Walter Jones has died at age 76

[donnay]

Go with God. A man of integrity and grit...will sorely be missed.

 

[RonZeplin]

 

[Warlord]

Great tribute from Dr. Paul, thanks for posting!

 

[Zippyjuan]

Walter Jones, congressman behind 'freedom fries', dies at 76

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47196266

Republican congressman Walter B Jones, known for changing the name of French fries in government cafeterias to "freedom fries", has died.

Mr Jones was a keen supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and pushed for the name change in protest against France's opposition to the war.

But he later had a complete change of heart, becoming one of the most vocal critics of the war in his party.

His office confirmed that he died on 10 February, his 76th birthday.

Mr Jones represented his district for 34 years, first in the North Carolina state legislature, then in Congress.

At the time of his death, he was being cared for in a hospice in Greenville, North Carolina, having broken his hip last month. His office said that his health declined after his fall on 14 January.

"Congressman Jones will long be remembered for his honesty, faith and integrity," a statement from his office said.

"He was never afraid to take a principled stand. He was known for his independence, and widely admired across the political spectrum. Some may not have agreed with him, but all recognised that he did what he thought was right."

'Freedom fries'
Like most Republicans - and a number of Democrats - Mr Jones backed President George W Bush's resolution to use military force in Iraq to oust its leader Saddam Hussein.

Mr Bush justified the invasion by claiming that Saddam Hussein had developed and hidden weapons of mass destruction.

France, which threatened to veto the UN's resolution authorising US-led military action, was the most vocal in its opposition to the war.

In response, Mr Jones and his fellow Republican Robert W Ney pushed for cafeterias in the House of Representatives to rename their French fries and French toast "freedom fries" and "freedom toast".

The two congressmen were successful, and the new names were met with praise and derision in equal measure.

No weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq, and it was later revealed that the war was justified using faulty information.

At the same time, Mr Jones met grieving families whose loved ones were killed in the war. This caused him to have a dramatic change of heart, and in 2005 he called for the troops to be brought home.

He spoke candidly on several occasions about how deeply he regretted supporting the war, which led to the deaths of more than 140,000 Iraqi and American people.

"I have signed over 12,000 letters to families and extended families who've lost loved ones in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars," he told NPR in 2017. "That was, for me, asking God to forgive me for my mistake."

 

[Swordsmyth]

[h=3]Walter Jones has died at age 76[/h] Started by Tywysog Cymru, Yesterday

 

[Zippyjuan]

Thanks!

 

[Warlord]

Walter made the BBC. That is awesome. I will never forget him...

 

[Anti Globalist]

Anyone on CNN or Fox bring up his death yet?

 

[Warlord]

Anyone on CNN or Fox bring up his death yet?

CNN reported it last night. I'm taking a break from cable news so i dont know about Fox

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Sad news. And soon the people of Walter's district will probably go from being repped by a great man like Walter to a nasty little MIC troll named Phil Law, who has been lusting after Walter's seat for 8 years.

Ugh. Will there be an election, or an appointment?

 

[devil21]

Ugh. Will there be an election, or an appointment?

edit: SCRATCH THIS---> I think his replacement is appointed by the Governor (Cooper-D) but Law will be the GOP nominee next election cycle and it's a pretty conservative district.

Raleigh Observer says special election. Phil Law has been waiting for this moment for many years. Total MIC/AIPAC type. The other primary challenger, Scott Dacey, was a GWB admin official so it looks bleak.
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article226085380.html

Gov. Roy Cooper must set the date for a special election in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District after the death of longtime Rep. Walter Jones, who had represented Eastern North Carolina in the U.S. House since 1995.

[MENTION=30874]asurfaholic[/MENTION] - you ready to run for Congress, bro?

Between this and the 9th District election still up-in-the-air, NC will have two empty House seats for a while. Good chance the 9th gets a new election also, with formal board decision set for hearing on the 18th-20th.


