In Minnesota, veterans take to TV to build Iraq war support

[ECH1969]

As images of smoke pouring from the World Trade Center flash by, Lt. Col. Bob Stephenson boils down the Iraq war to a battle to squash the al-Qaida terrorist network.

"You'd never know it from the news reports," Stephenson says firmly. "But our enemy in Iraq is al-Qaida, the same terrorists who killed 3,000 Americans on 9-11, the same terrorists from the first World Trade Center bombing, the USS Cole, Madrid, London and many more." Stephenson, a Marine reservist from Woodbury who spent five months in Iraq, delivered his message as part of a television ad that debuted Thursday in Minnesota.

The 60-second spot aims to shore up support for the war by touting accomplishments, such as recent Iraqi elections.

It also mirrors President Bush's campaign to define the war as essential to national security, and ends with another soldier asking, "Where do you want to fight terrorists? We want to fight them and destroy them in Iraq."

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/special_packages/iraq/13832571.htm

[Demeter]

1. Yup! You'll Never Know It--"Cause It Simply Isn't True

And I think that's become obvious to all but those most addicted to Koolaid.

[cantstandbush]

56. It's kinda sick to support any way. IMHO n/t

[saltpoint]

2. Kinda has that swiftboat feel to it. Stephenson's comment about

"our enemy in Iraq" being the same folks who knocked down the towers is 100% a lie.

Swiftboating in the gopher state. Such bullshit.

[Javaman]

39. I thought the same thing too.

I think this bullshit would have worked on the psyche of the sheeple about 3 years ago, but so many things have changed since then. I think it will get a mild form of notoriety, but then sink like a stone.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

3. My question is

who's paying for the airtime?

[CatholicEdHead]

18. They are

I just saw the ad.

:puke:

http://pfavoterfund.com/

[MnFats]

4. why do they insist on rolling out this shit in our plainly BLUE state?

take your pack of lies somewhere else. We don't need swift-boat-type liars here.

[dflprincess]

26. Because they're trying their hardest to turn us red

While we do use paper ballots on the scanners and have same day registration (making it a tad harder to just delete someone from the voting list), we'll need to keep a very close watch on how the votes are counted here next November and be ready to make a lot of noise if we get Florida'd.

Do you think this group will try to swiftboat Becky Lourey if she turns out to be the DFL's candidate for governor? (For those of you outside of Minnesota, Becky has been an outspoken opponent of the war since before it began. Last spring her son was killed in Iraq. Last summer she went down to Camp Casey.)

[CatholicEdHead]

28. You are right, Lourey is being swiftboated by this

Also they want to make it easier for Mark Kennedy in his run for Senate and Pawlenty for his re-election run for governor.

[PVK]

32. Not to mention Ford Bell for Senate whose ads are about leaving.

What do you think they'll try to do to him if he wins the caucus?

[LSparkle]

5. Is this on broadcast TV (free) or cable?

If it's broadcast, then I'm disgusted (but not altogether surprised) that our public airwaves are now being used for blatant propaganda. This ad is more than misleading; this is outright LIES.

[CatholicEdHead]

19. Broadcast TV

It was just on our NBC affiliate in the Twin Cities (KARE 11).

[LSparkle]

22. Is it worth an FCC complaint? Probably not ...

That's the new purpose of the public airwaves: PROPAGANDA.

[azurnoir]

35. I was thinking

it was 9(fox), 11 was running a close second. But I'm willing to bet that Hinderaker(spelling?) in this somewhere.

[mnmoderatedem]

6. On behalf of the state of Minnesota

I apologize for these idiots.

[against all enemies]

7. Yeah, what happened to you guys? Are you sliding down

the slippery slope?

[FiveGoodMen]

20. Teetering on the edge at least.

We did pick up 13 Dem seats in the Minnesota House last election, though.

My impression: During the economic boom of the 90's, Minnesota's population went from 4M to 5M -- so we got a million people from ... other parts of the country.

