[i]This was sent to me via email from a friend, I haven't verified it, but considering WHO it's refering to, wouldn't doubt it.[/i]

Whenever you see this line in any kind of mail, caution is advised.

Claim:   New York Senator Hillary Clinton was the "only politician in DC who refused to meet with" a delegation of Gold Star mothers.
Status:   False.

Example:   [Collected on the Internet, 2001]


Origins:   Ah, a week without another anti-Clintonian screed full of Newsmaxian hyperbole would be like a day without smog. The piece quoted above began as a 26 May 2001 "Hillary Snubs Gold Star Mothers" article on NewsMax.com

The e-mail quoted above takes the invective to an ever higher level, maintaining that Hillary Clinton was not just the only senator who wouldn't give the Gold Star mothers the time of day, but the "only politician in DC who refused to meet with these ladies." (Even just calling upon all the senators in Washington would have required this delegation of two women to visit one hundred separate offices; most likely they were only calling upon congressmen and senators representing the state of New York.)

The incident referred to in the NewsMax.com article took place on 27 February 2001, when the two women (New York chapter president Shirley Jones and member Mary Wheeler) dropped by Ms. Clinton's congressional office to discuss a proposed bill to provide annuities to the parents of servicemen killed in action. However, they stopped by without an appointment, on a day when the senator was not in her office, as confirmed by the response inquiries about this piece drew from the American Gold Star Mothers organization:


The American Gold Star Mothers, Inc., deeply regret the misunderstanding about Senator Hillary Clinton. The two mothers who visited Washington did not have an appointment with the Senator and she was not in her office on that day.
We would appreciate it if the e-mails and negative comments about Senator Clinton would cease.

Georgianna Carter-Krell
American Gold Star Mothers
National President

hence my little "disclaimer" at the top.