Despicable Exploitation of a Fallen Marine's Funeral

This is one of the most outrageous and shameless things we've seen for a very long time in US politics. Apparently, Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor Catherine Baker Knoll attended the funeral of a fallen US Marine uninvited and tried to turn the burial into an anti-war photo-op by passing around her business card and telling everyone that the state government was against the war. The family of Staff Sergeant Joseph Goodrich was outraged by Knoll's actions. Read more about the incident here...

Let's hope that the good people of Pennsylvania call for Ms. Knoll's swift impeachment...

Comments

[JeffM]

Knoll has been one of the arch-clowns of Pa politics for decades. She has about three neurons, but on most days they cannot fire all at once.

JeffM

[Pamela]

Ha. Born and raised in Penna. Her hometown, McKees Rocks, is named for one of my ancestors. Pennsylvania has a lustrious history of tolerating crooks in gov't but not this. Gov. Rendell wanted to get rid of her for his 2006 run and I think she just gave him an out. And his run will be tough, I understand. There's no way he can keep her on the ticket.

BTW, I can't begin to tell you the email I've got from friends still in Penna and friends who have relocated to other environs - if ever a circumstance could be characterized as 'shit hitting the fan' this is it.

And for German readers here who may hear that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are 'blue' - in terms of voting it is correct that they tend to vote more toward the liberal side. I can't speak for Philly but I grew up in Pittsburgh - it is at its roots a very blue collar town - vestiges of the coal mines and steel mills - and is extremely patriotic. Pittsburgh (of which McKees Rocks is an 'outlying suburb') has deep Catholic roots from the Slavic and Italian immigrants' influence.

[Querdenker]

Maybe the German readers should also know that Rhonda Goodrich is the only source for this incident and that Rhonda Goodrich is...

Well, look her up on Google to find out... just for the sake of non-bias

[Cats don't like chocolate]

and this has to do with the German media how?

In other news, cats don't like chocolate!

Write to Joschka Fischer now!

[Pamela]

Oh Querdenker, don't be coy

>>In addition to Adams, Rhonda Goodrich and the College Republicans will host the rally. Adams originally wanted to show "Fahrenhype 9/11" in response to the showing of "Fahrenheit 9/11."

http://www.thepenn.org/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/10/25/417d4494eb7ed

So, because the sister-in-law of a fallen Marine has a history of standing up against political propaganda, she creates it? In order to de-legitimize the political opposition?

I don't mean to put words in your mouth or to set up a straw man argument, but if your position is that only those with no previous activism can be trusted to tell the truth, we're all in trouble. You can only be a virgin once.

[267]

Querdenker says

"Maybe the German readers should also know that Rhonda Goodrich is the only source for this incident and that Rhonda Goodrich is..."

So... what exactly are you implying? That Mrs. Goodrich is lying about Knoll having crashed her husband's funeral? Or that the fact she complained about having a strange politician show up uninvited makes Mrs. Goodrich a political hack?

Maybe we should all stipulate you're a moron, just for the sake of "non-bias".

[Mike H.]

Querdenker.
Evidently we have two points that are germane to the subject at hand, the first being that she was the only one who attended the funeral, and the second being that she bumped her brother-in-law off so she could entice the Lt. Governor to come make those statements. And the point is?

[Gregory Markle]

So far no statements have been made by Knoll that I can find but Gov. Rendell has issued an apology - even though he says he hasn't spoken to her yet, which I consider somewhat odd. I'd think you'd want to get her side of the story before making any comments but what do I know? I voted against them both every time they've run for any state office here in PA so I'm probably not the one to ask about what motivates them.

[Querdenker]

The point is that we have exactly ONE person to say so and this person "may" have a political axe to grind. Journalism usually implies hearing both sides of a story... at least 2 sources of the same thing.

Well here's the "apology" of Knoll:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 25, 2005 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA Office of the Lieutenant Governor Commonwealth News Bureau Room 200, Main Capitol Harrisburg, PA 17120 LT. GOVERNOR CATHERINE BAKER KNOLL LETTER OF APOLOGY HARRISBURG: July 25, 2005

Dear Mrs. Goodrich,

I am writing to further apologize and clarify what happened at the funeral of your beloved husband, Joseph. As a wife and mother, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to lose your spouse so suddenly. As an adored member of your family and one of Pennsylvania’s sons serving with soldiers from across the commonwealth, SSGT Joseph Goodrich, is one of this nation’s heroes.

