Reply #46: My letter: [View All]

I wouldn't normally post an entire letter; however, if anyone feels like writing, most of it's here:

To NPR ombudsman:

Last night, 10/16/03, Eric Westerveld of NPR reported on the career of General Wesley Clark, and the release of his military records. This report was disturbing for several reasons.

First, Mr. Westerveld discounted the entire record, which included glowing recommendations from Colin Powell and others, and instead focused on negative statements from a variety of former military brass who clearly have a bias toward the Bush Administration. If Mr. Westerveld had researched this story, he would have been aware of the dubious nature of the accounts of these individuals who would seem to have a conflict of interests.

Links:

Dennis Reimer:
Director Mutual of America Life Insurance Company
Director Plato Learning
Director Microvision
Director DRS Technologies DRS on NYSE - defense electronics

PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 10, 2003--DRS Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: DRS - News) announced today that it has been awarded an
initial order on a potential multi-year contract, expected to exceed $20 million in value over the next four years.

DRS Press Release: DRS secured a first quarter record amount of new orders for products and services at $193.4 million, reflecting an increase of 39% over the $139.2 million in bookings for the comparable prior-year period. Funded backlog reached the highest level in the Company's history, at approximately $893.9 million at June 30, 2003, reflecting a 46% gain above backlog at the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2003.

Hugh Shelton:
Director, Red Hat - software, the Linux OS

NEW YORK - Three weeks ago, John P. Stenbit, chief information officer of the U.S. Department of Defense, issued an agencywide memo that has Linux lovers rejoicing. The brief outlined the DOD's policy on acquiring, using and developing open-source software,including the Linux operating system.

Director, Anteon Corporation International - IT to defense department

Anteon Awarded $10M BPA to Support Naval Air Systems Command

FAIRFAX, Va., Oct 8, 2003 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Anteon International Corporation (NYSE:ANT), a leading information technology and systems engineering and integration company, announced today that it has been awarded a five-year Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) to provide cost estimating and analysis services to the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). The estimated value of the BPA, if all options are exercised, is $10 million.

From GOP.gov
http://www.gop.gov/committeecentral/docs/bills/107/1/bill.asp?bill=hconres_shelton

And when he received the Eisenhower Award from Business Executives for National Security, who came to dinner?

DepSecDef to Speak at BENS Award Dinner
Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz will make remarks during the 2001 Business Executives for National Security Eisenhower Award Dinner
Thursday, May 3, 2001, 8:30 p.m. EDT, the Corcoran Ballroom, Four Seasons Hotel, Washington, D.C.

The award dinner will honor Gen. Henry H. Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Interested media should contact Michael Doubleday, vice president of communications, BENS, (202) 296-2125.

Marc Cisneros:

President, Texas A&M Kingswood
Member Defense Policy Board
(with Wolfowitz, Perle, Gingrich)

In 1997, then Gov. George Bush appointed him to the state Jail Standards Commission. In 1998, he was elected president of Texas A&M University, where he also serves on the advisory council for the Bush School of Government and Public Policy. He has given speeches at the Bush Library. In the runup to the 2000 election, Cisneros facilitated a speech from former President Bush to Texas A&M students, in which Bush said "It hurts far more to hear my boy criticized than it does when I'm criticized."


Second, in any balanced and well research piece of journalism, the reporter would have also easily learned of prior statements that clearly conflict with what they are saying now that General Clark is opposing Mr. Bush. I have provided the citings for a variety of statements that would seem to raise doubts about the sincerity of the Mr. Westerveld’s sources:

Links:

http://www.dod.gov/speeches/2000/s20000502-secdef.html

To help preserve that freedom at the end of the century, America turned to the leader that we honor today. In General Wes Clark, America found a scholar, a soldier and a statesman: a scholar who understands the forces of history on our time; a soldier of unquestioned courage – a Bronze and Silver Star hero – who, despite grievous wounds, inspired his unit to survival in the jungles of Vietnam, and as soldier of insight who returned home to train those who prevailed in Desert Storm. He is a statesman, whose influence has been felt from the Americas, where he helped to guide the fight against drug barons, to Dayton, where his counsel helped end the bloodletting of Bosnia.

Now, it has been said that, "without passion, man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark." Future historians will recount how the passionate leadership of Wes Clark and the dedicated men and women of this command combined to spark new possibilities across this continent, forging new bonds in a great Partnership for Peace and serving alongside soldiers from some 38 nations to bring peace to Bosnia and Kosovo. (William Cohen)
______________________________________________

http://www.dod.gov/news/May2000/n05032000_20005033.html

"Your ability to carry out the multitude of day-to-day activities, along with major operations, proves once again that you are equal to any task," the chairman said. "You are responsible for a very vital and dynamic area of the world. … You have never let us down, and I know that you never will." (General Shelton)

Finally, what is most disturbing about NPR’s sanctioning this story and Westerveld’s repeating it, nearly verbatim a clearly negative piece regarding General Clark’s service to this country that ran seven separate times on CNN, is how curiously it dovetails a push poll recently conducted in New Hampshire:

About a week ago a fake polling firm was calling people in NH and trying to pushpoll in favor of Dean, and against Wesley Clark.
One of the people called said the following:

In the next series of questions she said she was asked whether she thought candidate "A", which had the background similar to Gov. Howard Dean's, was best prepared for the presidency or candidate "B", who had a military and non-political background like Clark.
When she said she preferred candidate "B" she was then asked a series, she says, that asked her if she would still support General Clark (saying Clark by name and no longer using terms like candidate "B") more if she had known he had voted for Republicans or had his integrity questions by former General Hugh Shelton, Clark former commanding officer.
"The questions appeared to go from a regular poll that I usually take to getting slimy in tone," Mayer said in an interview. "At one point I said 'what are you doing', but she didn't say anything.
http://www.politicsnh.com/archives/pindell/2003/september/10_8pp.shtml

It would seem the Mr. Westerveld has some explaining to do.

By producing a report that left out the evidence of General Clark’s documented record, while pushing “talking points” being advanced by people contradicting themselves, while advancing their personal agendas, Mr. Westerveld has exhibited an agenda of his own. Why else would someone relying on his credentials as a reporter, fail so miserably at the task of investigating a sensitive issue. One that would be heard by people who might be considering voting for General Clark. Fortunately for our country, Clark took his duty far more seriously, and performed it far more honorably.

Therefore, since it is “pledge break” around my area, I will be voting on Mr. Westerveld, and NPR’s credibility with my pocketbook by keeping it closed. I am truly sorry to see a news service I once held in high esteem fall to the likes of J. Berry.

Sincerely,