Phony SEAL pastor in PA fools media

Penn Live went out to get the story on local SEALs after the bin Laden assassination last week, and unfortunately for them, they did an interview with a local pastor who had been claiming for years that he had been a SEAL during the Vietnam War. Today they admit their mistake, but they don’t take responsibility for their error;

The Patriot-News regularly interviews veterans to tell their stories. We do not regularly ask those we interview for proof of their service, believing these men and women would not lie and dishonor those who have fought bravely defending our country. Unfortunately, this time we were deceived, and we will discuss steps to try and ensure that it does not happen again.

An honorable person has no reason to lie, however a dishonorable person will lie every time they’re asked a question. A real veteran has no problem proving their claims, as I’ve done countless times without being asked usually.

PennLive still has the initial article up with the disclaimer. But if they had done their due diligence in the first place, they wouldn’t have to admit to their failures. They had to be told by their readers that Moats had lied to them.

So what do they do? They write an article about the phonies and how hard it is for phonies to ply their trade in the age of the internet;

The FBI estimates that for every true Navy SEAL, there are 300 impostors.

One was on the “Dr. Phil” TV show in March, claiming that being a SEAL ruined his life. Another is on death row in Florida. Actress Halle Berry was stalked by a phony SEAL. An impostor named Charlie Andrews has an upcoming reality show about jousting.

If it’s so hard for phonies, why aren’t journalists doing their job and asking for some proof?

In Moats’ case, [TAH buddy, Don) Shipley knew hours after the story was published — before the newspaper was aware — that this was another case of fraud.

“They’re weird. They have a mental problem, it’s as simple as that,” Shipley said. “They’re not quite right. … A long, long time ago, I’m sure there were a lot of guys who claimed to be in Valley Forge with George Washington. This is the new thing.”

Why did Shipley know before the journalist? Because Don does his job. I’m still waiting for a journalist to ask me why one State which has 15 DoD-recognized POWs living there is paying POW benefits to more than 600 to the tune of $36k/year.

Category: Barack Obama/Joe Biden, Media, Phony soldiers