Free Republic

<p>September 10, 2004 -- THE populist revolu tion against the so- called mainstream media continues. Yesterday, the citizen journalists who produce blogs on the Internet — and their engaged readers — engaged in the wholesale exposure of what appears to be a presidential-year dirty trick against George W. Bush. What the bloggers and their audiences did was call into profound question the authenticity of four documents proudly trumpeted by CBS News in a much-heralded investigative report on Wednesday night's edition of "60 Minutes" about the president's National Guard service in the early 1970s.</p>

This is a serious crime, altering military records to not only slander a war-time President, but that also suggest criminal activity. These forged memos suggested serious charges against our President, and should not be taken lightly. Whenever the Democrats suggest the Republicans might have done something wrong, they demand a full-scale congressional investigations. These memos are linked to sources inside the DNC, and it is important to get to the bottom of this. Whomever did this commited a serious crime. Our limp-wristed Representives must grow a backbone and demand that this be thoroughly and quickly investigated. I can guarentee you,...

Here is a pretty good current summary of the situation: The Shot Heard Round the World   The echoes of the big Internet bang which annihilated a 60 Minutes story in under 12 hours are still resounding. The key riffs apparently started at Powerline and as Samizdata notes, the distributed intelligence of the Internet took over. Under the scrutiny of thousands of analysts, the CBS story began to melt down.   The start of it all:  Documents Suggest Special Treatment for Bush in Guard   -more- The Thread that broke the Camels Back:Post 47, and the Freepers who busted C.B.S. Let us...

(CNSNews.com) - The White House says the Kerry campaign is "coordinating" the attacks on President Bush's National Guard record, just as the Kerry campaign accused the Bush administration of coordinating with the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. "You absolutely are seeing a coordinated attack by John Kerry and his surrogates on the president," White House press secretary Scott McClellan was quoted as saying on Thursday. "The polls show Senator Kerry falling behind, and it's the same old recycled attacks that we've seen every time the president has been up for election." McClellan's comments drew a huffy response from former Clinton...

The White House yesterday accused John Kerry of "coordinating" attacks on President Bush's National Guard service in response to the president's widening lead in the polls. "You absolutely are seeing a coordinated attack by John Kerry and his surrogates on the president," White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters aboard Air Force One. "The polls show Senator Kerry falling behind, and it's the same old recycled attacks that we've seen every time the president has been up for election." Mr. Kerry refused to denounce Texans for Truth, a group known by its tax code classification as a 527, for...

<p>More than six weeks ago, an opposition research staffer for the Democratic National Committee received documents purportedly written by President George W. Bush's Texas Air National Guard squadron commander, the late Col. Jerry Killian.</p> <p>The oppo researcher claimed the source was "a retired military officer." According to a DNC staffer, the documents were seen by both senior staff members at the DNC, as well as the Kerry campaign.</p>

DOCUMENTS CITED Wednesday by 60 Minutes in a widely-publicized expose of George W. Bush's National Guard Service are very likely forgeries, according to several experts on document authenticity and typography. The documents--four memos from Killian to himself or his files written in 1972 and 1973--appear to indicate that Bush refused or ignored orders to have a physical exam required to continue flying. CBS News anchor Dan Rather reported the segment and sourced the documents this way: "60 Minutes has obtained a number of documents we are told were taken from Col. Killian's personal file," he said. The 60 Minutes story...

ONE MORE ARGUMENT As much as the Kerry Spot has tried to keep up with this, PowerLine has been on top of this story all day long. That site just presented what ought to be the straw that breaks the camel's back: In the August 18, 1973 memo "discovered" by 60 Minutes, Jerry Killian purportedly writes: Staudt has obviously pressured Hodges more about Bush. I'm having trouble running interference and doing my job. But wait! Reader Amar Sarwal points out that General Staudt, who thought very highly of Lt. Bush, retired in 1972. Okay, CBS. The ball's in your court....

Proof the CBS document BushGuardaugust1.pdf is a FAKE: Original text, slightly adjusted for rectangular fit: Same text, screen capture of document written in MS Word 2002 with no effort to match original aside from document width: Overlapping images, with original as B/W negative: Aside from slight warping presumably due to distortion introduced by a low-quality photocopier, the two texts line up exactly. The "30+ year old proof" against Bush is a fraud.

Friend who works in newsroom at 400 North Capitol Street in DC just called. There is now a huge, handwritten sign printed on teleype roll paper stretched across newsroom ceiling. It reads: "What's The Typeface, Kenneth?"

Are editors at the AP ignoring their own newswire? Believe it or not, they have posted yet another bogus Nat'l Guard story which ignores an earlier AP story which casts doubt on the very memos used to write the subsequent story!

A petition to CBS News & "60 Minutes" to immediately retract its Bush TX ANG story based on forged documents: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/cbstxng/petition.html Please sign the above petition AND send a direct message to CBS: http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/feedback/fb_news_form.shtml

(scroll down to the bottom of the article for the update section): UPDATE: NEW PROOF OF FORGERY Following the Little Green Footballs blog lead, CB decided to test the pantograph replication technique on another of the CBS documents to see if it held true. Using Microsoft Word on its factory default settings with 12 point Times New Roman font we copied the address line of CBS memo #1 and overlapped the two for comparison. As you can see the test worked and, in doing so, inadvertantly uncovered more proof that the document is a forgery. The new evidence revolves around...

Last Update: 26/03/2004 08:08 Only existing First Temple relic may be forged By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz Correspondent Investigators for the Israel Antiquities Authority have been informed that a precious Ivory Pomegranate, on display at the Israel Museum since 1988, is a forgery. On the basis of an inscription it had been dated from the period of the First Temple, 10th century BCE. However, it is information on the origin of the inscription that has raised doubts about the authenticity of the item. The Antiquities Authority refused to reveal the origins and nature of the information it holds. The inscription, completed...

EAST LONGMEADOW, Mass. (AP) -- Verifying petition signatures probably doesn't keep municipal workers on the edges of their seats, but a name on a petition Laurie Raimer was checking against town resident lists stopped her in her tracks: her own. Raimer, who works in the East Longmeadow clerk's office, ran across her own signature last week as she was checking the names asking for a special town meeting to rescind a new law regarding closing times for restaurants. She says she was never asked to sign the petition, and she's positive that her brother James, whose name appeared next to...

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) - A Michigan couple and two employees of the Secretary of State's office were accused Friday of selling forged driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and wanted criminals, officials said. According to police reports, Rogelio Gonzales took payments and steered undercover officers posing as illegal immigrants to the Secretary of State office in Pontiac. At the office, Gonzales' wife acted as an interpreter while two employees issued fraudulent driver's licenses, said Oakland County Prosecutor David Gorcyca. Secretary of State employees Andrea Cortez, 23, and Melinda Garrison, 37, were charged with conspiracy to sell forged driver's licenses and selling...

Board removes George from primary ballot 221 signatures, addresses were falsified, body says By JESSICA McBRIDE and LINDA SPICEof the Journal Sentinel staff Last Updated: July 31, 2002 The Wisconsin Elections Board voted 7-1 Wednesday to remove state Sen. Gary George's name from the primary ballot for governor, saying "clear and convincing evidence" showed at least 221 signatures and addresses had been falsified or were not valid on George's nomination papers. Gary George Removed Photo/Erwin Gebhard Gary George leaves the Elections Board meeting Wednesday after being removed from the ballot by a 7-1 vote. What Happened The state Elections Board...