Scott Brown opponents charge Stolen Valor in MA
Ya know, I’m always down with busting some stolen valor creeps in our government, but I ran across a link last night which charges Scott Brown, the Republican Senator who sits in the Teddy Kennedy seat these days, with Stolen Valor. I tried to be outraged about it, but I just couldn’t summon the bile. But here’s the story;
Apparently, Brown, a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, served his two-week drill this year in Afghanistan. I don’t know if he finagled the brief deployment with the state’s AG or what, it wouldn’t surprise me if he did, nor would it surprise me that he did it for purely political reasons.
Regardless, according to this blog on Cape Cod Today, Brown is now telling constituents that he served in Afghanistan. Well, technically, he did. And he’s a JAG officer, so, ya know, they rotate in and out of war zones as they need to – it’s the nature of their job. The author of the blog is outraged that Brown never saw combat, but that Brown claims that he “served in Afghanistan”. An awful lot of people go to Afghanistan and never see combat. That’s why so many come back without the award of a Combat Action Badge.
So, basically, this blogger and some of my friends are upset that Brown can say he “served in Afghanistan” and they charge that it’s stolen valor for him to say that. I don’t see it.
And then in the same breath, they defend Brown’s opponent, Fauxcahontas Elizabeth Warren’s claim that she’s a Native American;
Brown’s claim that he “served” in Afghanistan, directed to the electorate, is a far greater fraud than anything he’s tried to pin on Liz Warren for her claim to Native American ancestry.
She in fact has a good faith basis for believing she’s part Indian, whether it is factually correct or not, because it’s something she was told by her mother as a small child.
So, just because her mother lied to her, that makes it OK to take advantage of set-asides for real Native Americans – like phony veterans who take benefits meant for real veterans. Never mind that she could look in a mirror and see that her claim wasn’t true. But Scott Brown did actually “serve in Afghanistan”, and I’m pretty sure that his records will reflect that, no matter how hard the Democrats will wish otherwise.
Like I said, I tried to get exercised over Brown, I even tried to get TSO to get me exercised about him, but we just couldn’t summon the outrage. Maybe the Democrats would like to define how long we have to serve some place in order to say it out loud.
And they didn’t seem so upset when they discovered that Richard Blumenthal lied about his service in Vietnam. Blumenthal wasn’t even in Vietnam a day, but the Democrats elected him despite the fact that he was caught in a lie and refused to apologize for it. But Brown actually does go to Afghanistan, and they’re upset? Sounds like a double standard to me.
Category: 2012 election
No, no, no… Warren has high cheekbones, so she’s definitely a Native American!
Living in NH, I’m constantly bombarded by political ads from south of the border in MA. LTC Brown and Indian Chief Warren initially agreed to “not air attack ads on each other” at the beginning of the campaign, but the agreement was immediately nullified when Warren broke her promise.
LTC Brown did serve in AFG. He’s not the tip of the spear, but very few of us in the Army today really are.
As a serving Army officer in the Reserve compo, I have no problem with LTC Brown saying this. Warren can’t make an even remotely similar claim.
If Warren told me the sky was blue, I’d have to go out and check for myself.
Iowa Senator Harkin claimed for many years that, as an AF fighter pilot, he flew many combat missions in Vietnam.
In fact, all he ever did was to ferry fighters in and out of Vietnam from and to bases in the Philippines. He gave a half-assed apology and was reelected a couple more times.
Sen/Ltc Scott Brown while proud of his Service, has never once claimed anything more than having gone to Afghanistan, which he in fact did.
Lizzie the Liar Warren is just pissed because all her bogus stories trying to claim native American Ancestry on Employment Papers were exposed, as were her dealings as an attorney for an Insurance Company and Steel Mill where she did not exactly act on the “peoples behalf” as she loves to claim.
Dear Cape Cod Today f**ktoids,
“Faith” in one’s chosen fairy tale =/= (does not equal) “fact” of an actual event. Sen Brown has NOT claimed anything more then what ACTUALLY REALLY TRUELY happened.
PS I hope your birdcage liner ragsheet goes bankrupt, and quickly.
If he were to say that he left the wire and rode with the SEALs in the spooky helos, then there’d be something to get upset about.
As it was said earlier, Not everyone can be the tip of the spear. Some of us have to be the shaft. Based on earlier stories, I’d have to say there’s a real need for JAG there too….
You might want to look at the author too, just to get an idea of who is behind the attack on Sen Brown. The guy is just a little to the left… Occupy Falmouth?? Come on Richard, he was protesting himself I suppose.
