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AP stands by its story about anti-Bush SEAL (Freeper Travis McGee mentioned)
WorldNetDaily ^ | 9/13/04

Posted on 09/13/2004 1:43:11 PM PDT by ambrose

about anti-Bush SEAL

This is a WorldNetDaily printer-friendly version of the article which follows.
To view this item online, visit http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=40427

Monday, September 13, 2004



ELECTION 2004
AP stands by its story
about anti-Bush SEAL

Man with Muslim name doesn't come up on search of elite sailors


Posted: September 13, 2004
4:06 p.m. Eastern

By Ron Strom


© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

An Associated Press reporter is standing by his story that describes an anti-Bush veteran as a former Navy SEAL in the face of questions about whether or not the man was in fact a member of the elite unit.

The reporter, Elliott Minor says the Albany, Ga., man, Ahmad Majied, doesn't show up on lists of former SEALs because he changed his name when he converted to Islam after leaving the Navy.

In a story reporting the reactions of U.S. military personnel and veterans to allegations that President Bush failed to perform to National Guard standards, Minor quotes several current and former military men. Here is an excerpt from the AP story:

Ahmad Majied of Albany says the latest allegations about Bush's military record are more troubling to him than allegations about service honors leveled at Democratic challenger Kerry.

Majied, a Democrat from Albany who served 30 years in the Navy, including five years as a SEAL in Vietnam, said the memos support his belief that Bush was a "playboy" during his service years.

"He had enough money to get what he wanted," Majied said. "I think his main concern was not to go to Southeast Asia. I bet he never dreamed it would come back to haunt him."

After reading the account, Travis McGee, a poster on FreeRepublic.com, contacted an organization called AuthentiSEAL, which researches claims by people posing as Navy SEALs, to see if Majied indeed had been a SEAL. According to his post, McGee received a response from Gregory Platt, an investigator with the group, saying the name Ahmad Majied does not come up on a search of former SEALs.

McGee says he became suspicious of the claim when he read that Majied had been in Vietnam for five years.

"When this fake SEAL's claim of spending five years in Vietnam was pointed out to me, I knew he couldn't be for real," he writes at Free Republic. "SEALs deployed to VN for six month tours, so 'five years in Vietnam' seemed highly improbable. I knew lots of multiple tour 'real deal Vietnam SEALs' during my peacetime duty in the teams in the 1980s, and I never heard of this guy.

"This only took a couple of minutes time for 'amateurs' on Free Republic to check out. The 'professional' journalists at the AP must have been to busy to do this basic checking."

In an interview with WorldNetDaily, however, Minor says he has no reason to disbelieve Majied's story.

"I really trust this guy," he said. "I believe he's a real straight shooter."

Minor says Majied didn't give him his previous name, "and I didn't press the matter."

The vet has received "nasty calls" since the issue has been publiclized, Minor says, adding, "This is a very peaceful guy. … There's a peace about his voice."

Minor says Majied homeschools his seven children. "These are really upstanding people," he told WND.

The AP reporter addressed McGee's criticism of spending five months in Vietnam, saying Majied told him he was based in the Philippines and would go to Vietnam for short stints and then return to the islands.

"Altogether it was probably five years [in Vietnam]," Minor said.

Minor spoke to Majied this afternoon to try to verify the issue, and he said the veteran has refused to speak to other media about the issue.

He said of the Majieds: "I've met them around town, and they're just nice people. … I just really think a lot of him."

Internet bloggers challenging the claims of mainstream media outlets has become more prevalent recently. It was on the Net where the first questions were raised about National Guard memos CBS News claims show that Bush's former commander, Lt. Col. Jerry B. Killian, was resisting pressure from his superior, Col. Walter B. "Buck" Staudt, to "sugarcoat" Bush's officer evaluation files.

Document experts and amateur sleuths began questioning the memos' authenticity within hours after they were published on the Internet, citing typographical and formatting issues that suggest they were created by a modern-day word processor rather than a Vietnam War-era typewriter.

Despite the irregularities of the memos and the fact that a source CBS used to prove its case is saying the documents are forgeries, network anchor Dan Rather stands by the story he presented on "60 Minutes II" last week.

Related stories:

Bush Guard papers forged, says source

Rather backs docs on Evening News

Ben Barnes' daughter: Father lied about Bush

CBS News denies Bush docs forged


Ron Strom is a news editor for WorldNetDaily.com.



TOPICS: Free Republic; Front Page News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: ahmadmajied; ap; associatedpress; congrats; elliottminor; fakeseal; fakeseals; majied; medialies; mediots; minor; poorjournalism; seal; seals
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To: ambrose

Homeschooling terrorists. Great.


21 posted on 09/13/2004 1:50:32 PM PDT by justshutupandtakeit (My Father was 10x the hero John Fraud Kerry is.)
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To: siunevada

Minor league reporting?


22 posted on 09/13/2004 1:50:37 PM PDT by NonValueAdded (hey, hey, ho, ho ... Kerry, sign the one-eight-oh!)
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To: rolling_stone

Yep, if the guy won't give his real name...we can find it.


23 posted on 09/13/2004 1:50:38 PM PDT by Feiny (Here's to swimmin with bow legged women!)
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To: ambrose; Travis McGee
Minor says Majied homeschools his seven children. "These are really upstanding people," he told WND.

Oh, please!!! If he came by my house, where we're Christians homeschooling seven children, the story would be about how we're a Threat To The American Way Of Life because our children are being "indoctrinated" in our "exclusive" religious beliefs, instead of learning to be "inclusive" and "nonjudgmental" in the public schools. (/rant)

Great work, Travis McGee! FReeper-Vets are #1!