[lagavulin]

40. I've come to the same conclusion.

Having lived in Minnesota for almost 15 years, I can attest that the population has practically doubled in the last 6 or 7. And it's gotten considerably more "closed-minded" conservative. I think this has happened in response to the stable economy the Twin Cities has enjoyed while areas of the South and Southeast have been slipping into recession. A lot of those Red Staters have been migrating....I mean, Minnesota elected a Baptist Governor in the last election! In a state where a decade ago you'd be hard pressed to even find a Baptist if your life depended on it!

Actually, Minnesota has always had a unique kind of conservatism: "open-minded" conservativism--basically good-natured, grass-roots, salt-of-the-earth small-town and farm people, but with the kind of openness and respect and acceptance for the differences of other people that spawned the term "Minnesota Nice" (obviously this was moreso in the urban areas than the farming areas, but still quite noticeable even there). So from a political standpoint Minnesotans have always been known as Liberals although the term never really fit in any strict sense--basically they were conservative people with Democratic leanings.

But the state has been transformed almost overnight. Ther has been a population explosion, a "re-gentrification" boom of the Mpls/ST. Paul downtown areas by outside developers eager to make a quick buck with an exciting new "VISION" for the cities, a massive ramp-up of traffic congestion, a steady increase in pro-corporate politics, etc.

All in all, I think the pro-war yahoos have quite correctly determined Minnesota as having real Conservative Republican swing-state potential.

[dflprincess]

48. In our defense (sort of)

In the last governor's race Pawlenty only got about 45% of the vote. It was a three way race which means 55% voted for someone else.

[CatholicEdHead]

52. Mostly regional migration

As the youth come here from North and South Dakota and Iowa, as they are red states and they are coming here.

[freefall]

54. May I make a small suggestion? Didn't you mean the pro-occupation

yahoos? Congress hasn't declared a state of war. We invaded Iraq and are now occupying it but only Congress can delcare a state of war unless we have been attacked. "The president of the United States has no clear constitutional authority to declare war without congressional approval. However, the U.S. Supreme Court has determined that the president, as commander-in-chief of the military, does have the authority to recognize a "state of war" initiated against the United States. . ." (from http://encarta.msn.com/guide_whocandeclarewar/Who_Can_Declare_War_Backgrounder_and_Research_Guide.html )

If it is true that semantics matter than it behooves us to always call this occupation what it is -- an occupation. And we need to start here amongst ourselves until it becomes a habit.

[0007]

57. They'll get more dogs in action to bark at us sheep

The terrorist are in Iraq and we're gonna get 'em.

[leftchick]

11. thank you

I am glad we have at least one sane Minnesotan checking in. These people are fucked up.

[Rex]

8. Playing on peoples ignorance and fears

exactly what I would expect from a worthless scumbag.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

9. Yup, A bunch of Saudis caused 9-11, sooooo... Let's attack Luxembourg!

Right.

[Oversea Visitor]

12. No proof

Many still alive, infact walking around as free man.
Facts who fly the planes is unknown.
As this stage what true what is no have not been investigated.
The initial list is not concluesive
That is proven by the fact that most of the so call hijackers are actually innocents peole whose indentity was use.
Sad that this oversight was just completely ingnore till today.

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

30. Take two cups of coffee and call me in the morning.

Then learn to use the spell check after the third drink.

[lakeguy]

37. u think english might not be a native language to a poster

with 'overseas visitor' as a handle? step down from you stoop.

spell check doesn't fix grammar.

