AWOL: anonymous Freeper phones Turnipseed -- help debunk

[grasswire]

A Freeper with the user name "hon" has telephoned Turnipseed directly to ask him about Bush and his service in Alabama.

This is where the "recanting" story comes from. An anonymous netizen.

"Hon" says that Turnipseed told her/him the press was all wrong about his prior statements, and the "Bush haters" have twisted his words.

The Freepers have disseminated this unverified, anonymous claim to their usual news outlets -- FOX, Rush, etc.

This is why we heard yesterday that Turnipseed had recanted.

Parse "Hon's" account of the conversation. Here it is:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1073076/posts?page=1,50

Posted on 02/06/2004 3:58:26 PM PST by Hon


I just got off the phone about an hour ago with Brig. Gen. William R. Turnipseed. He is the sole source for the four year old story that Bush was AWOL during his National Guard service.

Mr. Turnipseed is very unhappy with the way what he said "casually" four years ago has been twisted by the "Bush haters" (his words) in the media, especially the Boston Globe (who first reported the story) and the New York Times.

In a nutshell here is what happened, according to Turnipseed. Back in 1972 his Alabama National Guard unit received a letter from Bush (who was in the Texas Nation Guard) asking if he while he was in Alabama do some equivalancy training with the Alabama unit.

Turnipseed said that this request was as a matter of routine turned over to his administrative assistant, Lott, who wrote back to Bush, giving him the dates of the next unit drills. Lott told Bush he could report for those dates.

Neither Turnipseed nor Lott can now remember whether Bush appeared for these drills or not. Turnipseed says he himself might not have even been around the base at the time, so he wouldn't know one way or the other. And he says he has always said this.

The points Turnipseed wanted to stress are these: Bush was never ordered to report for duty to his unit. Since Bush was in the Texas National Guard and Turnipseed was in the Alabama National Guard, he couldn't have ordered him even if he had wanted to. But he didn't want to.

He (or his assistant, Lott) simply gave Bush the dates he could report if he wanted to do equivalency training with them. There were no orders given. If he showed up or didn't show up, it wasn't their concern.

Additionally, Turnipseed says that he never once said anything about Bush being "AWOL." He said it isn't even a term used in the National Guard. And anyway, as already noted, Bush's training record was not his concern, but the Texas National Guard's.

He said that since the Texas National Guard gave him an honorable discharge it shows that he fulfilled his training requirements.

Turnipseed said that the media has constantly misrepresented what he said and edited him so as to make Bush look bad.

He also said that he had no idea who Bush was, and that he certainly didn't do him any special favors. Nor would he have.

He said that when he first spoke to the Boston Globe reporter about this four years ago he didn't realize he was talking to a "Bush hater."

Turnipseed is a strong Bush supporter. He said that he has been contacted many times especially recently, by "Bush haters" in the media, who try to get him to say that Bush was AWOL. Once they realize that he won't cooperate they lose interest in talking to him. When they do quote him, they say he is backpedaling--even though he is still saying the same exact thing he told them four years ago.

He has been recently asked to go on with Peter Jennings and NBC's Dateline, but he is concerned that they will edit him in such a way as to misrepresent his story again. I have been in touch with Fox news, in hopes that they will have somebody talk to him and try to present his story fairly.

Bottom line, this whole AWOL story was media spin from the git-go. The Boston Globe reporter simply cherry picked Turnipseed's comments and totally misrepresented him--to make Bush look bad.

And the media are still doing it four years later. They should be ashamed--but they have no shame. They have only their agenda.

[grasswire]

1. anyone with a Texas twang...

...up for phoning Turnipseed?

[grasswire]

3. I should add....

..that the person doing the phoning has only been a Freeper for three months, and there's a little bit of suspicion over there.

This illustrates how loosely those news outlets vet their stories. FOX, Newsmax, etc. We could plant all kinds of bogus stuff on FR and probably see it on FOX within hours, if it fit their agenda.

[4dsc]

2. Release Bush's military record

that's the only thing that will clear this mess up.

Besides, what is AWOLBUSH hiding?? Isn't he man of integrity??

[Norquist Nemesis]

4. ROFLMAO

"He has been recently asked to go on with Peter Jennings and NBC's Dateline, but he is concerned that they will edit him in such a way as to misrepresent his story again. I have been in touch with Fox news, in hopes that they will have somebody talk to him and try to present his story fairly. "

There's the whole story for me. What a joke! If Turnipseed is so concerned (we KNOW vets have integrity, stick together and back each other up) he'd be all over the media with this one. If Faux is her barometer for fair and balanced her bias has been exposed.

