Democrat Congressman Tim Mahoney (FL-16): Honoring Those Who Defended the Soviet Union [Updated]
By Jeff Emanuel Posted in 2008 | Honoring the Red Army of Josef Stalin | Targets | Tim Mahoney — Comments (14) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
[Update-7/1/08@1012CDT: Asked about the photo by Cox Newspapers-Washington, Mahoney spokeswoman Leslie Pollner-Levey said, “We’d like more time to respond. We’re looking into it.”
That tone changed quickly. When the staff realized the magnitude of their error, Charles Halloran, Mahoney's chief of staff, had this to say: “This was an honest staff error. We deeply apologize to those who were offended and we will take steps to ensure that this mistake doesn’t happen in the future.”
Kudos to them for being willing to "take steps to ensure that this mistake doesn’t happen in the future." After all, getting it right the first time -- which could have been ensured had one single U.S. military veteran been shown the mailpiece supposedly "honoring" veterans before it was sent out.
Sometimes it takes a massive screw-up to teach folks to kick the laziness habit and reinforce attention to detail, I suppose.]
Tim Mahoney, freshman Democrat Congressman from Florida, really, really loves the troops. Remember last March, when he responded to questions about whether or not the 'surge' in Iraq would work by famously saying "So what"? Well, forget it -- Tim Mahoney loves the troops, and don't you dare think otherwise.
He loves them so much that he wants every person in his district to know how much he loves, and honors, the efforts, dedication, and sacrifices of those who defend our freedom.
He loves them so much that he recently sent out a taxpayer-funded mailpiece titled "Honoring Those Who Defend Our Freedom" (viewable here in .pdf form, and here with Staff Advisory Opinion attached).
Read on.
Take a quick look at that mailpiece. Ignore, for a moment, the possibility that picture of the troops shown in uniform was taken in Iraq -- something that would be quite the faux pas on a Democrat's mailer "Honoring Those Who Defend Our Freedom," since we've all been told for quite some time now that Iraq is the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and that it has nothing to do with "defending our freedom," or anything else besides getting cheap-as-free oil and acting on Israel's subliminal directives.
No, ignore that photograph, and its possible implications, and look further down the piece at this fellow (pictured at right; click to enlarge).
Look closely at his medals. As any American veteran can tell you, it's as easy to spot the fact that those aren't American medals as it is to tell the difference between, say, an M4 and an AK-47.
In particular, take a look at the top right medal in the gentleman's array. Then, take a look at the image below at left. See a resemblance?
The medal is the "Order of the Patriotic War" -- "an Order (decoration) of the Soviet Union," which "was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the Great Patriotic War" [Auth. -- the Soviet designation for WWII].
The rest of the medals being worn by the gentleman on the mailer are identifiable as Soviet awards, as well.
The takeaway from this? Freshman "Blue Dog" Democrat Congressman Tim Mahoney, FL-16, loves the troops so much that neither he nor his staff could tell the difference between an American veteran and a former soldier in Iron Joe Stalin's Red Army.
First it was Barack Obama, the presumptive Democrat presidential nominee, whose pathological need to be a part of history led him to place his uncle in Stalin's Red Army at the time of its liberation of Auschwitz. Now, it's Tim Mahoney who "honors" our troops by including a photograph of a Soviet veteran on a mailpiece meant to reinforce just how much he loves America's troops.
If that doesn't show true love for the troops, then I don't know what does. After all, taking three minutes to grab a Defense Fellow from another office (Mahoney declined to employ such a Fellow himself, for whatever reason) and get a quick accuracy check on the taxpayer-funded mailer was clearly too great an effort to make for those brave men and women Mahoney and his staff are so passionately supportive of.
It always about a global appeal, the whole multi cultural aspect. So Democrats honor those who fought in wars - everywhere.
This especially applies to those we fought against, since Democrats feel it was our attempt at American Hegemony which forced others to defend themselves.
Now that Mahoney has moved from Republican to Democrat, he should be comfortable inside the orb of confusion.
Plus Mahoney recently said he wouldn't vote for Obama or Clinton. Perhaps he will vote for Stalin?
"Nec Aspera Terrent"
bene ambula et redambula
Contributor to The Minority Report
Perhaps there is a mole on his staff who didn't move from Republican to Democrat with him. Or maybe his staff was having too much trouble finding such a photogenically bespangled old American soldier.
An amazing gotcha, but do they (the Dems) care?
Considering that FL-16 has Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie in the district and that republicans have held the district for 14 of the 25 years it has been in existence showing pro-military symbolism is a requirement. Not to mention it can be pointed out that the primary reason why Mahoney won was a direct result from the Mark Foley fall-out, as FL-16 was his district.
I would like to think that this will gain some traction there with the citizens, but I am not hopeful.
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It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.
--Aristotle
Almost certainly a mistake, but what a colassal boneheaded mistake to make. Is this the district West is running in? Whoever is running against him is going to beat him up with this one.
"If they were merely incompetent, then at least SOME of their actions would have been to the benefit of the country."
but apparently Mahoney knows no more about this man's motivations than he does about the medals. To be a Red Army soldier in the Great Patriotic War was to fight or be shot by his own superiors. I don't think there was any such thing as conscientious objector registry in the Soviet system.
I don't think there was any such thing as conscientious objector registry in the Soviet system.
Sure there were... SOMEONE had to work as slave labor in the gulags.
(70 years of bad weather my oversized rear end!)
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Dependence is Slavery.
Quite an amusing boo boo, using a Soviet war veteran.
Not that I want to denigrate any of the soldiers who fought Hitler. As history buffs know, the Eastern front was what broke the back of the Nazis, and the Russians made huge sacrifices.
The problem comes after the war, when they decided to occupy the countries they liberated from fascism.
to wonder if that is a photograph of Obama's uncle. That would explain a lot.
although they would prefer a set of Maoist medals.
Still, progress is progress.
"Always be honest with yourself. Even if you are honest with no one else."
--me
Some of these politicos are so far away from the military--they're clueless. Obviously. I find the whole thing amazing. best, Kay
I suppose you can say that the Congressman did not personally put together the mailpiece that was to convince his constituents that he was 'supporting our troops'.
He, of course, hired the people who did, approved it, and they are certainly chosen because they are politically aligned with him.
They are liberals, they don't care about the military ... much like the groups on campuses and in San Francisco they do anything they can to oppose it. It wasn't important enough to find the correct photo of a vet, and given the lack of historical knowledge of young people graduating from our colleges today, it is of no surprise.
Congressman Mahoney deserves condemnation for what his office is calling a 'mistake'. It's far more than a mistake and we should all be more than a little concerned about it because it is a reflection of a liberal's total disregard for our country or those that defend it.
"Land of the Free and Home of da Whopper" Peter Griffin...Family Guy
conform and celebrate diversity....or else!!!
Steel-Belted Radial Right Winger