I like the way some of these anti-Jack people publish information as if they are the sole authority on this man. I have heard that Jack is an arrogant SOB and can be a pain in the ass. He is reported to be a glory hog and that might just as well be true. The point is, regardless of his failings in life (though he was SF and they are arrogant SOB pains in the ass. It is what makes them the best warriors around) Jack deserves equal and fair treatment. He is being held against his will after being found not guilty of the charges leveled against him. I happened to check the stuporpatriots site (where I found what amounts to threats against Cao) and I saw a link to Flogging the Simian ( a reference, i think, to monkeys baning typewriters, not spanking the monkey) that is run by a cute young lady (if that is her picture at the top). She too, appears to be misinformed and happy to take pot-shots at Cao. In her defense, she argued the information that Cao presented and, from what I could tell, stayed away from personal attacks (other than the kool-aid references).
The flogger had a few things she wanted addressed to prove the claims made by Idema and his supporters. I would like to take a a bit of time to answer a few questions posed by the Simian:
- He became a Special Forces soldier at age 18! – Wow. Well then surely the diploma or certificate of this can easily be produced. After all, it’s not like he’s a CIA agent or anything.
- Yes he’s a convicted criminal, but really there’s a good explanation for it! – Yes, the “explanation” is he committed a crime and was convicted in a court of law even despite his many lawyer pals
- Idema was a “Senior Instructor” of the British SAS! – Again, just a tiny smidgeon of documentary evidence would prove this, not some tiny photograph of Idema fetching a sandwich from a retired soldier’s backpack
- Idema’s “Al Qaeda” tapes were real! – Really? Well then why did all the “terrorists” speak English? And why did NBC and other major news organizations refuse to buy the rights to them? Actually what happened is that Idema made some spare change by charging journalists to “tour” the secret “training area” once he “discovered” it
- Idema actually saved Gary Scurka’s life but nobody filmed it (or Idema “asked” not to be filmed)! – My goodness, well two real, well-known journalists were on the scene – Kevin Sites and Tim Friend – and I think their statements carry a little more credibility in this matter.
Jack Idema was born in 1956 (source) and he served at Fort Bragg in the SF in 1977. His diploma shows a graduation date of 1975 or 1976 (it is hard to read and you can see it below). That would indicate that he started in the SF school in 1974 or 1975 when he was 18 or 19.
This does not negate the fact that he deserves to be treated fairly. The left is constantly telling us what a great guy Clinton is and he was impeached. The left continues to push for legislation to allow convicted criminals to vote, yet they won’t leave this guy’s past in the past and focus on the here and now.
As you indicate later, you believe the people who were there (though I will correct your error there as well). This is from a person who served with him:
“In fact, I was assigned to teach surveillance operations to a British SAS commando force during which time Idema was their principal instructor in hostage rescue and close quarter battle. He [Jack] was the consummate professional with only two goals in mind; saving lives and combating terrorism for the red, white and blue.†(Letter written by Peter D. Montfort, former Special Forces operative and Senior Detective with the Dutchess County, New York Sheriff’s Office. The letter is dated May 25, 1994)
In January 2002, Idema sold CBS sensational footage, which he called the “VideoX†tapes, that purported to show an Al Qaeda training camp in action. The tapes became the centerpiece of the bombshell 60 Minutes II piece, “Heart of Darkness,†reported by Dan Rather… (so somebody bought them)Source. As for the veracity of the tapes, I can only say that the so called expert’s (who said the tapes were fake) statements have been deemed false by the CIA. I do not know what language the people spoke but when I see the tapes, I will tell you.
As you say, the people who were there have more credibility (though Jack was there) so why don’t we take the words of the guy who was injured. Certainly he is in a better position than anyone to know what happened.
Again, Scurka defends Idema’s version of the events. The way the veteran newsman remembers it, he was wounded by mortar fire while working on the front lines during a battle in Northern Afghanistan and was carried from a foxhole by two fellow journalists, Kevin Sites of NBC and Tim Friend of USA Today. The two administered immediate first aid, and Idema, moments later, re-dressed the wounds. It was only later, while bouncing along a rutted road while Scurka was being evacuated, that Idema noticed that his friend was still bleeding profusely from an exit wound that had gone unnoticed. He dressed Scurka’s wound and stanched the bleeding.(source).
Some people who were there question Idema’s actions. Scurka says Idema acted responsibly and appropriately (source).
A National Geographic reporter said that Idema helped save his life a couple of weeks ago. The reporter, Gary Scurka, was on the front lines of the northern alliance when an artillery round came in as he was filming, wounding him with shrapnel (source).
The last is important. If you are going to go for the word of someone, go for the person who had the most at stake. Now, what does all this mean? It is not very important because the Simian will write what she wants to and what she believes. I would recommend that she check all sources before posting something so that the argument has more validity.
We have seen this whole escapade come down to a man who is being held against his will. He was found not guilty and should be home in the United States. It does not matter what people think of him as a person or how sordid they think his past is. The only thing that matters is that an American is being held against his will. As a matter of fact several Americans are being held and every one of them deserves to come home. It is hard for me to believe that in this country a bunch of moonbats will flock to California to defend a man who killed at least four people in cold blood and laughed about it and then beg for that man’s life to be spared and those very same people will not defend an American hero who is being held against his will.
Now, I have presented this without personal attacks and without disclosing anyone’s personal information. Hell, I even said the Simian was cute. Let us see if the others at stuporpatriots and at Corruption Exposer can get out of the gutter and apply the same methods. Let us bring Jack home and then you can ask all the questions you want and you can investigate until your heart is content. The only thing that matters is that an American will be free.
Here is a picture of Jack Idema’s SF Qualification certificate. It is highly redacted to prevent unauthorized use. It is used with written permission from the Super Patriots.
All pictures and excerpts from the Super Patriots site are used with written permission. Any use of this information without written permission is a violation of the law. (SO DON’T TAKE THE STUFF!)
Cao’s Blog has information on how to contact people in high places to help get Jack and his men home.
Trackback to:
Causes of Interest | Theodore’s World (Wild Thing) | Rottweiler Puppy