greathanks, dave. >> thank you. >> that's october 13th, i'm keith olbermann, good night, and good luck. and now to discuss the don't ask, don't tell ruling with two men directly affected, ladies and gentlemen, here is rachel maddow. good evening, rachel. >> good evening, keith. thank you. and thanks to you at home for joining us for exclusive coverage and footage that you will see nowhere else tonight. we have been entrusted with introducing you to two americans whose bravery has been tested and proven in combat, whose capacity for dealing with incredible stress, physical stress and psychological stress has been proven in thousands of flight hours as u.s. military fighter pilots. two men whose career trajectories in the military look like the path of a fighter jet taking off, frankly. they are very successful active duty military. they say they are fed up with what everyone keeps saying are the death throws of a policy that says they must be witch hunted and fired from the only career either of them has ever known. a policy that remains in place today.

despite mass confusion caused by a federal court striking it down. please watch. >> you are an f-16 fighter pilot, multiple deployments, including combat missions in iraq. you've got not only a very impressive military career behind you, you have what seems to be a very impressive military career ahead of you. why -- why risk even this much coming out? why is it important for you to talk about this now? >> i think that -- the reason why now is i've seen us come so close. and with don't ask don't tell to getting it repealed and it's like the carrot that's there in front of you. and we can't quite reach it. and you can only sit on the sidelines for so long. it's not in my nature. i think most -- most military members -- it's not in our nature to sit on the sidelines

and have someone else fight for us. so i've always wanted to get into the fight. and do a little bit more with the constraints that are obviously in place right now. so that was really important to me to do what i can to put a face on the issue. and i know there's other people that have come before me and will come after me that will do the same thing. and i think the more people who do that, the harder it is to argue against it. it's easy to be against an idea or to be bigoted against an idea. but it's a lot harder to do that when actually know a person. >> you've been in a long-term relationship -- and i know -- i know that's one of the reasons that you wanted to talk about the impact of don't ask, don't tell on you personally. what's important for people to understand about how the policy affects somebody who's in the

military who does have a same-sex partner. >> i hear a lot of times that people say don't ask, don't tell works. i think they're not thinking beyond -- they're not thinking broad enough in that if -- and i like to equate it to for their spouse. if they were told that they can't be seen with their spouse in public or if they are, they're constantly wondering, you know, how many -- i'm constantly with this person, what are people going to start saying? i can't show any affection in the supermarket, not even at home because who knows if somebody might -- my next door neighbor's military or knows someone who knows someone. so you're just -- it's a very -- it's an emotional strain to constantly live that life. so again, i equate it to if you would ask a heterosexual couple to completely hide every aspect

of their relationship at work and in their personal life and then have them tell me if that works for them. and nobody would say it would work for them. >> to the extent that it doesn't work for you, that it is that strain is not just present, but building over time as you have this long-term relationship, you've lived this closeted life in the military. are you considering leaving the military because of the policy? is that contributing to a sense that you can't do this as long as the policy is in effect? it -- it is hard because i've been in for several years. and it's crossed my mind that if this doesn't happen soon that i just -- i won't -- i can't emotionally keep going on. and then also the impact of by virtue of being in the military, we move around a lot. so i'm asking my partner to move around a lot, as well. where he would like to start a career. and he can't as long as we're

under this pressure. whereas if don't ask don't tell was overturned, i would have some other options available, hopefully to allow us to live a more complete life that we just don't have right now. so, yeah. if it doesn't, it would definitely contribute to -- to me just saying, well, i've had enough. >> in terms of deploying and being in a relationship, how -- how did you deal with the logistics of that? how would you deal with the responsibilities of that? >> when you deploy, spouses have a lot of support back home. one of the things, you know, they get to say good-bye. i didn't get that luxury. i don't -- other than in private at home. but he did not get to come out and see me good-bye, did not get to see me come home.

my partner had medical issues at the time that were pretty serious. and i didn't know how to deal with that either. again, who would call me if something happened? and to him, and who would call him if something happened to me? i was going integrated with an army unit at the time to fallujah, iraq. and it was a wild west. and i had no idea what to expect. so i knew it was going to be dangerous. and i didn't know how he would be taken care of if something happened to me, god forbid. but one thing that did happen with his medical issues and fortunately i didn't find out until after i got back, but he was on the table. and had to -- had to be basically paddled back to life. >> wow. >> his heart just stopped. i didn't know that. he didn't tell me that. >> you found out about it once you got home? >> once i got home.

if that had been someone's spouse, they'd been flown home immediately to be with them. there's nothing i could do. if he died, i'd had to finish out my tour. or risk getting kicked out of something that i've always wanted to do, something i've always loved doing, defending the country, defending the people of this country, and just doing something i love to do just because of that one fact. and now someone potentially -- someone very close to me was on a table in a hospital and i couldn't be with them. >> how did you deal with the prospect of you being injured or killed in action while you were in iraq? how did you deal with trying to make sure that he would be notified? if anything happened to you.