Its hard to get outraged anymore. Its just so typical. But I do have to say that the concept of good faith lying is a creative concept.
Just what IS the minimum amount of time? He didn’t come home and tell bs stories about how he has PTS from the rough duty he pulled over there. He says he went. He did. Desperate times require desperate measures for Pocahontas I guess.
COL Brown is at least serving his country.
Howie Carr has been outing Fauxihautis on his radio show.
And it ain’t pretty.
I see this attitude with local vet orgs all the time…they love work I an others do on SV…then when the person being outed is their drinking buddy, it becomes a whole new story. What Brown pulled here is very little different from Blumenthal or Kirk. SV is a sleazy action committed by both Demns and Reps and we need to be able to confront it on either side of the aisle. (And Scott Brown doesn’t EVEN want me to go public with my PERSONAL story about his lack of character.) You may not like Warren, but Brown is a classless political opportunist.
And, dual hatted as a Senator he didn’t have to make a seperate trip for fact finding.
Saving tax dollars.
Doug, #11, you know I love you to death, but this is not political, in my mind. I tried to get mad about this last night when I saw you linked it on Facebook, but I just couldn’t. He did indeed serve in Afghanistan, and like others have said, he didn’t come back with stories about his participation in combat operations or that he caught the PTSD. Did he take advantage of his position in the MANG to get a short trip to Afghanistan? Yes, probably. Is he taking advantage of it in his campaign? Yes, surely.
But, I tried to imagine myself mad at a Democrat who did the same thing, and I couldn’t.
You’re right that this is different from Blumenthal in that Brown did indeed go to Afghanistan, while Blumenthal never set foot in Vietnam yet used that lie at every opportunity in every campaign he’d ever run until the New York Times busted him on it. And then, Blumenthal had phony soldiers on stage with him while he tried his best to not apologize.
As I said, when I couldn’t get myself mad over this, I tried to get TSO, from Massachusetts himself, to give me a reason to get pissed and he couldn’t do it, either.
And, judging from my readers’ comments, we’re not alone.
Warren is a lying sack of sh1t, I live in Mass and I have some skin in this game to be sure. She steals other peoples recipes and posts them as her own, she is listed as the first “woman of color” at her university, and she attacks those who dare to question her moral superiority. F$ck Elizabeth Warren and the university accolades she wrongly rode in on.
Scott Brown is far from perfect, I have yet to find a perfect human. Every one likes to get outraged at a variety of personal buzz issues. I agree with the folks who claim if Brown were telling stories about taking hostile fire that we would be having a different conversation.
There are other things to discuss with Brown about his record, but he still represents a far better choice than Warren.
The concept of a pure, flawless leader is as naive as the thought that the tooth fairy drops coin on your pillow for a naturally occurring event during your youth. Some of the most interesting and dynamic people in the world have deep character flaws in one aspect of their lives while doing great things in the job they are best at. Steve Jobs is a classic example of genius mixed with a giant scoop of 4sshole. I am not suggesting Brown is an 4sshole genius, just a regular guy doing a tough job less than perfectly….
That’s still better than a complete liar being given the chance to do the same job. Cape Cod can suck it as far as I am concerned, overpriced, arrogant little pricks all around, who needs it….all the 4ssholes in the state live east of Framingham (with very few exceptions) so articles like this don’t surprise me…that’s why the eastern part of the state thought it was okay to flood 4 towns in the western part of the state and steal the water….
If tyou’re going to call Mathis out on his Crap then we need to call out Scott Brown on his. One TDY stink for 14 days at most is about the same as Mathis’s claim to the smae thing. Both of their jobs allow one to go in and out of the combat zone as needed. Both were there. If Mathis isn’t an Afghan Vet then neither is Brown. If Brown is an Afghanistan vet, then so is Mathis.
This is in no way shape or form even close to the same as “mathis”!! Scott Brown did not claim to have fought in Afghanistan, he made comments that he went to Afghanistan, which he did. His opponents are acting as if he claimed to have gone there and been the reincarnation of Audie Murphy. He has never once said that he went there for more than a couple of weeks and in his capacity as an Officer in the US Army JAG.
To even imply that it is equal to the fakery of mathis is asinine!! Mathis made extremely false statements about his Service. Ltc Scott Brown has mentioned going to Afghanistan, and OTHERS are the ones implying by his stating that that he was there, that somehow implies he states he was there fighting, something he has never said or implied.
The guy making the claims this time, is an asshat lefty attorney from the Cape who has tried this sort of character assassination in the past. He tries to parse every word in every sentence in order to create the image he wants.
