Dear editor, I was extremely disappointed by Judge Whitmire’s Sept. 5 “Judge’s Comment s” c olumn. Instead of using this platform to inform his constituents about the business, issues and concerns of the county, he chose to promote propagandistic distortions and lies, and to tout his own record of military service.
It is not difficult to “fact check” the judge’s claims that Gov. Walz “abandoned” his troops, “falsely claim[ed] to be in a combat zone,” and “claim[ed] to be a rank” he was not. Mult iple non-partisan, non-profit fact-checking organizations (e.g., Snopes, Fact-Check, PolitiFact) provide the same facts and come to the same conclusions regarding these claims. In a nutshell: Abandonment: Gov. Wa l z enl i s ted i n the National Guard two days after he turned 17 and re-enlisted after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Afterwards: • 2003—Walz and his unit deployed to Italy in support of operations in Afghanistan.
• February 2005—Walz filed to run for Congress.
• March 2005—Walz’s unit was told of “a possible partial mobilization” within the next two years. Major Kevin Olson said, “It’s too early to speculate if the (soldiers) will go.”
• May 16, 2005—Walz retired from the Guard over ethical concerns that running for public office while in the Guard would violate the Hatch Act, whose purpose is to ensure the federal workforce is free from partisan political influence.
• July 14, 2005—Walz’s former unit received an “alert order,” and on Aug. 14, official notice, that they would be mobilized.
Rank: Gov. Walz served as command sergeant major, and the Guard has said several times that it is accurate for Walz to say so. He retired as a master sergeant for benefit purposes only, because he did not complete certain coursework.
Role: Walz has never claimed to have served in combat. Allegations that he lied about this are based on a single misstatement made in an informal setting. Over several years, Walz has consistently and repeatedly stated that he did not see combat.
Judge Whitmire also spoke at length about the traits of “true leaders.” True leaders uphold the highest integrity in conducting their roles. I respectfully suggest that, particularly in such divisive times, that must include taking responsibility to ensure that statements made publicly are truthful. To do otherwise disrespects their constituents and can, at worst, be dangerous.
These are contentious times; emotions run high. Human nature can make it difficult to trust rational thought rather than our emotions. But I strongly encourage all Reporter readers to do just that. Do your own research of the candidates in all elections. Apply your critical thinking skills. Make your own choices. Vote, and take pride in knowing that you made your own decisions.
Sincerely, Gr e t chen McCor d DeFlorio 3016 C.R. 322 gretchen.m.deflorio@gmail.com 512-470-8932
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