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Media at odds over 'Kuhlgate' (another Republican's divorce records released)
Copyright © 2004, The Leader All rights reserved. ^ | Wednesday, October 20, 2004 | By John Anderson

Posted on 10/20/2004 5:39:09 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines

Newspapers in the 29th Congressional District are making decisions whether to run the specifics of the divorce records of state Sen. John R. "Randy" Kuhl, R-Hammondsport, who is running for Congress.

The Associated Press last weekend ran a story on the documents, after they appeared on a Web site based in Cambridge, Mass. However, not all newspapers used the AP account.

According to Kuhl, someone walked into the Steuben County Clerk's office on Sept. 9 and walked out with copies of his confidential divorce records. Under state law, the records are supposed to be sealed for 100 years.

Jack Stokes, director of media relations for the AP in Washington, said, "After we obtained the material and verified the documents, we determined the information was relevant and had news value."

John Byrne runs the Cambridge, Mass.-based Web site that ran a story on the documents, and had a link with five pages of court documents.

"We carefully weighed the concern of privacy for the senator (Kuhl) and what we believe is the public interest and the right to know," Byrne said. "If it had been a circumstance where it was a few isolated incidents were going on in a marriage or something like that, that would have been a matter between the senator and his wife ... if someone is running for a high elected office, there is public interest and the public has the right to know of a disparity in public values to who someone says they are and what happens in the home."

Byrne said the charges in the divorce papers leveled by Peterson-Kuhl are serious and said if it was Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, the information would go public as well.

(Excerpt) Read more at the-leader.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: New York
KEYWORDS: barend; dirtytricks; hildebeast; kuhl; rats; scandal
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Byrne said the charges in the divorce papers leveled by Peterson-Kuhl are serious and said if it was Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, the information would go public as well.

Ummmm....has John Kerry released HIS divorce papers yet? (He asks rhetorically)

1 posted on 10/20/2004 5:39:11 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

The Republicans need to charge the "politics of personal destruction" and turn the tables.


2 posted on 10/20/2004 5:40:47 AM PDT by OpusatFR (Let me repeat this: the web means never having to swill leftist garbage again. Got it?)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

The Republicans need to charge the "politics of personal destruction" and turn the tables.


3 posted on 10/20/2004 5:41:01 AM PDT by OpusatFR (Let me repeat this: the web means never having to swill leftist garbage again. Got it?)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

no he hasnt nor signed the 180....but being Republicans it MATTERS, doesnt matter if its a Liberal... not worth anyone bothering I guess.....we sit back and take this crap and it makes me furious...its time we started HITTING BACK, demanding to see files/papers WHATEVER, JUST to tick them off and turn about fair play.....kick behinies and take names.....


4 posted on 10/20/2004 5:41:19 AM PDT by ArmyBratCutie ("Four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:soap, ballot, jury, ammo in this order!")
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To: NYFriend; governsleastgovernsbest; bentfeather; gaspar; NativeNewYorker; drjimmy; Atticus; ...

upstate bump


5 posted on 10/20/2004 5:41:23 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

We the people are not going to put up with this one-sided media crap forever.


6 posted on 10/20/2004 5:52:21 AM PDT by Tom_Busch (Vote Bush/Cheney in 2004)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Obviously the state law sealing records for 100 years is not worth the paper it's printed on.


7 posted on 10/20/2004 5:57:09 AM PDT by MadAnthony1776
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
"After we obtained the material and verified the documents, we determined the information was relevant and had news value."

But did you determine if your actions were legal?

Obviously not, since the reords are sealed under state law.

8 posted on 10/20/2004 5:59:00 AM PDT by cake_crumb (UN Resolutions=Very Expensive, Very SCRATCHY Toilet Paper)
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To: Tom_Busch

Does anyone want to take up a collection to pay for a thorough investigation of the background of one Jack Stokes, director of media relations for AP in D.C.? I would welcome the creation of and would happily donate to a non-profit devoted to an investigation of the private life of journalists.


9 posted on 10/20/2004 5:59:11 AM PDT by gaspar
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To: MadAnthony1776

Who can get to the courthouse where Kerry's records are located?


