Cliff Stearns take a swing at being irresponsible and misses the point

Veterans need help not irresponsible journalism

BY CLIFF STEARNS
Special to the Star-Banner

The Star-Banner should have treated Penny Coleman's piece, "Chastising military families" (Jan. 13), with some incredulity. I have an extensive record of work on behalf of veterans, and the Star-Banner apparently had no suspicions about a story claiming that I "lack compassion" for veterans and their families.

Nowhere in the article were there any quotes from me that I "lacked compassion" for Mike and Kim Bowman, whose son Timothy committed suicide after returning from Iraq. In fact, I stood at the conclusion of this fine couple's testimony and applauded them; we all did.

The jump-page headline from this piece claimed I "put blame of suicide on parents." This is totally false and belies my record as a veteran myself.

My opening statement at the hearing included this: "The statistics regarding the rate of suicides among veterans is beyond alarming, it is catastrophic. These young men and women are heroes each and every one of them." This hardly sounds like someone who would callously claim that Timothy or his parents were responsible for this death.

A review of my comments shows just the opposite of Coleman's claims; the transcript and my opening statement are on my web site at www.stearns.house.gov. This article and the Star-Banner's headlines are based upon sensationalism, representing unethical and unprofessional journalism.

Here are my full quotes from the hearing with Mr. and Mrs. Bowman: "Let me echo sincerely the comments of my colleagues, in which we are very sorry for this tragedy. Having three boys, I think anybody who has children certainly identifies with the grief that you are going through. But I would say, in all candidness, that your coming here is good for us, but it is probably good for you to talk about it and to tell us, in the ways that you are doing, so that we better understand. As to the actual telling of it to us by you, I think and hope and pray that it helps you too, as you mentioned that you have posttraumatic stress symptoms yourself."

Then this: "I think as legislators, we can direct the VA to not only brief you but to come into your house and set up perhaps a casual type of counseling where the veterans themselves, who are back and who are, shall we say, aware of this problem can sit down with Timothy and say, Okay, let's shoot the breeze here and talk about it, What is happening in life."

Coleman even makes outrageous charges against our military. At the same hearing, she claimed our troops are "trained to treat the killing of civilians as humorous."

On the left-wing Web site AlterNet, Coleman states that our military personnel are trained to hold "explicit contempt not only for the declared enemy of the week, but for the entire civilian population." She later states in the same article, they "must learn to despise and distrust all that is not military."
go here for the rest
http://www.ocala.com/article/20080118/OPINION/471964605/1030/OPINION

I tried to check the link he put up several times but it was not working. What I did find was the transcript. Go here and read it.
http://www.ocala.com/assets/pdf/OS10923118.PDF

I read it to refresh my mind because I watched it live. He is trying to cover up for what he did and said. I think he must finally feel ashamed for this and his attitude or he had been taking a lot of heat for it. I bet he can't stand the heat more than he is troubled by what is happening to our soldiers.