SwiftVets.com

[FlyLow]

Media Matters for America Asks Top Booksellers to Review Policies on Selling 'Unfit for Command'; David Brock Calls AntiKerry Veterans Book 'the Hitler Diaries of this political season'

8/20/2004 1:04:00 PM

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?ReleaseID=34978
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To: National Desk, Political Reporter

Contact: Naomi Seligman of Media Matters for America, 202-756-4108

WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On the heels of the August 19, 2004 Washington Post article shining the light that a key allegation in "Unfit for Command" is false, Media Matters for America (MMFA) called on three of the nation's leading booksellers to, at the very least, inform customers about the book's false allegations and lies. David Brock, president and CEO of MMFA, today wrote a letter to Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble calling on each to reassess "the responsibility of book sellers when it becomes established that prominent non-fiction books are based on false information."

"There is something fundamentally wrong when a book that is rampant with falsehoods and misinformation is published and sold as non-fiction," said David Brock. "Consumers are being misled by John O'Neill, Jerome Corsi and Regnery Publishing as they are extensions of the right-wing machine."

Salon.com's Eric Boehlert reported today that the Kerry campaign has said that Regnery, the right-wing publisher of "Unfit for Command," should consider pulling the book from bookstores, citing the widespread falsehoods throughout the book.

Brock specifically asked Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble to consider taking action -- if not simply pulling it from the shelves -- then prominently calling attention to one of the many refutations of the book, including items on posted http://www.mediamatters.org. "Customers should be made aware that Unfit for Command is a paid political hatchet job, full of false allegations and lies," Brock said.

MMFA has researched and monitored coverage of Unfit for Command and as recently as Aug. 6 revealed that co-author Jerome Corsi had a history of making bigoted and inflammatory comments. Corsi posted offensive anti-Islam and anti-Catholic comments as an active participant in discussions on FreeRepublic.com, a far-right website. Subsequently, MMFA noted O'Neill appeared to distance himself from Corsi and Corsi later publicly apologized for his offensive rhetoric.

The Washington Post article shows Thurlow's current account is false when compared with contemporaneous records of Swift boat veteran Larry Thurlow. Thurlow, who commanded a Navy Swift boat alongside Kerry in Vietnam has been vocal in questioning Kerry's Bronze Star award, claiming that the boat never came under fire on March 13, 1969. The Post reported today that according to the Thurlow's military files recording the events of March 13, 1969, "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" were directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla, including Kerry's.

Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Media Matters for America is the first organization to systematically monitor the media for conservative misinformation -- every day, in real time -- in 2004 and beyond. For more information, log on to http://www.mediamatters.org.

http://www.usnewswire.com/
_________________
EX-Helicopter driver & accomplished liar.
Wars fought, revolutions started, uprisings quelled, revivals organized,
assassinations plotted, governments overthrown, lead gospel singing,
tigers tamed, bars emptied, virgins converted, orgies organized.

[redneckvet]

Sounds like the same response that they had for the TV ad........intimidate
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"Full Tour Grunt"

[War Dog]

FlyLow, what is your opinion on this?

Woof!
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"When people are in trouble, they call the cops.

When cops need help, they call the K-9 unit."

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Just take a look at the mission statement for Media Matters - the hair on the back of my neck stands up when I see "progressive" used in a political context.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[jirwin72]

yeah kinda funny how the Democrats are the first to cry foul when they "think" their first admendment rights are being violated. But are the first to try to censure everyone that disagrees with them.

[Mona]

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

Fly Low posted this on a separate thread, but it fits here:



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http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewPolitics.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200408\POL20040820d.html
By Randy Hall
CNSNews.com Editor
August 20, 2004

(CNSNews.com) - Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign and a liberal watchdog group launched attacks on Friday to either ban Unfit for Command or restrict sales of the book, which the group's president called "the Hitler Diaries of this political season."

In an article entitled "Unfit for Bookstores," Eric Boehlert of Salon.com reported that a representative of the Kerry campaign had said Regnery Publishing, which printed Unfit for Command, is retailing a hoax and should consider withdrawing it from bookstores.

"No publisher should want to be selling books with proven falsehoods in them, especially falsehoods that are meant to smear the military service of an American veteran," said Kerry campaign spokesman Chad Clanton. "If I were them, I'd be ducking under my desk wondering what to do. This is a serious problem."

While acknowledging that the book is a bestseller, Boehlert referred to "a long-standing tradition by reputable publishers of withdrawing titles that prove to be hoaxes or frauds.

"Just last month, Random House's Australian unit was forced to pull an international bestseller after it was determined to be a fabrication," Boehlert wrote. "The book, Forbidden Love, allegedly detailed the death of a Jordanian woman murdered by her Muslim father after he discovered she was seeing a Christian man. After questions were raised, an internal investigation by Random House concluded the book was a fraud."