Ltc Scott brown never once implied he went to Afghanistan for anything more than his 2 weeks.
This is why he went… because he felt he needed to as an Officer and a Senator.
“As a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, I have service obligations that I fulfill each year.
“Following in the tradition of other lawmakers who have completed their military service requirements overseas, this year I have requested to conduct my annual training in Afghanistan.
“Doing so will help me to better understand our ongoing mission in that country, and provide me first-hand experience for my duties on the Senate Armed Services, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs committees,” he said.
Of course, the first thing I thought of when I was trying to work myself into an outraged frenzy over this issue was Matthis. And ya know, I imagined Matthis saying merely that he “served in Afghanistan” and I found that much more tolerable than him calling himself “an Afghanistan veteran” mainly because Matthis and Brown both indeed “served in Afghanistan” – that’s not even debatable.
I’d suggest that the people who are trying to influence me into changing my mind are the ones who are looking at this from their own political views, and it’s not me. I don’t even care how the Massachusetts race ends up. I’m pretty well accustomed to Massachusans voting against my preferences. So the “drinking buddy” scenario doesn’t hold water.
@15: Mathis claims to be a COMBAT veteran and uses his very short time downrange to claim to be an expert on all things war and military related. Brown merely claims to have served in Afghanistan for his 2 week drill for the purpose of expanding his knowledge of what is going on in Afghanistan. Huge difference, not to mention that a reserve LTC (and sitting senator) is probably going to bring back alot more from his two weeks downrange then a PVT such as Mathis. I’d bet money the Brown spent those 2 weeks as productively as he could, unlike most congressional trips. Do I think Brown is shamelessy using his 2 week drill for political points? Yes, I do. But he hasn’t lied about it.
Senator Brown, while a political opportunist, has more time in the sandbox than both Methis and Diliberto COMBINED. Doug, while you might not care for him he did nothing that hasn’t been done for literally our entire lives. Just look at the circumstances under which JBL “earned” a Silver Star.
JBL…LBJ…damned fat fingers and Rachel Ray serving me breakfast wearing only cotton panties.
Hey…I can dream.
I’m a liberal and even I’m not mad over this. Hell, that’s two weeks more in a warzone than Dubya ever did
I can’t bring myself to give a rat’s patootie about him saying he served in Afghanistan, which he did however briefly. Now if he was saying he single handily faced down the Mongolian horde or made up a story about dodging sniper fire,..cough..cough..aheem..Hillary Clinton, that would be another matter.
What next? I guess time to dig up the underwear model gig SEN Brown had when he was paying his way thru college – What? You mean that was tried already and it instead increased his popularity – especially with women? Wow, nothing like the smell of desperation in the morning.
btw, Professor paleskin has her own controversy with certain union workers allegedly threatened w/ fines if they didn’t attend Warren’s campaign events. Shocking I know, but many New England union members voted for Brown…
As of 1Aug it’s COL Brown.
http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/08/01/scott-brown-promoted-colonel-national-guard-honored-ceremony-with-john-mccain/XtCjGNDP8cG0auPsy5lsaL/story.html
Well the Senator won’t even qualify for an ACM.
Wonder what his “End of tour” award will be? You don’t usually get get one for AT.
So as long as he doesn’t suddenly show up with tons of new fruit salad, whats the problem?
I would have done an AT downrange if they would have let me, even if to just sit in for a FOB soldier so they could go on leave.
AND I would go do missions today (If I could still physically do it) if I could to spell any one of our people serving even for a week so they could get some needed down time.
Two weeks, well its alot more than most of Congress have served in uniform, and more than either Presidential candiadte.
That’s still more time downrange than Warren has, or the author of the piece in question, Mr. Richard “Class of ’72” Latimer.
I mean, it’s not like he was going around filing himself as a minority based on old family tales or anything, like someone else we know.
Do you really want to bust Lizzie Warren’s “I’m an Indian, too” claim?
Then find someone who can snag a sample of her DNA, on a drinking glass or a fork something, get it tested by an independent lab — you can buy those DIY DNA kits, if you want to make sure — and the publish the results. Make friends with the local real tribe and get some DNA samples from them, too, for comparison. If Lizzie actually does have any NA DNA, a lab test will show it. If not, ditto that.
Then you can publish the results and out her, and that will shut her up. In fact, you can have the satisfaction of outing her in person, and in public.
As for SEN Brown, yes, he’s using his service to his advantage, but he’s a politician, so what do you want? That’s what they do.
I think they’re both idiots. I’d vote for myself.
