The 3 Ds of Lisa Falkenberg

Yesterday I posted my thoughts on Michael Booth’s article in the Denver Post and gave him kudos for a well written, balanced article. You can read my post here – ‘My Thoughts on the Denver Post Article’

In my post I wrote this:

I have to say that I am wary of any one in the media asking me for an interview.  I’ve had several requests and for the most part those requests were for an article which would be used to try to discredit me.

Well one of those requests came from a Lisa Falkenberg from the Houston Chronicle whom I’ve never heard of and I’m willing to bet millions of others have never heard of too.  She contacted me first via twitter and like Mr. Booth I direct messaged her with my email address instructing her to send me a list of questions.  After reviewing her list of questions in her email to me – The Falkenberg Setup – you can see exactly that Falkenberg was preparing to do a hit & smear piece on me.   That’s why I request that any questions to me for an interview or an article be sent via email.  It gives me a timed stamped, dated verifiable record of the conversation in case it should be needed in the future.  It also allows me to see if the reporter has an agenda or truly wants to write a well written balanced article.  I posted the email as a Google Doc and redacted Falkenberg’s contact info as a common courtesy.  Listen and Learn Lisa Falkenberg.

“So Pete, I give up, what are the three Ds of Lisa Falkenberg?” you ask. Simple -  Deception, Distortion, and Distraction.  Falkenberg displayed all three in her hit & smear piece on me published yesterday in the Houston Chron – ‘Fighting health care reform with poison’

I read Falkenberg’s left wing hit piece last nite and was the first to comment on her ‘article’.  I told her:

“Game on Lisa. I didn’t respond to your email questions because the nature of the questions indicated a false hit piece was going to be written by yourself.  I was spot on.  A good reporter checks her story and verifies over and over again. I’m going to show you how to do that tomorrow in a blog post dedicated to you. I’m sure you and your readers will enjoy it.”

Well Miss Lisa, welcome to your education in true reporting, fact finding, and verification.

Let’s start out with Falkenberg’s first piece of info here – she writes – ‘“A U.S. Army translator has been found who speaks ‘Washington Doublespeak’ and he was kind enough to decode the bill and post his plain-language findings,” read an introductory paragraph.”

Falkenberg just has to Google the above and instantly she can find the source of the information that was provided to the medical support group.  I did – ‘Little Gems from the Health Care Bill’; when you click on this link you’ll see at the top the author is CMS and when you click on him – VOILA! He’s in the Army.

This isn’t my list of what’s in the health care bill.  It’s my list that has been taken and altered by the Left and then in true Alinsky Rules for Radicals fashion, used as a mass/chain/spam email to Deceive, Distort, and Distract. A prime example is this:

My post – “PG 50 Section 152 in HC bill – HC will be provided 2 ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise.”

The Left’s altered version – “Page 50: All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free healthcare services.”

We can see how the Left, with just a simple alteration of “will be provided with free healthcare” can change the entire meaning of what I actually said.  Classic Alinsky Rules for Radicals protocol.  Now, Falkenberg, I suggest you actually do some real journalistic work and read what I actually said – ‘The HC Monstrosity – All 1,018 pages’.

Now let’s go on to Falkenberg’s sad attempt to try and discredit me through discussion of me being a “former Marine”.

Falkenberg writes:  “Fleckenstein identifies himself as a resident of Phoenix, husband, father of two, lover of the beach and “former Marine.  That last phrase gave me pause, since no Marine I’ve ever met used the word “former” to describe his service in the esteemed military branch. I tried to verify Fleckenstein’s service with the Marine Corps’ Washington-based public affairs office and 1st Lt. Joshua Diddams said the office could find no record of a Peter Fleckenstein having served in the Marines. Perhaps there’s an explanation, such as a name change. I may never know. Fleckenstein wouldn’t be interviewed and instead asked that I e-mail him questions. He never responded.”

