Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's claim that a Veterans' Administration handbook urges veterans to "commit suicide" is an "asinine assertion with no basis in fact," says a veterans' group.
The group, Veterans for Common Sense, is demanding an apology from Steele for making the claim, and from Fox News for perpetuating the claim.
Steele made the comments on Fox Tuesday, during a debate about health care reform. Arguing that public health care would lead to people being forced to their deathbeds, Steele used the VA health system as proof this would come to pass.
"Just look at the situation with our veterans, when you have a manual out there telling our veterans stuff like, 'are you really of value to your community,' you know, encouraging them to commit suicide," Steele said.
"Let me be absolutely clear, Steele lied. There is no VA manual encouraging veterans to commit suicide," said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of VCS, in a press release.
The controversy began August 18, when an op-ed appeared in the Wall Street Journal, written by the former head of faith-based initiatives for the Bush administration, Jim Towey, claiming that the VA manual for veterans amounts to a "death book." Since then, the talking point has been picked up by opponents of health care reform.
Towey, as the White House has pointed out, runs an organization that offers a competing handbook to the one provided by the VA.
Veterans for Common Sense is also seeking redressal from Fox News for what it says was an unfair cropping of quotes from a VA document "to falsely suggest that the Obama administration is pressuring veterans to end their lives prematurely," as Media Matters reported.
-- Daniel Tencer
I am enjoying the Republicans spewing out all these lies and outlandish comments because the public's opinion of all this garbage is that the conservatives are a bunch of old men that had 8 years to screw up the the economy and the country and we may have a mid year election that throws more of these ridiculous people out of office. I think we should let the party of "no" keep up this rhetoric so more voters can laugh and say enough.
They can say anything they want, nobody goes out of their way to get the facts. Your cable provider "gives" you FAUX NEWS free on the first tier. If you want MSNBC, CNBC you have to pay to get the tier. So, the old fucks sit their and watch this shit, thinking it's news. Let's explain it another way:
Suppose you went to a NFL game. You sat there with 80,000 people and saw the final score 14 for the Bumfuck Pelicans and 13 for the Orwellian Evilspeakers. On your way home you turn on the radio and find out "they" are saying the "Evilspeakers" won...14 to 13.....They even cut up footage and showed on TV that it was 14-13, Evilspeakers.....You know the truth, you were there.......Do you think your "measly" 80k group can "prove" the score wrong?..... They have displayed it on every radio, TV nationwide. You're just a "sore" loser wearing a tin foil hat. That is what we are up against. Larry Flynt has the idea of a "one" day national strike when we don't buy a damn thing or work---that is the answer.
As usual, GOP chairlessman Michael Stelle does not know what he is talking about. He just has a list of talking points and the only thing he remembers is to mention them all during an interview. He does not possess any facts to support his claim and/or statements. He just simply "talks".
Dennycrane is right. The problem is, these GOP fucks spread their lies, and then it is too late.
Last week, I saw an article on Yahoo News that claimed 60% of the population believe in the myths about health care.
Last week, I also saw that the GOP sent out some maling which very clearly suggested that Obama's health care plan would, among other things, deny Republicans healthcare. Michael Steele has apologized, saying that it was poorly worded, but the problem is, it's already out there, and some percentage of the population, probably large, will likely still believe this.
It is unconsionable what these fuckers are doing. There is a special place in hell for Michael Steele and all other members of the GOP spreading these lies.
Denjudge,... if there's a special place in hell for Steele and the rest of the GOP liars, then I wish they'd hurry up and get there.
If the GOP is looking for a way to commit suicide, they could hardly do better than have Michael Steele for a chairman.
Has anyone ever seen such a clown? Where are his long floppy shoes?
The successful dissemination of these ludicrous lies is a sad commentary on the abundant lack of intelligent, critical thinking in our citizens.
[...] The Raw Story » Vets’ group assails Fox, GOP over ’suicide’ manual claim rawstory.com/blog/2009/08/vets-group-assails-fox – view page – cached Chairman Michael Steele's claim that a Veterans' Administration handbook urges veterans to "commit suicide" is an "asinine assertion with no basis in fact," says a veterans' group. — From the page [...]
When will Americans learn? The authoritarians on the Right have been using deceit based on fear-mongering like a murderous WMD since 9/11/01. If this tired old tactic is allowed to work again regarding real health-care reform and accountability for the war criminals in the Bush administration, our nation will not endure.
Democracy is simply not sustainable in a nation of ignorant cowards who are unable, still, to discern truth in a media world known to promote lies and call them news.
Citizens of a democratic Republic should have a sacred right to be informed and not disinformed by news media and politicians. An ignorant, misinformed electorate is the greatest enemy of our country. It is high time that Americans become far less tolerant of official lying and a lazy, over-paid press corps who recite political talking points rather than questioning and investigating pronouncements so outrageous that they don't ring true to small children.
These are public airwaves that these criminals are spewing their lies over. We the people own them! Who the hell gave Fux noise the right to use them anyway? Fuck Murdock, he should be lynched.
LEst we forget the propaganda maxim:
THe lie repeated again and again, eventually acquires the status of truth.
The Neocons keep pulling out the same card trick, and the feeble-minded and simple folk keep falling for it.
Sad time for thinking humans.
These are public airwaves that these criminals are spewing their lies over. We the people own them! Who the hell gave Fux noise the right to use them anyway? Fuck Murdock, he should be lynched......... Steele knows he's lying. Even these half wit teabaggers know it is a crock of crap.
I bet Steele would apologize within two seconds to Rush Limbaugh,over far less... oh wait, he did.
But this is why we boycott all of Murdock's Fox stations... it all gives him the money to do this crap.
the military and the federal government continue to facilitate military souicides by their continuous lack of appropriate measures taken in response to the problem. Does the VA manual in question tell vets to off themselves/? No, however, I read the section in question and I WOULD say it certainly seems that the aim is to put a guilt trip on soldiers and to lead their minds in a direction that they should'nt even ponder going. Military souicide is bigger than just a shameful manual. It is being caused by everything that has been let go and allowed within the organisation as well as main stream America. It is continuing, thanx but no thanx to the shabby and unacceptable job that commanders are doing in the WAY they are briefing their troops, and by being out of touch with the mind of the average enlisted man. Morale is at an all time low for the traditionally minded, normally motivated troop. As long as things stay as they are - -or get worse, this will never change.
Well said, Marty. Unfortunately we have become accustomed to being "disinformed" by the politicians but I have been asking, for years, where are the investigative journalists ( a la Woodward / Bernstein ) in this era? They all seem to be shills for their particular employers, who only promote, for the most part, the tabloid-style stories that pull in the viewers/readers with the lowest common denominator. What exactly do they teach in journalism classes in college these days, anyway? Seriously, WHAT are they teaching???
Cover the airwaves with garbage and enough sticks to make a difference. Memes count. Add that to a non-critical thinking population and you get what you need to hold on to power. But it only goes so far... sooner or later even the most uninterested of us will "get it", and pack these sons-a-bitches off to the bread line.
[...] http://rawstory.com/blog/2009/08/vet…p-assails-fox/ [...]
[...] 2009 "public health care would lead to people being forced to their deathbeds…" Vets’ group assails Fox, GOP over ’suicide’ manual claim Raw Story by Daniel Tencer August 31, [...]