Oh, and as for being JAG while there and not on the front lines, wasn’t Biden’s son Beau’s time in Iraq (which Biden and the left love to remind us of) spent as JAG, too?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not supporting Brown or anything, just pointing out the double standard. I too am sure this was probably for political gain, though I think EVERY Senator and Congressperson should have to pull a mandatory stint in whatever combat zone we’re in.
I also noticed Latimer graduated from college in 72, so I don’t think anyone who probably had draft deferments during the Vietnam War should be criticizing ANYONE who actually did serve their country.
Lizzie can claim whatever she wants, but she is being a bit disingenuous by claiming ignorance about being listed as the first woman of color professor at her university. There is no way she can look in the mirror and tell herself and then the world that she believes she represents advancement for women of color….she might have some NA blood I don’t care one way or another, but allowing that minor amount of DNA to have your name listed as a woman of color when you look like every other woman of Northern European/UK/Irish descent in Massachusetts is at best a questionable decision.
She claims she had no idea about her listing as a woman of color in 1996/1997 at Harvard Crimson and the Fordham Law Review respectively. In 1993 she was listed with 200 other women of color in the Harvard Women’s Law Journal article on women of color in the legal academia field….3 separate occasions years apart, and no idea she is the subject of any article discussing women of color. If that’s true you are right she is far too stupid to be allowed in the senate…if it’s not true it means she really is a lying sack of sh1t. Either way for me it means Brown is the only choice I have on election day.
@29
I also noticed Latimer graduated from college in 72, so I don’t think anyone who probably had draft deferments during the Vietnam War should be criticizing ANYONE who actually did serve their country.
BRAVO, Well said!!!
#30 – interesting. But then, John Giduck also disavows any knowledge of how his speaker bios repeatedly misrepresented him as a high-speed Spec Ops guy, etc. (instead of his real 58 days in the Army). Where’s the doohickey for rolling one’s eyes?
Maybe he should join IVAW.
He seems to have the required qualifications.
Comrades in Arms:
I regret that I must react to this discussion having aggravated one of my personal pet peeves, which is the deliberate distortion of our English language and our American history by the repeated use of Marxist inspired “politically correct” terminology.
Even though she is not of Cherokee descent, Fauxcahontas (or whoever she is) is indeed a “Native American”, for she was born and raised in the United States of America.
There is no American Indian blood in my veins, but I am also a “Native American”, because I was born and raised in the United States of America.
Actually, I was adopted by a Cherokee father, and my three younger sisters are Cherokee, for they are his biological offspring.
But, because I was born without American Indian blood, Cherokee law does not recognize my adoption.
According to Professor David Yeagley, of the Comanche Nation, only American Indians should be referred to as “Indian”, for the folks in India were historically known as “Hindu”, and should rightfully be called by that appellation.
The problem with calling American Indians, “Native American”, is that it reinforces the argument that White people don’t belong in America, and that we are somehow inferior and not entitled to our own heritage.
That identical ideological weapon is used when Black people, who were not born in Africa, are called “African American”, for it constitutes a deliberate denial and denigration of the numerous White refugees who actually were born in Africa and have become American citizens.
Thank you.
John Robert Mallernee
Armed Forces Retirement Home
Gulfport, Mississippi 39507
Stolen Valor has well and truly jumped the shark when it reaches this level of nit-picking. This gives opponents of the measure the perfect target to point at when claiming it would be a ridiculous law.
I don’t see him claiming anything that isn’t true. Lots of Senators have gone to Afghanistan, at least he went in a uniform…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/18/scott-brown-afghanistan-military-service_n_1982921.html?utm_hp_ref=mostpopular
Kerry decided to take a stroll down a jungle path with an M-16 and a cameraman. I knew why, as did anyone with half a brain. And I know why Brown visited Afghanistan for two weeks. Screw ‘en both.
AirCav–hate to say it, but the number of politicians of any party who HAVEN’T used their military service for political gain you could probably count on one hand with several fingers left over.
Was what Brown did cheesy? Yeah, but then again, I don’t see him going on CNN and claiming shit he never did (yes, Jake, I’m talking about you.)
AC? While we know for sure that sKerry was doing stuff there which had nothing to do with his job, and he was and is without question as smarmy as could/can be, we do not have the same knowledge about Brown. Sure, it could develop into the same sort of deal, but so far, we don’t know about him doing crap that was outside the job he was being paid to do while there.
We also have no reason to believe that Brown did that little trip just so it could be used by the anti-war crowd as propoganda. Could he? Sure, but so far he hasn’t has he?
