lakeville Mayor Holly Dahl as a “Democrat.”
Of course, if you believed GOP State Party Deputy Chair Michael Brodkorb’s blog, you’d also have to believe Eden Prairie’s disgraced Republican Mayor, Phil Young, is a “Democrat” too.
Reasonable people can no longer reasonably believe anything today’s GOP “leadership” says.
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject.com; comments welcome there)
Dr. Maureen Hackett has received the endorsement of the DFL Veterans Caucus, and I’m proud to report we’re holding a fundraiser for her this Sunday, with General (Ret.) Harry Sieben leading the charge – details after the fold.
Join General Harry Sieben
and the DFL Veterans Caucus
in an afternoon of support forMaureen Hackett, M.D.
3rd Congressional District CandidateSunday, March 28
2:00-4:00pmat
Hopkins VFW Post 425, Fireside Room
100 Shady Oak Road
Hopkins, MN 55343Trista Mastacastillo, Tommy Johnson, John Wexler
Cheryl Poling, Lou Ellingson, Nancy GertnerDr. Hackett has the proven track record of standing up for our veterans, working with our veterans and their families on a day to day basis and will work for us in Washington, DC. Come show your support!
Suggested Contributions
Benefactor $50, Supporter $25, Volunteer Commitment HoursContributions of any size and kind are welcome.
If you cannot attend,
Please support Dr. Hackett online at
www.hackettforcongress.orgOr send a check to: Hackett for Congress
PO Box 4099
Hopkins, MN 55343.THANK YOU!!!!!
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
First, questions not asked: Whose budget got hit, when Gov. Pawlenty diverted money from the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) to partially pay the salary of Lee Buckley, Special Advisor in the Governor’s Council on Faith and Community Service Initiatives (FCSI)? Lee Buckley is no longer drawing a check from FCSI; she’s now at the Dep’t of Corrections – and there is still a diversion of funds from MDVA (see below the fold), so: where is THAT money, and how is it being spent?
Second, playing the pawns. It was obvious to me that some Veterans at the hearing were more interested in carrying Gov. Pawlenty’s political water, than ensuring open and transparent governmental operations. For instance, Jerry Kyser, Former Chair and current Vice Chair of United Veterans Legislative Council of Minnesota, in a conversation at the hearing and in a followup phone conversation, made it quite clear that as an organization, UVLC wanted to kill the proposed legislation, and personally – and I quote – Jerry “detests” everything about President Obama’s “socialistic” agenda. And clearly, many veterans were mobilized for the hearing, with defending Gov. Pawlenty’s actions as a goal. From Tim Pugmire at Minnesota Public Radio:
Veterans fight back over funding criticism
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
March 18, 2010St. Paul, Minn. — Military veterans are strongly defending Gov. Pawlenty’s use of the Support Our Troops license plate fund to pay the salary of one of his office staffers.
During a state Senate hearing Thursday, several veterans said the interagency transfer was appropriate, and they instead criticized legislators for raising questions about the arrangement. (more, at Minnesota Public Radio)
But, not all. One comment I heard several times was that with the fact that Gov. Pawlenty is using hundreds of Inter-Agency Agreements totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars to shift funds the way he sees fit, why was a $30k shift in Veterans funding being singled out?
After the hearing, I called the Minnesota Disabled American Veterans (MnDAV) and talked to the Adjutant, Jeff Alger (disclosure – I’m a Member of the MnDAV). Adjutant Alger wanted to be clear that the MnDAV was most concerned that the media publicity might negatively affect sales of the “Support Our Troops” license plates, which could negatively affect revenue to support veterans. Adjutant Alger stated the MnDAV had no issue with how the funds transferred were used and took no position on Inter-Agency in general. I asked if Adjutant Alger knew if any Agency/Organization’s budget took a hit; Adjutant Alger said he didn’t know. I asked if the MnDAV would have a concern if the transfer had caused the MnDAV to receive less; Adjutant Alger said that would be a great concern (see the first question, above).
Now, on to shell games, as played by Gov. Pawlenty, with the details of the Hearing:
The Senate Finance Committee heard testimony from several state employees yesterday, including Legislative Auditor James Nobles, Department of Veterans Affairs Deputy Commissioner Michael Pugliese, and the specific Political Appointee in question – Ms. Lee Buckley – formerly a “special advisor” to the governor, and now with the Department of Corrections.