[eagler]

6. There are already copies of his service record in the media

and they don't lie. Bush was nowhere to be found.

[CatWoman]

8. did you see Bill Press' article?

In George Bush's Guard service, in other words, the 12 months from May 1972 to May 1973 are a black hole. No record of his showing up for duty, period. Where was he?

Americans deserve to know, and not just for political reasons. According to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, a person who is AWOL for more than 30 days is guilty of desertion, with a maximum punishment of death. There is no statute of limitations.

The White House, of course, bristles at allegations that Bush shirked his National Guard duties, which Republican Chair Marc Racicot calls a "new low" in politics. But there's one way to put the issue to rest once and for all. Let President Bush name one guardsman he met during the seven months he served in Alabama. Just one. If he can, the issue's dead. If he can't, it's a good sign he's lying.

Don't hold your breath. In 2000, a group of former Alabama guardsmen offered a $3,500 reward to anyone who could remember serving with Lt. George Bush. Nobody came forward.

http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36977

[Norquist Nemesis]

11. Yes. That's the point

Apparently she's not getting the warped lies out there that she wants so she's trying to slide it in through Faux.

[Gunit_Sangh]

5. Wasn't there a news report ...

recently that bashed Turnipseed for making a contribution to John
Edwards campaign?

If he was a bush-lover ... why did he do that?

[CatWoman]

7. yes it was,

he made a $500 contribution.

[trof]

9. "since the Texas National Guard gave him an honorable discharge"

"He said that since the Texas National Guard gave him an honorable discharge it shows that he fulfilled his training requirements."

No, and I kind of doubt he would say that.
Since the TANG gave him an Honorable Discharge, it means that he has an honorable discharge. Nothing more.

It doesn't mean he was the hottest pilot in his squadron, or the worst, or that he made all his drills, or none of them.
It just means that he has an honorable discharge.

[OneTwentyoNine]

10. Well...If a Freeper says its true then its true....

Oh OK,I talked to Turnipseed myself and he said exactly the opposite of what em..."Hon" is saying.

David

[BigBigBear]

12. Horseshit

Bush requested a transfer to Alabama, and Turnipseed said he didn't see him once.

The source of the AWOL meme isn't Turnipseed's recollection (although his quoted recollection does seem to suggest that Bush was never there) but the fact there are NO RECORDS of Bush having done ANY duty in Alabama, at all. Under Turnipseed, or anyone else.

Turnipseed himself never claimed that Bush was AWOL - that inference is drawn by the utter lack of evidence that Bush did ANYTHING in Alabama.

The freepers are obviously nervous on this one.

[rustydog]

13. After you are done reading that tripe, I got some land I want to

sell. Great view.

[LiberalFighter]

14. Defective logic

• Mr. Turnipseed is very unhappy with the way what he said "casually" four years ago has been twisted by the "Bush haters" (his words) in the media, especially the Boston Globe (who first reported the story) and the New York Times.
  
  • Then write a rebuttal and send it to all the major newspapers and any other publications.
  
  
• Turnipseed says he himself might not have even been around the base at the time, so he wouldn't know one way or the other.
  
  • Records aren't kept of those reporting?
  
  
• Bush was never ordered to report for duty to his unit. Since Bush was in the Texas National Guard and Turnipseed was in the Alabama National Guard, he couldn't have ordered him even if he had wanted to.
  
  • From May 1972 to 5 Nov 1972 was in Alabama supposedly working US Senate campaign
    
  • Failed to report for mandatory annual physical examination
  
  
• He (or his assistant, Lott) simply gave Bush the dates he could report if he wanted to do equivalency training with them.
  
  • What is the point of reporting if he wasn't required?
    
  • If he wasn't required to report in Alabama then the only place he must be required would be back in Texas
  
  
• Additionally, Turnipseed says that he never once said anything about Bush being "AWOL." He said it isn't even a term used in the National Guard.
  
  • Since when? If they are AWOL they generally would be "drafted" and sent into action
  
  
• He also said that he had no idea who Bush was, and that he certainly didn't do him any special favors. Nor would he have.
  
  • Didn't require Bush to report isn't a favor?
    
  • Did he report Bush's failure to report?
    
    

[grasswire]

15. Not this Turnipseed who gave Edwards money

If you read the FR thread, you'll see that it's not this Turnipseed who donated to Edwards, but another Turnipseed.

This Turnipseed gave $$ to the GOP.