Vanity Fair author beclowns himself.

Vanity Fair’s apparently not much on research. A woman called up Glenn Beck, and according to VF, the convo went like this:

Yesterday, an Iraq veteran named Denise called in to The Glenn Beck Program to complain about the fun she had on Veterans Day. Denise, who returned from Iraq two years ago, walked with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America (I.A.V.A.) in last Thursday’s parade in New York City and then attended a soiree at The Providence, in Midtown Manhattan, where she encountered “a spread like you wouldn’t believe.” …

But Denise found herself questioning I.A.V.A.’s motives. “Where did they get the money for all this? It was unbelievable how they treated us that day,” she said. So she took to the Internet, where she claims she found out that the I.A.V.A.—America’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars of the past decade—is supported by George Soros and MoveOn.org. “George Soros has his hand in the military,” Denise told Beck, who was only too happy for the opportunity to take a few whacks at one of his favorite punching bags.

OK, so rather than fact check the statement, he went to Paul:

I called up I.A.V.A.’s executive director and founder, Paul Rieckhoff—who served as a first lieutenant in Iraq from 2003-2004—to see if the supporters of I.A.V.A. are really as Communist as Glenn Beck says they are. “The I.A.V.A. receives no money from MoveOn.org,” he told me. “We’re happy to take MoveOn’s money if they’ll send it, and we’re happy to take Fox News’s money if they’ll send it, too. Veterans affairs shouldn’t be a partisan issue. It’s all about Americans uniting behind our veterans.”

Now, we’ve got a subtle shifting here, neither of which exonerates the author. First off, with regard to Soros himself, guess who is a sponsor of their Gala each year?

Yep, that would be his son, who gets his money where I wonder?

Not good enough for you? OK, well, at least when I was nominally a member, IAVA sent out their emails using Democracy in Action, as I have discussed before.

And I maintained that position right up until today when I got this absolutely absurd, biased and factually inaccurate “Congressional Report Card” email. My BS detector got off to a rip roaring start when I hovered over the link and found that it went to IAVA through “Democracy in Action.” For those not aware of this craptastic organization:

DemocracyInAction.org believes technology can be a decisive force for social change. We exist to empower those who share our values of ecological and social justice to advance the progressive agenda.

Great. So, while I paid no dues, as a Member in good standing of IAVA, I apparently support ecological and social justice initiatives in line with my progressive agenda. That sounds like me, doesn’t it?

Now, where does DIA get their money do you suppose?

Yep, Open Society and George Soros.

So, I think they are being too cute by half here. Just because Soros might not cut a direct check to them doesn’t mean he isn’t help fund them. His son gives to them, and Soros himself gives to DIA which gives reduced charges to like minded left leaning organizations.

Now, I have stopped bashing IAVA, but this Vanity Fair article using them to bash this woman, and to bash Beck is just plain innaccurate. I’m going to hold my breath now and wait for a correction. Or, more likely, my passing out.

Category: Politics