Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
In The President’s Point in last week’s “Transcript,” Calvin Packard professes to study facts before reaching conclusions. However, he substitutes “perception” for “fact” and concludes one can never know the truth (facts) because they are nothing but perception.
He uses the phrase “Known only to God and to,” in two instances, in one McCain, and in the other, Trump.
If one believes this, he could never accept a jury verdict. After all, is not who is guilty known only to God and the accused?
Packard makes unsubstantiated allegations. The first, McCain was responsible for the death of fellow service men.
He says a “few“ of the survivors blamed McCain, but he doesn’t name any of “the few.” He concludes the truth is known only to God and McCain. He leaves an inference the story is true.
FactCheck.org reports “In the days following the death of Sen. John McCain, readers have inquired about a claim he was responsible for the deaths of more than 100 sailors. He wasn’t.”
The falsehood distorts facts about that July 1967 disaster. There is no evidence McCain was responsible for the accident.
A second untrue allegation is that “McCain was a POW during Vietnam. Most credit his behavior as exemplary, there is however a ‘few’ fellow POWs having a different perspective. The truth is only known to God and McCain,” Packard writes.
Again, he cites a “few” fellow Vietnam POW’s without identifying the “few.”
FactCheck.org refutes this allegation.
Retired Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney was terminated from Fox after stating, “The fact is, it (torture) worked on John. That’s why they call him Songbird John.” The claim was debunked by Politifact, another fact checking website, citing fellow prisoners of war and author Robert Timberg, who wrote the book, “John McCain: An American Odyssey.”
“I’ve never known of any occasion in which Sen. McCain provided the North Vietnamese with anything of value,” said Timberg.
Those responsible are Gerard Kiley and Ted Sampley. Sampley has also called McCain a “Manchurian Candidate. “…offers no credible proof of these allegations, other than quotes from unnamed former POWs and suggestions that the Vietnamese still have film of McCain’s activities in the prison camps.
By insinuating these falsehoods are true, Packard hides his real intent to sway opinion in favor of Trump and his actions and inactions in the days following McCain’s death.
He states, “Many in the public are using the fact that McCain publicly stated President Trump was not welcome at his funeral as the sole reason for Trump to have the U.S. flag over the White House raised to full staff on Monday.” There are three things, per Packard, to consider before we can decide the truth.
The first is we don’t know the whole truth.
Packard insinuates it could have been an accident and some custodian made a decision based on the Flag Code.
To think a custodian could make a decision of this importance is unbelievable. If was an accident, it wouldn’t take two days to correct.
Packard asks, “Did President Trump not just speak up about the details? … The truth is only known by God and Trump.”
Trump issued this statement two days after the Senator’s death, and it appears to be the “speaking out” to which Packard refers: “Despite our differences on policy and politics, I respect Senator John McCain’s service, to our country and in his honor, have signed a proclamation to fly the flag at half-mast until the day of his interment,”
Packard ignores the five occasions following McCain’s death, when asked if he had anything to say about McCain, Trump ignored the questions.
Trump repeatedly ignored requests, from both the right and left, to lower the flag. Only after the American Legion sent the following did he issue a proclamation honoring the Senator, “On the behalf of The American Legion …make an appropriate presidential proclamation noting Senator McCain’s death and legacy of service to our nation, and that our flag be half-staffed through his internment.”
Thirdly, Packard references the Flag Code. He correctly states the President can order the flag to half-staff for several reasons. It is also the general rule for Members of Congress to lower the flag for the day of death until sunset the day following.
However, this rule is not strictly followed and has been ignored in the past when honoring deserving leaders.
Packard states the President, in his words, “can order” the flag to half-staff. Packard is describing a Presidential Proclamation honoring the deceased, ordering lowering of the flag and setting the time frame. It is issued as soon as possible after the death.
McCain died Aug. 25. The flag atop the White House was lowered, without Presidential Proclamation, until sunset on Aug. 26. The Proclamation was issued on Aug. 27. Packard would have us believe this could be due to an implausible accident and that the true reason was known to only God and Trump.
Trump has displayed ability to voice his thoughts by tweeting. It is difficult to conclude he was silent for any other reason than personal dislike for the Senator and because he was excluded from attending the funeral.
By only begrudgingly issuing a tardy Proclamation to honor the Senator, he dishonored an American hero.
We should demand more from our President. I know I do.
Dean Kurtz
Class of 1964
Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran (1966)
Graduate of NDSU - 1972
