But The Ninth Circus Says It's Okay To Lie

There is nothing that will get me fired up more then these stories of phony vets. Normally the guys over at This Ain't Hell do all the heavy lifting on these sort of stories and do their best to expose these phonies, but lately it has gotten harder, not easier, to prosecute these cases under the Stolen Valor Act.

Recently the ninth circuit in CA, the most overturned court in the country and one which has received reprimands from the Supreme Court for their nonjudicial activities, ruled that lying about military service is not a punishable offense and instead protected under free speech.

Well this example of free speech cost the taxpayers $16 million. Fortunately he was tried in a court that doesn't take such accepting view of posing as a vet when you're not.

A man claiming to be a disabled vet was convicted Wednesday of ripping off the government for $16 million in federal contracts.

A Manhattan federal jury said John Anthony Raymond White and his firm, Mitsubishi Construction Corp., bid on contracts the VA awarded under the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business Program.

White at times claimed he hurt his back while a Navy ROTC; other times he said he was in Special Forces.

The jury concluded he was always a fraud - and he faces up to 75 years in jail and $3.7 million in fines when sentenced.

Tale of Two Phony Soldiers

First the good news: This lowlife was sentenced to seven and a half years for impersonating a United States Marine.

A Scottsdale man who posed as a highly decorated Marine for several years was sentenced Tuesday to 7 1/2 years in prison, according to the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

John W. Rodriguez, 31 was sentenced in Maricopa Country Superior Court on charges of forgery, fraudulent schemes and presentation of a false instrument for filing. Along with prison time, the sentence includes four years of probation upon his release.

Between 2005 and 2010, Rodriguez falsely represented himself as a Marine who was honored with a variety of prestigious medals, according to Molly E. Edwards, press secretary for the Arizona Attorney General's Office.

Dan Ryan, a former Marine and FBI agent, first came in contact with Rodriguez at a Republican committee meeting in 2008. He noticed Rodriguez wearing a service uniform with some of the military branch's highest honors, including the Navy Cross. The Navy Cross is the second highest award for Marines and sailors.

"My first reaction was, 'This guy's a stud,' " Ryan said. "Then I looked a little more and thought, 'Something's going on here.' I'm very, very sensitive about the Navy Cross. I happen to have written one of the citations for the Marine who was killed right next to me in 1967 in Vietnam in a firefight."

Ryan decided to look into Rodriguez's background. After doing some research, Ryan alerted investigators at the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

A search of Department of the Navy and Department of Defense records found that Rodriguez never served in any branch of the military.

Good for Ryan. That's how Republicans handle their business with these phony soldiers.

As to the Democrats, they don't out and go after their phony soldiers. They have them run for the United States Senate.

I Was In The Marine Corps For Two Months

And fought in two wars.



That is the claim of this assclown who made a good living, although I can't figure out how since they say he gave free seminars, along with claiming to be a former law enforcement officer. I guess the sale of pepper spray is more profitable then I imagined.

On the scale of cases which veterans classify as Stolen Valor this one ranks pretty low, but it is interesting that he used his failure to make it through Marine boot camp as a resume enhancement along with just about everything else he boasted of accomplishing. What got him in trouble however is a picture of him holding a weapon which was a violation of his sentence he received after being convicted of impersonating a police officer.

I cannot express enough to organizations to do a better job of checking out the people you invite to come speak to your group. It is far too easy to let these shysters into your midst, and often claiming to be vet helps to sweep away a lot of the due diligence that should be exercised. I don't care if you are putting together a speaker for local knitting club or a national organization do not let somebody merely sweep into the room on the claim of service without doing some sort of checking. I know civilians are not well versed in looking at military paperwork to verify service but find somebody you trust to do it for you. Most veterans can spot a phony 10 seconds into a conversation and I am sure the same is true for law enforcement people.

This doesn't just apply to these type of professions either. Do your own verification whether the speaker is supposed to be an expert on recycling lawn clippings to make gold or a noted best selling author. Al Gore bamboozled an entire world with a resume that consists of being a Army reporter in Vietnam, a lawyer and then politician riding on the coattails of his father. Nowhere in this list is there anything even remotely coming close to the skill set necessary to even land a job as weatherman on a local television station.

ABC's Long List Only Has One Name

Gee ABC found a case from 14 years ago with a Republican who "misstated" his military service, while overlooking current Senator Tom Harkin, who also falsely claimed service in Vietnam. Oh that's right, he is Democrat, like John "Christmas in Cambodia" Kerry, so no harm, no foul, I guess.