I wonder just where Falkenberg was taught research techniques or proper journalism procedures.  A simple Google search of  ‘former Marine’ would have pulled up over 3.5 MILLION links explaining to her just what a former Marine is.  Just a little more research and Falkenberg would have found out that Marines know “Once a Marine, Always a Marine”.  I say the well used phrase “former Marine” out of respect to the Active Duty Marines.

I called 1st Lt. Joshua Diddams,of the USMC Public Affairs, Media Division and spoke with him directly about confirmation of my service in the military.  I gave him my Social Security number (which is the only way to truly verify) and he informed me through a subsequent email that “We have your record, but it’s filed
under Peter K. Fleckenstien.  Notice the spelling of the last name.”

So instead of Falkenberg just leaving the question of my service to this great U.S. of A. out of her hit piece like she should have because she had neither confirmation or denial of my service, she chose to include that insinuation in.  She also chose to insinuate some vast conspiracy of me changing my name. Great journalistic integrity Falkenberg.

Due to my call and conversations with 1st Lt. Diddams, Falkenberg was called and informed by the USMC that I, indeed, am a Marine and I served my country honorably.  She therefore, was forced to provide an update stating so.  It’s important to note folks that I actually did Falkenberg’s work for her. She would have never done an update had I not done so.

Falkenberg, I decided not to answer your questions you emailed to me for obvious reasons – you were prepping to do a hit piece on me.

Let’s go to Falkenberg’s distortions and deceptions relating to myself and Politifact.  Falkenberg writes: “On his blog, Fleckenstein claims the chain e-mail, and other unsigned postings distorted and misquoted his original post, entitled “HC Monstrosity.” Yet, in one of his posts, Fleckenstein defends the essence of each of the chain e-mail’s claims, most of which were debunked by Politifact.com, the St. Petersburg Times’ truth-testing web site”

Falkenberg, I don’t claim the mass/chain/spam e-mail distorted and misquoted my original post.  I prove it.  Something, you, as a so-called “reporter” should try.  Here, educate thyself – “Politifact Checks a Chain Email, I Check Politifact”.  You’ll also quickly find that I don’t defend the chain e-mail’s claims, I explain my original claims for all to see.

Falkenberg then goes on to cite Jennifer Tolbert – “It’s awful,” said the expert, Jennifer Tolbert, an independent health care analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “It’s flat-out, blatant lies. It’s unbelievable to me how they can claim to reference the legislation and then make claims that are blatantly false.”.

Perhaps Falkenberg needs a lesson in checking the validity of expert independent health care analyst Ms. Tolbert.  We come to find that indeed Ms. Tolbert is far from being a nonpartisan expert and indeed the Kaiser Family Foundation supports Obama’s health care monstrosity bill.  All Falkenberg would have had to do as a proper reporter, was a little bit of research.  Don’t worry, I did it for her – Check the Person Who Checks Facts

Here’s some more research for Falkenberg as well – Game on Liberals, Obama, and Congress. I take a progressive liberal blogger’s deceptive, distortive, and distractive post (just like yours Falkenberg) and debunk it step by step.  You can access that document at the bottom of the post or right here – Karoli Deceives, Distracts, & Distorts.

So Falkenberg, as I promised you, I just gave you a schooling.  I’m surprised that you actually thought no one was going to check your drivel.  I’m also surprised that your husband, Mizanur Rahman, an editor at the Houston Chronicle let you post this tripe. However, after reading your other numerous rants, I’m not so surprised after all.

I guess, with ‘reporters’ like you around it’s no wonder the Houston Chronicle’s nickname has become known as the Houston Comical.

I’ll end by paraphrasing the last sentence of your rant:

Health care reform is controversial, complex and difficult enough without people like Falkenberg who’ve never read the bill, adding deception, distortion, and distraction (The 3 Ds) to the mix.

Related posts:

1. My Thoughts on the Denver Post Article
2. GAME ON LIBERALS, OBAMA, CONGRESS!!!
3. Check the Person Who Checks Facts
4. FactCheck Gets Smack Checked