Vile names and false accusations

© 2007 Michael Swickard, Ph.D.

“If you cannot answer a man’s argument, all it not lost, you can still call him vile names.” – Elbert Hubbard

It is no longer possible for every citizen to become president of the United States or even a state or local politician. Many will not stand for the tactics of shouting vile names and false accusations. People who would be good leaders will not subject themselves and their families to this abuse.

In this information age, people get their facts wrong only because they want to. They are increasingly not ashamed to shout lies, nor are they taken to task by the media.

An example is that of talk show host Rush Limbaugh and his remarks about Jesse Macbeth, a 23 year-old man who stated that he and other soldiers killed innocent civilians at a Baghdad mosque. The truth was that Macbeth only served in the Army a few weeks and was discharged before completing basic training. When caught, he apologized for claiming a Purple Heart and lying about the atrocities. The story was headlined on the ABC News Web site “Phony War Vets.”

So Limbaugh talked about the ABC News phony war-vets story. The next day liberal media watchdog Media Matters posted a story headlined, “Limbaugh: Service members who support U.S. withdrawal are ‘phony soldiers.’”

Media Matters has Limbaugh saying that the soldiers advocating withdrawal from Iraq are phony soldiers. Congressional Democrats piled on making ridiculous comments. How can this happen in an information age? Media Matters and the Democrats knew the truth and decided to lie, even though they knew they would be caught. They assume that the public and the media will not care since it is a lie for a good cause, to defeat Republicans.

Pearce has also been a target

We have a similar situation in New Mexico. Congressman Steve Pearce has been attacked repeatedly about his claim of service in Vietnam. Letters to the editor and blog postings decry his claim of Vietnam Veteran status. Most people I have talked with assume he did not serve because of the controversy. Truthfully, he did serve in Vietnam, and the liars know this to be true but think the lie is for a good cause: to defeat Republicans.

Last year, while doing talk radio, I brought in Charlie Revie, Vietnam veteran and advocate for military retirees and veterans on several electronic information lists. We had Pearce’s service records. Revie read through and interpreted them. Pearce had all of the necessary documentation of a Vietnam veteran, which we declared him to be.

Because I cleared up this question I was attacked as “carrying the water” for Pearce. The attacks against Pearce and me continue even though the truth is easy to confirm.

President Lyndon Johnson, in order to understate the real cost of the Vietnam War, used creative accounting with the Air Force. President Richard Nixon continued the practice. It continues today.

Here is how it works: The transport C-130 and refueling KC-135 planes flown by Pearce and his fellow pilots were officially stationed in the Philippines or at Blytheville Air Force Base, but they operated from Cam Rahn Air Base and other war bases in Vietnam each day. Once every couple of weeks for the C-130s and every 90 days for the KC-135s the planes returned to the Philippines or Blytheville so that, officially, the cost of the operation was not tied to the Vietnam War.

The flights overwhelmingly originated from Vietnam War bases, were flown to support the war effort and ended back at war bases. Anyone can confirm this. Instead, for reasons unrelated to truth, this lie about Pearce is told and retold without the media attacking the liars.

Media must be a watchdog

I first read of this liars syndrome in a Hunter Thompson book on the presidential campaign of 1972. He described how Johnson, in his 1948 first race for U.S. Senate, was behind the incumbent. Time was running out. He felt he had to do something so he told his campaign manager to call a press conference on a slow news day and accuse his opponent, a pig farmer, of sexual improprieties with his barnyard sows.

His campaign manager protested, “Nobody is going to believe a thing like that.”

“I know,” Johnson replied, “But let’s make the SOB deny it.”

This all goes to the media watchdog role. If the media winks and says that the lies are for a good cause, we citizens lose. They must first stop both sides from lying by not printing lies. All media outlets have Google and other resources and there are several urban legends Web sites.

Next, even if some things are true, the media must assure us that the vile names and accusations are germane. We can individually talk to candidates and require them to speak honestly but it will not work without the media being a watchdog. The media cannot cheer one side and develop blindness toward the other.

Some people think the hardest three words to say are “I don’t know,” while others say it’s “I was mistaken.” Actually, the three hardest words to say are, “I deliberately lied.”

Swickard is a weekly columnist for this site. You can reach him at michael@swickard.com.