This one looks like it might make the original Watergate look like child's play.
First some background. As many of you know John Kerry was the head of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War(VVAW). In 1971, Kerry attended a VVAW meeting at which the group discussed a plan to assassinate U.S. senators who supported the war in Vietnam.
Kerry denied he was there but Vietnam historian Gerald Nicosia proved Kerry was lying by producing FBI surveillance files obtained thru the Freedom of Information Act.
But now some of those files were conveniently stolen from Gerald Nicosia's home.
Author Reports Theft of Some of Kerry's FBI Files
A Bay Area historian on Friday reported the theft of three boxes of confidential FBI documents, some detailing government surveillance of presidential hopeful John F. Kerry when he was a spokesman for a 1970s veterans group protesting the Vietnam War. ...
Nicosia had received 20,000 pages of internal FBI surveillance files in 1999 through a Freedom of Information Act request. At the time, he was researching "Home to War," a chronicle of the Vietnam protest years. But the release came too late for use in the book, which was largely about Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Kerry was among the leaders of the group, which was founded in 1967 and drew 10,000 members nationwide.
Nicosia said he suspected that the thieves were specifically in pursuit of the files because a camera and other expensive items in the home were left untouched. He added that he did not know exactly what material was taken because it was not cataloged or marked. Three of 14 boxes of files that had been stacked in his kitchen are missing. He said he was moving the remaining documents to a secure location Friday afternoon.
[But here is my favorite part... -ed]
Kerry told The Times that while he was aware that the FBI had monitored his activities in the early '70s, he was surprised and angry at the scope of the surveillance.
Kerry has brass ones that's for sure. He attends a meeting where they discuss assassinating U.S. senators and he gets indignant when he learns the FBI was listening in.
The questions this creates are obvious but I doubt the media will be asking many of them. If you read a dozen or so versions of the story you will read quotes from the author speculating it was a "thrill seeker" or someone who wanted "a piece of Presidential history."
Only the LA Times is running the quote: "Whoever did this wanted to know something about John Kerry"
That seems like the understatement of the year. Will the media follow this up? I doubt it.
But I can't help but wonder.... What would the media do if Bush's National Guard records got stolen this way?
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Comments (13)
Ooh! Ooh! I know!<p... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Serenity | March 28, 2004 7:12 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Ooh! Ooh! I know!
The correct answer is:
They would screech and bray about how "convenient" it was for Bush's NG records to be "stolen". They would insinuate that it was a VRWC and a cover-up.
They would use that theft to further fuel their ridiculous fire that somehow Bush went AWOL.
Every time the Left or the media accuse Bush or the Right of doing something, I turn it around and wonder just what the Left has done now or what the media has uncovered that they will try to take focus off their dream boy or cause and flail for any straw whatsoever to make the Right look like the bad guys.
So far, we seem to batting a thousand.
1. Posted by Serenity | March 28, 2004 7:12 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2004 07:12
2. Posted by Rodney Dill | March 28, 2004 7:58 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I agree with Serenity, Kerry is a liberal, he gets a free pass with the media, your mistake. ;)
2. Posted by Rodney Dill | March 28, 2004 7:58 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2004 07:58
3. Posted by Rob | March 28, 2004 11:55 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The moonbats on the left will be saying that Republicans have stolen the records and hidden them just so they can imply that Kerry did it.
3. Posted by Rob | March 28, 2004 11:55 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2004 11:55
4. Posted by oceanguy | March 28, 2004 5:43 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Is this implying that his FOIA request gave him original documents, that there are now NO other copies of the documents? Something doesn't sound quite right.
4. Posted by oceanguy | March 28, 2004 5:43 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2004 17:43
5. Posted by FransGroenendijk | March 28, 2004 6:19 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Oceanguy hits the point.
Unless of course the FBI is part of the left-wing conspiracy....
5. Posted by FransGroenendijk | March 28, 2004 6:19 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2004 18:19
6. Posted by Rob | March 28, 2004 6:33 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
You've got a point oceanguy, but there still may be something to this.
In my expereince with FOIA requests (and my experience is considerable) it can take months to have a request honored. Perhaps whoever stole the file was only looking to keep the documents out of the limelight until November.
Of course, this is all speculation, at least regarding the theft of the files.
6. Posted by Rob | March 28, 2004 6:33 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2004 18:33
7. Posted by Paul | March 28, 2004 9:34 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Sure the Docs can be replaced eventually. But isn't it curious?
Isn't it more curious that the mainstream media is largely ignoring this?
Consider the scale.
Bush got a DUI and it was a 4 day news story right before the election.
Kerry is at a meeting when they plan to assassinate senators and it is largely ignored.
Certainly you can not make the case that a 20 year old DUI is a bigger story.
7. Posted by Paul | March 28, 2004 9:34 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2004 21:34
8. Posted by Killer | March 28, 2004 11:29 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
"Plan" seems a little over the top in light of eyewitness accounts of that meeting. More like "suggested and shouted down". Also, wasn't this the reason that Kerry left WAW? Or, mabye he left becuse it was shouted down. We all know that he went on to assasinate several members of congress... Oh, wait...
8. Posted by Killer | March 28, 2004 11:29 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 28, 2004 23:29
9. Posted by Rob | March 29, 2004 12:27 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I think the most important thing to take out of this is that Kerry lied about being at the meeting. I think we can all agree that Kerry probably wasn't plotting any assassinations, but the fact that he couldn't come clean and explain that to us is telling.
9. Posted by Rob | March 29, 2004 12:27 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 29, 2004 00:27
10. Posted by Boyd | March 29, 2004 1:04 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
That's the key point in my book, Rob.
10. Posted by Boyd | March 29, 2004 1:04 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 29, 2004 01:04
11. Posted by Boyd | March 29, 2004 1:17 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
That came out like I've actually published something. But what I meant was, "in my book," you know, the private one in my head.
The one that those voices keep reading to me.
Too much Scotch. Gotta go to bed.
11. Posted by Boyd | March 29, 2004 1:17 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on March 29, 2004 01:17
12. Posted by bryan | April 3, 2004 2:13 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Of course the FOIA records should be reconstructable; presuming that nothing gets lost, misfiled, or a mysterious fire sweeps throughs a file room somewhere. Not that I would want fan flames of conspiracy, but Johnny Walker Black might.
12. Posted by bryan | April 3, 2004 2:13 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on April 3, 2004 02:13
13. Posted by Bill Matta | June 10, 2004 6:31 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Your can see some sample pages or get a copy of all 20,00 pages at
http://www.paperlessarchives.com/john_kerry.html
http://www.paperlessarchives.com/john_kerry.html
or
http://www.paperlessarchives.com/vvaw.html
http://www.paperlessarchives.com/vvaw.html
13. Posted by Bill Matta | June 10, 2004 6:31 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on June 10, 2004 18:31