Great piece of journalism there, ABC. You say there is a long list of politicians who have faced a similar situation like the latest scandal revolving around Democrat candidate Richard Blumenthal and then the only case you can cite is a Republican from 14 years ago. You might want to check on a bunch of the current crop of so-called veterans who put on a little dog and pony show in Washington a while back euphemistically called Winter Soldiers II. They played before a packed house of Democrats in the basement of the congressional building, and just like their predecessor the original Winter Soldiers, had a whole list of wannabees, never had been people trot out their horror stories from Afghanistan and Iraq.

No, when it comes to creative editing on biographies related to military service the Democrats excel, and those that can't inflate their street cred that way go out of their way to discredit those who do serve. See: Murtha, Jack; Durbin, Richard.

While you are it, ABC, why don't you go check out the ads the Democrats are running against Ilario Pantano and Allen West, two Iraq war veterans who are threatening to take seats away from the Democrats.

Spin This, Dick

Attempts at damage control are already underway for the disgraced Connecticut Attorney General Richard (Dick) Blumenthal. But there's just no ambiguity here. He says he served in Vietnam and he didn't. Some things you just can't spin, try as hard as you might.

Previewing a campaign event tomorrow, Myers wrote that "Dick has a long record of standing up for veterans. Tomorrow, veterans will be standing up with Dick."

Dick may have a long record, but how will we know those standing up for Dick are actual veterans? Can we get a check of their records, Dick?

Assorted reaction here this morning.

While the Linda McMahon campaign is taking credit for feeding the info to the Times, it's worth noting GOP contender Rob Simmons actually served in Vietnam.

Rob’s public service career began when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1965 as a Private, and spent 19 months in Vietnam where he earned two Bronze Star Medals. Rob continued his military service in the U.S. Army Reserve as a Military Intelligence Officer, retiring as a Colonel in 2003 with over 37 years of active and reserve service.

He is past commander of the 434th Military Intelligence (MI) Detachment New Haven, CT, which won the Reserve Officers Association’s Outstanding Small Unit Award in 1996. In 1998, Rob was recognized by for his contributions to the Military Intelligence Corps with the Knowlton Award for "Integrity, Moral Character, Professional Competence and Selflessness.”

Replacement candidates for Blumenthal are already being mentioned.

A New York Times report Monday night that Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal had lied about serving in Vietnam had pundits and pollsters across the nation speculating about the impact that it will have on an already tough mid-season election for Democrats.

Speculation immediately turned to Northwest Connecticut’s local congressman, 5th District U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, as a possible “replacement” candidate should this revelation be a death blow for the Blumenthal campaign.

An organization called Public Policy Polling tested Murphy against potential Republican nominees Linda McMahon and Rob Simmons in early January. He led both by 7 points, but the organization said the poll basically functioned as “generic Democrat” against McMahon or Simmons since Murphy has “low name recognition” statewide.

'We Have Learned Something Important Since the Days That I Served in Vietnam'

Surprise! Another phony Democrat soldier. This one is basically a shoo-in to inherit Chris Dodd's seat in Connecticut.

Well, maybe not.

At a ceremony honoring veterans and senior citizens who sent presents to soldiers overseas, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut rose and spoke of an earlier time in his life.

“We have learned something important since the days that I served in Vietnam,” Mr. Blumenthal said to the group gathered in Norwalk in March 2008. “And you exemplify it. Whatever we think about the war, whatever we call it — Afghanistan or Iraq — we owe our military men and women unconditional support.”

There was one problem: Mr. Blumenthal, a Democrat who is now running for the United States Senate, never served in Vietnam. He obtained at least five military deferments from 1965 to 1970 and took repeated steps that enabled him to avoid going to war, according to records.

The deferments allowed Mr. Blumenthal to complete his studies at Harvard; pursue a graduate fellowship in England; serve as a special assistant to The Washington Post’s publisher, Katharine Graham; and ultimately take a job in the Nixon White House.

In 1970, with his last deferment in jeopardy, he enlisted in the Marine Reserve, landing a coveted spot in a unit in Washington, D.C., which virtually guaranteed that he would not be sent to Vietnam. The unit conducted part-time drills and other exercises and focused on local projects, like fixing a campground and organizing a Toys for Tots drive.

Many politicians have faced questions over their decisions during the Vietnam War, and Mr. Blumenthal, who is seeking the seat being vacated by Senator Christopher J. Dodd, is not alone in staying out of the war.

But what is striking about Mr. Blumenthal’s record is the contrast between the many steps he took that allowed him to avoid Vietnam, and the misleading way he often speaks about that period of his life now, especially when he is speaking at veterans’ ceremonies or other patriotic events.

