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From: renner@uiucdcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Re: Military Justice
Message-ID: <39400005@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 20-Feb-85 07:48:00 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.39400005
Posted: Wed Feb 20 07:48:00 1985
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Feb-85 10:03:34 EST
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Nf-ID: #R:drusd:-123800:uiucdcs:39400005:000:1531
Nf-From: uiucdcs!renner    Feb 20 06:48:00 1985


>  Is it too late for the army to court-martial General William Westmoreland
>  for issuing false estimates of vc strength during the war?  According to
>  the 2/18 Rocky Mountain News he has withdrawn his suit against CBS.  This is
>  quite probably due to the overwhelming evidence presented against him by his 
>  own staff officers while under cross examination as plaintiff's witnesses.
>  				- Phil (phl@drusd)

You must be getting your information about the Westmoreland case from the
CBS news.  The evidence presented to support CBS's version of the facts was
distinctly *underwhelming*.  The most CBS has ever been able to show is that
there was a difference of opinion about the effectiveness of the VC
auxillary forces, and (imagine this!) that the commander's opinion won.

The fact that Westmorland dropped his suit has no bearing on the substance
of the CBS story; it merely illustrates the near-impossibility of winning a
libel suit.  

We need to do something about libel laws.  I think Westmoreland should have
had a good case.  CBS obviously manipulated and distorted their reporting
to support their pre-determined conclusion.  This represents great power
with no corresponding responsibility, which is wrong.  Is it really such a
burden to the press that they should have to try to print the truth?

Let me produce a few episodes of 60 Minutes -- let me choose which parts of
interviews are shown, and which are suppressed -- and I can make Mother
Teresa look evil.

Scott Renner
{ihnp4,pur-ee}!uiucdcs!renner