To follow up on an earlier post about Charles Taylor's recent "friend to the Veterans" campaign ad - on Saturday night (10/7/06) a commenter @ BlueNC pointed something out that I found very interesting. Click on the pic below for the full-sized version:
The gentleman on the right-hand side of the frame is wearing a cap with the words "NATIONAL AIDE-DE-CAMP, 2004-2005, VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS" embroidered on it. From what I understand, the National Aide-de-Camp is a pretty high-up position within the VFW organization, and that it is against the constitution of the Veterans of Foreign Wars for members to appear in campaign advertising wearing their uniforms. There is a specific bylaw that specifies that just wearing the cap in public is considered to be "in uniform".
I sent an e-mail to the VFW's national headquarters the other day asking them about this, and got a reply from their deputy director of administrative operations (a very helpful fellow), who had this to say:
Article VII, Section 702 of the By-Laws reads, in part: "No officer or member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States shall in any manner use the Veterans of Foreign Wars for partisan politics ... nor shall any nominations, recommendations or endorsements for political office be made ..."
All members are encouraged to vote and actively campaign for the candidate(s) of their choice, if so desired. They are also permitted to wear their VFW caps as visible reminders that veterans' issues and votes matter. They are there as individuals who happen to be members of the VFW; they are not and should not ever misrepresent themselves or their presence as an endorsement by the 2.4 million members of the VFW and its Auxiliaries.
Sooooo... was this guy's appearance in this ad, wearing the cap, meant to be viewed as an ersatz endorsement of Taylor by the VFW?
I am willing, though, to give the VFW member the benefit of the doubt - that very well could have been official Congressional business that the footage originated from, and the poor guy may very well have been duped. At the "Immigration Town Hall Meeting" (an official event sponsored by the US Congress) in Flat Rock last month, there was a camera crew set up in front of us; we found out later that they were hired by Taylor for Congress. If anything, that just establishes historical precedent.
If that gentleman in the above screen capture was, in fact, told that the camera was there shooting footage for official Congressional business and was NOT informed that said footage was going to be used in a campaign ad - thereby giving the impression of his violation of VFW bylaws - then words cannot express just how much more despicable, reprehensible, and disgusting this campaign ad is.
(Hat tip to Dan Siler for mentioning the possible violation and for inspiring the research.)