>> i struggled with that because we weren't -- we'd only been together for a few months. so i didn't know quite how it worked, the military didn't have anything set up to where i could make sure he would be notified. i wasn't out to any of my friends and family at the time, so i couldn't tell them. one thing -- the only thing i could do is i wrote a letter to my best friend. and sealed it. and sent it to him. and he was to open it if something happened. and that basically laid everything out and explained everything to him. >> but you weren't out to him at the time? >> i was not out to him at the time. >> if something happened to you, he'd be opening a letter, a sealed letter that said don't open unless something happens to many and that's how he would've learned? >> right. >> that doesn't seem like a very

good system. >> no. it doesn't work for me. and it doesn't work for a lot of people, unfortunately. >> have you been able to come out to friends or family or anybody in the military since then? >> in the military, no. other than mutual friends who happen to be gay or lesbian, as well. >> you're out to other gay -- >> right. >> other service members. >> with the exception of my friend who is straight, and he's been great. but other than him, that would be it. >> do you think that if don't ask, don't tell was repealed that you would tell everybody? how would you handle it? >> i don't think anybody would -- would still know. i think the majority of the members in the military are going to go into work the next day and keep doing their job just the way they have all along. but what we won't have to worry about is the what if. what if someone finds out.

if the discussion comes up, hey, what did you do last weekend? why didn't you go out with us? and i can tell them. without worrying about my career. so that's -- that's -- it's going to allow me to be more open when the discussions are there. but for me personally, and some people may be different, but i don't see me coming in the next day at work. and waving a rainbow flag. >> my interview today with an active duty combat veteran u.s. air force f-16 fighter pilot. we agreed to shield his identity because of the don't ask, don't tell policy, which remains in effect despite a lot of controversy about that. more ahead. our first grandson. he sees you. ( laughing ) ( speaking korean )

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do you think you're courting being discharged? >> i'm putting myself at risk doing this interview today even though it's in shadow. but again, i think it's important for me to take responsibility for something that directly affects my life.

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u.s. military personnel worldwide. now, nobody exactly knows what the impact of that ruling is. but what's -- what's your reaction to what is -- what is a landmark step towards ending this policy. what's been the reaction among other people you know in the military? >> it's cautious optimism. to use that term. it's exciting. we would -- i think everybody agrees it would in a perfect world it would have been nice to have this accomplished in congress. it was don't ask, don't tell was developed in congress in conjunction with the administration at the time. so it seems only right that was -- that would be the way to undo it, as well. and that would be the correct way. however, this country has three branchs of government. and they're all equal. and one of the roles of the

judicial government or judicial branch is to ensure equal rights for everybody. and to right a wrong where wrong has been made. and i think the -- what we're seeing finally is that judges are seeing where don't ask, don't tell is wrong. and it does not enhance good order and discipline in military units. and that's why the ruling is what it is. so to answer a question, we'll take it in the courts if that's the way it has to happen. and then hopefully congress will come around later. >> how do you feel about president obama's leadership on this issue? >> lacking. to be straightforward. it's frustrating to see so much emphasis and it is an important issue, the health care issue was a very important issue. and i was glad to see that get through. and he really did a lot to get a

very difficult bill through, but it's frustrating to see a lack -- we hear the words, but we don't see the action. and it's frustrating to -- to not see any true action fromhe white house on this issue. pressuring congress and senate especially when the defense authorization bill was voted on. to not see the president come out and really throw his support behind it and to try to pressure the senate to act on it. so it's frustrating. >> in light of this ruling yesterday, is there something that if you could wave a magic wand, make policy decision for the white house right now, what would you want to see the president do? >> instruct his justice department to not appeal the decision. once -- once that is done, the -- i hate to use the word pandora's box, because that's a negative connotation, that's open.

