Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Howard Mechanic aka Gary Tredway

I found myself watching a special about Gary Tredway. If you google Gary Tredway you will find many articles about Howard Mechanic. These articles are from news sources like the Jewish News of greater Pheonix, where he hid as a politican, and the Nuclear Resister that was trying to show him support. The reality is that this man is a liar and a fraud, who was busted by Penny Overton, a reporter for Scottsdale Tribune. I think the most factual article was written by Jana Bommersbach.

Wikipedia best summarizes this drama
"Howard Mechanic (a.k.a. Gary Tredway) was an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis who was accused of hurling a cherry bomb into the university's ROTC building in May 1970, accusations that he denied. He was charged under the Civil Obedience Act of 1968, and was sentenced to prison. During his appeals, he fled and lived under the assumed name of Gary Tredway in Scottsdale, Arizona for thirty years, but his identity as Howard Mechanic became known when he ran for local office. He was discovered during an interview with a local reporter who became suspicious after a background check. After using a number mistruths to try to dissuade the reporter from publishing the story, including claiming to have Leukemia and donating 25% of his earnings to charity, she reported on the story anyway. He was imprisoned but received a pardon by President Bill Clinton in January 2001."

I am not at all impressed that Clinton pardoned this imposter. But, I do question what the FBI was doing for the 30 years he was on their list. You would think that someone would catch that, the face didn't change. It took a reporter to bring him to justice.
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The thing that really caught my attention in all of this was a catch phrase from that era, "

AMERICA-LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT

I think this is an absolutely beautiful phrase.
It summarizes how I, and many others feel.

I was fortunate enough to find some websites selling goods with this ideal:

foulmouthshirts.com

cafe press


Unfortunately this has also become a loathsome question for those of the left-wing not to answer. They consider it infantile and think that it is a sign of a repressed society where you aren't allowed to speak out.

There is a modernized, longer version of it with which I agree



If you think America sucks so much
then move to whatever socialist/communist country you think is so wonderful.

After all, if it is that great there, and so horrible here, why are you staying????

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