Friday, April 19, 2013

What Lehigh County Executive Candidate Scott Ott really feels about Military Veterans (In his own damning words)

   East Penn School Board Member Julian Stolz, someone I know and like despite disagreeing with much of his politics, has said some pretty controversial things lately in Social media that have put him in some hot water. Julian is opinionated but in my opinion, it is all much ado about nothing. He is young, and just getting started.

   But Lehigh County Executive Candidate Scott Ott has a plethora of colorful quotes and opinions that he has issued for public consumption on the Internet in the last decade. Some of this stuff is so disturbing you can't believe he actually wrote or said it.  If someone is running for elected office, you want to believe that they will take the job seriously.You also want to believe that they realize they represent everyone, not just the few that voted for them, and they have a duty not only to serve all, but RESPECT ALL.  After reading through Mr. Ott's so called "satirical" views concerning many different groups, none of which he either belongs to or has affection for, I am sure of one thing: There's a whole bunch of us that he looks down upon in society. The only purpose we serve in his eyes is to be ridiculed and disparaged. Those are not things most people look for in their leaders. In fact, it is the kind of thing I saw in most cowardly bullies.

    I am a United States Army Veteran, a member of the American Legion, and I don't think too highly of would be politicians/half assed so called journalists who mock military Veterans and the plight many of them face after service. So today's entry will concentrate on what Scott Ott erroneously thinks is funny about Veterans.
    In April 2009, during his first run for County Executive, Scott Ott suggested in the Washington Examiner where he was a regular contributor that Democrats view war veterans as poorly educated and deeply troubled. I know Mr Ott has a degree in Journalism from Penn State, but nowhere in his resume did I see any doctorates in Psychology. I also didn't see any military service time on there, so I can't figure out where he got the qualifications to make such judgements about military personnel, or what makes him think he knows where we came from or what our education levels are. I could argue all day on that point, but instead I want to remind everyone of one thing that all Military members do:
   We Stand ready to defend your freedoms. One of those freedoms is the right to free speech. I will defend to the death Mr Ott's right to say and/or write incredibly insensitive things.
     But I will also exercise my right to point out that I find much of what he has written and claims to be "satire" to be incredibly insensitive to the plight of many military veterans.  I am going to use two instances in the not so distant past to illustrate my point.
  
      Here is the first quote, from a Washingtom Examiner piece in April 2009:
     "After the Department of Homeland Security sparked a firestorm of protest from right-wing extremists over a nine page report on the "resurgence in radicalization and recruitment among right-wing extremists groups, DHS chief Janet Napolitano announced today that her department would soon release a similar report on leftist groups via twitter. The "Rightwing Extremism" report warned that the current economic crisis, and the election of a black President, could inspire returning war veterans and others to join violent groups plotting against their own nation......Meanwhile Napolitano said she would meet with veterans groups to apologize for what many saw as a disparaging characterization in the report on right-wing extremists. "I would say that I am sorry if some of our deeply troubled war vets misunderstood our report because of their limited education" Ms Napolitano said. "After all they joined the military because they had no other options. We at Homeland Security should be sensitive to folks who didn't have the benefit of a liberal arts education, or the kind of wisdom that comes from high level policy meetings in Washington D. C." (Scott Ott, Examiner April 17, 2009)

      Mr Ott took a legitimate news report on right wing extremists groups in America and twisted it into what he thought was a humorous piece that demeaned the new Obama administration.
       Mr Ott thinks this is funny. This is his idea of satire, mocking Military veterans.This was not a one time thing, In the years before John McCain became the Republican nominee for President in 2008, he was a constant butt of Mr Ott's humor.

 To further illustrate Mr. Ott's lack of compassion, or disdain for any veteran who has served, let's go back to March 2007 when Scott Ott published his TOP TEN REASONS TO NOMINATE JOHN MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT on his SCRAPPLEFACE blog
:
   10. Years as POW in Solitary Confinement prepared him for isolation of White House "Bubble"
     9.Won't accept Presidential paycheck, since at 72 he can live off Social Security
     8.More exciting presidential news conferences as reporters vie to light his fuse
     7.To beat him, Libs will have to get through his gang of 14
     6.Unlike Senators, Presidents have term Limits
     5. He has a lock on the black vote, because his middle name is Sidney, Like Poitier
     4.Won't surrender to anyone, since war injury prevents raising hands above head.
     3.No longer despises "Agents of intolerance" on whacko religious right
     2. Definition of "Surge" starts with 200,000 new boots, and Al Sadr dangling from a rope
     1. Not beholden to the Republican Party or Other Special interest groups.

