The ad, which can be viewed here (on Windows Media Player), is supportive of US efforts in Iraq, featuring several troops speaking out about the validity of their cause and about how much progress is being made there. It includes imagery of the smoking twin towers on 9/11, of the aftermaths of several other Al-Qaeda attacks, and of the Iraqi battlefield.
The sentence in the advertisement which actually caused the station to reject the $30,000 offered to air it was this: "You would never know it from the news reports, but our real enemy in Iraq is Al-Qaeda, the same terrorists who killed 3,000 Americans on 9/11."
The adverstisement was accepted and aired by at least two other stations in Minnesota, which prompted the state Democrat Party (DFL) to send its members this letter:
Dear DFLer,
I’ve heard from many of you that you are disturbed by the misleading
"Midwest Heroes" ads produced by Progress for America Voter Fund that are currently being run by KARE 11 and WCCO. The ads erroneously make a connection between Iraq and the 9/11 terrorists attacks and suggest that the war in Iraq will prevent an attack by Al Queda in America. The 9/11 Commission findings clearly state that there was no connection between Iraq and the the Al Queda terrorists attacks on 9/11. We must call for media responsibility regarding this
issue. We have extraordinary sympathy for our troops and their families and believe that while our soldiers’ role is to protect the citizens of our country, it is our role as citizens to protect our soldiers and to make certain that they are not misused. It is a travesty that the tragedies of five countries and the deaths of our brave men and women are being used in this type of propaganda.Right now, our state is a testing ground for these ads. If Minnesota speaks out and says no to this ad, the entire country can thank us. What we do here, now, will have an enormous impact on the success or failure of this kind of swiftboating in 06.
You can view the ads at: http://www.midwestheroes.com/ Additionally, WCCO did a Reality Check stating that the ad is misleading and partly true, which in my mind means
that it is partly false. See it at: http://www.wcco.com/video/?id=14609@wcco.dayport.comIf you feel that this ad is doing a disservice to our troops and is misleading at best, and pure propaganda at worst, please call:
KARE 11 at 763 546 1111
WCCO at 612 370 0611
to ask for the removal of the ads. Letters to the Editor in your local
paper would be helpful to point out the untruths being communicated to citizens as fact. Thanks in advance for being a voice of truth, and for all that you do to improve the state of our nation and state.DFL Chair Brian Melendez will be holding a press conference at the State Capitol today at 2:30 to ask that this ad be pulled from the air waves. He will be joined by congressional candidate and veteran Tim Walz. Please tune in to your evening news to see coverage of this important event.
Sincerely, Donna
Donna Cassutt, Associate Chair,
Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Powerline blog obtained and provided that letter, further reporting: "DFL Party Chairman Brian Melendez called a news conference to call the ad "un-American, untruthful and a lie."
"Minnesota has a chance to take a stand against this misleading and untruthful propaganda," he said. Referring to controversial ads that ran during the last presidential race, he said, "Minnesota TV stations should pull this ad and send a message that we will not tolerate this kind of 'swift-boating' anymore."
So now soldiers who support the war they fought in are "un-American." Unbelievable. And, by the way, does anyone have any idea what "Swiftboating" is supposed to mean? Is that when a veteran says something that liberals disagree with? Is it when a serviceman publicly describes events that he participated in and witnessed with his own eyes? I'm not sure just what the criteria are, but it seems clear that only veterans and servicemen can be guilty of the dreaded crime
of "Swiftboating."
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