How our US Government falsifies documents
Permalink +Mon, May 17, 2004, 5:46 pm // John Servais
This statement was posted on the DOD website on Saturday - and I took a computer photo of it on Sunday - to catch them if they changed it. Well, they went back and doctored it - improved it - without giving any indication of their meddling. Check what is posted today. Note the date is May 15 - but it was changed today. I made the computer photo at 11 pm Sunday evening, 2 am Monday Pentagon time. Maybe they will change it again next week. Compare them side by side and see for yourself.If government documents are modified for the protection and convenience of government agencies and employees, then the idea of documents goes out the window. We cannot trust government documents to be what they say they are. In the old days of paper, this could not be done once documents were released to the public. Now, with electronic documents on the Internet, it is very tempting. Too tempting, apparently.
So - they lie and twist the truth to suit their needs. It is not a question of if they do it, but rather a question of how often. Why am I not surprised? I first looked at this DOD press release via a link from the blog of Josh Marshall on Sunday, and then today Josh noticed the change. In the right side column under War & Peace is a link to his website.
Sy Hersh has exposed some serious military scandals in the past - and the Pentagon accused Hersh of false reporting then. Sy was proved correct. His story in the New Yorker asserts that Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld authorized the torture of prisoners.
A careful reading of the Pentagon statement shows they do not actually deny the story is correct. The statement rants and insults Sy Hersh and his magazine, but does not actually deny the main charge that Rumsfeld authorized the torture.
Oh, and yeah, I made another screen dump just now. Will it be doctored again?
Related Links:
-> Original DoD Abu Ghraib Statement-> Doctored Statement
-> Blog of Josh Marshall
Comments
Commenting is disabled for this post
Re: Chamber of Commerce insert in today’s Bellingham Herald
Mon, May 24, 2004, 5:22 pm // John Servais
The initiative is 'remove motor boats', not 'remove boats' from Lake Whatcom. Our Chamber of Commerce just lies in print to achieve their goal of…0 comments
The Military Intelligence units are beginning to be exposed
Tue, May 18, 2004, 5:30 pm // John Servais
ABC News has an exclusive interview with a sergeant in the 302 MI Battalion, a unit of Col Pappas 205 MI Brigade. See NwCit report…0 comments
How our US Government falsifies documents
Mon, May 17, 2004, 5:46 pm // John Servais
This statement was posted on the DOD website on Saturday - and I took a computer photo of it on Sunday - to catch them…0 comments
Torture. What is it?
Wed, May 12, 2004, 6:01 pm // John Servais
It is to cause extreme physical or mental pain for punishment or to extract a confession or information. Our government officials are now saying we…0 comments
This is a kangaroo court at its finest
Mon, May 10, 2004, 6:04 pm // John Servais
A short note. For days we have all listened to voices from the left demand resignations and voices from the right actually defend this behavior…0 comments
Why is the press not interviewing participants?
Thu, May 06, 2004, 6:08 pm // John Servais
Questions not being asked by the press about the abuses. At least I've not run across them in news reports. The reports have not gone…0 comments
The military police are not the culprits
Wed, May 05, 2004, 6:10 pm // John Servais
Colonel Thomas Pappas continues in command of the 205th Military Intelligence Brigade - according to today's Baltimore Sun. He is the bastard who has the…0 comments
Let the reporting be comprehensive
Tue, May 04, 2004, 6:15 pm // John Servais
Colonel Thomas Pappas. Why have the news media not told you about this guy? They have told us a lot about General Janis Karpinski, the…0 comments
The abuse of Iraqi prisoners
Mon, May 03, 2004, 6:21 pm // John Servais
is a sad development for our country. I don't want to pile on and kick our military as we need a strong armed services to…0 comments
New
Post-Oklahoman ConfessionsThe Onion
WikiLeaks.org
Current Interest
Bham Politics & Economics
Local
Bellingham HeraldBham Politics & Economics
Bob Sanders
Carl Weimer
Cascadia Weekly
Ferndale R-J
Foothills Gazette
John Watts
KGMI
Latte Republic
Lynden Tribune
Mainstreampolitics
Northern Light
Northwest Review
Post-Oklahoman Confessions
Sam Taylor
Twilight Zoning
Wally Wonders
Washington Outsiders
Western Front - WWU
Whatcom Watch
Local causes
Bham CofC political blogChuckanut Mountains
Citizens of Bellingham
City Club of Bham
Conservation NW
Cordata & Meridian
Futurewise - Whatcom
Lake Whatcom
N. Cascades Audubon
N. Sound Conservancy
Neighborhood Schools Coalition
No Leaky Buckets
NW Holocaust Center
RE Sources
Transition Whatcom
WA Conservation Voters
Local Leisure
Adventures NWEntertainment NNW
Climate & Weather
Climate AuditWatts Up With That?
Weather by Cliff Mass
Cascadia
Crosscut SeattleJoel Connelly
Orcinus
Portland Indy Media
Seattle Indy Media
Washington Votes
Leisure
Am Cup - GGYC viewAm Cup legal fight
Worth checking out
Al-Jazeera onlineAlaska Dispatch
AlterNet.org
Antiwar.com
Arab News
Asia Times
Atlantic, The
Buzz Flash
Common Dreams
counterpunch
Daily Beast, The
Daily Kos
Daily Mirror
Drudge Report
FiveThirtyEight
Foreign Policy in Focus
Guardian Unlimited
Gulf News
Haaretz
Huffington Post
Innocence Project, The
Intrnational Herald Tribune
James Fallows
Jerusalem Post
Juan Cole
Le Diplo
Media Matters
Middle East Times
MoveOn.org
Nation, The
New American Century
News Trust
NMFA
numbers
Online Journal
Palestine Daily
Palestine News
Personal bio info
Politico
Progressive Review
Project Vote Smart
Reuters
Sea Shepherd
Slate
Talking Points Memo
The Onion
Tom Paine.com
truthout
War and Piece
WikiLeaks.org
ynetnews.com
Governments
BellinghamBham - PFD
Skagit County
The White House
WA State Access
WA State Elections
WA State Legislature
Whatcom Auditor
Whatcom County
Other - for whatever
BushFlash.comChickehhawks
Doonesbury
George Bush
Info Clearing House
Michael Moore
Reality News
The Crisis Papers
Third World Traveler
Unity08
Election 2009
- Candidate Forum - video- Mike McAuley endorsement
Auditor election page
Bham #6 - Catherine Chambers
Bham #6 - Michael Lilliquist
Bham At Large - Orphalee
Bham At Large - Seth
County #1 - Dan McShane
County #1 - Kathy Kershner
County #2 - Ken Mann
County #2 - Mary B Teigrob
County #3 - Carl Weimer
County #3 - Michelle Luke
County At Large - Bill
County At Large - Laurie
Port #1 - John Blethen
Port #1 - Scott Walker
Port #2 - Doug Smith
Port #2 - Mike McAuley
2010 Winter Olympics
Amy Goodman InterrogationNo 2010 Olympics
No women ski jumpers
Olympics muzzle free speech
Olympics Resistance Network
Page of Links
Spectacle Vancouver
Zirin on Olympics
Less active
Eye on WhatcomThe American Telegraph
Quiet, offline or dead
David HackworthGitmo prisoner 345
Mega Awesome
Not in my county
Parkenfarker
Pro-Whatcom