“The Duffel Blog” is kind of like “The Onion,” but for the military. And now the popular satirical website is poking fun at the plagiarism scandal plaguing appointed Sen. John Walsh (D-MT).
Duffel Blog: Senator Blames Halitosis, Russian Mistress On PTSD
Jamarcus Washington, a former Marine lance corporal, also stood behind the Senator.
“Of course I support him,” Washington told reporters. “I understand just how badly PTSD can affect your life. When I got back from Afghanistan I couldn’t bear to pay my child support. Just thinking about all the stuff I saw made it impossible to write the checks.”
At press time, Sen. Walsh was seen writing “PTSD” on the line for the tip after a $500 dinner at a high-class Washington D.C. restaurant.
Speaking of overplaying your “hand”…
From Politico’s Playbook: POLITICAL HISTORY — 10 YEARS AGO TONIGHT, in Boston —
Sen. John Kerry accepts the nomination of the Democratic National Convention: ” I’m John Kerry, and I’m reporting for duty. … [W]e have an important message for those who question the patriotism of Americans who offer a better direction for our country. Before wrapping themselves in the flag and shutting their eyes to the truth and their ears, they should remember what America is really all about. … Our purpose now is to reclaim our democracy itself. We are here to affirm that when Americans stand up and speak their minds and say America can do better, that is not a challenge to patriotism; it is the heart and soul of patriotism. (APPLAUSE)
And now, a couple more stories from the “not satire” section of today’s post…
Business Insider: Here’s Why PTSD Is No Excuse For Sen. John Walsh’s Plagiarizing
Helena Vigilante says it is time for Walsh to step down- Copying Stale Ideas: On the Walsh Plagiarism Scandal
What is that code? That the rules we teach our kids and students simply don’t apply to people with certain levels of influence. That if you’re a 20-year-old kid going to college and you do something stupid, we might kick you out of school and thereby make it hard for you to get a good job, but if you’re a well-connected politician, people will bend over backwards to accommodate the same kind of stupidity.
All eyes are going to be on the outcome here. So if democratic apologists keep supporting Walsh based on their own contortionist political calculus, they won’t just be suggesting to every college student that plagiarism doesn’t matter but that, as the social stakes get higher and higher, intellectual integrity becomes less and less important.
It’s time for him to step down and the Democratic Party to get truly creative.