2,810
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
----
Changed PRW URLs from HTTP to HTTPS
{{Navbar-Vets for Freedom}}
{{Front groups}}
'''Vets for Freedom''' (VFF), which as recently as September 2007 declared itself the "leading voice representing troops and veterans from [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]]."<ref>[http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/about/ About], Vets for Freedom, accessed September 1, 2007.</ref>, on July 10, 2007, resumed its pro-[[Bush administration]], pro-[[war in Iraq]] political activities by launching its [[Vets for Freedom/"Win the War! Victory in Iraq" campaign|<u>Win</u> the War! Victory in Iraq" campaign]], stating that the "next ten weeks will be absolutely crucial in determining the fate of the Iraq War." <ref>[http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/tenweeks/ "10 Weeks to Testimony,"] Vets for Freedom, July 10, 2007.</ref> <ref>[http://dadmanly.blogspot.com/2007/07/call-to-action.html "Call to Action,"] ''Dadmanly'' Blogspot, July 10, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://swacgirl.blogspot.com/2007/07/vets-for-freedom-win-war.html "Vets for Freedom... Win the War?"], ''SWAC Girl'' Blog, July 12, 2007.</ref>
VFF communicates its slogan in military terms: "Mobilizing veterans to communicate America's strategic objectives in Iraq and Afghanistan."<ref>[http://www.vetsforfreedom.org Vets for Freedom website.]</ref>
In July 2006, VFF—calling itself the [[Vets for Freedom Action Fund]] (VFF-AF)—registered<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20070208191741/http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/ Archived copy of most recent update to Vets for Freedom Action Fund home page], February 8, 2007.</ref> with the IRS as a [[527 committee]] national [[lobbyist|lobby]]. It was, in essence, a [[Republican Party|Republican]] [[front group]] managed by Republican-affiliated [[public relations]]<ref>[httphttps://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom_Action_Fund#High-Level_Republican_Media_Outlets.E2.80.94Embedded:_Connecting_the_Dots "VFF-AF High-Level Republican Media Outlets—Embedded: Connecting the Dots,"] SourceWatch.</ref>, [[media]]<ref>[httphttps://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom_Action_Fund#High-Level_Republican_Media_Reps "VFF-AF High-Level Republican Media Reps,"] SourceWatch.</ref>, legal<ref>[httphttps://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom_Action_Fund#High-Level_Republican_Legal_Representation "VFF-AF High-Level Republican Legal Representation,"] SourceWatch.</ref>, and political consultants, including former White House spokesman [[Taylor Gross]], to defeat candidates who advocate an end to the US [[occupation of Iraq]]. =="National Heroes Tour"== In March 2008, VFF arranged "a low-key classroom discussion about patriotism and service to country" at Lake Forest High School in Minnesota. Then, VFF "decided to call a press conference at the school and alerted media." In response, "anti-war activists, including [[Iraq Veterans Against the War|veterans of Iraq who oppose the war]]" decided to organize "their own press conference and rally." <ref name="HeroesBus">Nick Coleman, "[http://www.startribune.com/local/17035406.html A political agenda hid behind a talk with heroes]," ''Star Tribune'' (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota), March 26, 2008.</ref> The high school canceled the event. Right-wing radio and television began criticizing Principal [[Steve Massey]], and angry conservatives called and emailed him, "calling him a coward, a Communist or a spineless America Hater." Local columnist [[Nick Coleman]] suggested, "Maybe a Minnesota school was just trying to keep its students from becoming pawns in a political game. There would not have been much outrage" if, instead of being billed as the "Vets for Freedom National Heroes Tour," the event had been called the "Republican Tour to Shore Up the Pro-War Vote," he added. <ref name="HeroesBus"/>
==Non-partisan, bi-partisan or neocon [[lobbyist]]s?==
===Funded by [[Republican Jewish Coalition]] / [[Freedom's Watch]]===
"Working behind the scenes through most of the summer" 2007, Freedom's Watch president [[Bradley A. Blakeman]] "assembled big-dollar donors and quietly helped pro-war groups ranging from the [[American Legion]] to [[Rolling Thunder]] make a case for Bush's war strategy. Freedom's Watch also formed partnerships with other groups backing the war, such as [[Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission|Families United]], '''Vets for Freedom''' and the [[Veterans of Foreign Wars]]," Jim Kuhnhenn reported September 28, 2007, for the Associated Press.<ref>Jim Kuhnhenn, [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/09/28/politics/p105148D06.DTL&type=politics "Outsiders Aim to Frame Political Debate,"] Associated Press (''San Francisco Chronicle''), September 28, 2007.</ref>
