Posted on 09/29/2004 9:27:21 AM PDT by fight_truth_decay
Five weeks before the election, CBS decided to give legitimacy to Internet rumors by devoting a "What Does It Mean to You?" segment to "fears" of a supposedly Bush-supporting mother that President Bush will impose a military draft. Dan Rather intoned: "A mother worries her son will be drafted. Does she have good reason?" Richard Schlesinger focused his piece around how the mother "is petrified about a military draft, and she's not alone. Mass e-mails are circulating among worried parents." Schlesinger pointed out how both Bush and Kerry deny that they'd institute a draft, but the mother is "not buying it. She's a Republican, but she's also a single-issue voter." He asked her: "Would you vote for a Democrat?" She replied: "Absolutely. I would vote for Howdy Doody if I thought it would keep my boys home and safe." Schlesinger concluded with a warning: "She's a Bush supporter today, but if she doesn't like what she hears between now and November, Beverly could easily cross over."
Earlier, Schlesinger had given credence to her fear: "The machinery for a draft is already in place, and the acting director of Selective Service believes he could start drafting people quickly."
Dan Rather teased at the top of Tuesday's CBS Evening News, with the heading "Draft Fears" beneath video of the soon-to-be profiled Philadelphia mother at the dinner table with her two sons: "A mother worries her son will be drafted. Does she have good reason? We'll tell you where the presidential candidates stand on the draft in the election series, 'What Does it Mean to You?'"
Rather set up the eventual story, as checked by the MRC's Brad Wilmouth against CBS's posting of the text: "It's no secret, the all-volunteer U.S. military, especially the Army, Marines, and many Reserve units, are stretched thin in Iraq and Afghanistan. So what about bringing back the draft? A lot of Americans are worried about that. Where do the presidential candidates stand? CBS's Richard Schlesinger tells you in the 'Eye on America' election series 'What Does it Mean to You?'"
Schlesinger began, over video of Beverly Cocco working as a school crossing guard: "Beverly Cocco has spent most of her life protecting children in Philadelphia. She usually worries about other people's kids. But as Election Day approaches, it's her own two grown sons who Beverly is most worried about."
Beverly Cocco, identified on screen as a "Pennsylvania voter," inside her home: "I go to bed every night and I pray, and I actually get sick to my stomach. I'm very worried. I'm scared. I'm absolutely scared. I'm petrified."
Schlesinger: "Beverly is petrified about a military draft, and she's not alone. Mass e-mails are circulating among worried parents. But neither President Bush nor John Kerry has said he will re-institute the draft. In fact, they both say they will not."
John Kerry, in May: "I will give us a foreign policy that absolutely makes it unnecessary to have a draft for this country."
Schlesinger: "Kerry says he'll try to get allies of the U.S. to send troops that could relieve American soldiers in Iraq. The Bush administration says that is pure fantasy. The President wants to train more Iraqi troops to take over for the Americans."
George W. Bush: "The war on terror will continue. It's gonna take a while. And no, we don't need a draft." Schlesinger: "But Beverly's not buying it. She's a Republican, but she's also a single-issue voter. Would you vote for a Democrat?"
Cocco: "Absolutely. I would vote for Howdy Doody if I thought it would keep my boys home and safe."
Schlesinger: "In fact, there are at least three votes in this house riding on the draft: Beverly's and her sons Carmen and Nick. Are you guys worried about being drafted?"
Nick Cocco, college senior, inside their home: "Yeah, it's the talk, there's the talks there, and though people aren't actually coming out and saying it, it's there."
Schlesinger: "The machinery for a draft is already in place, and the acting director of Selective Service believes he could start drafting people quickly."
Jack Martin, Selective Service system: "I think that we could do it in less than six months if we got the call."
Schlesinger: "This time there would be no long deferments for college students, and a lot more people could be eligible for the draft than ever before -- men and women aged 18 to 26 could be called up. Of course, there hasn't been a draft since 1973. But that's not much comfort to Beverly Cocco. So she's keeping a sharp eye on the political traffic. She's a Bush supporter today, but if she doesn't like what she hears between now and November, Beverly could easily cross over. In Philadelphia, I'm Richard Schlesinger for 'Eye on America.'"
