Posted on 11/08/2015 11:10:05 AM PST by SeekAndFind
In his acclaimed autobiography, Gifted Hands, Ben Carson says he had an offer and scholarship from the West Point military academy as a teenager, which he declined in favor of Yale University.
"I was offered full scholarship to West Point," Carson wrote, describing a meeting with Gen. William Westmoreland.
"I didn't refuse the scholarship outright, but I let them know that a military career wasn't where I saw myself going. As overjoyed as I felt to be offered such a scholarship, I wasn't really tempted. The scholarship would have obligated me to spend four years in military service after I finished college, precluding my chances to go on to medical school."
There are immediate problems here. There are no scholarships to West Point â all costs are covered for all students. And the only way to get an offer is to apply, but the school has no record of Carson's application. When pressed by Politico, Carson's campaign conceded he never applied.
"He was introduced to folks from West Point by his ROTC Supervisors,â explained his campaign manager, Barry Bennett. âThey told him they could help him get an appointment based on his grades and performance in ROTC. He considered it but in the end did not seek admission."
[SNIP]
So, is Politico right? Did Carson "fabricate" his West Point story?
If you judge by the text of his book, as well as other statements about the same story, the answer is not exactly. Carson never claimed that he applied to the school. And while West Point doesn't give scholarships, it's not hard to see how encouragement from authority figures -- You're a shoo-in -- becomes, after years of telling and retelling, the tale of an offer and a scholarship. It's just how memory works.
Carson is guilty of run-of-the-mill embellishment.
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
“Too bad the good general isnât here to confirm all that ...”
Carson seems to have a habit of mentioning people that are dead, or mentioning people that he won’t name, so as to ‘respect their privacy’.
Either way, you have to take Carson’s word on it. And while he may be as honest as Jesus, we’ll have to take his word on that, also.
The thing too is that an informal conversation (that never went any farther) about getting an appointment to Westpoint suddenly got blown up by the media into “Carson said he got an appointment to Westpoint, the academy has no record that he even applied, so he’s a LIAR LIAR LIAR!!!”
This is much ado about nothing.
But it doesn't answer the question of why on earth they should be scared of Carson?
Yeah, that’s kinda bothersome. It comes like Bob Woodward, who has real pattern of suddenly recalling amazing conversations/interviews with people—AFTER they die.
It is not Ben who is lying. It is the left wing American media who hate and fear the power a decent man, an outsider, has generated with the public, who have grown to love him. He has committed a big sin in that he is a black conservative who is so developed in skill and wisdom that they have decided he must go. They must kill all admiration for him through lies and distortions and if they could hang him on a rope over a tree limb and get away with it, they would. (My opinion) What they are trying is pseudo assassination. I have seen the corrupt media do many outrageous things during my time, mostly through double speak and double standards, but this one is the most disturbing I have seen. There is just something so diabolical about what they are trying to do to Dr. Carson. It is hard for me to believe that any honest person could accept it without extreme anger. We will see what happens this week.
not a fib.
...”But it doesn’t answer the question of why on earth they should be scared of Carson?”...
He is black and conservative and he is gathering way too much power from the people. Also, the polls show that he can beat Hillary Clinton. Now, they can have that, can they?
Carson wants to raise the income taxes for most of the people in the country. The Democrats are salivating at the idea of running against someone like that.
Here is the video of Ben Carson saying,
“I was offered a full scholarship to West Point”
It starts at 29 seconds,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xRzFL0_TRo
They made Ben Carson the most honest person and he has been caught lying.
Why it is so big is because many of his followers think he is as pure, and he is not.
I know Ben Carson very intelligent, and a great surgeon.
I would not even mine seeing him in charge of undoing Obamacare, but that’s it.
His support for Open Borders is NOT acceptable.
His support for war in Syria is NOT acceptable.
His support for the TPP is NOT acceptable.
His support for force innoculation (aka medical tyranny) is NOT acceptable.
There is simply NO WAY I will ever vote for this guy. He is WRONG on too many issues.
Finally, the latest “Black Jesus” thing is a HUGE Red flag.
I think he is a STEALTH ESTABLISHMENT candidate.
I’ve seen it. Now you can research the fact that West Point called their free tuition a scholarship themselves. You had to be recommended for it. Carson took the conversation as an offer. I have heard interviews from others who received the same sort of offers in the same way.
The author is a moron. If West Point calls it a scholarship — a full gubmint scholarship, no less, including tuition, room, board, medical and dental, and a stipend — then how can the author fault Carson for calling it a scholarship?
Deceptive advertising (a USG specialty) — Unlike Yale, West Point scholarships have to be paid back with military service!
And the only way to get an offer is to apply, but the school has no record of Carson’s application.
The author is a moron. West Point deletes admission records after three years, except in the case of accepted candidates who go on to attend. So, even if Carson had actually been nominated and appointed and accepted but went to Yale instead, West Point would have no record of it.
Of course, in point of fact, the offer was informal and ended when Carson indicated his intention to pursue a medical career. So there would have been no paperwork for West Point to discard after three years. But nobody doubts that, if he had accepted the offer he was extended, he very likely would have been admitted to West Point.
BI on it’s knees once again.
Or perhaps what he said is how he mistakenly understood the situation.
The writer of this article is guilty of embellishment.
Spin, spin, spin all you want but everyone knows Carson flat out lied.
I am not spinning, just reporting truths you refuse to hear.
So don’t vote for him. I’m not voting for him either. But it has absolutely nothing to do with the lying charge that he lied in this matter. Neither do I support anyone who thinks this is an honorable way to advance their own campaign.
You are a tool of the Left.
Oh yeah THAT’S the ticket!
Here is your TPP, Amnesty supporting, Pro Syrian War loving, forced inoculation (aka medical tyranny) Ben Carson: “I was offered a full scholarship to West Point” (Oct 9, 2015)
He says it at 29 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xRzFL0_TRo
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