The discussion focused on the funds generated for the Department of Veterans Affairs by the “Support Our Troops” license plates.
This revenue is also shared with the Minnesota Department of Military Affairs as established by the legislation that created the new plates in 2005.
Senator Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy, chair of the Senate Finance Committee for Agriculture and Veterans), said the program is the most successful of the special license plate programs, and has raised nearly a million dollars in almost five years. Each Minnesotan that buys the plates pays a minimum annual fee of $30.00.
Deputy Commissioner Pugliese staunchly defended his decision to use $30,000 of the funds last year to support the part-time work of Lee Buckley, hired by the governor to serve as his Faith & Community special advisor in 2005. Pugliese praised her work and said he would “do it again in a minute.”
The veterans in the room expressed support for Ms. Buckley’s good works, and concern that the revenue could decrease from the plate sales if people have the perception that the funds are not well managed.
While the committee handouts showed how the use of Inter-Agency Agreements to provide staffing for the office of the governor has increased under Governor Pawlenty compared with Governor Ventura, there were no charts to show how the funds generated by the Support Our Troops plates are actually used. The committee focus was on what a great investment the $30K invested in Ms. Buckley’s 2009 salary was, and not in how the other $900 million generated since 2005 was allocated.
While the room was indeed full of veterans whose hats and insignia showing them as members of the VFW, Legion, DAV, Military Order of the Purple Heart, county veterans services offices, and other organizations, the 500 pound gorilla was actually missing.
The heavyweight in receiving funds and delivering services to veterans could actually be Lutheran Social Services (LSS), which has a contractual agreement to provide services to Minnesota’s veterans via a program called CORE. This program is detailed on the LINKVET website of MNDVA.
LSS has been providing social services in Minnesota for over 100 years, and has at least 11 locations throughout the state, so can provide direct services to veterans and military families much more efficiently than one person working out of the governor’s St. Paul office. LSS can provide assistance to family members, like parents, that are not provided for with programs from the federal department of Veterans Affairs. Veteran Nancy Gertner wrote about LSS last year, on MinnPost.com.
That’s the hearing, which focused mainly in the micro – one shift out of hundreds, $30k out of hundreds of thousands.
Let’s watch Senator Don Betzold (DFL-Fridley) discuss the escalation of Inter-Agency Agreements during the Pawlenty Administration, which really IS the macro of the issue – openness, and accountability:
It seems as if the focus on the micro, is distracting from the macro – the growth of Inter-Agency Agreements (shell games) during the Pawlenty Administration.
During the Ventura Administration, these shell games were played 37 times in Fiscal Year 1999, for a total of $37,000. In FY 2010, these shell games were played by Gov. Pawlenty 675 times, for a total of $702,000. In FY 2010, Gov. Pawlenty pulled out of just one Agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the same amount Gov. Ventura pulled out of ALL Agencies – $37k.
Sadly, the focus on the micro, has distracted from the macro – Gov. Pawlenty’s shell games.
More, later. In the meantime, here’s the breakdown of Gov. Pawlenty’s FY2010 shell games:
Interagency Agreements
July 1, 2009 – June 30 2010
Amounts Paid by Agencies to the Office of the Governor
Administration……………………………………………………………………..$72,000
Agriculture………………………………………………………………………….$20,000
Commerce……………………………………………………………….…………$35,000
Corrections…………………………………………………………………………$30,000
Education…………………………………………………………………………..$30,000
DEED………………………………………………………………………………$45,000
OET…………………………………………………………………………………$10,000
Health………………………………………………………………………………$32,500
Higher Education………………………………………………….…………….…$20,000
MN Housing Finance………………………………………………………………$12,000
Human Services…………………………………………………………………..$137,500
Labor & Industry.…………………………………………………………………..$20,000
Metropolitan Council………………………………………………………………$27,500
Military Affairs………………………………………………………………………$7,000
MMB………………………………………………………….……………………$19,000
DNR………………………………………………………………………………..$26,500
Pollution Control……………………………………………………………………$24,000
Public Safety………………………………………….……………………………$26,500
Revenue……………………………………………….……………………………$19,000
Transportation………………………………………………………………………$51,500
Veterans Affairs……………………………………………………………………$37,000
TOTAL – ALL AGENCIES $702,000
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
The State Senate Finance Committee’s Hearing On Inter-Agency Agreements (i.e., Gov TBag getting caught with his hands in the cookie jar is about to start.