   Scott Ott published this on his Scrappleface Blog on March 1, 2007.

     John McCain is a decorated War hero who spent more than 5 years in a Vietnamese POW camp under brutal conditions. He has served Our country all his life, and while I have different politics, I respect him. How is this funny? The entire list offends me, but number 4 is so blatantly disturbing that I cringe every time I read it. How do you mock a man's horrific war injury?
   On this list alone, Ott mocks POW's, Social Security Recipients, and African Americans and makes it looks unnaturally easy.

   Mr Ott has a right to say whatever he wants, but what a person says and does also shows a great deal about what kind of person they are, and just where they see you in the scheme of things. Mr. Ott has shown me in his writings that he does not respect those who have served this country, among others.

   Mr Ott continually presents himself as a good christian and follower of the word of Jesus.
   I wonder what Jesus would say about his attitude towards our wounded heroes?
   I would urge all my brother and sister veterans to take a pause before considering voting for this man at any level. He seems to think it all is a great big joke.  Well it isn't. We need serious leaders who know what they are doing, and treat ALL the people they are elected to serve with respect. I do not believe Scott Ott will do that, and I guarantee you, come November, there will be mailings to every Possible Lehigh County Voter pointing out how Scott Ott feels about each and every one of them.
  
      Veterans are just one of the groups Mr. Ott has mocked. I don't trust any person who disparages an American hero such as John McCain, or jokingly refers to any of my brother or sister veterans as deeply troubled because of our "so called" limited education. The plight of veterans returning home from the last decade of wars is no joking matter. Veterans are not uneducated, as a matter of fact, the military puts a high priority on education for all personnel, making higher education opportunities available for active duty members even when serving in the field. But Mr. Ott wouldn't know that, the closest he gets to any military personnel, past or present, is when he is trying to figure out a way to cut their services locally, so he can honor his pledge to kill off all useful government.
  
      We need leaders at the local level dedicated to making sure services are available to area veterans who desperately need them. Mr. Ott has vocally expressed his desire many times to refuse any and all pass through funding from higher levels of government that would fund those services. We can not trust him as County Executive to ensure he will do the right thing and take care of those in need.
    Veterans services are not an entitlement program, they are keeping a promise made to those who have served. The only thing Mr Ott seems to promise is that he will continue to mock us to further his political career and agenda.

12 comments:

  1. Sorry I mean beat Browning

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    1. I don't know. It depends on whether enough Republicans who are supervoters are tired of his Shtick, and if Browning can get moderates out to vote.
      Dems want Ott to win because it will make it far easier to motivate the base in November.

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  2. I'm not too crazy about #5 on his very unfunny top ten list about McCain.

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    1. Bernie, I have over thirty pages of quotes from Ott I have pulled from public sources. His feelings toward minorities and the LGBT community are his right to have, but are just as damning. I will be writing posts spotlighting them as well. Nobody used this stuff in 2009 0r 2011, I think now is the time, because people need to know what he really is about before they consider voting for him.

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  3. Casey are you just dense or intentionally missing the point. Otts piece on vets was an attack against Napolotano and her report not an attack on vets. Any reasonable person reading the piece you refer to realizes he is satirizing the elitist perspective and bias point of view of a Washington elitist who hasnt demonstrated any undersatnding of our troops problems when they return home. There is no way to draw the conclusion you came to unless you start with your conclusion and manipulate an argument to support it.

    During the last campaign you did the same smear and malign campaign and by your own admission were paid for it. Why did you take your old posts down. Did you have a healthy sense of shame about your hack behavior? Or was it just that you realize that writing lies and using innuendo reflected on you and not the candidate you so relentlessly like to smear.

