consider your source. the north koreans and cubans have more honor. On Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 8:35 PM, wncs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > News Orgs Investigate Possibly Fatal McCain '64 Car Crash > > > > For the past two months, a major American magazine and an allied news > service have been engaged in a legal battle with the United States > Navy over records that they believe show that John McCain once was > involved in an automobile accident that injured or, perhaps, killed > another individual. > > Vanity Fair magazine and the National Security News Service claim to > have knowledge "developed from first-hand sources" of a car crash that > involved then-Lt. McCain at the main gate of a Virginia naval base in > 1964, according to legal filings. The incident has been largely, if > not entirely, kept from the public. And in documents suing the Navy to > release pertinent information, lawyers for the NS News Service allege > that a cover-up may be at play. > > "Plaintiffs have also obtained documents showing that law enforcement > officers were ordered back to the accident scene to retrieve personal > physical effects. The Navy has never publicly acknowledged this > information," one document reads. "This request involves federal > government activity, as it addresses what may be an attempt by the > Navy to protect by concealment the involvement of a former Navy > officer, sitting Senator and Presidential candidate in a serious > incident involving the injury or death of another human being." > > The first request for information concerning duty assignment logs to > Portsmouth Naval Hospital -- where McCain was allegedly brought after > the accident -- came in the form of a Freedom of Information Act > request on August 28, 2008. The Navy acknowledged receipt of the > request and advised that it had located the relevant information a few > weeks later, only to deny the FOIA on grounds that it didn't prove an > "imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual" or > satisfy the criteria of "a breaking news story of general public > interest." > > "The patient admission record logs that you seek are exempt from > release," wrote G.E. Lattin, Deputy Assistant Judge Advocate General, > "as information in personnel and medical files, as well as similar > personal information in other files, that if disclosed to a requestor, > other than the actual person in which the information is pertaining to > or next of kin, would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of > personal privacy." > > NS News Service and Vanity Fair appealed the decision and asked for > expedited treatment of the case, as the end of the presidential > election loomed. But the Navy denied that request as well. > > "It appears to be a deliberate refusal to provide clearly releasable > information concerning assignments to Portsmouth Naval Hospital," > wrote legal representatives for the two news organizations. "Allowing > the Navy to extend its time to respond beyond a date when the > documentary facts of this matter would be available for public > consideration prior to the national election on Tuesday, November 4, > 2008 would violate the spirit, as well as the provisions of the FOIA." > > Staff for National Security News Service and the company's lawyer both > refused to discuss the proceedings. And there are only parcels of > information concerning the story that can be gleaned from the court > documents. > > At a minimum it seems clear that Vanity Fair and NS News Service have > launched an investigation "disclosing first-hand witnesses' > recollection of an automobile accident in which then Lt. John S. > McCain III was involved. Those witnesses specifically recall McCain's > assignment to that [hospital] facility with the other person involved > in the accident." This episode in McCain's life has, it seems, not > been made public, and the plaintiffs suggest that the Navy may be > attempting to actively restrict information about the incident. > > "The subject matter of the documents is a matter of current exigency > to the American public," reads a document filed by legal > representatives for the news service, "because the requester is > preparing a current news report addressing whether the Navy continues > to conceal the involvement of a Navy officer in a serious automobile > accident in July 1964." > > > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/28/news-orgs-investigate-pos_n_138449.html > > > -- *~@):~{> --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls. * Read the latest breaking news, and more. -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