As I said in my phone message to Rhonda, after I learned through press reports that your family was offended by my attendance, I was incredibly upset. I wanted to assure you once again that my intention was not to add to what must be a tremendously, heartbreaking, difficult period.

The war on terror is an immensely personal conflict for the thousands of people whose families continue to serve with honor, and I have attended dozens of funerals to offer my sympathy and condolences to the families of soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

My heart and prayers are with your family, and to the families of all the men and women serving the cause of freedom in the fight against terror. I unfortunately, did not arrive at the church services for SSGT Goodrich’s funeral in time to offer my personal condolences to you. As I also mentioned on Rhonda’s phone message, as I do with many Pennsylvanians I meet, I offered my business card so she could contact me, and as a sign of my willingness to help the family through this difficult time in any way I can. To do anything that was deemed insensitive was completely counter to my intent.

Sergeant Goodrich’s service was beyond the call of duty. If my regard for his family’s grief was seen another way, it is thoroughly regrettable. The fact that you have been offended deserves and receives my most profound apology.

I will continue to support our troops in my role as Lt. Governor and support our President as an American. That I somehow conveyed an impression that was interpreted as other than that will forever be saddening and upsetting to me.

Again, please accept my heartfelt apology and deepest sympathy.

Sincerely,
Catherine Baker Knoll
Lieutenant Governor

[Querdenker]

So I guess the apology doesn't answer whether she made her statements "being against the war" which would indeed be inappropriate in a situation like that. I suppose she'll be asked today.

The axe I have to grind with the blogosphere (on both sides of the spectrum) is that stories multiply before they have been substantiated. "Medienkritik" should, in my opinion, actually work against the sloppyness of journalists and bloggers and not run with half baked stories that may turn out to be true or untrue later. If they turn out untrue, corrections are often dealt the BILD way: The scandal is front page, superbold letters, the correction page 32 in 10pt font.

[Sock Puppet of Doom]

Well one might want to question why she showed up at this funeral uninvited at all. After that we can move on to the question of what she said or did. Crashing a funeral is low class. Of course Querdenker may not think so but it is low class/ no class. Anyone who is that low class could easily be imagined to had done and said what she did.

When my German ancestors came to the United States that came to Pennsylvania. This makes me glad my Grandfather came to the west coast.

What a Knoller, we here in Germany are outraged too.

If she does not like the GREAT WAR of the GREAT WAR PRESIDENT she might not be patriotic. So give her the chair. Maybe two chairs, if she is as big as the average American MOM.

@my dear anonymous

No this is not a lack of patriotism, this is terrorism. So bring her in our new GULAG in Guantanamo and if this doen't help give her a torture flight to our friends in Egypt or Pakistan.

[Tom Penn]

Let some complete jackass no one in my family knows show up at a funeral for an impromptu press opp. You may absolutely consider that a threat.

or we could just chop her head off like your glorified ideological allies?

[Dan Kauffman]

That was bad, what happened to another slain soldiers family was far worse.

http://www.angelfire.com/ky/kentuckydan/CommitteesofCorrespondence/index.blog?entry_id=1052184

To every Middlesex village and farm
Spread the word let this story hit the top of any internet search!

Leftist Vandals Attack Family Of Slain Soldier

This is via Captain's Quarters. This kind of lowlife likes to brag I hope they spout off in the right ears.

The family of a soldier killed in Iraq and just buried less than 24 hours earlier awoke the next morning to a fire in their driveway, which totaled the car of the soldier's sister-in-law. The arsonist(s) set the fire with 20 American flags that the family displayed yard, given to them by mourners at the soldier's funeral
****************************************************
He was buried with full military honors, leaving behind a pregnant widow who expects to give birth in about two weeks and a 2-year-old daughter.

I have words to describe such creatures, but I will not use them here.

[Cousin Dave]

@Querdanker:

"So I guess the apology doesn't answer whether she made her statements "being against the war" which would indeed be inappropriate in a situation like that. I suppose she'll be asked today."