[Oversea Visitor]

49. Ok they all dead dead

Maybe you now safe
( hijacker not alive all kabOOM with plane hehe
:rofl: got to be :rofl: they all in prison me think so many :rofl:
Yeek soldiers still dying in Iraq
Whee damn big terrorist factory

US winning in Iraq
Barren ground now fertile ground for terrorist
Cannot withdraw
Must stay stay course
More work need
Ground not fertile enough
Need sow more hate
Sow sow wait for nice fruits to ripe
Get good harvest
Democracy now in Iraq
Yes yes people will see light at end of gun
Gun make people want goverment for the people by the people
Democracy works hey
Ooops Hama win in Plaestine damn result
Ooops woah Iran screw up too in election
Ooops so many anti bush leaders winning election
Whee world so crazy
Bombs exploding every where
Whee nice place now earth

Hey new 2007 bush budgets whee very good
More gun more guns
Maybe war with Iran
No money hey cut all benefits
Turn into guns good good
More blood
Father buried son and daughter
All good
Lifes so good

[thebigidea]

38. no proof of that either. Show us one recent photo or interview

if these hijacker types were living peacefully in Tangier or something, wouldn't the Arab press go bonkers covering the story and exposing the lie? Wouldn't it be the scoop of the decade to land an interview with a supposedly dead man?

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[thebigidea]

47. the story of the decade isn't worth one interview? not even a phone call?

"Presumably is has been reported in the Arab media, but our media don't relay all that's said in the arab media."

yeah, but this new device called the "internet" does. In the days of global instant communications, its a tad difficult to keep interviews with undead phantom hijackers strictly in local papers like the Damascus Auto Shopper.

are you saying this "Arab media" doesn't have a web presence and they rely on handset printing presses from the 1700s?

is film that expensive? digital camera, even? one snap? One of them beaming happily with his wife and kids?

its a ridiculous claim that can be proven with a single photo. yet several years later, not one has surfaced?

and yet you're still willing to believe it?

don't try to change the subject to the fat/thin Osama stuff. Lets stick with the undead hijackers... they walk amongst us!

[theEmpireNeverEnded]

51. oh they've been interviewed all right

is the BBC a good enough source for you?

"Another of the men named by the FBI as a hijacker in the suicide attacks on Washington and New York has turned up alive and well.

The identities of four of the 19 suspects accused of having carried out the attacks are now in doubt.

Saudi Arabian pilot Waleed Al Shehri was one of five men that the FBI said had deliberately crashed American Airlines flight 11 into the World Trade Centre on 11 September.

His photograph was released, and has since appeared in newspapers and on television around the world. "


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1559151.stm

[rman]

58. news that makes the internet doesn't necessarily make the US MSM

so even though it's on the internet (and/or in foreign MSM), hardly anyone knows about it.

[fujiyama]

14. As Richard Clarke said

Japan bombed Pearl Harbor...

Let's go invade Mexico!

[krkaufman]

36. I've never warmed to that particular analogy

It *does* make a great point quickly, but Mexico wasn't really relevant relative to WW2, right?

Imagine, though, if when Japan hit Pearl Harbor we checked Japan & Germany's list of enemies, and chose to attack their other top opponent? Say Britain or Russia? Because *THAT* is what we did when we invaded Iraq.

Russia's a better example, really, since the gov't there, at the time, was definitely analogous to Iraq under Saddam. Roosevelt & Churchill had no love loss for Stalin, but they did what they had to do at the time to face down the threat to the world posed by Japan & Germany.

And I think it's obvious the war would have gone a little differently had Roosevelt been as moronic as Bush and had gone after Russia.

[genie_weenie]

46. Nah Roosevelt had declared War on Germany in 1940

lend-lease, US ships of war patrolling further and further towards England, US ships radioing locations of German subs to British,

But, that is a differnet topic? The closest analogy is after Japan attacked we invade CHINA to set up a Demockery that will show the Asian world what freedom is and that this would cause the so-called reverse domino theory of Demockeries springing up all over the Far East or Far West or Middle Kingdom depending on your view point...

The outcome of this is going to be 50 years of American bases in Iraq in order to scare (hopefully only scare) Iran, Syria and whomever else we target with the threat of a strike out of Iraq at them...