regardless of what happens in 2012 with the presidential elections, if we will have gone two years without don't ask, don't tell, you can't put that back in the box. you can't put people back in the closet. so think that another president will come along and undo it, it would be very difficult. it's not to say they wouldn't try, but if you have thousands of people in your military who are already out and have been out for two years, you're not going to be able to put them back in the closet. i would say let it ride and do not appeal it and let the judges' decision go as is. >> our exclusive interview today with a combat veteran f-16 fighter pilot whose identity we agreed to shield because his private sexual orientation is still a fireable offense in america. i also spoke today with an f-15 fighter pilot and decorated combat veteran and air force academy graduate who has and continues to serve in very demanding high-prestige positions in the united states

air force. >> it really doesn't work. as i've said, i've already come out to several people in my unit. and i've had 100% positive response from people i've told. but every time i do that or someone else does that, it puts them in legal jeopardy. so there are already gay service members -- obviously there have been gay service members since the beginning of time in the military. and we're putting those people in a situation that they can get themselves in trouble. and why is their service any less valuable than a straight service member? i don't think once repeal happens that there's going to be a big outcry in the military that is going to make this difficult to implement. there will be some people that will have issues with serving with openly gay and lesbian service members. but there are people who have issues any time the military does something. and that's not a reason to keep a flawed policy in place. >> do you feel that individual service members coming out and telling their story about how this policy affects them makes a difference toward the end of the policy?

>> absolutely, it does. i was very excited about judge phillips' ruling. and it moves us one step forward, but all of these steps are with individual people that have to come out and either they're forced out or choose to come out and try to push the issue forward. and if we don't have people that continue to do this, i'm worried that the process could stall. we've already seen that happen in the senate and the white house, quite frankly in my personal opinion hasn't pushed it with enough leadership. so i think we have to continue to take individual responsibility to try and repeal don't ask, don't tell. >> what would adequate leadership in your opinion look like from the white house? what do you want from them? >> i would like if the president, first of all, would come out in a public forum about his opposition to don't ask, don't tell. he's done that on a couple of occasions in the media. but the other thing he can do is push the senate to act. he didn't take a very rabid leadership stance on the appropriations bill when it was up a few weeks ago. and now he seems to be sitting

by when the lame duck session starts and he says he expects them to repeal don't ask, don't tell at that time. but i'm not confident they will do that. the other thing the president could do is issue an executive order at the very least provides a moratorium for discharging gay and lesbian service members until the policy is repealed by congress. >> do you think that a moratorium like that, an announcement of a moratorium like that would be disruptive in the military? the military's engaged in the study right now of how they would repeal don't ask, don't tell if it is to be repealed. that's due in just a few weeks, december 1st. would a stay essentially of the policy be chaotic in the military? >> i don't think it would be, rachel. i think everyone knows that this policy is on its way out the door. it's just a question of timing really. but it's important for the president to take a leadership role on this. and there are people that are facing discharge at this very

moment. so why are we waiting another few weeks or it's been years now since the president said we're going to get this done. why do we need to wait another month, two months when we have service members at risk of discharge at this very moment. everyone knows the policy is on the way out. the military, i think, is prepared for it. and i honestly don't think it's going to make that big of a difference in individuals' lives in the military. >> let me ask you something about that was released in response to this ruling yesterday. a network of gay service personnel that has to be -- >> i belong to it. >> -- as you know closeted network by necessity. because this policy. a press release in response. an active duty co-director who goes by a pseudonym is the person who is quoted here because i can't use their name. and the quote is there, we are hearing through our networks that troops think dadt is done. they're reading the headlines and there's a general feeling it's over.

our underground is reporting that straight soldiers are inadvertently outing their gay friends. gay service members are thinking it's okay to come out. some commanders are giving confusing guidance because they've seen repeated reports that the courts have declared the policy unconstitutional. does that resinate with you? is that what you think of the impact of this ruling has been and is going to be? >> absolutely. and i think one of the dangers is that we do have a lot of younger service members -- young airmen, young marines, young soldiers that maybe hear of a ruling that issues an injunction against the military for discharging people, not knowing that this ruling can be appealed by the department of justice. and they may put themselves in jeopardy by coming out to people in their units or commanders when the policy hasn't been repealed yet. and it worries me that we have this -- this kind of nebulous policy right now with the courts saying one thing, congress completely not acting, and dod is kind of in a place where individual service members can put themselves in jeopardy

because there is no clear guidance right now. >> so is that why you think a moratorium announced by the white house would create clarity would remove that? >> absolutely. absolutely. >> in terms of your -- your decision making about this. you do have a very high-flying career in the air force. you have also made a decision to do this interview. you've also as i understand it, written to united states senators using your name, essentially outing yourself and making clear your position on this policy. why have you done that? >> again, i think it's important that each individual take responsibility for something that directly affects their lives. i did send three letters to three individual senators that have been active on both sides of this issue. obviously i don't want to name who those are because i think it puts my identity at jeopardy. i haven't received a response from any of those three senators, not even a thank you for your e-mail or letter.

