[Peace-discuss] N-G Disinformation continues *an island of reason in a sea of insanity*

[Ricky Baldwin]

Disgusting.

Here's my response, which I sent in a bit late, but
hopefully not too late:

Dear Editor:

Mr. Foreman’s narrow-minded column (Sept. 17)
studiously misrepresents life-and-death issues.  

First, Mr. Foreman claims, a la “Casablanca”, that
“the customary suspects” (opponents of the war) are
somehow “demonizing all Americans who volunteer to
wear the nation’s uniform
”.  Nevermind the fact that
72 percent of US soldiers in Iraq themselves oppose
the war.

Nevermind the fact that many of those “customary
suspects,” whose flags are apparently not big enough,
are themselves combat veterans, like the World War II
veteran Mr. Foreman defames.

That veteran did not write, as Mr. Foreman
disingenuously claims, that “he only respected members
of the military who served in the good wars.”  What
the veteran Navy rescue swimmer wrote – in the context
of chastizing a military recruiter who was
disrespectful to an anti-war critic – was that he
“loves his country always, but his government (and
fellow military) only when they deserve it”.  Mr.
Foreman perhaps favors the knee-jerk approach.

But perhaps worst of all, what is it that Mr.
Foreman’s rambling column describes as “demonizing”
every soldier?  A man appeared in uniform at a school,
which Foreman pretends not to understand is
recruiting, and someone called him on it.  Someone had
the audacity to point out that when you join the
military you may be ordered to kill innocent people,
overthrow governments, and risk death yourself – and
that if you do recruiting for the military, you are
recruiting for that kind of war, however pure your own
motives.

Patriotism, Mr. Foreman, what about truth?

Sincerely,
Ricky Baldwin
801 E California Ave
Urbana IL 61801

217-328-3037



--- Jan & Durl Kruse <jandurl at insightbb.com> wrote:

> Sunday September 17 New Gazette Publisher John
> Foreman dedicated his 
> entire 3 column editorial in support of Col.
> Rudzinski and his 
> Elementary School Presentation given while wearing
> his military 
> uniform.  In the course of his defense Mr. Foreman
> takes exception to 
> those who might question the current war and those
> who oppose it, 
> calling us" the usual suspects". Foreman misquotes
> and actually makes 
> up a quote and then attributes it to WWII Navy
> Veteran Grandpa 
> Wahlfeldt. He has Grandpa saying that he (Grandpa)
> only respects those 
> who served in the "good wars".  Such fabrications
> and faulty 
> information seem to be nothing new for the
> News-Gazette.  Here is how 
> it seems to work.  The N-G makes up a quote,
> attributes it to a prior 
> letter to the editor and then runs additional
> letters re-quoting the 
> original fabrication.  Is there anyway out of this
> web of 
> misinformation?  Today the following letter appears
> on the editorial 
> page.
> 
> 
> >  
> Column on colonel was right on money
> 
> Tuesday September 26, 2006
> 
> I want to thank News-Gazette Publisher John Foreman
> for being an island 
> of reason in a sea of insanity.
> 
> His Sept. 17 column regarding Col. Michael
> Rudzinski's appearance at a 
> local school and the ensuing brouhaha by people who
> don't know the man, 
> what he stands for or even what he said offers the
> rational perspective 
> many of us were thinking but were not expressing.
> 
> I commend him for speaking for those of us who
> believe in free speech 
> and honor the members of our armed services.
> 
> Freedom isn't free, and no one knows that better
> than members of the 
> military who serve and their families and friends.
> The World War II 
> veteran who wrote of respecting only military
> members who served in 
> good wars is an aberration. There are no "good"
> wars, and no one knows 
> that better than those who serve or their families.
> 
> I agree that we should be telling kids more about
> patriotism, the value 
> of service and the need to defend our rights.
> 
> Champaign County is fortunate to have the Chanute
> Air Museum in Rantoul 
> to accomplish this goal. The museum demonstrates our
> history of general 
> and military aviation through its outstanding
> exhibits and the display 
> of more than 40 aircraft. It educates young people
> about patriotism 
> through example.
> 
> I am grateful to Rudzinski for his efforts toward
> teaching young people 
> about the giant camel spider, among other things,
> and the need for both 
> soldiers and kids to be responsible and safe. And I
> thank Foreman for 
> not backing down from controversy.
> 
> DARLA KVIDERA
> 
> Rantoul
> > _______________________________________________
> Peace-discuss mailing list
> Peace-discuss at lists.chambana.net
>
http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/peace-discuss
> 


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