Republicans Use Fake Troops for RNC Video

[GaryC 7]

Political hacks come from all segments of society, including vets.

Thank you for your demonstration of that. You may sit down now.

It's amazing...and sad.

What is sad is that your trying to score "gotcha" points by trying to make McCain look like he is dissing our troops. There is no value at all in this story but you felt compelled to pass it along anyway.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Political hacks come from all segments of society, including vets.

Thank you for your demonstration of that. You may sit down now.

It's amazing...and sad.

What is sad is that your trying to score "gotcha" points by trying to make McCain look like he is dissing our troops. There is no value at all in this story but you felt compelled to pass it along anyway.

Did McCain produce that video? Is he behind the curtain at the convention calling all the shots? Gary, that's a weak counter argument to what this war veteran has to say about it. He was personally offended and you're dissing him as merely being a political hack. Very sad.

[GaryC 7]

Political hacks come from all segments of society, including vets.

Thank you for your demonstration of that. You may sit down now.

It's amazing...and sad.

What is sad is that your trying to score "gotcha" points by trying to make McCain look like he is dissing our troops. There is no value at all in this story but you felt compelled to pass it along anyway.

Did McCain produce that video? Is he behind the curtain at the convention calling all the shots? Gary, that's a weak counter argument to what this war veteran has to say about it. He was personally offended and you're dissing him as merely being a political hack. Very sad.

Sorry man, you just don't understand do you? I guess it doesn't take much to offend some people and when it serves your needs you will take up his cause. Why don't you find a story about some soldiers that are offended by Obama saying the surge failed? I am sure there are some out there.

[IAMX 3,055]

Political hacks come from all segments of society, including vets.

Thank you for your demonstration of that. You may sit down now.

i guess it's a safe bet then that you turned in your

Support the Troops support ribbons?

Nah. Bought a "Support Road Head" support ribbon. Something I can assuredly say, as a couple, we've supported with action. "Supporting the Troops" seems to be a mantra that's conditional, like certain texts my siggy refers to.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Political hacks come from all segments of society, including vets.

Thank you for your demonstration of that. You may sit down now.

It's amazing...and sad.

What is sad is that your trying to score "gotcha" points by trying to make McCain look like he is dissing our troops. There is no value at all in this story but you felt compelled to pass it along anyway.

Did McCain produce that video? Is he behind the curtain at the convention calling all the shots? Gary, that's a weak counter argument to what this war veteran has to say about it. He was personally offended and you're dissing him as merely being a political hack. Very sad.

Sorry man, you just don't understand do you? I guess it doesn't take much to offend some people and when it serves your needs you will take up his cause. Why don't you find a story about some soldiers that are offended by Obama saying the surge failed? I am sure there are some out there.

Stay on topic. The issue is over the RNC using fake soldiers for a video they used at the Convention to rally people behind their policies. If you don't think that's offensive, Gary, then I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. But don't diss this veteran as some political hack just because you don't agree with his argument.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

more to the story...

(CBS) CBS News Investigative Producer Michael Rey wrote this story for CBSNews.com.

It was a video that was supposed to elicit soaring patriotism and real emotions about the Pledge of Allegiance. But to do that, it used fake soldiers and a staged military funeral instead of the real thing.

On Tuesday night, 15-year-old Victoria Blackstone, a sophomore at the St. Agnes School in St. Paul, led the crowd at the Xcel Energy Center in the Pledge of Allegiance. The audience heard her 434-word essay, “Pledging myself to the Flag of the United States of America,” an essay she’d entered in the “Wave the Stars & Stripes” essay contest and won. The RNC turned that essay into a three and a half minute video, a visually stirring montage rolling over Victoria’s words about sharing the Pledge with Americans who have stood at important moments in history.

There’s the Continental Congress…A real WWII vet…Photos of workers at Ground Zero. A close-up of a folded flag presented to a grieving widow at a military funeral… profiles of soldiers swelling with pride in slo-motion.

But CBS News found that the footage of the ‘funeral’ and soldiers is what is called ‘stock’ footage. The soldiers were actors and the funeral scene was from a one-day film shoot, produced in June. No real soldiers were used during production.

The footage, sold by stock-film house Getty Images was produced by a commercial filmmaker in Chicago. Both Getty and the production company, Mr. Big Films, confirmed that the footage was shot on spec and sold to the Republican National Committee.

....

A veteran’s advocate said that with soldiers still deployed and in harm’s way, there is an obligation not to sugar coat reality.