and i did identify myself in all of those letters to the senators. it's disappointing that the senate just has not been able to act at this point. >> do you think that you're courting being discharged? >> i'm putting myself at risk doing this interview even though it's in shadow. but i think it's important for me to take responsibility for something that directly affects my life. >> what does the military lose? what does the country lose if you are kicked out of the military? if you're kicked out of the air force because of this policy? >> well, they're going to lose a 14-year veteran of the air force. very experienced f-15 pilot, an instructor. i've been an instructor at several bases around the world. combat veteran. someone that they've spent millions of dollars on, but regardless of the money, it's -- if they lost me, other gay service members, we are the ones that are training the young service members coming up now. and they'd lose a lot of experience that they would have to completely start over with.

>> are you prepared with the activism you've engaged in thus far. are you prepared to lose your career over this issue? >> i've obviously thought about the consequences of some of my activism. and that's why i've taken some of the precautions as far as shadow, et cetera. but yes, if the air force decided to investigate me and i lost my career, i'd be prepared to accept those consequences. i think it'd be foolish to come into something like this without thinking about the consequences ahead of time. >> what would happen if the policy was repealed or if the policy was effectively ended pending an expected repeal? what would change in your life? what would you do differently? how would you come out? >> in my day-to-day life in the squadron, it wouldn't change my life that much. i'm not going to walk into the squadron and announce to everyone i'm homosexual. i quite frankly think that your sexuality belongs outside of the workplace and shouldn't be in the workplace anyway.

but, at least -- i've already told a few close friends in the squadron. and at least with people i choose to tell that i choose to trust, i would not have then that legal jeopardy hanging over my head that i could lose my career for -- maybe someone i misjudged that i thought i could trust and told that they could then turn me in. at least i wouldn't have that legal jeopardy hanging over my head every day. >> do you feel that legal jeopardy? that sort of lurking threat to your career? do you feel it every day? >> absolutely. absolutely. it causes quite a bit of stress. i think, you know, as a pilot, we're trained to compartmentalize our thoughts. it doesn't affect my job on a day-to-day basis, but it causes stress every day. when you do get investigated or when someone does make a statement, it causes, you know, stress either in the form of discomfort or in the fact that you could lose your career. >> as a gay man serving in the air force right now, if -- if

the policy didn't exist, obviously the policy creates all sorts of stress and injustice under which you are living. but if the policy doesn't exist, do you think that the military is a good career, positive -- a positive public service choice for people who are gay? >> absolutely. it's been a great life for me. and i really appreciate everything the military's given to me. not just the training, but the confidence. and it's allowed me to serve my country, which was very important to me when i was in high school. you know -- i see high school kids now that lately we've had a rash of gay bashings, gay suicides. and i look at these kids and think about if i was in their shoes when i was 15, 16, 17, 18 years old, it does make a difference that the government has a policy that says you are not good enough to serve in the u.s. military. and i think that's a terrible

message that the government is sending to society and these young people, obviously it doesn't directly contribute to the gay suicides that we've seen lately, but if you have a government that tells you that you're not as good as someone else, it's a bad message to send. >> well, major, thank you. thank you for your service and thank you for making the decision to do this interview. i know it is not an easy decision. so i'm really grateful for your time, sir. >> we shielded the identities of these two air force majors today. both combat veteran fighter pilots because they are both liable to be fired from the military, yes, even now because of don't ask, don't tell. please stay with us. when i was 16, i was hired as a cashier

