Convicted felon Ollie North breaks out his hatchet on Blumenthal

[unhappycamper]

Indisputable Service
By convicted felon Oliver North | May 21, 2010

Washington, DC – This year falling on May 15, Armed Forces Day was designated in 1949 to recognize active duty Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Guardsmen and Marines. Memorial Day, now a "nearest Monday" federal holiday, has been observed at the end of the month since 1868 in tribute to America's war dead. It's ironic that this year, these two dates celebrating those who serve in our nation's uniform are bookends for a political candidate accused of inflating his claims of military service.

On May 17, The New York Times, (NYT) The Associated Press and just about every other news outlet on the planet, made it known that Richard Blumenthal, the Attorney General of Connecticut, a candidate for the U.S. Senate has made a habit of portraying himself as a veteran of the Vietnam War. He is quoted as having told a Connecticut veterans group in March of 2008, "We have learned something important since the days I served in Vietnam…" At a Veterans Day event later that year he said, "I wore the uniform in Vietnam and many came back to all kinds of disrespect." He has emotionally recalled being "spat on" and claimed "we couldn't wear our uniforms" when "we returned from Vietnam." On other occasions he has apparently reflected on "…the taunts, the insults, sometimes physical abuse" he suffered after coming back from Vietnam. At a 2003 rally of support for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan he said, "When we returned, we saw nothing like this…" and has often made reference to "the days that I served in Vietnam." Unfortunately, none of this is true. Jane Fonda has more time on the ground in Vietnam than Mr. Blumenthal.

Confronted by the evidence that he had never really deployed overseas, the Senate candidate called a press conference to admit that, "On a few occasions I have misspoken about my service and I will take full responsibility." He went on to explain to reporters that his claims to have served in Vietnam were "absolutely unintentional" and "a few misplaced words." That affront to those who really did serve - and who now serve in harm's way was apparently acceptable to those who stood beside the Attorney General in his Mark Sanford moment.

In fairness, Mr. Blumenthal did enlist in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1970 – after receiving at least five draft deferments. He apparently made it through Marine "Boot Camp" at Parris Island, SC – no mean feat. The publicly available record shows that after completing Basic Training he never deployed overseas but he did fulfill his obligated service in a Washington, DC–based Civil Affairs detachment and a Motor Transport unit in Connecticut. That entitles him to wear the same Eagle, Globe and Anchor that adorns my uniform. But that doesn't give him the right to demean the service of the young Marines and Navy Corpsmen with whom I served in that long ago, far away war – or those from the present fight who have volunteered to go in harm's way.

Mr. Blumenthal's lies about his service aren't simply a problem of "mis-speaking" as he now claims or just a matter of padding a résumé. His deceptions and distortions had but one self-serving end: to advance his political career by establishing affinity with veterans and their families - no matter what price they had really paid. Apparently he was so good at it until now that no political opponent, no veterans organization, nor any enterprising reporter ever analyzed Mr. Blumenthal's DD-214 or his Service Record Book to determine the truth of his assertions.



unhappycamper comment: Ollie, you stupid fuck.




North's mugshot, after his arrest


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_contra


Discovery and scandal


After a leak by Iranian radical Mehdi Hashemi, the Lebanese magazine Ash-Shiraa exposed the arrangement on November 3, 1986.<16> This was the first public reporting of the weapons-for-hostages deal. The operation was discovered only after an airlift of guns was downed over Nicaragua. Eugene Hasenfus, who was captured by Nicaraguan authorities, initially alleged in a press conference on Nicaraguan soil that two of his coworkers, Max Gomez and Ramon Medina, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency.<44> He later said he did not know whether they did or not.<45> The Iranian government confirmed the Ash-Shiraa story, and ten days after the story was first published, President Ronald Reagan appeared on national television from the Oval Office on November 13 stating:

"My purpose was... to send a signal that the United States was prepared to replace the animosity between with a new relationship... At the same time we undertook this initiative, we made clear that Iran must oppose all forms of international terrorism as a condition of progress in our relationship. The most significant step which Iran could take, we indicated, would be to use its influence in Lebanon to secure the release of all hostages held there."<10>

The scandal was compounded when Oliver North destroyed or hid pertinent documents between November 21 and November 25, 1986. During North's trial in 1989, his secretary, Fawn Hall, testified extensively about helping North alter, shred, and remove official United States National Security Council (NSC) documents from the White House. According to The New York Times, enough documents were put into a government shredder to jam it.<35> North's explanation for destroying some documents was to protect the lives of individuals involved in Iran and Contra operations.<35> It wasn't until years after the trial that North's notebooks were made public, and only after the National Security Archive and Public Citizen sued the Office of the Independent Council under the Freedom of Information Act.<35>

During the trial North testified that on November 21, 22, or 24, he witnessed Poindexter destroy what may have been the only signed copy of a presidential covert-action finding that sought to authorize CIA participation in the November 1985 Hawk missile shipment to Iran.<35> US Attorney General Edwin Meese admitted on November 25 that profits from weapons sales to Iran were made available to assist the Contra rebels in Nicaragua. On the same day, John Poindexter resigned, and Oliver North was fired by President Reagan.<46> Poindexter was replaced by Frank Carlucci on December 2, 1986.<47>

In his expose Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981–1987, journalist Bob Woodward chronicles the role of the CIA in facilitating the transfer of funds from the Iran arms sales to the Nicaraguan Contras spearheaded by Oliver North.<48> Then Director of the CIA, William J. Casey, admitted to Woodward in February 1987 that he was aware of the diversion of funds to the contras confirming a number of encounters documented by Woodward.<49> The admission occurred while Casey was hospitalized for a stroke. On May 6, 1987 William Casey died the day after Congress began its public hearings on the Iran-contra affair.
Tower Commission

[robinblue]

1. Blumenthal lied and has brought this on by himself.

[a la izquierda]

3. umm, okay.

but you don't find this piece by North the slightest bit ironic?

[robinblue]

4. Sure I do. It is sickening when jerks moralize about others.

[blm]

5. baloney - it's MORE than that. Ollie dug in FOR Bush consistently when no one lied about their

service more than he did. North is exaggerating what Blumenthal did to suit his attack.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. I love that picture.

[SpiralHawk]

6. Well, at least Blumenthal didn't give our U.S. Hawk Missiles to the 'evil' Iranians

Like Jolly Ollie (R - Homelander) did... http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/walsh/chap_02.htm

Thanks a pantload for arming Iran against our honorable US armed forces, Ollie. You deserve yourself.