24 posted on 09/13/2004 1:50:51 PM PDT by Tax-chick (Dick Cheney is MY dark, macho, paranoid Vice President!)
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To: Travis McGee

BUMP! Good work, my FRiend!


25 posted on 09/13/2004 1:51:16 PM PDT by bootless (Never Forget - And Never Again)
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To: Richard Poe

Have you started your next book?
It's falling in your lap.


26 posted on 09/13/2004 1:51:22 PM PDT by netmilsmom (Morologus es!)
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To: colorado tanker

Yes, this reporter "trusts" him only because he hates Bush. Want to bet that this reporter does not "trust" 250+ Swift Boat Vets? Crappy reporting. If this was pulled in journalism school, the student would get an "F".


27 posted on 09/13/2004 1:51:44 PM PDT by KC_Conspirator (This space outsourced to India)
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To: dirtboy

You misunderstand. I would like to think that a real Seal would kick my a ss. I am willing stake an a sskicking to prove a point, not just to kick someone's as s. The fact that I'd get to is just a happy by-product.


28 posted on 09/13/2004 1:51:54 PM PDT by Hank All-American (Free Men, Free Minds, Free Markets baby!)
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To: ambrose
Minor says Majied homeschools his seven children.

sad - gives homeschooling a bad name.

29 posted on 09/13/2004 1:52:08 PM PDT by cinives (On some planets what I do is considered normal.)
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To: ambrose; Travis McGee
The AP reporter addressed McGee's criticism of spending five months in Vietnam...

It's kinda funny how the reporter refers to Travis McGee like that his real name, rather than a fairly well-known literary character.

30 posted on 09/13/2004 1:52:27 PM PDT by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: ambrose

Way to go Travis McGee!! Bump to ya!


31 posted on 09/13/2004 1:52:28 PM PDT by upchuck (You do know that the Tasmanians, who never committed adultery, are now extinct, don't you?)
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To: colorado tanker
AP backs the story even though they don't know this guy's name because the reporter "trusts" him after a phone interview??? I guess AP doesn't care how stupid it looks.

Insane world we live in isn't it. These people are no better than Weekly World News.
32 posted on 09/13/2004 1:52:38 PM PDT by Arkinsaw
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To: ambrose

hey, if Minor FEELS that he is a NICE person, who are you FReepers to challenge him ... he didn't need no stinkin' verifying


33 posted on 09/13/2004 1:52:46 PM PDT by EDINVA (a FReeper in PJ's beats a CBS anchor in a suit every time)
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To: ambrose; astounded; Criminal Number 18F; Grampa Dave; Freee-dame; maica; Eaker; Squantos; ...
Actually, I made two moon landings as a NASA astronaut.

(But it was under another name, and I won't tell you what it was.)

You believe me, don't you?

Hey, maybe now the AP will quote me as an expert on NASA issues? They'll just take my word for it about my moon landings, without checking.

What a load of horse crap. This fake SEAL could clear up the situation with a couple of sentences. When did he go through training? What teams were he assigned to? When and where was he in Viet Nam "for five years total?" What are the names of some of his team mates who will certainly remember this SEAL who was in Viet Nam for five years?

This is such a steaming load of bull crap. Of course, the AP just takes this liar's word for it, because he was slamming Bush.

34 posted on 09/13/2004 1:53:05 PM PDT by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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To: ambrose

Let me see if I have this straight. The AP finds this one guy, ONLY this one guy who says Bush was a playboy. His claim to fame is that he's a Viet Nam Navy Seal so that gives him some credibility. Okay? Right so far?

BUT

It turns out one of us bloggers checked up on this guy, and guess what, he never was a Navy Seal. Was he even in the Navy?

What the Hel**** is going on in here? Last week you have AP erroneously reporting "booing" at a Bush Wisconsin rally.

nick


35 posted on 09/13/2004 1:53:38 PM PDT by nikos1121
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To: ambrose

He is a FAKE SEAL for sure, no question. If he was real he would want show proof. It is just mind boggling a SEAL would spent 5 years in VN. AND he says he used the word SEAL and not a UDT? The AP sure is looking the other way with this democrat.


36 posted on 09/13/2004 1:53:40 PM PDT by The Bandit
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To: ambrose
"Minor says Majied didn't give him his previous name, "and I didn't press the matter."

Pulleeeeeze! 'Press the matter' (?) ie asking him what his name was; when he was enlisted?

OMG. . .these people are beyond hopeless; their are simply and determinedly, blinded to the 'morally superior' truth of the matter.

Truth is where they get cut off at the knees. And they don't care; it it's worth a poisoning a few minds. . .then it's worth doing just that.

37 posted on 09/13/2004 1:54:18 PM PDT by cricket (Don't lose your head. . vote Republican. . .)
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To: fortheDeclaration
The reporter, Elliott Minor says the Albany, Ga., man, Ahmad Majied, doesn't show up on lists of former SEALs because he changed his name when he converted to Islam after leaving the Navy.

Ah, SO! He's a Muslim, so OF COURSE he supports Kerry!!!!!!
38 posted on 09/13/2004 1:54:30 PM PDT by TexasGreg ("Democrats Piss Me Off")
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To: ambrose

It should be very easy to check for a name change. Plenty of software available to run a background check and it's fairly inexpensive.


39 posted on 09/13/2004 1:54:45 PM PDT by Captain Peter Blood
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To: ambrose
While checking court records for name changes, check to see if the AP reporter used to be named Jayson Blair.
40 posted on 09/13/2004 1:55:07 PM PDT by Malesherbes
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