The anti-war left's favorite smear artist
Posted on 11/07/2005 10:40:31 PM PST by ajolympian2004
The anti-war left's favorite smear artist
As I noted over the weekend, Ron Harris's debunking of former Marine Staff Sgt. Jimmy Massey in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is must-read. To its credit, CNN (once led by a very similar-minded slanderer), had an interview with Ron Harris this morning. Here's the transcript:
Former Marine Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey has published a book in France called, "Kill Kill Kill." It accuses U.S. soldiers of atrocities in Iraq, including the killing of civilian men, women, and children.
Our next guest says Massey is lying and he can prove it. Joining us now is "St. Louis Post" dispatch writer Ron Harris. He was embedded with Jimmy Massey's unit in Iraq. Welcome, Ron.
RON HARRIS, "ST. LOUIS POST": Thank you. COSTELLO: You know, if this guy is lying, that's just vile. Because he's saying some vile things about our men and women over in Iraq.
HARRIS: Yes, that's very true. I mean, he is claiming that marines intentionally killed civilians, that he intentionally killed civilians. And at times, he claims that they intentionally killed civilians based on orders from the superiors. And the fact is, it just isn't true.
[CAROL] COSTELLO: OK, let's get to specifics now. He claimed, as you said, that Marines fired on and killed peaceful Iraqi protesters and were sometimes ordered by higher-ups to do that. How can you disprove that?
HARRIS: Well, two or three things. Number one, I was there in Iraq when -- I was in Baghdad when we initially pulled in. I was with Massey's unit. I was embedded with the unit, as were three other -- four other journalists, actually. And we went to that prison and I was there the next morning.
And not only did I not see any protesters, nobody saw any protesters. And not for weeks. Because during that time, it was a very, very dangerous period. It was basically four kinds of Iraqis. There were Iraqis who were happy to see the marines. There were Iraqis who were shooting at the marines and me, too, and the other journalists. There were Iraqis who were looting and that was probably what we saw most of. And there were finally Iraqis staying at home because they were afraid.
COSTELLO: Yes, but Ron, if there was completely untrue, I mean, this guy has made it into pretty big publications like "Vanity Fair." He's written a book that's bee published in France.
HARRIS: Oh, it's been published everywhere. Nobody -- in not one publication or not one broadcast, is there any corroboration. It's just Jimmy Massey's story. Nobody ever called a journalists who were covering him. Nobody ever interviewed the marines, which I did all of. Nobody ever checked his story. They don't even have another source that says on background or another source who didn't want to be quoted. It's just Jimmy Massey's story.
COSTELLO: Well, let's face it -- let's say these stories were true. Would the marines -- wouldn't be forthcoming about that. Oh, yes, we killed innocent Iraqi people. They're not going to admit that.
HARRIS: No, no, no. That's not true. In fact, the marines, we were there embedded with the marines. And the marines did shoot innocent civilians. And we covered that. In fact, covered that -- the photographer with me, Andrew Cartero (ph) shot pictures of innocent civilians who had been accidentally shot by the Marine Corps. We wrote stories and Andy took photographs of a British television crew that was shot and killed by the Marine Corps on the second day of the war. COSTELLO: Well, Ron, let's go to some of those photos. We have one photo that this photographer took, and it shows two women who are bloody. You say this further disproves Jimmy Massey's story. In what way?
HARRIS: In that case, Jimmy Massey claimed that a 4-year-old girl was shot in the head. That was the particular shooting incident. In fact, there were civilian shot in that car by Marines. Nobody died.
Andrew Cartero, again, the photographer for "The Post Dispatch," took those photographs. And as you can see in those pictures, there are people there. Nobody died. I talked to the medic who treated them. And I traveled with him for more than a month, Petty Officer Justin Poviance (ph). He told me nobody died in that incident.
COSTELLO: Well, let's go to one other picture, and this is really gruesome. So I' going to warn people to turn away if you want to see it. But this a tractor trailer. Jimmy Massey says it was filled with women, children and men. What do you say?
HARRIS: We were there. Those are photographs by Andrew Katraro. I saw it. Michael Phillips from "Wall Street Journal" saw it. Robbie Nesbit (ph) from Associated Press saw it. Those were men on a military base who had been killed by U.S. artillery, but there were no women or children in those tractor trailers. Those tractor trailer were used as sort of a makeshift morgue. They were refrigerated trucks, and they had been killed by American bombing. Initially the military thought that they had been killed by Saddam Hussein. They thought maybe it was a war crime.