===VFF staff and members have extensive ties to George W. Bush, Bill Kristol and Republican Party===
* '''VFF Executive Director wrote article in pro-War ''Weekly Standard'':'''
**[[Pete Hegseth]], VFF's Executive Director since May 2007, wrote the article "What Would Lincoln Do? Civil War Woes Emblematic Of Those Faced In Iraq," published June 26, 2007, in [[neo-conservative]] [[William Kristol]]'s ''[[The Weekly Standard]]'' magazine. Hegseth addressed statements made by Sen. [[Carl Levin]] (D-Mich.) in a June 21, 2007, ''Washington Post'' op-ed<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/20/AR2007062001870.html "Lincoln's Example for Iraq,"] ''Washington Post'', June 21, 2007.</ref> which "bothered" Hegseth, "all of which run counter to realities on the ground in Iraq," Hegseth wrote.<ref>Pete Hegseth, [http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/26/opinion/main2980809.shtml?source=search_story "What Would Lincoln Do? Civil War Woes Emblematic Of Those Faced In Iraq,"] ''The Weekly Standard'', June 26, 2007.</ref>
:*Note: William (Bill) Kristol is an original co-founder of the [[Project for the New American Century]], as well as a member of and an advisor to the [[Foundation for the Defense of Democracies]], with which Vets for Freedom has become associated.<ref>[https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom/%22Win_the_War%21_Victory_in_Iraq%22_campaign#Foundation_for_the_Defense_of_Democracies Vets for Freedom (Foundation for the Defense of Democracies section),] SourceWatch article.</ref>
* '''VFF National Field Director has worked for other pro-War groups and works for McCain's presidential campaign:'''
* '''VFF co-founder was assisted by former Bush White House spokesman's PR firm in attempt to get dispatches published in mainstream newspapers, got credentials from the ''Weekly Standard'', was assisted by Kristol:'''
** In 2006, former White House spokesman Taylor Gross's [[public relations]] firm the [[Herald Group]] helped VFF co-founder [[Wade Zirkle]] and "fellow Iraq veteran [[David Bellavia]] approach mainstream newspapers to offer dispatches from the two as war correspondents [[embedded]] [httphttps://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom#Embedded:_Connecting_the_Dots with the military.] The two eventually got press credentials<ref>David Bellavia, Owen West, and Wade Zirkle, [http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/012/443zhpmy.asp?pg=2 "Birth of an Army. With the Iraqi forces in Ramadi,"] ''The Weekly Standard'', July 24, 2006.</ref> through ''The Weekly Standard'', whose editor, William Kristol, became an informal adviser to the group and helped put it in touch with" Republican strategist [[Dan Senor]], who was "on retainer to help with fundraising."<ref>Julie Kosterlitz, [http://www.iraqvetsforprogress.org/national_journal.htm "Lobbying & Law - Veterans of Political Wars,"] ''National Journal''/Iraq Vets for Progress, undated 2006.</ref>
See the [[Vets for Freedom Action Fund]] article for more details on VFF's Republican connections.
On February 19, 2007, the VFF-AF donated $4,227 to Vets for Freedom. The expediture was identified as a "Contribution to non-profit organization."<ref>[http://forms.irs.gov/politicalOrgsSearch/search/Print.action?formId=27106&formType=E72 Form 8872: Political Organization Report of Contributions and Expenditures: Vets for Freedom Action Fund,] January 1-June 30, 2007; filed July 31, 2007.</ref>
For more VFF-AF financial information, see "VFF-AF Funding."<ref>[httphttps://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Vets_for_Freedom_Action_Fund#VFF-AF_Funding Vets for Freedom Action Fund/VFF-AF Funding,] SourceWatch.</ref>
Also see the [[Vets for Freedom Action Fund|VFF-AF]] article for information on VFF's and VFF-AF's donation endeavors, as well as the article on the [[Vets for Freedom/Donatelli Group & the Swift Boat Connection|Donatelli Group & the Swift Boat connection]].
URL: http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/ and http://www.veteransforfreedom.org (redirect)<br>
Note: The [http://www.pbase.com/woodstock_ec/image/9006180 132 North Main Street], Woodstock, VA, [httphttps://www.prwatch.org/node/4916#comment-1007 address] is the same as that given for Denman Zirkle, contact for [[Sons of Confederate Veterans]] Camp 1657 (Turner Ashby) [http://www.southernmessenger.org/scv_camps.htm], named after Confederate General Turner Ashby.
===Weblog===
[[category:war in Iraq]][[category:elections (U.S.)]][[category:politics (U.S.)]][[category:political dirty tricks]][[category:pro-war in Iraq front groups]][[category:pro-war lobby]]
[[Category:Front groups]]
[[Category:Web fronts]]
