Edward Hum – 8/3/08

This page was last updated on August 3, 2008.

Bush, Cheney had other priorities; Edward J. Hum; Beaver County Times; August 3, 2008.

Mr. Hum was a regular contributor (at least 28 letters) from mid-2004 through September 2007. After about 10 months, Mr. Hum came out of “retirement” to bash President Bush’s Air National Guard service with two letters in less than two weeks. It will be no surprise most of Mr. Hum’s letters are no more than exercises in bashing President Bush and/or other Republicans. Mr. Hum’s letters are also flame-throwing exercises. I don’t know if Mr. Hum actually believes what he writes, or if he simply likes to stir things up to call attention to himself.

Mr. Hum is one of a group of local Republican impersonators (The group also includes Messrs. William A. Alexander, Arthur Brown, William G. Horter, and George Reese.) who write claiming to be disgruntled Republicans. You have to give Mr. Hum “credit,” however, for going the extra mile to further his impersonation. As of September 2006, Mr. Hum was actually registered as a Republican despite the fact he’s no more a Republican than is Dennis Kucinich.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Fellow Republicans, along with Donald O’Neill (‘President Bush was not a draft dodger,’ Wednesday), I praise the National Guard, especially for their service in Iraq as they helped save Bush after his dumb invasion of that country.”

[RWC] Mr. O’Neill’s letter was in response to Mr. Hum’s letter entitled “Draft dodgers like Bush still help us.” It sounds like Mr. Hum caught flack for demeaning National Guard service.

“However, in the late 1960s it was very difficult to join the Guard as it was not being deployed to Vietnam. There were long lists of applicants, hoping to join the Guard before they were drafted. It probably helped some to have high-level connections to get their names to the top of the list.

“Perhaps we should say that Bush, Cheney and many others merely avoided the draft because of other priorities and leave the actual protests to the Jane Fondas.”

[RWC] You have to appreciate the persistence. Mr. Hum still wants us to believe the ANG is/was less-than-honorable service and there was something wrong with obtaining a deferment.

I’ll ask the same question I asked in my critique of Mr. Hum’s aforementioned letter. Does Mr. Hum know President Bush isn’t a candidate this year?