Perhaps it is pure wishful thinking on my part, but I would prefer to believe that Brown managed to make a single trip there that covered both his full-time and part-time jobs.
Besides all that, sKerry is a traitor to this country. It will take a whole lot for Brown to sink to his level of dishonorable behavior.
Not trying to take up for Brown here, but somebody will have to show me more than 2 weeks AT in country being used for his political advantage to suggest any similarity to sKerry.
Yeah – count me among those who see sKerry in a special category of sleeze which few others in our history have occupied.
The author of the blog is outraged that Brown never saw combat
Should military doctors, nurses, medics assigned to medical rather than combat units, X-ray techs, lab techs, pharmacy techs, chaplains, and everyone else who is a fobbit due to the nature of their MOS be allowed to say they served in Afghanistan or Iraq (assuming they did)?
I think I would feel better about this whole thing if Sterner had not endorsed Warren. At least that is what has been reported. I also read on Warren’s own website that she is fighting the big money banks and credit card companies. Gee, that’s nice, especially when she raised (thus far) 36.3 million this election cycle. Politics. Argghhh.
I just felt like saying are you fucking retarded? Did you eat paint chips? I think that article gave me cancer…
http://www.lawlz.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/60s-spider-man-meme-that-post-gave-me-cancer.jpg
Well.. I guess… I don’t often disagree with the keepers of this blog.. but in this instant.. I do.
1. You need to remove the “political” stuff from the decision. I also think the gal he’s running against is a dustsheet/dooooshbag ( what ever ).. despite..
2. Brown did not elaborate. And this is not out of context as he said “I served” in Afghanistan.
3. Though I see your point, the circumstances of how he ended up there for “training” isn’t considered deployed ( in as to to serve as a remf, JAG, combat vet, what ever ) If folks who volunteered at the pow network followed Political Party Loyalties.. a lot of wannabe’s would probably walk.
4. If he said “I just spent two weeks doing my yearly training in Afghanistan for the NG”.. he would have been the better for it. Instead he said, “I Served”.
Happy Hunting..
ps: Some one said he was under a time constraint.. well. dahhah .. please say the line I typed and time it as you do.
Thats purely pandering. For some one who sponsored a version of the SVA – he should have known better.
OWB
NAM PoW’s ( Narrated by Carlton Sherwood ) did the flic – STOLEN HONOR: Wounds That Never Heal. Kerry fought like hell to keep it from airing on Sinclair’s networks..
I think Sherman (SF/SOG Historian – Houston) still has a miniversion on line
http://www.buttondepress.com/BostonManifesto/stolenhonor.wmv
I put in the link.. and it turned into a movie above .. firefox can’t view as it rejects MS Win Media Player plugin..
maybe IE.
Erase.. Sherman took it down.. maybe you can find it on Youtube.
Live link: Stolen Honor: Wound That Never Heal http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5642970078951006531 Carlton also narrated a flick for another friend: History Channel: Heroes Under Fire: Captain Crunch About Crunch: http://www.navyseals.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-133415.html If you get a chance to see it.. do. ForceRecon79 12-19-2005, 12:48 AM A few days ago their was an episode of “Heroes Under Fire” on the history channel, which depicted the actions of an unsung hero named Keith Hall. Hall was sent to Beirut by the CIA’s paramilitary division to investigate the 1983 Beirut bombing of the US Embassy. Hall (a former Marine) managed to survive in the hell hole of Beirut, and tied the embassy bombing to Iran, the PLO and the scum of Hezbollah. After risking his life for this country he returned to CIA headquarters. CIA headquarters then proceeded to tell Keith that no one in the CIA or Reagan administration was willing to take action against Hezbollah or Iran. Keith was then actually investigated for the rough interrogation tactics he used against the bombing suspects in Lebanon, and was then fired by the CIA. Every current and former Marine, especially those who have served in Force Recon, is well aware of the bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut that occurred in late 1983. Kieth Hall had provided the CIA with intel that could have led to the prevention of this horrible attack, if only the CIA had followed up on it. This is one of the most disgraceful episodes in CIA and American history. The fact that America did nothing to prevent this bombing, and then did nothing to avenge the embassy and Marine barracks bombing is an unjustifiable act of cowardice from a country that has spawned the greatest and most potent military in history. As someone who is thinking of joining the CIA, I can only pray that since 9/11 the CIA has grown some balls and is now willing to do whatever it takes to kill the terrorists who threaten us. The CIA role in Afghanistan is certainly promising, but more needs to be done. As for Keith Hall, this man was treated disgracefully… Read more »