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Gordon Brown says sorry to mother in condolence letter row [shocking must read/ sobering photo]
The Guardian ^ | Tuesday 10 November 2009 22.08 GMT | Patrick Wintour,

Posted on 11/10/2009 6:13:36 PM PST by Former Military Chick

Gordon Brown invoked the memory of the death of his daughter in a desperate bid to convince his critics today that he understood the grief of families whose sons have died in action in Afghanistan.

Admitting he was shy, Brown gave an extraordinary personal confession at a Downing Street press conference after the Sun published extracts from a phone conversation between him and Jacqui Janes, the mother of a soldier, Jamie, killed in Helmand five weeks ago.

She had been enraged by a handwritten letter from Brown which misspelt her name, and appeared to contain numerous other spelling errors.

A transcript of a subsequent phone conversation between her and the prime minister was also published yesterday.

Her criticisms have tested Brown's ability to shore up public support for the war, and his ability to take the country through the raw emotions caused by a seemingly relentless death toll.

Behind the scenes, there is a private fury inside Downing Street at the way in which they believe the Sun has used a grieving mother to mount a political campaign against Brown.

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: afghanastan; brown; military
This is very sobering, the photo give's one pause, but the article is shocking, on so many accounts. Brown needs better handler's and if the Sun was involved shame on them.
1 posted on 11/10/2009 6:13:39 PM PST by Former Military Chick
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Comment #2 Removed by Moderator

To: avacado

Inn the meantime the chosen one show up at Fort Hood for a giant photo op.

What classy guy.


3 posted on 11/10/2009 6:22:52 PM PST by chiefqc
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To: avacado

In the meantime the chosen one show up at Fort Hood for a giant photo op.

What classy guy.


4 posted on 11/10/2009 6:23:28 PM PST by chiefqc
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To: Former Military Chick

Gordon Brown and Labour are set to suffer one of the worst landslides in UK history when their election is held in the Spring.


5 posted on 11/10/2009 6:35:51 PM PST by St. Louis Conservative
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To: Former Military Chick
She had been enraged by a handwritten letter from Brown which misspelt her name, and appeared to contain numerous other spelling errors.

To be fair, Gordon Brown is legally blind. He is 100% blind in one eye, and in the other eye he requires 48-pt type printed material to be able to read it. Of course being PM you ought to have a proofreader at your disposal.

6 posted on 11/10/2009 6:40:01 PM PST by montag813 (During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. -George Orwell)
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To: montag813

He wrote a personal hand written letter to the woman. I think you need to give him some credit for that.


7 posted on 11/10/2009 6:46:53 PM PST by DManA
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To: St. Louis Conservative

Gordon Brown and Labour are set to suffer one of the worst landslides in UK history when their election is held in the Spring.

And so will zero and his a##hat crew come November 2010!
We want our country back AND WE WILL GET IT!


8 posted on 11/10/2009 7:08:40 PM PST by ronnie raygun (Leaders who refuse to lead will be lead by the people)
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To: Former Military Chick

Better handler’s what?


9 posted on 11/10/2009 7:29:55 PM PST by Arthur McGowan (In Edward Kennedy's America, federal funding of brothels is a right, not a privilege.)
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To: DManA

I agree. And she got a lot more than she would have from zero. If zero wrote anything at all, he’d simply remind her how great he is and that he’s the first black president.

Brown is a bumbler for sure, but he’s got better manners than zero and I think he was sincere with this woman. People often lash out in their grief. I don’t know if that’s the case here, but it seems possible. Let’s not forget how we ended up with Cindy Sheehan. Anyway, I hope Mrs. Janes finds some comfort and peace. May God bless her.


10 posted on 11/10/2009 7:32:05 PM PST by bustinchops (Teddy ("The Hiccup") Kennedy - the original water-boarder)
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To: Former Military Chick

Isn’t Gordan Brown Legally blind?


11 posted on 11/10/2009 7:36:56 PM PST by usmcobra (Your chances of dying in bed are reduced by getting out of it, but most people still die in bed)
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To: Former Military Chick
"She had been enraged by a handwritten letter from Brown which misspelt her name, and appeared to contain numerous other spelling errors."

It's quite common for the victims of the present-day education systems to confuse spelling with education, intelligence and emotion. People use it typically to justify their disregard for the message and their pre-existing hostility to the message's author.

12 posted on 11/10/2009 8:09:20 PM PST by TopQuark
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To: DManA

I agree.


13 posted on 11/10/2009 8:23:59 PM PST by Norman Bates
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To: TopQuark

Eye cee, iff yew cain’t spel, it dont meen yer dumm, jus dat yew caint spel. yoo r reel smrt fer sharinng al dat infermayshun wit wee stoopid folk whut

Think that spelling and correct grammar are vital to efficient and accurate transfer of information.

Our language has been under assault from those who wish to *dumb down* the populace, and attitudes like yours only encourage them. Ebonics, anyone?

Oh, am I hostile there? Imagine that, some damn fool trying to defend the English language. How trite! How anti-progressive! What a dinosaur. FEH!


14 posted on 11/11/2009 2:17:23 AM PST by Don W (I will praise Him.)
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To: Former Military Chick

Enraged because of spelling errors? What a worthless woman.


15 posted on 11/11/2009 5:54:29 AM PST by green iguana
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To: green iguana
Enraged because of spelling errors?

If someone writes a condolence letter and misspells your name that's a pretty good indication that that person really isn't that sympathetic.

And if a national leader lets a letter out in his name (and handwriting) with a lot of spelling mistakes that's a pretty good indication that he is a screw-up.

Doesn't he have a secretary that could have given it a fast read? If he didn't that's an indication of serious arrogance and stupidity, and that he really didn't care and was just trying to get it out of the way.

16 posted on 11/11/2009 6:37:42 AM PST by Tribune7 (I am Joe Wilson!)
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To: Don W
Thank you, Don. My beliefs regarding the importance of the language are quite similar.

My original post was about something else, however: those that have been successfully dumbed down often equate spelling with content of the message (perhaps because they have not progressed much farther than that) and disregard a thought if it its written presentation contains misspellings.

17 posted on 11/11/2009 2:19:34 PM PST by TopQuark
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To: Tribune7

Good points, but... Were they really misspelled? Or just really bad handwriting? Remember, Brown is blind in one eye. I’m not, and I’ve written many an m, n, r, v, u, w etc., that all could be confused for something else.

She still seems like a world-class bi**h to me.


18 posted on 11/11/2009 5:07:55 PM PST by green iguana
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