Posted on 09/19/2004 4:09:08 AM PDT by beyond the sea
..............In the years that CBS producer Mary Mapes has been pursuing this story, she never contacted Lt. Col. Jerry Killian's secretary, Marian Carr Knox, until after her existence was revealed by the Drudge Report. On 60 Minutes on Wednesday, Knox said that the documents were forgeries, but the content was accurate.
Mapes interviewed Killian's widow Marjorie Connell and his son Gary. Both expressed doubt to the CBS producer that the documents were real. Neither of them have appeared on the network nor even been mentioned in CBS's reporting.
CBS' own experts have moved away from the authenticity of the documents. One of the experts consulted was Emily Will, a veteran document examiner from North Carolina. She told ABC News that she sent Mapes an e-mail message about her concerns and strongly urged the network the night before the broadcast not to use the documents.
She said, "I told them that all the questions I was asking them on Tuesday night, they were going to be asked by hundreds of other document examiners on Thursday if they ran that story."
If Rather was informed of the doubts, he ignored them, plunging his network into a quagmire. The veteran anchor forged ahead because, as he stated on Wednesday's broadcast, that the charges are so charges are so serious, the evidence of little importance.
His confidence in Mapes may have led him to go with the story, despite the red flags. After all, it was Mapes who brought CBS the Abu Ghraib photos of prisoner abuse and who risked jail by refusing to turn over videotapes of Rather's interview with a man charged in the 1998 dragging death of James Byrd, Jr. in Jasper, Texas.
But Mapes' father sees a political agenda behind his daughter's work. Don Mapes, 76, was a recent guest on a radio talk show hosted by John Carlson on KVI in Seattle.
He said, "I'm really ashamed of what my daughter has become. She's a typical liberal. She went into journalism with an ax to grind, and that was to promote radical feminism."
He confessed to being disappointed in his daughter's role in the controversy. He said, "When I heard about 60 Minutes, I suspected she would be the producer of the show."
In an interview with Talon News, Don Mapes said his suspicion was because that he believed, "Dan Rather and she have been working on this ever since Bush was elected."
In commenting on the Wednesday's 60 Minutes show, he said, "It was a farce, it was fraud. I'm sorry as a father that my daughter was the producer of it."
His fatherly instinct showed through when he said, "To give her the benefit of the doubt, I believe she has been had."
But he also chastised his daughter for being intellectually dishonest.
He said, "She ought to look closer at George Soros or Michael Moore."
Mary Mapes declined several opportunities to comment for this article.
Mapes from 1999 when she was defying a court order
Just to Chime in and say your observation is at the heart of the question that is effecting this election.
Should we as informed individuals continue to support or allow individuals that clearly have agendas that drive their world view away from reality?
I worked in D.C. for 10 years and became somewhat used to having to be PC in many discussions (just to avoid wrath and be civil), rather than being honest.
It is difficult to honestly discuss these issues with liberals. I really do not like being called a hateful person, just because my view of life is based on Scriptures and not on the personal feelings of a few fringe elements.
The times when I did speak up, it was evident my career would become affected, so silence in the workplace was a prudent choice (for me).
It seemed every month we celebrated some new neglected people group.
Several of the groups were so highly considered, that members were granted time away from work, with pay, to attend their events.
We had NOBLE, Natl' Organization of Blacks in Law Enforcement. Then we had WIFLE, Women in Federal Law Enforcement.
I was trying to start up a new group called SNIFFLE -
Several Neglected Insignificant Fat Fellows in Law Enforcement.
Hey, we are a people group too!!
Leni
Judge Joe Bob Golden rejected a motion for change of venue in the dragging death trial of Shawn Berry.
Golden ruled that the motion was filed by Berry's attorney to delay the trial.
With this ruling the way was cleared for the Jasper County jury to hear opening arguments.
In another note from Jasper, CBS producer Mary Mapes will not be going to jail. CBS attorneys and Jasper county prosecuters negotiated late into the night to reach a comprimise.
CBS agreed to post the transcript of the interview on its web site and provide a copy of the transcript to Jasper county officials. In return Mapes would not go to jail and the tapes would not need to be provided.
Mapes
You have to feel his pain, poor Dad! I read an article about Susan Saradon's Mom, the Mom is moderate or conservative. I guess it happens in family's.
ROTFL!!!!!
Someone should for a support Group for Parents who have liberal lying offsprings.
Excellent turn of phrase to use against Rather the Bush-hater.
Better late than never. It's a shame when a family breaks apart.
A nice treat a day in the news on this Rathergate story!
She looks like a petty thief.
Mr. Mapes' statements are powerful indeed. He has my respect, and my prayers. Delightful to see the truth about media bias getting out. More and more people will be agreeing that the conservos were right all along. This bodes well for us.
Perfectamundo.
She even looks guilty, like she has a bad conscience.
And, because she is a "60 Minutes" producer, "60 Minutes" may be intellectually dishonest by inference? I'm shocked!
/sarcasm>
Keep the story alive Dan!
Anyway, it's obvious that Mapes is going to be axed over this. The real question is whether Rather is felled as well?
*** She lost her family's respect and her peers respect. This has to be a truely low point in her life ***
interesting, isn't it, how many celebrated lefties come from more traditional, conservative homes ... Mapes, Dowd, Sarandon.
I really don't think Ms. Mapes cares one whit about the estrangement from her family, or even loss of professional standing .. the reason I think this is a low point for her is that her attempted destruction of Bush not only didn't work but backfired. He is now really innoculated against any such attacks from the Dems and the rest of the left.
Remember, the crime occurred in the summer of the election year, and it unraveled over 2 long years. We will have plenty of stories on this CRIME each day.
There are dozens of co-conspirators involved, and they all will start squealing on each other............ AND, there is the internet with FR in the lead ("a bastion of right-wing lunacy", a bunch of "partisan political operatives" in our pajamas. LOL!
It will be entertaining.
"I was trying to start up a new group called SNIFFLE -
Several Neglected Insignificant Fat Fellows in Law Enforcement."
I accidently laughed so loud I woke up my husband with that remark by you!! Sorry about your workplace environment, but glad you have a great sense of humor!
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