Reply #49: No, they did not. Kossacks figured out that Monkeyman wasn't being

[Scout1071]

truthful. They weren't CU'ers. Check my handle....I've never posted once on CU. But, I have posted thousands and thousands of times on DU and dKos. I'm a bonafide progressive and a card carrying liberal Democrat.

None of that matters. Dale Peters was not a Veteran. He never served overseas. In fact, he was discharged directly after basic training. His records were obtained by the POW/MIA Network. Not only do they keep track of real veterans and POW's, they also keep track and investigate phonies based on tips from the public. I believe that they also try to have charges brought against those that falsely wear a uniform or medals in public that they did not earn. Dale Peters was brought to their attention military support websites, as well as both Democratic and Republican political discussion sites like DU. The fact is that he spread his hoaxes far and wide. He may have had his heart in the right place and I appreciate him bringing focus to veterans issues, but he was not a veteran. If you or anyone would like verification, please feel free to contact www.pownetwork.org. Just click on the "Phony Veterans" tab and look for him alphabetically. They have his military records and they will verify this for you. They even have a picture of whoever it was claiming to be Dale Peters at a veterans party.

People, I do ask that you be respectful in your replies to me. I know that some will think that I'm trying to "smear" Dale Peters, but I assure you that I am not. I do think it is important for the truth to be known before people begin donating money and calling him a hero. Praise him for his work to bring attention to veterans issues, but please - please - do not call him a veteran.

Being skeptical is what brought me to places like DU and Daily Kos. I was skeptical of the information leading up to the Iraq War. I'm skeptical that Bush actually won either of those elections. I suspect that our skepticism is what brought most of us here. So, please do not bash me for being skeptical of some of Dale's outrageous claims. Those claims prompted myself and others to begin asking questions. And the more we looked into it, the more it became clear that it was all a hoax. The only response from Dale and his defenders has been to do nothing but name calling and say that we are insulting veterans everywhere. Complete hog wash. We caught him in many, many lies. Did you know that on other websites he claimed to have 2 sons in Iraq - one who was severely injured and at Walter Reed? It wasn't until a kind soul tried to send his son a get well package and it came back as "recipient unknown" that the hoax began to unravel. Then he posted a pic of his son meeting Bush. Except that it was quickly discovered to be a stock photo and not his son at all. Then the paratroopers got involved and that was it for Dale at those military websites. They 100% verified that Dale did not have any sons serving in the military. Around the time that he was kicked off of those sites, he started posting here at DU. He had nearly 5,000 posts in his first 6 months.

I know that people will be skeptical of me....and that's fine. I feel comfortable with the facts and I feel comfortable that if any of you actually look into, you too will see that much of what he posted about himself just wasn't true. I'm sorry to say it. I would have stayed out of it if these threads hadn't been front page news here for the last week. I mean, didn't anyone think it was odd that "Major Hannafin" accused DU and dKos of killing Dale? And that thread was on top of the greatest list for most of the week!

Anyway.....have at me. I've said my peace. I really hope we can have a respectful, thoughtful dialogue about what has happened here.