I guess we'll find out. However, it is consistent with her previous public behavior and statements. Also, notice that the apology is of the "I'm sorry you were so stupid as to let your nose get in the way of my fist" variety. As for Rhonda Goodrich being an activist and possibly having an axe to grind, note that that axe can cut both ways: it could also be that Knoll noted the funeral of a political opponent's relative and decided to go rub it in. So I don't think we can assume anything either way in that regard.

[photoncourier.blogspot.com]

She said the "government" was against the war, presumably meaning the Pennsylvania government. Does Pennsylvania have its own foreign policy? I see nothing in the US Constitution that would support such a thing, and I would have thought that the US Civil War would have settled issues of federalism like this one permanantly.

Of course, she and Rendell have the right to have whatever *personal* opinions they want, about the war or anything else, but to express these opinions as Pennsylvania state government policy seems to me like abuse of authority.

[Don]

Wellll, ther is a long history of certified wackos occupying the office in the US. Most are perfectly normal, but a few..... The LG of New York state was a fool, and there was one in Massachusetts recently... No, not John Kerry (he's pretty sane) but Jane Swift - I think that was her name....

[Pensive Elf]

@don I might take issue with your contention that Mr. Kerry is pretty sane...considering how many times he changed his position on various issues, including the current state of affairs in Iraq.

And he was, in fact the Senator I was referring to in my previous response, who used the occasion of his former college friend's funeral to rant against the Vietnam war, much to the dismay of the deceased's family. The deceased in question was the grandson of General Pershing. I would give you a link to where I read the story, but unfortunately, I have forgotten the website, and it was during an election year, so the link may be gone by now.

Which really bears little relevance to this discussion...I just thought I'd toss that story in.

[George M.]

@ Don

"No, not John Kerry (he's pretty sane) but Jane Swift - I think that was her name...."

I work in Massachusetts, so I have some idea of the politics up here.

Jane Swift was a 34 YO Lt Governor of Massachusetts. She became Governor when Paul Celucci was appointed by W to be ambassador to Canada.

Jane was over her head and did a lot of stupid things....such as using a State Police helicopter to commute to her home in Western Massachusetts from Boston.

If you really want to attack a buffoon from Massachusetts, attack the Senior Senator: Ted Kennedy. Kennedy recently took Dick Durban's call to close GITMO because of all the bad things that go on down there....truth of the matter is that more people have died in Senator Kennedy's Oldsmobile than at GITMO.

Speaking of John Kerry....did you see him strapping along the Champs d'Elyse during the end of the Tour du France. Some European reporters tried to get an interview from him...and what a surprise....he insisted on speaking only English. I suspect that the campaign propaganda that he spoke fluent French was like his GPA, a crock!

[Dan Kauffman]

""Maybe the German readers should also know that Rhonda Goodrich is the only source for this incident and that Rhonda Goodrich is..."

So... what exactly are you implying? That Mrs. Goodrich is lying about Knoll having crashed her husband's funeral? Or that the fact she complained about having a strange politician show up uninvited makes Mrs. Goodrich a political hack?"

"Maybe the German readers should also know that Rhonda Goodrich is the only source for this incident and that Rhonda Goodrich is..."

Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll is interviewed by a reporter at the funeral for Marine Staff Sgt. Joseph P. Goodrich in Carnegie.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05207/543820.stm

Oh and their is even a PHOTO of the interview, so no I guess Mrs Goodrich was not making it all up.

[Ray D.]

@ Querdenker:

Ms. Knoll attended the funeral uninvited and the family was deeply offended by the manner in which she conducted herself, and rightly so. This was without question one of the most shameless acts of political exploitation we have seen in a long-time in US politics. The fact that Ms. Knoll was called on her outrageous behavior and has decided to apologize in an attempt to save political face in no way contradicts our posting.

[AndyW]

I completely miss the rerason of blogging that article, stupid me.
What the heck has this to do with "observations on reporting in the German media"???

Maybe the purpose is to criticize that the German media didn't pick this particular or a gazillion of other daily world news up to discuss and report about it in length, is that the point?

Cheers,

[jane m]

AndyW

How very German of you to chide the owners of this blog for not following the "rules". An occasional detour to other subjects is allowed as I understand it. Remember, variety is the spice of life :).