Vets For The Truth
The Vets For The Truth (VFTT), organized in June 2006 by Larry Bailey, former president of Vietnam Vets for the Truth, claims to be a reorganization of the VVFT, which officially terminated its operations in April 2005. [1]
The VFTT is not registered with the Federal Election Commission or elsewhere as a political action committee and states at the bottom of each page on its website BOOTMURTHA.COM that it "is under Iowa Presidential Watch's 527 PAC which follows FEC rules and regulations."
As the VVFT focused on discrediting Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Forbes Kerry ahead of the 2004 presidential election, the VFTT seeks to discredit—what it terms "redeploy"— Representative John Murtha (D-PA) from the U.S. House of Representatives. As the VVFT disputed Kerry's military service during the Vietnam War, it seeks to derail Murtha in his bid for reelection in the 12th Pennsylvania District in the 2006 midterm election.
Because the VVFT's stated mission is to "redeploy" Pennsvylvanian John Murtha from Congress, it is unclear how the IPW legitimately provides cover for VVFT operations, particularly since the IPW's mission is Iowa-centric: The IPW states on its website that it was "first created because of the 2004 election and the fact that hordes of Democrats would be invading Iowa and offering up a one sided view about how our nation should be governed." Also see section "Contributions Confusion" below.
Contents
Organizational Notice
In the June 28, 2006, Free Republic posting "More Veterans Taking on Murtha", Larry Bailey announced the organization of VFTT:
- "Warmest greetings from the organizing committee of Vets for the Truth (VFTT), which was established for the express purpose of assisting in the redeployment of John Murtha from the US House of Representatives. For the record, VFTT rose out of the 2004 campaign by Vietnam Vets for the Truth to inform the American voters of the lies told in 1971 about Vietnam military personnel by John Kerry. We had a great deal of success, especially in conceiving of and implementing Operation Street Corner, a program by means of which everyday citizens can make their political opinions known and point out the lies of John Kerry. VFTT intends to do the same thing in the case of what John Murtha has said about the U.S. Marines.
- "I’ll update this 'column' from time to time as the 'Boot Murtha' campaign gets wheels and generates momentum. I just hope I have the ability to keep up, as things are moving faster than I expected!
- "Thank you for checking in with us; now stay with us! We’re going to help Pennsylvania voters change their political landscape by telling the truth about Lying John Murtha!
- "Larry Bailey."
Note: Operation Street Corner is the product of Amanda P. Doss.
"Boot Murtha" Campaign
Contributions Confusion
The VFTT BOOTMURTHA.COM website states that (1) it is operating under IPW's 527 Committee and (2) the "Boot Murtha Campaign" is being paid for by the IPW.
However, VFTT requests that checks made out to "Vets For The Truth" be sent directly to its North Carolina address or that contributors send funds via a PayPal account to murthalied AT cox.net for the VFTT-BootMurthaCampaign.
The domain name MURTHALIED.COM was registered by Amanda P. Doss on June 15, 2006. Doss was also listed as the administrative and technical contacts. The mail contact address is a post office box in care of Network Solutions. [2] The website was found to be inactive July 5, 2006.
Note that the Vietnam Vets for the Truth employed a domain named KERRYLIED.COM in its 2004 campaign.
Gathering of Eagles
Contact Information
Vets For The Truth
P.O. Box 291
Chocowinity, NC 27817
Website: http://www.bootmurtha.com
Contacts
- Larry Bailey, President, Vets For The Truth
- Email: lbailey AT bootmurtha.com
- Roger Hughes, Chairman, Iowa Presidential Watch PAC and publicist, Boot Murtha Campaign
- Email: publicist AT bootmurtha.com
- Linda Eddy, Webmaster, Graphics and Editorial Cartoonist
- Email: webmaster AT bootmurtha.com and cartoons AT bootmurtha.com
- Amanda P. Doss, Webmaster
- Email: webmaster AT bootmurtha.com
- Nikki Ann Carlisle Sheppick, OSC District 12 Executive Director (Operation Street Corner)
- Email: osc AT bootmurtha.com
Resources and articles
Related SourceWatch articles
External articles
- Bones, "MMG EXCLUSIVE: Operation Street Corner, Vietnam Veterans for the Truth and Larry Bailey," MurthaMustGo Blogspot, June 23, 2006.
- Sean-Paul Kelley, "They're Gonna Swiftboat Murtha," The Agonist, June 23, 2006.
- Bob Geiger, "Right wing Swiftboater Doss slimes war hero. Republican smear merchant whines about responses in kind," AlterNet, June 25, 2006.
- Ron Brynaert, "New 'Murtha Lied' Website posts 'hateful' emails after liberal blogs start digging," The Raw Story, June 26, 2006.
- Ted Sampley, "'Don't Know Jack' Murtha. Accused U.S. Marines of 'Cold Blooded Murder'," U.S. Veteran Dispatch, June 29, 2006.
- "Vietnam Vets for the Truth' Reorganize Into 'Boot Murtha' Campaign," ChronWatch, June 30, 2006.
- "BootMurtha launches PA District 12 Vets Mailing Goal," Vets for the Truth (Free Republic), July 8, 2006.
- Sandra K. Reaback, "Vets set sights on Murtha," Pittsburgh Tribune-Democrat, August 1, 2006.
- "Swiftboaters Take Aim at Murtha," Think Progress, August 1, 2006.
- Silence is Complicity, "9-11 &... YouTube; Proof of the RNC's and Exxon's Campaigns against Truth," ePluribus Media, August 6, 2006.