10 posted on 10/20/2004 6:01:01 AM PDT by kcvl
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To: Behind Liberal Lines; All

Not only did the Ithaca Journal run an article with all the salacious details, they did so over the following headline, which falsely suggests that the mere allegations in one party's divorce papers are proven facts:

"Court papers show Congress hopeful Kuhl aimed shotguns at wife"


11 posted on 10/20/2004 6:01:23 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
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To: Tom_Busch
"We the people are not going to put up with this one-sided media crap forever."

We the people had better start doing something about this one-sided media crap now, before all of our civil rights are taken away forever by the Kerry administration.

12 posted on 10/20/2004 6:03:44 AM PDT by cake_crumb (UN Resolutions=Very Expensive, Very SCRATCHY Toilet Paper)
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To: gaspar
Kuhl would be better off filing charges, yesterday
13 posted on 10/20/2004 6:05:26 AM PDT by cake_crumb (UN Resolutions=Very Expensive, Very SCRATCHY Toilet Paper)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest
"Court papers show Congress hopeful Kuhl aimed shotguns at wife"

What is especially egregious about that headline is that it would have been so easy to change it to "Court DOCS CLAIM Congress hopeful Kuhl aimed shotguns at wife."

14 posted on 10/20/2004 6:13:09 AM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
Ummmm....has John Kerry released HIS divorce papers yet? (He asks rhetorically)

Has John Kerry released HIS From 180 yet? Can he explain the lapse of time from his release in the Navy until he was given an "Honorable Discharge?"

Has John Kerry ever apologized for his mendacious diatribe about his fellow countrymen serving in Vietnam?

Has he made an apology to the Cheney family about his remarks concerning their daughter?

Apparently John Kerry bows to no man, he holds himself above the fray, the hoi polloi - an elitist, arrogant, self-indulgent playboy who shrouds him self in a mythical array of accomplishments. He of course....delusional.

15 posted on 10/20/2004 6:22:05 AM PDT by yoe ("Here's my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose." Ronald Reagan)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Where there is no shame....


16 posted on 10/20/2004 6:30:58 AM PDT by NativeNewYorker (Don't blame me. I voted for Sharpton.)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Ummmmmmm And what about his military records?


17 posted on 10/20/2004 6:43:06 AM PDT by Sunshine Sister
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To: gaspar; cake_crumb

"Does anyone want to take up a collection to pay for a thorough investigation of the background of one Jack Stokes, director of media relations for AP in D.C.? I would welcome the creation of and would happily donate to a non-profit devoted to an investigation of the private life of journalists."

You may be on to something there. We are going to have to find a way to hit these people where it hurts, because exposing them has not stopped them. Look at the Rather/CBS fiasco, the ABC/Halpirn memo, Evan Thomas' claims about journalists wanting a Kerry win, AP going after Republican divorce documents, etc.

There is no balance here, and I'm not sure how we go about changing it, but we have to somehow.

The work of people like Brent Bozell and the bloggers is invaluable. But still no change from the arrogant exalted ones in the media power houses. This ain't the old Soviet Union, as much as they seem to want it to be.


18 posted on 10/20/2004 6:43:20 AM PDT by Tom_Busch (Vote Bush/Cheney in 2004)
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To: governsleastgovernsbest

Well he needs to explain whether or not he held his wife at gunpoint or pointed a gun at her. It's sleazy how all of this come out (I don't buy the divorce papers "accidently" being released amongst several other publicly available documents), however he has some explaining to do.


19 posted on 10/21/2004 7:57:45 PM PDT by af_vet_rr
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To: cake_crumb; NYFriend; governsleastgovernsbest; bentfeather; gaspar; NativeNewYorker; drjimmy; ...
Surprise...surprise... the person who got the divorce papers was a Barend staffer:

Steuben County District Attorney John Tunney said the Barend campaign sent the volunteer to the County Clerk's Office to get publicly available information about Kuhl.
Among the documents provided were Kuhl's divorce records. Divorce papers in New York are supposed to be sealed from the public.
Barend says there was no connection between the campaign and the release of the divorce papers

Looks like Barend, a former Hildebeast staffer, learned her lessons well.

20 posted on 10/21/2004 8:12:32 PM PDT by Behind Liberal Lines
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