COSTELLO: OK, I have to ask you this before I have to let you go.
HARRIS: OK.
COSTELLO: Why would this staff sergeant, Jimmy Massey, lie about these things, and say such terrible things about his own comrades?
HARRIS: Well, one of the things that has happened -- number one, Jimmy Massey, I don't know why, but I can just speculate a couple of things. Number one, Jimmy Massey was honorably discharged for post- traumatic stress syndrome. The second thing, Jimmy Massey has profited off of this. He does have a book. He has a Web site in which he sells his story on a CD for a hundred dollars. I think it's called jimmymassey.com. So it's been profitable for Jimmy Massey to keep telling this lie.
COSTELLO: Ron Harris from the "St. Louis Post Dispatch," thank you for joining us this morning.
Where are the rest of the MSM dupes--from the Associated Press to the Washington Post to Vanity Fair and USA Today--who blindly peddled Jimmy Massey's lies and lionized him under the guise of responsible journalism?
Laer Pearce is keeping tabs. You should, too.
Google News search: Jimmy Massey
Wizbang has more. ABP covers the story. So does LGF.
Here's the e-mail I sent to WaPo reporter Doug Struck this morning. I'll let you know if I receive a response:
Mr. Struck--
On Dec. 8, 2004, you had a bylined piece in the Washington Post highlighting the testimony of Jimmie Massey, the former U.S. Marine staff sergeant who testified at a deserter's Canadian asylum hearing that his unit killed at least 30 unarmed civilians in Iraq during the war in 2003 and that Marines routinely shot and killed wounded Iraqis.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigated Massey's claims and debunked them this Sunday.
Do you or someone else at the Post plan on following up?
***
No Pasaran covers Massey's French dupes.
Jim Hoft connects the dots between two anti-military smear artists.
***
Previous:
Jimmy Massey: A slanderer and his MSM enablers
An anti-war smear artist exposed
Jeremy spoke in Canada today
Do you or someone else at the Post plan on following up?
"This post goes out to all those good ol' boy soldiers out there who insist that Kerry is a traitor and aided the enemy in a time of war. My question is, are these soldiers traitors too? ...Hoffman, Brandon Hughey, and Staff Sergeant Jimmy Massey?"Today we can assure Arianna that the answer is a resounding, "Yes". Yes, Arianna Jimmy Massey is a traitor, too!
I have found some old-time VVAW names & others, involved now with VAIW & IVAW:And, in a public ceremony, the torch was passed in Central Park on July 24, 2004 from the Vietnam Vets Against the War to the Iraqi War Veterans Against the War.
Jan Barry (Jan Barry Crumb)-
--1967: founder of VVAW; moderator at WSI in Detroit, Jan/Feb 1971.
Joe Bangert
--9/07/70: With Kerry/Fonda at Operation RAW (Rapid American Withdrawal), Valley Forge, PA
--1/31/71: Testified at WSI: ...the men were afraid to complain about such atrocities because those who complained were subject to harsh discipline by company commanders.
--FBI/Sec. 2, p38, data on flyer about WSI testimony being handed out: JOE BANGERT, 22, Sgt. E-5, helicopter gunner (1968-69), PA resident, testifies to the disembowlment and skinning of Vietnamese woman by an American, after she was killed by ARVNs. Body was hung on a tree as a warning to other gooks. He further testifies to killing villagers - 20 or more women, children, old men -- in helicopter assaults near Cam Lo, and of civilians shot without provocation along Highway 1 near Dong Ha in Oct. 1969
--5/19/97: Paid respects at tomb of Ho Chi Minh (indicated founding date of the VVAW - 5/19/67 - coincides with birthdate of late Vietnamese President)
--2003: At Joe's Pub in NY went on stage to sing "Ballad of Ho Chi Minh" in original Vietnamese (ode to the pres. of No. VN)
--2004: Endorses VAIW
David Cline
Daniel Ellsberg
--1965-67 - worked at US Embassy in Saigon; 6/30/71 leaked pentagon papers
--8/25/71 per FBI/S5,p.231: spoke along with Kerry/VVAW & McGovern & others at the National Student Assoc. Congress in CO
--2004: Truth Telling Project- urging people to leak secret govt. docs.
--2004: Endorses VAIW
--Ellsberg: Truth Telling Project: 7/12/04 AP - "Pentagon Papers Whistleblower Calls for National Security Leaks", by Martha Mendoza (full article: SOURCE)
Michael Hoffman
Bobby Muller (Mueller?)