The room is filled with lots of veterans, and many of them are none-too-happy with Gov Tbag channelling the Ghost Of Richard Nixon (“When the President does it, that means it’s not illegal”).
Full write-up, later – stay tuned!!!
(cross posted from MnProgressiveProject; comments welcome there)
That was the scene at the entrance to last Saturday’s MnGOP Convention. Dusty Trice, noted and intrepid blogger and my “go to” in-the-field reporter for my radio show, has video – it’s beyond the fold.
A little background (as I’ve written about here and here and here):
Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya was so disgusted by the (s)election of FEC Tony and MudSlingerMike (a/k/a, “The MSM”), that he published an op/ed in the PiPress on the reasons he was leaving the Republican Party, now led by FEC Tony and MudSlinger Mike (a/k/a, “The MSM”). While that Op/Ed is no longer available on the PiPress website, comments on that Op/Ed are. Nathan Hansen, GOP Deputy Chair of CD-4, did comment – here’s what he had to say:
I am Deputy Chair of the Fourth Congressional District and one of the newer anti-war Republican activists. It’s difficult for words to describe how happy I am that you are leaving our Party. The roots of your “neconservative” philosophy lie in Straussian Trotzkyite Communism. “Corporate money” influencing our Party? Nothing compared to the damage your military industrial complex (that Eisenhower warned us about) has wreaked on our Party and our Country.
I hope you will find a happy home among your fellow communists. Your days of endless illegal wars and military industrial complex domination of our party are over.
Obama is ramping up his War in Afghanistan and continues to illegally bomb Pakistan. Perhaps you can join him to satiate your bloodlust. (emphasis added) (PiPress)
That’s comment number 15 from the link, above.
Well, there’s a lot – a LOT – of veterans of the Viet Nam War that remember being greeted none-to-nicely, upon arriving “home.” Some of ‘em remember bein’ spit on – yes, literally SPIT ON – upon arriving home from rice paddys. And Nathan Hansen’s comments reminded them exactly of that – reminded them of bein’ SPIT ON.
As written before, how did ol’ FEC Tony handle Nathan Hansen figuratively spitting on Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya in particular, and all – ALL – veterans in general?
Well, again – as I wrote: GOPer Party Official Trashes Veteran Joe Repya And Is Rewarded.
And that “reward” was a prestigeous committee chair assignment at last Saturday’s GOP Convention.
Now, to be fair, it should be noted that prior to the GOP Convention, Nathan Hansen did a non-apology apology.
Yeah, “right.”
That “Me-a Not-a Culpa” was B as in “Bull” and S as in “(stuff)” then and it still is now. Nathan Hansen may have apologized to veterans at the GOP Convention, but as of this writing, he still hasn’t apologized to Lieutenant Colonel Joe Repya, and he still has his B as in “Bull” and S as in “(stuff)” law suits going against veterans Joe Salmon and Richard Glasgow.
Which, of course, leads to the following conclusion: somehow, I don’t think Nathan Hansen’s ties to FEC Tony and MudSlingerMike (a/k/a “The MSM”) are going to be forgotten anytime soon.
Oh – and Dusty Trice’s video, of the Veterans protesting the MN GOP? Let’s look!!!
Say, Michael? You never served, nor did Nathan. Well, neither did ol’ FEC Tony, neither. Here’s something y’all should know: veterans got long memories.
(crossposted and comments welcome at MnProgressiveProject.com)
Everyone knows that Joe Wilson did what no one else has ever done before – call the President of the United States, in a Joint Session of Congress, a liar. My personal experience has been that today’s GOP “leadership” frequently exhibit psychological projection — attributing to others what they, themselves, are doing. Joe Wilson calling President Obama a liar appears to be exactly that, in it’s crudest form. Michele Bachmann, R=Planet Denial, often acts in the same manner. Dusty Trice has Bachmann on film at last Saturday’s T-Bag Party in St. Cloud defending Wilson; here’s what Bachmann said:
“And thank God for Joe Wilson – thank God! He looked into the camera, Joe Wilson is my friend. He’s the last person I talked to before I left Washington, D.C. He is the sweetest, most mild-mannered loving guy you’ve ever seen; such a huge heart, and, uhhh, he apologized for violating the rules of decorum in the House and that’s right, we don’t do that in the House. But Joe didn’t back down from his assertion because Joe was right.”(Bachmann, 9-12-09)
Was Wilson, as Bachmann proclaimed, “right”? Not a chance. Furthermore, about Wilson being “the sweetest, most mild-mannered loving guy” – well, Blue Man not only blows a hole in that one, but demonstrates Wilson is a liar – with regards to his denial that the good ol’ USofA, during Uncle Ronnie’s Administration, supplied Saddam with chemical weapons. Let’s watch!!!
