Posted on 09/28/2004 7:11:30 PM PDT by RatherBiased.com
Daniel Irvin Rather must be a masochist. You'd think that in the midst of the terrible publicity he is currently getting for working closely with a partisan Democrat bent on bringing down President Bush that Dan Rather would have the good sense to lay off the liberal bias for a while. But common sense seems to be in short supply at CBS News these days.
Three weeks after he denounced the internet as being "filled with rumors," the embattled CBS anchor ran a story on his Tuesday "Evening News" program hoping to stir up fear of an impending military draft.
In a story that was a textbook example of slipshod reporting, CBS reporter Richard Schlesinger used debunked internet hoax emails and an unlabeled interest group member to scare elderly "Evening" viewers into believing that the U.S. government is poised to resume the draft.
At the center of Schlesinger's piece was a woman named Beverly Cocco, a Philadelphia woman who is "sick to my stomach" that her two sons might be drafted. In his report, Schlesinger claimed that Cocco was a Republican and portrayed her as an apolitical (even Republican) mom worried about the future.
Schlesinger did not disclose that Cocco is a chapter president of an advocacy group called People Against the Draft (PAD) which, in addition to opposing any federal proscription, seeks to establish a "peaceful, rational foreign policy" by bringing all U.S. troops out of Iraq. Like Schlesinger's Cocco, the group portrays itself as "nonpartisan"although its leadership seems to be entirely bereft of any Republicans.
The group's domain is registered to a man named Jacob Levich, a left-wing activist who in a 2001 essay compared the Bush Administration to the totalitarian government portrayed in George Orwell's 1984.
PAD also lists Anita Dutt, a Green Party activist who is also a member of an anti-war group called Bronx Action for Justice and Peace. In a March 3, 2003 New York Times profile of the group reprinted on the organization's web site, Heidi Hynes, one of its leaders, said of her fellow members that "none of us are Republicans."
Also left out of the CBS story was the fact that while there are two bills in Congress that are seeking to reestablish the draft, both of them (S-89 and HR-163) are sponsored exclusively by Democrats and have been pronounced DOA by the Republican leadership.
Much more on this to come but in the mean time, click read more to see the transcript or watch the clip by clicking on the picture to the right.
DAN RATHER: 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: Beverly Cocco has spent most of her life protecting children in Philadelphia.
(Footage of Cocco in job as crossing guard)
SCHLESINGER: She usually worries about other people's kids.
(Footage of Cocco in job as crossing guard)
SCHLESINGER: But as Election Day approaches, it's her own two grown sons who Beverly is most worried about.
BEVERLY COCCO ("Pennsylvania Voter"): 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.
Sen. JOHN KERRY (Democratic presidential candidate): 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.
Pres. GEORGE W. BUSH: The war on terror will continue. It's going to take a while and no, we don't need a draft.
SCHLESINGER (voiceover): But Beverly's not buying it. She's a Republican, but she's also a single issue voter.
(on-camera) Would you vote for a Democrat?
COCCO: Absolutely. I would vote for Howdie Doody if I thought it would keep my boys home and safe.
SCHLESINGER (voiceover): In fact, there are at least three votes in this house riding on the draft: Beverly's and her sons,' Carmen [sic] and Nick.
(on-camera) Are you guys worried about being drafted?
NICK COCCO (College senior): Yeah. It's the talk. The talk's there. Though people aren't actually coming out and saying it, it's, 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 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 is 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.
Here is a link to H.R. 163 if anyone is interested:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:H.R.163:
I've heard some Dem friends mention it also ... many of them are aware that it was Charlie Rangel that was pushing the draft ... and I didn't have to tell them
Others are so far left .. they will believe anything thing bad about President Bush
This stunt from CBS sounds like a stunt from DNC/Movon.org .. they have been going to college campus across the country trying to scare kids into voting
Kind of like how they like to say we republicans are going to throw Grannie down the stairs, make her eat dog food and steal her money
Spining an ineffectually bill for pure propaganda has to have some kind of downside, doesn't it??
she was so worried that her 18 year old son would be drafted... Even said they have closed all loop-holes so they could not get college deferment, or even go to Canada.