Cooper ordered flags at half staff in honor of Jones.
https://ncadmin.nc.gov/news/press-r...ing-us-and-nc-flags-half-staff-through-sunset

 

[Brian4Liberty]

I think his replacement is appointed by the Governor (Cooper-D) but Law will be the GOP nominee next election cycle and it's a pretty conservative district.

No liberty candidates? You’d think that maybe one of Jones’ staff might be like-minded, and run for the seat.

 

[oyarde]

RIP Mr Jones.

 

[devil21]

No liberty candidates? You’d think that maybe one of Jones’ staff might be like-minded, and run for the seat.

See my edit above. It'll be a special election.

 

[r3volution 3.0]

R.I.P. Walter

I hope that Rand, Massie, or Amash will make it worthwhile.

 

[Warlord]

Some nice tributes here:

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/rep-walter-jones-rest-in-peace/

"The cause of peace and restraint has lost one of its great defenders, TAC has lost one of our good friends, and America has lot one of its most honorable and decent public servants. May his memory be eternal."

 

[jct74]

Walter Jones, champion of peace, took on the warmongers and won

by Jack Hunter
February 11, 2019

Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., wrote more than 11,000 letters to the families of fallen American soldiers for a decade and a half. He believed it was his moral obligation to do this as penance for his vote to authorize the Iraq War in 2002. He began each letter as follows: “My heart aches as I write this letter for I realize you are suffering a great loss …”

Jones’ letters began in 2003 after attending the funeral of Marine Sgt. Michael Bitz near Camp Lejeune, which was part of his district. Sitting next to Bitz’s widow at the service, he grew sad watching their young son play with a toy. “I felt the guilt, but also the pain of voting to send her husband as well as thousands of other military to a war that was unnecessary,” Jones said. “I want them to know that my heart aches as their heart aches.”

From that time forward, Jones became one of the most outspoken, and very few, anti-war Republicans in Congress. This passion included targeting politicians he believed deserved it.

“Lyndon Johnson’s probably rotting in hell right now because of the Vietnam War,” Jones said in 2013, 10 years after his change of heart.

Jones added, without hesitation, “He probably needs to move over for Dick Cheney.”

Both kind and fierce, Walter Jones passed away Sunday on his 76th birthday. As scathing as his national headline-making statement about former Vice President Dick Cheney was, it was not ultimately rooted in hate. Yes, Jones deeply loathed the George W. Bush administration and the entire bipartisan political class for their policy of endless war, but his sentiment was born of an even deeper love for his country and its men and women in uniform, particularly those in North Carolina’s military-heavy 3rd District that he represented for almost a quarter-century.

Jones spent the last 16 years of his career trying to make up for his Iraq vote. The GOP establishment, most particularly his neoconservative arch-enemies, spent most of that time trying to diminish Jones or boot him from office for the unpardonable Republican sin of opposing war.

...

read more:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/...mpion-of-peace-took-on-the-warmongers-and-won

 

[Warlord]

Jack Hunter wrote a very good tribute there. Thanks for posting it jct.

 

[William Tell]

This is so incredibly sad. Rest in PEACE Walter you great Patriot and may God bless and comfort your family.

 

[Swordsmyth]

A California congressman has introduced legislation named after the late Representative Walter Jones (R-N.C.; shown) that would repeal the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) passed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks — a cause that was close to Jones’ heart.

On February 6, just four days before Jones’ death, Representative John Garamendi (D-Calif.) introduced the Walter B. Jones Restoring Power to Congress Act, a bill that would repeal the AUMF one year after the bill became law. Although Jones was already in hospice care at the time, Garamendi listed him as a cosponsor of the bill, a fitting gesture in light of the fact that, according to Roll Call, “the legislation grew out of Garamendi’s work with Jones on the House Armed Services Committee.”

More at: https://www.thenewamerican.com/usne...repeal-bill-named-for-walter-jones-introduced