--1978 founds the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). The VVA also describes John Kerry as a "co-founder" of the organization. In the late 1980s, Mueller & the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) split from the VVA.
--Led a VVAF delegation to Hanoi, where he praised the communist leadership of Vietnam & laid a wreath on the grave of Ho Chi Minh.
Stephen S. Noetzel
Barry Romo
--4/71: involved in Dewey Canyon protest and threw his ribbons
--12/72: Went to North Vietnam with peace delegation which included Joan Baez. Romo was the first combat veteran to visit Hanoi.
--2004: Contact & National Coordinator for VVAW
--2004: Contact for VAIW
--2004: Assoc. with IVAW thru Cline
...One grizzled ex-Marine climbs a shelf-rock and yells out "Let's hear it for IRAQ VETERANS AGAINST THE WAR!". Joe goes on to cite the Announcement of the Founding of IVAW "7/24/04, in Boston MA!" "Come on up here Mike, and say a few words". This call interrupts a historic moment, taking place just a few yards away. Mike Hoffman, founder of Iraq Veterans Against the war, is engaged in quiet conversation, with the ever understated Jan Barry, founder of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. The Passing of the Torch. Then Mike is up on stage... introducing addnl. members of IVAW, and thanking the Vietnam Vets for their Inspiration and Mentorship. Each of the New Vets takes their turn at "a few words for the brothers".. "Just like you guys", says one, "we are growing like wildfire because, like yours, our leadership has failed us, and our cause is JUST". "Just like you guys", says another, "we answered The Bell, and did our job. Now it's time for THEM to do right by US!".Michelle Malkin has more on Jimmy Massey today and wrote about his support of an American draft dodger last year.
Dave Cline says a few words to define the Moment. Like many old Vietnam Vets, he recognized long ago, that the Invasion of Iraq had DEEP parallels with our sad mis-adventure in Vietnam. For starters, yet another immoral, illegal war. He's been working tirelessly since the very start of the Bombing of Baghdad, to bring the collective experience of VVAW to the grunts in uniform, doing the dirty work of our Government, in the heat, and sand, and chaos, that is Iraq. "The torch is being passed", says Dave. "Right here, Right now, my long-time dream is coming true, and the Torch is being PASSED!". A mighty cheer arises in Central Park...
OMG! Change the hair and he's Al Franken!
We knew their dishonest "we support the troops but not the war" mantra wouldn't last long. They live to trash the military and everyone in it. Just ask John Kerry.
Ping - Ping - Ping
I would love to send this idiots to France right now.
I always wonder, in a situation such as this, if there isn't some way to even up the score. Some sort of retribution that can be inflicted on scum like this.
They cause all of this damage to innocent parties, in this case almost any one who is serving in the military, and then they get to waltz because of cover provided by the leftists.
There's simply no price to pay and so others are encouraged to emulate.
Isn't there some way to put a little 'payback' on this POS?
They cause all of this damage to innocent parties, in this case almost any one who is serving in the military, and then they get to waltz because of cover provided by the leftists.
There's simply no price to pay and so others are encouraged to emulate.
Isn't there some way to put a little 'payback' on this POS?
Public humiliation by the new media seems to be the best medicine.
So far the St. Louis Dispatch and CNN of the liberal MSM have covered the story. And I'm sure there are a few more by now.
It's times like this that I wished I had listened to my old man and had gone to law school.
I would become a legal crusader of the right and go after these jerks for slander, etc, whatever, just like the radical lawyers of the left have so successfully done over the last 70 years.
We don't have a Morris Dees of the Southern Poverty Law Center. This POS jumps in everytime there is a threat from the right and stifles it with lawsuits, etc.
It would be great to see Massey sued and the profits from his book deal 'redistributed' to something worthwhile like an educational fund for children of Marine KIA's.
Very good!
"former" Marine, my ass.
Let's just call him an EX-marine, and be done with it.
That puts him in the same select group as Lee Harvey Oswald.
Gee... I sure would hate to see him have some kinda accident or sum'tim.
As a Marine, I'd like to take a horse whip to this lying bastard!
Recruiter-turned-peacenik hits nerve in N.C.
My headline:
"SWALLOW-BEFORE-READING-BARF ALERT!"
Kill! Kill! Kill!
"The book was being released first in France -- and in French -- because, he said, 'I didn't find an American publisher.'"
His publisher said that, while an English language version of the book was still pending, a Spanish edition would be coming out early next year.
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