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    1. I didn't say it was an attack on Vets, Anon. I clearly said he shows a deep lack of respect for them. I get paid to do research. Too bad if you don't like what I find.
      The heart of the matter is Ott mocks veterans, pure and simple, just as he mocks many other groups. Hiding behind the definition of "Satire" is no excuse at all.
      Scott writes a blog that mocks people under his rules. I write mine and I sign my name to it. Unlike you, ANON.
      Your rambling analysis of how I supposedly came to my conclusion is pure Bull. When it comes to veterans, I speak from experience. I think your problem is that I have offered proof you can't refute that Mr. Ott is basically an arrogant self serving snob. And don't talk to me about the the lack of accessibilty to the old blog. Mr Ott has taken pains to try and block all access to his crap from the past. Unfortunately, (for Mr Ott) I started my research file on him 4 years ago, and you can't erase any of it. BTW, All the Townhall and Washington Messenger stuff is readily available. You can't stop folks from reading his own words, now that they know they exist. Good luck with that.
      And I'm sure that folks will love reading about his great ideas at happyvalley.com. We all have to own what we write.
      What really says a great deal about the validity of your comment is that you ignore his mocking of John McCain, a great American servant by any standard. Enough said.

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  4. All it proves is your sense of humor and your sense of politics are equally bad. As for mr McCain, I respect his service but not his politics or his nasty personality.

    Having read the Ott piece again I don't think it disrespects veterans in the least. It in fact is a jab at ms Neapolitano and her original remarks which were disrespectful period.

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  5. I get the sense Mr. Ott seeks to be the right's version on John Stewart. That is well and good, but it is not want I want leading a $300+ million enterprise in Lehigh County. If Mr. Ott wants to write comedy, good for him. I just might watch, allowing him to reap the benefits of advertising. When Mr. Ott is done writing comedy and wants to focus on being serious in managing tax dollars, I'm sure it will be welcome.

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    1. Exactly. We don't need a comedian, we need a serious person. In all honesty, Ott is neither.

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  6. For Chris Casey to claim that anyone who has accomplished what Ott has accomplished in just one year is high compliment. Casey history of blogging shows that far from being someone who is a monger for the status quo. His blogging legacy which he has seen fit to block is littered with failed prognostications, smear articles based on complete falsehoods and support for candidates who represent both the past and who are complicit in the problems government is facing. Mr Otts way of making a living is precisely why he is such a great candidate. He doesn't come from the good ok boys club of the political establishment. The only way to fix what's wrong with government is to have candidates who are not beholden to the establishment which has eun government t for the benefit of themselves and their cronies. It is pre Isley me Otts vision for gobere t reform that has that same establishment stooping to hiring smear bloggers like Casey. It is precisely why ordinary folks from both parties and all walks of life are supporting Ott. He will prevail both in the primary and the general because of this. Keep up the good work Casey. I'd be worried if you didn't. How does it feel to be tool for those that have nothing to say about the fundamental problems we face and who have decided that the only chance they have is to personally malign a man for how he supports himself and his family. Btw Casey how's that job at the warehouse working? Maybe someone should start blogging that low wage workers don't have the intellectual capacity to write incited up political commentary. No, that would be ridiculous and something only someone like you would choose to say. Keep it up and add to your miserable record of analysis and commentary.

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    1. Thank you for your personal attack. What Kool aid are you drinking? I will make sure to avoid it. I appreciate the lovely comments, BTW, I am so sorry to see so many spelling errors in your reply. I guess that Spell check app hasn't popped up on your radar yet. Keep trying, and keep drinking the kool aid.
      Mr Ott. wasn't taken seriously in previous elections. We can't afford to let an ambitious Political ideologue be in charge of our Community. We need good people who respect all. Ott does not. get over it.
      P.S. I am proud to have a job, and work full time. And I do other odd jobs too. I am proud of that. Too bad you don't even respect that.

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    2. Chris's comments are justified Ott hasn't accomplished a thing since being in office mainly because he lacks experience and talks a great talk without saying anything. Woodman and the reform team have totally dismantled the Republican party in Lehigh County.

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I welcome comments from real people, not robots. (Though I admit that with some extremists who have been programmed, you can't tell)