NATIONAL LEGAL AND POLICY CENTER
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www.nlpc.org, nlpc@nlpc.org
 


 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 1998
CONTACT: Dan Rene, 703-847-3088 or drene@nlpc.org
 

 
JOHN GLENN, NO HERO
 
NLPC President Peter Flaherty today questioned NASA’s motivation for allowing 77 year-old John Glenn to serve on the crew of the Space Shuttle this week.

“If John Glenn is a hero, he is a fallen hero. He has received the credit due him for his Korean War service and his 1962 Mercury flight, but he is due no more.”
 
“John Glenn is one of the most corrupt Senators ever to serve. Somewhere along the way, Glenn lost his way. Duty and honor may have once been his guideposts, but they have been replaced by venality and greed.”

“The Keating Five scandal was the biggest Senate scandal of the the Twentieth Century. Unfortunately, the Senate Ethics Committee whitewashed the affair and the Senators involved escaped criminal prosecution.”

“The S&L scandal of the eighties is costing taxpayers about $300 Billion. The crisis was not caused by inflation or the weather. It was caused by dishonest S&L operators systematically looting these institutions, aided by Washington politicians like John Glenn.”

“I doubt the elderly victims of Charles Keating’s scams, many of whom lost their life savings, are cheering that Glenn is the first 77 year-old in space.”

“I also doubt that the dozens of small businesses who were stiffed by Glenn’s Presidential campaign are cheering either. Glenn is personally worth over 10 million, but he still refuses to pay his bills.”

“It may be appropriate that President Clinton to attend Glenn’s lift-off. After all, Glenn is the perfect hero for the Age of Clinton, when celebrity and wealth are celebrated more than personal virtue and accomplishment.”

“John Glenn is not running for reelection and will leave the Senate this year. He had a chance in 1997 to rehabilitate his tarnished reputation. He could have played a statesmanlike role as the senior Democrat on the Committee investigating campaign finance. Instead, he helped orchestrate the Clinton stonewall.”

“Clinton has managed to politicize the IRS, the FBI and now NASA. Glenn’s flight appears to be a political payoff for protecting Clinton.”

NLPC promotes openness and accountability in government through research, education and legal action. The organization was founded in 1991 as a reaction to the Senate Keating Five report whitewashing the Five. In 1993, NLPC successfully sued to open the meetings and records of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s health care task force.
 

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For interviews please contact Dan Rene At (703) 847-3088 or drene@nlpc.org.
Please visit www.nlpc.org.

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