So they are all cooperating in this HUGE LIE!!!!
Just astonishing that they would do this now of all times.
Does not bode well for Bush?
I'm sure he is expecting any and all lies, drama queens, useful idiots, and "new" voters scared out of their wits.
It has been in the elite NY media/Dem playbook for years.
The racist, bigot, homophobe, starve and kill old people and children lines, got them 40 years of the Congress.
Not much you can do about conspirazoids.
Kerry's proposal can be found at the following link. They have already removed it from his website:
http://www.mcgath.com/kerryslavery.html
The site is so busy now that it is very hard to get through to it.
That depends upon whether Republicans can inform people that all of the politicians who are actually calling for a draft are Democrats. If people realize that, they might be very unhappy that the Democrats were trying to sucker them into voting for them so that then they'd be able to have a draft. If the Democrats sign up lots of people who suddenly realize what the Demorats were up to, it could very easily backfire on them.
No one is watching cBS News....
You should get your story over to Richard Thornburgh, so he can include it with his report on CBS.
I spy, with my little eye, a load of crap.
Sometimes it seems like if you get three people standing together you will soon have hundreds more forming a line behind the original three. It is an amazing phenomenon.
It'll be a few years yet before Howdie makes a run for the presidency...
The Kerry camp coordinators have fired up a series of scare ads on the draft. As is usual for "progressives", accusing their opponents of what they themselves secretly plan.
Before getting to the details, it's important to note that this issue is not primarily about a military draft. It's about Universal National Service. Stealing two years from every life, then 3, and why stop there ...
And National Service is less about service than about indoctrinating the slaves by controlling the agenda of the approved forms of service
But make no mistake about it, if Kerry is elected, they'll also need a draft to meet military manpower requirements, because voluntary enlistments and re-enlistments will drop to near zero.
The Bush Administration has done zero to move toward a draft and does not support it.
The only bills submitted are by Democrats. One of them, HR 163, bears the title:
"Universal National Service Act of 2003" it includes the provision:
"...or a period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security, and for other purposes."
... and for other purposes ...
Involuntary servitude, i.e. slavery, doing whatever bidding the ruling class prescribes.
Although Kerry and Edwards are on the campaign trail promising to oppose a draft, they in fact support UNS, but are hiding that. And even if they were to oppose UNS, you already know what a Kerry promise or position is worth.
Where have they been on this issue?
Kerry has removed a page, formerly at:
http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/natservice
and still referenced by dissidents at:
http://www.comdsd.org/article_archive/JustasUrgent.htm "(II) A MANDATORY HIGH SCHOOL SERVICE REQUIREMENT. As President, John Kerry will ensure that every high school student in America does community service as a requirement for graduation. . . ."
The current K+E National Service is more watered down: http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/national_service/ Apparently, the older position was too honest. And Edwards? Go see:
http://www.senate.gov/~edwards/issues/educ/service.html
Expect exemptions for the children of rich politicians.
The Selective Service System is already in place, and could be reactivated in the event of some unforseen emergency (Canada threatens to invade us :-). If Kerry is defeated, the SSS, unneeded since Vietnam, is most likely to remain right where it is today - dormant.
"Only the Dems want the draft."
No they don't. They just want to scare people and blame Bush. Dems will stop at nothing.
Not when ALL forms of communitcation are in the hands of the elite liberals.
How do you think the Dems held the congress for 40 years.
CBS, is doing this on purpose, they are part of the Kerry campaign, along with the rest of the media that have claimed "outrage" at CBS since Dan got caught.
This is a political battle for power, and as I have preached for 10 years, we are outnumbered.
Our enemy is located in the NY and Hollywood media, academia, and the halls of Congress. They have run our culture and our policies for decades.
They must be destroyed completely, or rejected at the polls consistantly, if only our pols would stop playing to the editorial pages, it would be a start.
Of course Bush does not for the most part, which is why he is hated more than OBL.
LoL I just used the link and signed it with my latest email account pajama_person@lycos.com
Think they will respond?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.