Re: Ed Jones’ March 25 commentary, “Golfer demonstrates more ethics than Libby�:
Jones must teach at another school besides Pierce College, namely the University of MSU (Making Stuff Up).
He chooses to unfortunately rewrite history when he says that I. Lewis “Scooter� "Libby deliberately exposed the name of an undercover CIA operative, Valerie Plame, to reporters to discredit her husband, Joe Wilson." Jones certainly knows better than this.
A special prosecutor was charged by the president to determine who actually made this leak. He quickly determined that the leak was made by an aide to Colin Powell — this aide doesn't apparently much like the president — but kept this information hushed while he continued the case anyway for two years. Libby was eventually charged with "obstruction of justice," a catch-all provision used to claim Libby's recollection of his conversations differed from the recollection of two reporters. It was all about memories of a case that never involved a crime.
During the trial, the judge would not allow a memory expert to testify. That expert would have told the jury just how unreliable memories can be so long after the fact. As Jones knows, just because a jury convicts, the defendant isn't necessarily guilty, just as when juries sometimes let the guilty go free. He also knows that prosecutors can get carried away, like the one who went after the Duke lacrosse players just to get re-elected.
Jones mentions Wilson's New York Times article as it were fact. However, many of Wilson's assertions were later confirmed as fiction.
Jones can do us all a favor by doing some research — like going to the Wall Street Journal Web site — before he draws conclusions from fiction.
— Pete Hockenmaier, Ventura
What history will show is that Bush and Cheney cynically used the tragedy of 9-11 to push for a war in Iraq that did not have to be waged. Their intentions are still unclear after four years of lies and duplicity.
The outing of Valarie Plame as a CIA operative was clearly a violation of the law. The only reason more administative jackals like Rove and Richard Armitage did not face indictment was due to their weak assertions that they didn't knowingly leak her identity, claiming her CIA identity was common knowledge.
Scooter lied to protect the Vice-President and Rove from further scrutiny. This shameless episode illustrates a vicious and petty campaign to manage the propaganda that the invasion was justified in spite of evidence coming out at the time that much of the intelligence supporting the war was cherry picked or embellished.
The greatest evil of this administration is that it is always more interested in looking good than being good. God help America.
Pete,
Great spin. You berrate Jones for completing inadequate research and then you state, "Jones can do us all a favor by doing some research — like going to the Wall Street Journal Web site — before he draws conclusions from fiction." Doesn't Rupert Murdoch own The Wall Street Journal? As I'm sure you know he is a neo-conservative Republican and a memeber of CFI, as is president bush and cheney. So, do you think Murdoch has a say about what is printed? Pete, again, great job on the spin. And, I believe that most Americans who are not critical thinkers would believe and agree with what you wrote above. Yet, as long as there is one thinking American, this administration will not get away with what seems to be going on.
— Pete Hockenmaier, Ventura