[BREAK] Media Matters has been doing a bang-up job of following the saga of Cpl. Joshua Sparling, a wounded veteran back home from Iraq. Normally, I'd have enough respect for the service the soldier provided to give him a lot of slack, as far as any disparity in our views on the war or any other differences of opinion we might have. And, as he is a seriously wounded returnee, I'd stand silent as he'd bash my views on Iraq, Bush and anything else he might like. But when his false celebrity gets to the point that he can harm the whole anti-war movement, and thereby give a boost to Bush's Baghdad Blunder, with just a little well played mendacity, other vets should take him to task. This guy Sparling is a disgrace. He's changed his story numerous times, going from "one protester spit at" him to "many protesters spit on" him. On top of that, he's kinda stuck saying that the first "spitter" wore an 82nd Airborne patch, as he had said it the first time and saw it added to the reporters excitement. OF COURSE IT DID! Any idiot would be struck by the incongruity of a war protester who, supposedly, despised the troops (or just disturbed troops like Spurling?) wearing the patch of the military he despised??? I'm one of those with a story of being dissed when I returned from 'Nam. No spitting; just a cabdriver refusing service when he discovered I had just that moment returned. But others had worse stories of harassment. The country was torn, with some (VERY FEW) blaming the "baby killer" troops, by proxy. A guy like Spurling, or Vietnam Vets who exaggerate their trauma at being dissed at home, cast doubt on, and cause more suffering to, those who were really harmed by idiots who can't discriminate between the tool of war and the maniacs who are elected and wield the tools. JB ===== [/BREAK]

Media Matters - Still more questions for the NY Times regarding the alleged spitting incident Still more questions for the NY Times regarding the alleged spitting incident As Media Matters for America noted, in a January 29 article, The New York Times' Ian Urbina reported that a protestor spit "at the ground near" Cpl. Joshua Sparling, a wounded Iraq war veteran, during the January 27 anti-Iraq war protest in Washington, D.C. But the article offered no details regarding the alleged incident, giving rise to several unanswered questions, which Media Matters laid out. Sparling appeared on the January 29 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes and the January 30 edition of Fox & Friends and gave his own version of the events, contradicting some aspects of the Times' reporting.

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