Boehlert then said that Unfit for Command and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth "are facing similar questions" after an article printed Thursday in the Washington Post questioned the veracity of Larry Thurlow, who commanded a Navy Swift boat alongside Kerry in Vietnam.

Thurlow insisted that Kerry lied about the circumstances surrounding his Bronze Star award, claiming Kerry's boat never came under enemy fire on March 13, 1969, the day an injured Kerry leaned overboard to scoop wounded Green Beret Jim Rassmann out of the river.

"Contrary to Thurlow's claim," Boehlert noted, the Post reported that, according to his own military files recording the events of that day, "enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire" were directed at "all units" of the five-boat flotilla, including Kerry's.

However, as reported Thursday by CNSNews.com, Thurlow responded that John Kerry's own report 35 years ago was the basis for the military records the Post used in its story.

At the end of his article, Boehlert suggested that even "if Regnery doesn't withdraw the book, perhaps bookstore retailers will at least consider moving the title over to the fiction section."

Also on Friday, Media Matters for America (MMFA), a liberal organization that monitors conservative media for "misinformation," asked that Wal-Mart, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble "reassess the responsibility of book sellers when it becomes established that prominent non-fiction books are based on false information."

"There is something fundamentally wrong when a book that is rampant with falsehoods and misinformation is published and sold as non-fiction," said David Brock, the president and chief executive officer of MMFA. "Consumers are being misled by John O'Neill, Jerome Corsi and Regnery Publishing as they are extensions of the right-wing machine."

In his letter to the retailers, Brock specifically asked them to consider taking action -- if not simply pulling the book from their shelves, then prominently calling attention to one of the many refutations of the book. "Customers should be made aware that Unfit for Command is a paid political hatchet job, full of false allegations and lies," Brock said.

Along with research and coverage of Unfit for Command from the MMFA website, Brock also cited Thursday's Washington Post article on Thurlow as proof that the book is "the Hitler Diaries of this political season."

Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the Media Research Center, said that the attack on Regnery is an attempt to have the entire book characterized as a lie without exploring individual allegations. "The media still needs to be focused on applying scrutiny to a man who may be the next president, not on book publishers."

Graham said the intensity of the liberals' move is a signal to Kerry critics that the charges are potentially fatal to the senator's campaign.

A Regnery Publishing spokesperson did not return a call seeking comment about the attacks on sales of the book.
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[S. Elder]

I tried to find "Unfit for Command" tonight at the local Borders with no luck. According to the manager, they ordered ten copies but are all sold out. I noticed they did have a mound of Michael Moore, Bill Clinton, we hate Bush books prominently displayed in front of the store however.

I did run into another guy in the store who was also looking for the book. He was a Korean War vet who said he was ashamed of what Kerry did after the war. He said he told his sons about Kerry's behavior too.

The message is getting out and you guys are doing a great job. I enjoyed hearing, Van Odell, Larry Thurlow, John O'Neill and all the rest of you guys-my dad included. You guys are extremely credible. ( I did order the book on line tonight.)

Steve Elder

[JonMoseley]

I have spoken to someone very high up with Regnery Publishing. Trust me. The chance of Regnery pulling this book is about the same as John Kerry sticking with the same story for more than a week. You can take it to the bank, Regnery Publishing stands behind this book 1000%.

In fact, today 8/20, Regnery began printing an additional 50,000 copies. So Regnery's response is to print more copies! LOTS more copies.

If anyone thought that Regnery could be intimidated, they don't know whom they are dealing with. The Kerry "BROWN SHIRTS," thug lawyers, and attack dogs may be used to dealing with the liberal media and liberal publishers. They have no influence with Regnery.

But we have to help make sure those copies get sold, not just printed to mildew in storage somewhere.
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Read first chapter of COLD PEACE for free at www.ColdPeace.com

[srmorton]

David Brock has absolutely NO credibility. His metamorphosis from
staunch conservative to liberal (deleted by admin)is well documented. I
would answer him by asking if he thinks Richard Clarke's book
should be banned since statements he made to the 9/11 commission
in his private testimony directly contradict statements he later made
in his book and in his public testimony. Another book Brock might
consider is "Tour of Duty" which surely belongs in the fiction category!

Admin note:

Please refrain from inserting unrelated issues into this dialogue.

Thanks
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Susan R. Morton

[Chuck54]

A hoax...a fraud...unbelievable.

Kerry is the hoax, Kerry is the fraud...

Brock is so pathetic!
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"And no pair has been more wrong, more loudly, more often, than the two Senators from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy and John Kerry"

Zell Miller