For the CBSNews.com version of the story, with pictures of the Cocco family:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/09/28/eveningnews/main646055.shtml
You would think that SEE BS would learn a little something after we spanked them not too long ago. Let's see Bush is leading in women like no Republican has in recent history and all of a sudden we see the Blather folks come up with this. I don't think anyone will buy it. People are stupid but not that....
OK, Freepers this is your salient moment, do your stuff! Show CBS and Rather, not to mention the rest of those sicophants and self-appointed judges of what we "need to know" that you're "Mad as Hell and Not Going to Take it Anymore!"
memo to SEE-BS, SHUT THE F UP!!!
Relax - remember, CBS has lost most of it's audience and it's credibility
Great job Dave.
Whew! You had me worried for a minute there. I thought that this story might have legs.
But then I realized that it is from CBS. ;)
Re: Your entire post. Why am I not surprised.
Most is good, but "all" would be even better.
Also note that co-sponsor, Elijah Cummings, MD 7th D is the head of the black congressional congress! I Just heard Al Sharpton moaning that only blacks were dieing in Iraq! The truth is a wonderful thing! The more truth the better for conservatives. We have a great altenative here in MD. 
Tony Salasar’s site
That great job was done by incpen.
I'm laughing hysterically at the image of the liberal "friend's" head exploding.
In Blogs for Bush, guest blogger Betsey Newmark, writes:
The daughter of one of my readers is attending the University of Arizona recieved this e-mail and so did many of her classmates. They are all worried about its contents:
Mandatory draft for boys and girls (ages18-26) starting June 15, 2005 There is pending legislation in the House and Senate, S89 and HR 163,to reinstate mandatory draft for boys and girls (ages18-26) starting June 15, 2005. This plan includes women in the draft, eliminates higher education as a shelter, and makes it difficult to cross into Canada. The Bush administration is quietly trying to get these bills passed now, while the public's attention is on the elections. The Bush administration plans to begin mandatory draft in the spring of 2005, just after the 2004 presidential election. The Congress has added $28 million to the 2004 selective service system budget to prepare for this military draft that could start as early as June 15, 2005. Bush has ordered the Selective Service to report to him by March 31, 2005 on their readiness to implement the draft by June 2005 The pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots nationwide.
Please act on this: Tell everyone you know - parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, godparents, friends, teachers Call and write to your U.S. Senator and your U.S. Representatives and ask them why they aren't telling their constituents about these bills.
..."ask them why they aren't telling their constituents about these bills"
Cocco was told by Sen. Specter’s office said that these bills are a “secret". Nick Cocco,college senior, inside their home only plays on the comments from Specter office when he says: "Yeah, it's the talk, there's the talks there, and though people aren't actually coming out and saying it, it's there."
Lets Roll people! Rathergate style!
Lets get this around the blogosphere and let it chew on the issue for a while and keep the story alive till it finally topples CBS!
Heh.
Figures.......
IF the draft is EVER brought back, IF, would there be no exemptions? That is what I also read. But a friend of my son entered the USAF and was sent home after a month or two because he was gay and on antidepressant meds. I am not buying the cBS that the draft is going to be brought back, I just wonder about exemptions. The same democrat congressmen who came up with this bill HR 163 said there should be no exemptions at all. They claimed that most of the soldiers in VN were poor black kids from the inner city, and that most white kids were able to get out of the draft with high paid lawyers, etc. But all the boys I knew who were killed in VN were white or native American indian. I lost several friends there. They served us bravely.
Excellent research. Also during the same broadcast CBS implied that many if not all Iraqi police may be in cahoots with the insurgents (i.e. terrorists). It's unbelievable how CBS slants their reports. Disgusting. I've only joined the blogging community last month - I didn't realize how much the blogs have changed from years past. Nice to see so many people now performing the checks and balances that the MSM eliminated long, long ago.
As if we needed any further proof that CBS is blatantly in bed with the DNC.
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