[Critters2]

15. Stop that!!

:spray:

[HuffleClaw]

10. "We have no desire to have a political outcome..."

but, this ad was paid for by "the conservative Progress for America Voter Fund"!

and it gets BETTER: "As images of smoke pouring from the World Trade Center flash by, Lt. Col. Bob Stephenson boils down the Iraq war to a battle to squash the al-Qaida terrorist network... ...Stephenson, who was stationed at the Camp Kalsu air base and didn't see combat during his tour..."

[PsN2Wind]

13. So this REMF (rear echelon mother f**k*r)

that spent 5 (count em, five) months not fighting in Iraq is trying to promote the war. How about going active Colonel so you can "Fight and destroy them in Iraq"?

[Critters2]

16. Yep

I'm fine with him goin' over and spendin' a few years. Just don't tell me it's about 9-11!!

[brentspeak]

17. The only reason al-Qaida is in Iraq today

is because Bush opened the door for them when he invaded in 2003. There was absolutely no effort to secure Iraqi borders during and after the invasion. Al-Qaida and other assorted riff-raff strolled into Iraq at their own leisurely pace, bringing real live Islamic terrorists into an Iraq that never really had them before.

[Lindacooks]

33. Yep, you're exactly right.

chimp the terra-ist enabler.

[LynnTheDem]

21. Excuse, ignorant vets; what does 911 have to do with IRAQ?

Just wondering, ya stupid fucks.

Yes, I am the wife of a soldier; HE KNOWS the FACTS. There is NO EXCUSE for the BULLSHIT, soldier or vet or tinker or citizen.

[blm]

23. Weren't we fighting them in Afghanistan? Iraq had no al Qaeda there till

Bush got rid of Saddam just as Bin Laden wanted for years.

[Pastiche423]

24. 3,000 AMERICANS?

WRONG!

The people that lost their lives that day were from 62 countries.

Damn, they can't even get that fact correct.

[LynnTheDem]

29. No one EVER seems to get that straight. Only Americans died in 911

if you go by any US pundits/media/blogs (right & left) etc.

[sandnsea]

34. 2100 Americans

We've lost more Americans in Iraq than on 9/11.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2250513.stm#image

[MetaTrope]

25. Isn't there a law against this sort of broadcast lie?

[badgervan]

27. Breaking the Law

It is against the law for active military to do any partisan rah-rah stuff. Course, with this crew in charge, the law isn't what it used to be.

[flyarm]

31. ahhhhhyes and the USA al Queada in the white house killed over 4000

in katrina!!

and over 2000 soldiers in a war of lies..and between 100,000 -500,000 innocent iraqi women children and elderly!

so who's al queada is worse??????????

fly

[rman]

42. in the it's pretty much one and the same

al qaeda, isn't it?

[Scout1071]

43. Who's paying for these commercials? nt

[twaddler01]

45. That is what I want to know

[Scout1071]

55. Daily Kos knows who they are! Link:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/2/10/125922/968

[Tight_rope]

44. Ok...Is it Alzheimer or are these old fools behind on the news.

They might not have to wait much longer to show their true support for the war, hell the sign up age has jumped from 30 years old to 40 years old in the past 3 years alone. In about a year, with the new war on Iran soon in progress they will be able to sign up by November 2006. I'm sure the age limit will be about 70 years old then.


Edited to add text:...Opps...my bad...i just saw the video clip...these are young fools have not dead in Iraq yet because they are over here fucking around. Someone needs to ship them over to the front-line. Without body armour of course.

[MODemocrat]

50. They'll have a hard time finding Osama in Iraq

Seems as though they're trying to tie the 9-11 catastrophe in with the war Bush started in Iraq. I feel sure they'll gladly go back over to Iraq for their war mongering Heros.

[question everything]

53. And the narrator has a nuceelar moment

saying Airaq (like Ireland or Iceland) instead of the correct pronunciation EEraq (like Italy or Israel)