“What it does reveal is a serious lack of understanding and a lack of personal connection to the military,” said Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Rieckhoff, who is at the convention with a contingent of veterans added that a video tribute to Medal of Honor winner Michael Monsoor, a Navy Seal killed in Iraq, shown on Tuesday night, used combat video that appeared to him and several other veterans of the Iraq war to have been staged.

After a Web search of videos played at the Democratic National Convention last week, CBS News found no obvious use of stock footage.

The RNC did not respond to CBS News’ request for a comment.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/04/...in4415886.shtml

[GaryC 7]

Political hacks come from all segments of society, including vets.

Thank you for your demonstration of that. You may sit down now.

It's amazing...and sad.

What is sad is that your trying to score "gotcha" points by trying to make McCain look like he is dissing our troops. There is no value at all in this story but you felt compelled to pass it along anyway.

Did McCain produce that video? Is he behind the curtain at the convention calling all the shots? Gary, that's a weak counter argument to what this war veteran has to say about it. He was personally offended and you're dissing him as merely being a political hack. Very sad.

Sorry man, you just don't understand do you? I guess it doesn't take much to offend some people and when it serves your needs you will take up his cause. Why don't you find a story about some soldiers that are offended by Obama saying the surge failed? I am sure there are some out there.

Stay on topic. The issue is over the RNC using fake soldiers for a video they used at the Convention to rally people behind their policies. If you don't think that's offensive, Gary, then I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. But don't diss this veteran as some political hack just because you don't agree with his argument.

Why in the world would it be offensive to ANYONE. It was a backdrop for the national anthem. What possible difference would it make if the pictures were "real" or staged? Jeez dude, get a hold of yourself. Your really grasping at straws here and it isn't working.

[IAMX 3,055]

Why in the world would it be offensive to ANYONE. It was a backdrop for the national anthem. What possible difference would it make if the pictures were "real" or staged? Jeez dude, get a hold of yourself. Your really grasping at straws here and it isn't working.

It clearly is offensive to some troops, so let it be offensive and give it a goddamn rest.

Just like it was offensive to shove the ugly girl aside for the pretty looking one in China, and fake/embellish the opening ceremony graphics, this is offensive too.

People have a problem with faking something and making it look genuine. So what? Is there a problem with that?

[Ban Hammer 13,352]

Why in the world would it be offensive to ANYONE. It was a backdrop for the national anthem. What possible difference would it make if the pictures were "real" or staged? Jeez dude, get a hold of yourself. Your really grasping at straws here and it isn't working.

It clearly is offensive to some troops, so let it be offensive and give it a goddamn rest.

Just like it was offensive to shove the ugly girl aside for the pretty looking one in China, and fake/embellish the opening ceremony graphics, this is offensive too.

People have a problem with faking something and making it look genuine. So what? Is there a problem with that?

i'm not surprised someone was offended.......

[Peikko 1,575]

Political hacks come from all segments of society, including vets.

Thank you for your demonstration of that. You may sit down now.

It's amazing...and sad.

What is sad is that your trying to score "gotcha" points by trying to make McCain look like he is dissing our troops. There is no value at all in this story but you felt compelled to pass it along anyway.

Did McCain produce that video? Is he behind the curtain at the convention calling all the shots? Gary, that's a weak counter argument to what this war veteran has to say about it. He was personally offended and you're dissing him as merely being a political hack. Very sad.

Sorry man, you just don't understand do you? I guess it doesn't take much to offend some people and when it serves your needs you will take up his cause. Why don't you find a story about some soldiers that are offended by Obama saying the surge failed? I am sure there are some out there.

Pot meet kettle.

[IAMX 3,055]

Political hacks come from all segments of society, including vets.

Thank you for your demonstration of that. You may sit down now.

It's amazing...and sad.

What is sad is that your trying to score "gotcha" points by trying to make McCain look like he is dissing our troops. There is no value at all in this story but you felt compelled to pass it along anyway.

Did McCain produce that video? Is he behind the curtain at the convention calling all the shots? Gary, that's a weak counter argument to what this war veteran has to say about it. He was personally offended and you're dissing him as merely being a political hack. Very sad.

Sorry man, you just don't understand do you? I guess it doesn't take much to offend some people and when it serves your needs you will take up his cause. Why don't you find a story about some soldiers that are offended by Obama saying the surge failed? I am sure there are some out there.

Pot meet kettle.

Amazon, meet da Nile.

Sorry, had to add onto that.

Edited September 5, 2008 by SRVT

[almaty 19]

Political hacks come from all segments of society, including vets.

Thank you for your demonstration of that. You may sit down now.

pwned!!!!!!!!!!!