Sometimes his remarks have been plainly untrue, as in his speech to the group in Norwalk. At other times, he has used more ambiguous language, but the impression left on audiences can be similar.

In an interview on Monday, the attorney general said that he had misspoken about his service during the Norwalk event and might have misspoken on other occasions.

“My intention has always been to be completely clear and accurate and straightforward, out of respect to the veterans who served in Vietnam,” he said.

Except for that part about lying about your service.

Bye-bye, Dick.

At a 2008 ceremony in front of the Veterans War Memorial Building in Shelton, he praised the audience for paying tribute to troops fighting abroad, noting that America had not always done so. “I served during the Vietnam era,” he said. “I remember the taunts, the insults, sometimes even physical abuse.”

Mr. Blumenthal, 64, is known as a brilliant lawyer who likes to argue cases in court and uses language with power and precision. He is also savvy about the news media, and attentive to how he is portrayed in the press.

We'll see about that tomorrow.

If he's got the slightest shred of decency he resigns from office and terminates his campaign.

Happy 'Veterans' Day: Phony Marine Exposed

I haven't found any evidence this tool played dress-up other than to try to impress people at a reunion. Back during the height of the Iraq war there were more than enough phony soldiers popping up with the anti-war crowd. Anyway, get a load of the photo taken on Coronado. I'm surprised the weight of "his" medals didn't cause him to fall over.

A Palm Springs man who has never served in the military is expected to surrender to authorities Thursday to face charges of wearing military medals he did not earn, authorities said today.

Steve Burton, 39, has agreed to surrender at the U.S. District Court in Riverside. He was charged Friday by federal prosecutors in L.A. with the unauthorized wearing of military medals after he was allegedly seen and photographed wearing military uniforms and decorations.

The FBI was contacted by a Navy commander after she attended her high school reunion and saw Burton wearing a Marine Corps uniform displaying several medals, including the Navy Cross, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and others, according to an affidavit filed in United States District Court.

The Navy Cross is the highest medal the Navy awards and is the second highest award given for valor, second only to the Medal of Honor.

Suspicious, the commander asked to be photographed with Burton. The photo was used in the investigation. The FBI said it also found that Burton had made Internet postings about being a Marine and had written about his “combat experience” as well as his “service” in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also allegedly posted a picture of himself standing on a beach at Coronado wearing a Marine dress uniform with three rows of medals.

Phony Soldier Exposed, 'Veterans' Group Disbands

Naturally the Associated Press gives zero credit to the bloggers who exposed this fraud and the Democrats now find this guy radioactive.

Hopefully he's brought up on charges.

A Colorado-based veterans organization has voted to disband after members accused its founder—a former Nevada man—of fabricating an identity as a former Marine captain who served three tours in Iraq and was at the Pentagon on 9/11.

Richard Glen Strandlof, 32, who used the name Rick Duncan, founded the Colorado Veterans Alliance in Colorado Springs about two years ago. Major Carl Redding, spokesman for the U.S. Marines, said there is no record of Richard Glen Strandlof or Rick Duncan serving in the Marines.

The accusations were first reported by The Gazette of Colorado Springs.

Strandlof's grandfather, Richard Kenneth Strandlof of Dayton, Mont., also said his grandson never served in the military.

Alliance Spokesman Dan Warvi said, "We feel his actions permanently damaged the reputation of Colorado Veterans Alliance to the point that no future efforts can go forward."

Police arrested Strandlof Tuesday night on an outstanding traffic warrant from El Paso County. He is in custody at Denver City Jail on $1,000 bond.

David Walsh, a member of the alliance, told the Denver Post the group found evidence that Strandlof was a patient in a mental hospital in Washoe County, Nev., at the time of the roadside bombing in Fallujah, Iraq, that he claimed left him severely wounded.

The group contacted the FBI field office in Denver, which began investigating in early May and arrested Strandlof on Tuesday night in downtown Denver on a traffic warrant originating in El Paso County.

According to Walsh, federal authorities are looking into fundraising by Strandlof conducted under his real name in Nevada. He purportedly raised $25,000 during a New Year's Eve event near Reno on Dec. 31, 2006.

The blogs leading the charge on this have been This Ain't Hell, Mudville Gazette and Blackfive, and Michelle Malkin really helped blow the lid on it this week.

Democrats are always getting indignant when one of their own are exposed as phony soldiers. Expect deafening silence on this story.

A reminder for the future as well. Whenever you see purported 'vets' trashing our troops and casually talking about war crimes and atrocities, remember this fraud and the Jesse MacBeths of the world.