And John Kerry Bombed Cambodia Too

This appeared in the Bucks County Courier Times yesterday from John Wible of Bensalem, PA.

Just after the O.J. Simpson acquittal, I heard a man on television say, “He got off because the cops tried to frame a guilty man.” Whether they tried to frame O.J. is argumentative and irrelevant to this missive, but it reminds me of how the forces of “wingnuttery” on the right are constantly trying to frame those they disagree with, guilty or not. This brings me to Richard Petrucco’s letter of Jan. 30th.

Petrucco claims Sandy Berger pleaded guilty to “stealing top secret documents.” Actually, according to Fox News of April 3, 2005, and other sources, Berger pleaded guilty to “unauthorized removal and retention of classified material.” First, “Classified” can mean “confidential,” “secret,” or “top secret.” Again, according to Fox, Noel Hillman, chief of the Bush Justice Department’s public integrity section…said Berger had only copies of documents; all of the originals remain in the government’s possession.” Nothing was stolen.

Petrucco compares employees of Coca-Cola, on trial now for stealing the Coke formula, to the Berger case. Petrucco claims these employees “face fines in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and up to 20 years in prison,” insinuating that Berger got off easy for a more egregious crime. Petrucco is trying to pull a fast one here, as the Coke case is still in adjudication and we have yet to learn of the penalties if found guilty. Berger could have been sentenced to one year in jail and a $100,000 fine. He plea-bargained for the lesser penalties, quite possibly an avenue for the defendants in the Coke case.

Petrucco goes on to bemoan the “persecution – not prosecution – of Scooter Libby,” bringing up the straw-man argument that Libby wasn’t the leak. Among other things, Libby is charged with lying to a federal investigator; the same charge that sent Martha Stewart to jail, though she wasn’t found guilty of insider trading, which was the cause of the original investigation. Will we find an angry letter to the editor from Petrucco condemning the “persecution” of Stewart?

By the way, Ken Starr went after President Bill Clinton for Whitewater but got him on lying about Monica Lewinsky. Persecution?

Petrucco also bemoans the “out-of-control special prosecutor” Republican Patrick Fitzgerald, named by Deputy Attorney General James B. Comey after then-Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself from the case. I seem to remember right-wingers defending the arguably “out of control” Ken Starr during the Clinton years, but that was then, this is now, correct? Libby is also being charged with perjury and obstruction, the same charges the right-wingers wanted Clinton hanged for. But that was then, this is now, correct?

If you ask me, I think Congressman Patrick Murphy acted as the lookout, helping Berger “steal” the documents. I also think Hillary Clinton pushed the iceberg in front of the Titanic. And we all know Bill bombed Pearl Harbor, then framed the Japanese. These “liberals” just got away with it.

Petrucco has been a chronic offender on the supposed “issue” of Sandy Berger and the national archive documents before, among other matters; he is continually refuted, but then continually brings up the matter several months later after he assumes that everyone has forgotten (trust me, we haven’t).

As I said before regarding Wible, I hate competition, especially when it’s good :- ); Wible's bio notes that he's a retired Teamster and a 25-year resident of Bucks County.