And there’s neither time nor space to list the lies Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive has told over the years; while she has every right to expect her Lord and Savior to forgive her for those lies, there’s no reason the voters should. But, that’s a tangent; back to Joe Wilson.
Jon Soltz was an Army Captain in Iraq, serving with the 1st Armored Division. He co-founded as is chair of – leading the charge on military and veterans issues. I read Jon’s piece on Wilson yesterday, and contacted them for permission to repost Jon’s piece in it’s entirety, permission VoteVets.org graciously granted.
The Erratic Joe Wilson’s Shameful Record on Troops and Veterans Care
by: Jon Soltz
Mon Sep 14, 2009 at 13:19:51 PM EDT
The only thing more “out there” than Joe Wilson’s disrespectful display during the President’s speech to Congress on Health Care is Representative Wilson’s all over the place take on two of the largest government-run health systems there are – the ones that benefit our troops and veterans.
Wilson has railed against health care reform, warning that offering more choice to people amounts to a government takeover of health insurance. To him, it’s an evil that has to be defeated.
Yet, at the same time, Wilson hasn’t said whether he’s opted into TRICARE for Life. The completely government-run health insurance system for certain military retirees is available to Wilson, as he’s a 31-year Guard and Reserve veteran (though he joined after getting out of Vietnam). If he’s not, of course, then he’s taking insurance from the government-run pool offered to Congressmen. Then, there’s all of our active duty service members who are on TRICARE – stuck in an evil government system that must have turned them into Communists by now.
Wilson has saved them and gotten them out of TRICARE, right?
Right?
“TRICARE provides world class health care,” said Wilson in a press release. “I believe TRICARE is one part of our health care system that’s working.”
What?! Joe Wilson is all for this horrible fascist system of government care?
Well, maybe not. Despite being against government health care, and then paying lip service about the awesomeness of government-run TRICARE, Wilson’s voted to underfund it.
In 2007, Wilson was against $1.9 billion for military medical care (including funds for Walter Reed) and in 2005 voted against expanding TRICARE eligibility for our Guard and Reserve components, despite the fact that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has them fighting alongside the active component more than ever before.
OK, so Wilson suffers from split personality disorder when it comes to government health care for troops. But, he must be against the Department of Veterans Affairs, another bastion of Marxist thought, turning generations of American veterans into pinkos.
“With a growing number of servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, we must go to great measures to ensure our veterans receive the best care possible. That means greater oversight of the facilities, hospitals, and clinics that care for our veterans. They deserve access to the highest quality medical technology and a health care system that is responsive to their immediate and long-term needs. Their sacrifice and commitment to this nation deserves nothing less,” said Wilson on his campaign site.
Gosh, that sounds just like Hitler, doesn’t it?
Oh, but thank heaven, Joe Wilson voted repeatedly to cut veterans care, and save us from modern day Leninism. He voted for a $14 million cut in 2003, against $1.6 billion for the agency in 2005, $2.9 billion again in 2005, for a $13.5 billion cut in 2005, against $1.8 billion in 2003, and millions and millions more.
Maybe it’s asking too much for me to ask that Joe Wilson think like a rational human being, but I’ll ask anyway. He needs to decide whether offering citizens the option of getting the same kind of coverage we in the military gets is evil or not evil.
If it’s not – if military and veterans government-run insurance and care is not malevolent – then he needs to stop his shouting and properly fund TRICARE and the VA, and let everyone have the option of getting a public insurance plan.
But, if government-run care and insurance really is wicked, then he needs to stop lying about how he feels about TRICARE and Veterans Care. He should tell the truth about why he voted against funding for those programs – because he thinks troops and veterans should be left out in the cold and turned away in return for their service.
