Correct facts on Khans

Bill Malec’s recent vitriolic attack on Clinton, the DNC and Khizr Khan was misleading and must be challenged:

1. Colin Powell, Secretary of State under George W. Bush, in October 2003, gave false and misleading testimony to a joint session of Congress televised to the American people that Iraq had weapons of of mass destruction (WMD), yellow cake powder and aluminum tubes to transport nuclear weapons to neighboring Middle East countries. The sole source of Powell’s information was an unreliable source called “Curve Ball.” Secretary of State Powell’s aides told him this information was unproven and probably untrue. It was on the basis of this testimony the Senate, including Hillary Clinton, overwhelmingly voted for the United States to attack Iraq. Colin Powell later told NPR in a live broadcast that he would lie to the American people if President Bush asked him.

2. The DNC asked Khizr Khan, a naturalized American citizen, to speak at their convention to counteract presidential candidate Donald Trump’s call to put all Muslims under surveillance and prohibit Muslims from entering this country in the future. Khan, a frequent lecturer of the benefits Americans enjoy because of their Constitution, was the logical choice. He is well known around the University of Virginia for passing out pocket copies of the United States Constitution. Capt. Khan, his son, made the ultimate sacrifice in April 2004 in Iraq just six months after the false testimony of Colin Powell.

3. Malec would have better served BND readers had he noted Khizr Khan was the best spokesman to speak of the patriotism of thousands of American Muslims. Further, Malec should have, but did not, note that Khizr Khan was the perfect representative of other Muslim families whose children gave their lives as American soldiers.

4. Malec says he is a proud military veteran who shares Khan’s sorrow. Bull feathers. He is enjoying his fat military pension while he spreads misleading information in BND letters to the editor. In no way can he share the sorrow of a gold star family who grieves daily for their son who made the ultimate sacrifice.

This story was originally published August 18, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Correct facts on Khans."