Until he’s honest about his position on Veterans Care, Military Care, and the Public Option, I can only say this: Representative Wilson, YOU LIE.
Jon Soltz :: The Erratic Joe Wilson’s Shameful Record on Troops and Veterans Care
Indeed – Congressman Wilson does indeed lie.
Projection, Ladies and Gentlemen; projection. The “leadership” of the GreedOverPrinciples party does it all the time.
(Originally published at MnProgressiveProject.com)
Those that have received an e-mail from me may have noted I end each message with:
It’s just before the privacy disclosure; it’s also at the bottom of my comments to others on threads at MnBlue, too.
And it came from an old saying back when I served on active duty; a saying that we repeated proudly when the duty was cold, or wet; when we were miserable, tired, hungry and hadn’t slept for God knows how long; when we were low on supplies, outmanned or outflanked, or any and all of the above – “It’s a great day to be a soldier.” It served as a motivation tool – that when the going got tough, the tough got going.
I thought of this after Erik’s “Veterans for Paulsen” rally, yesterday. In a room full of veterans, Paulsen addressed the crowd and whined:
“They’re lying about me; they’re smearing me!”
Cry me a river, Erik.
Paulsen started his campaign denying who he is – a far right extremist. Even the right-leaning Star Tribune didn’t buy that one:
“Paulsen was a fiscal and social conservative in the Legislature, voting for measures that this newspaper opposed. Why he’s casting himself as a moderate in this race is unclear. His conservative credentials are solid; he should have run on them.”(Star Tribune Editorial)
Paulsen started his campaign distorting his record:
“Paulsen launches this bid after years of working in bipartisan fashion, across the aisle, to get results in the business world and in the Minnesota legislature.”(PaulsenForCongress)
Yeah, “right.”
If anyone knows someone that thinks Erik Paulsen rose within Republican ranks to the role of Majority Leader in the State Legislatute during this decade by “…working in bipartisan fashion, across the aisle…” send ‘em my way – I got some swampland “waterfront property” I’d like to sell ‘em.
All this, and more, yet Paulsen has the nerve to run a TV ad, whining “My opponent is LYING about me!”??!?
Seems like Paulsen’s been doing some lying himself, about himself.
Not just content to distorting who he is and what his record is, Paulsen reached a new low with a recent ad: according to an October 29th Twin Cities Public Television (“TPT”) press release, Paulsen’s campaign was using TPT copywrited video footage in a different campaign ad. TPT reports they twice asked the Paulsen campaign to essentially cease and desist; the campaign didn’t – which necessitated the press release. From that release:
As a non-partisan public television station, tpt has never consented to use of our copyrighted materials by any political candidate or party. In previous campaigns, we have requested that candidates – Democrats, Independents and Republicans – cease use of similar material, and all have complied.
Twin Cities Public Television has sent two formal requests to the Paulsen campaign to remove all tpt footage from their ad; as of today, that request has not been honored.
We are therefore issuing this statement, taking appropriate legal action, and would like to alert all stations broadcasting the ad that it represents a clear copyright violation. We furthermore request that broadcasters cease airing the spot until our proprietary footage has been removed.
City Pages notes:
We would show you the ad, but TPT’s tenacity has paid off. After notifying YouTube of the copyright violation, the website pulled down the ad. “Since the Paulsen site was using an embedded version from YouTube, the ad was effectively removed from their site as well,” says TPT spokesman Stephen Usery.
And I’m not going to bother to detail the disgusting spectacle of Republican Party Chair Ron Carey’s nor Republican Geoff Michell’s thinly vieled bigotry concerning Paulsen’s opponent, the honorably discharged Marine, Ashwin Media. Suffice it to say Paulsen didn’t have the spine, nor guts, to do the despicable himself; he hid behind others doing his dirty work.
It’s no secret I’m not a fan of Erik Paulsen, but that’s only because I’ve followed his political career since he first doorknocked me in 1994. For fourteen years I’ve watched Paulsen and followed his record, so I’m not surprised at the shenanigans he’s pulled this during this election cycle.
But I was surprised to see and hear him whine in front of veterans. When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
Erik Paulsen, on the other hand, whines.
(cross posted at MnBlue.Com)
(originally posted at MnProgressiveProject.com)