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on my way today to conduct these two exclusive interviews we've done with two american fighter pilots who would be fired from the military if they revealed their identities because the don't ask, don't tell policy. on my way into those interviews today, i handed somebody else onset my blackberry. i said the sound guy, larry the sound guy is going to tell everybody to turn their blackberry. secretly don't turn this one off. keep this one on and keep your eye on the inbox. because if in the middle of me talking to these fighter pilots the white house or pentagon announces they are complying with that judge's order, that the implementation is put on pause, if a decision is made to stop implementing the policy that is the subject of these interviews, you have to stop the interview. if the decision pops on my blackberry while i'm interviewing these fighter

pilots today, interrupt the interview, walk over, tap me on the shoulder and hand this to me and we will stop what we're doing. because these fighter pilots will want me to turn the lights on, i think. they're ready to stop lying who they are. that's why they told us they wanted to be on this tv show to talk about this. so i said to poor julia at the interview shoot. secretly don't turn off my blackberry and interrupt me when something happens. she did not interrupt me because nothing happened. no word from the pentagon or from the white house about a response to the court-ordered injunction banning implementation of don't ask, don't tell today. rather, we are told to expect probably imminently that they will appeal to stay the injunction. robert gibbs the white house spokesman had this off-camera, but on-the-record explanation today. "the president strongly believes that this policy is unjust. that it is detrimental to our national security and discriminates against those willing to die for their country.

and the president strongly believes that it's time for this policy to end. as you know the president has implemented a process with the department of defense, with the secretary of defense, with the chiefs, to implementing a policy in an orderly way. the best way to end it is for the senate to follow the lead of the house of representatives. so that end can be implemented in a fashion that's consistent with our obligations in fighting two wars." but absent that action, he said, the president, again has set up a process to end this policy. the bottom line is that this is a policy that's going to end. it's not whether it will end, but the process by which it will end. here's the thing, the white house line. the line from the administration on this now is that they'd like the senate to repeal it. absent that action, the

spokesman said. absent that action, absent the senate voting to repeal it. absent the moon crashing through the atmosphere and turning us all to green cheese. absent that action of the senate repealing don't ask, don't tell, the white house says there is an orderly process underway to get rid of the policy. and that orderly process is that the senate will repeal it? the white house is ensuring everyone that the policy will end. and when you drill down on how they say it will end, they say it will end because the senate will end it. even though the senate has just chosen not to end it and the senate is poised to get more conservative not less in the imminent elections. this is incoherence. outserve, the underground network of gay service personnel has reported there's a widespread perception in the military in the wake of the ruling that the court ruling against the policy yesterday means the policy is over. service members, legal defense network has set up a website sldn.org/stillatrisk to warn the members of military to not come out that the policy is still in effect. we were told anyone coming out in the military now is absolutety still at risk of

being fired for doing so. it is not over. the policy is still in effect. and the plan from the white house for ending it is apparently to count on the united states senate to do the right thing. that's the plan. an expert on the issue at uc santa barbara told the "new york times" today, the thing that everybody else is dancing around and unwilling to admit. that unless the president declines to appeal the ruling in republicans versus the united states, the don't ask, don't tell policy probably will remain law for years. he's right, unless you believe the u.s. senate is going to do the right thing. this year with john mccain still there and a slate of republican senate candidates that includes an activist against women even serving in the military who once toured the country promoting the idea that being gay is curable. you know, like as if it's athlete's foot or something. unless you believe that the united states senate after this

year's elections is going to do the right thing by gay service members, ha, then the decision by the obama administration whether or not to appeal this ruling is likely a decision between killing this policy, now, and letting it survive probably forever. this is not the conclusion i expected to reach after today's reporting on this subject and after today's interviews. everybody says the justice department appealing this ruling is an inevitability. it does not have to be. it is not inevitable. if the administration believes the law is unconstitutional, there is precedent that supports the administration not appealing it and letting the law die. an orderly time frame for the death of a law can be arranged with the court. i hereby declare that i will never get another callback in washington ever again for putting it this way to you. but it is the way it is. a plan that has no chance of becoming reality is not a real

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tell us a little bit about you and your business experience and how you got here. >> well, i made my money the old-fashioned way. i inherited it. and i think that's a great thing to do. >> i made my money the old-fashioned way, i inherited it. when most people use that line, they are recounting an old, tired joke. when the republican nominee for senate in west virginia says it, he means it. john raese has repeatedly cited his inherited wealth. john raese's candidacy is turning out to have a touch of the crazy carl phenomenon. a little touch of the paladino. case in point. >> you do not negotiate with people like -- i have a hard time pronouncing this.

armadajon, armadingo. help me. armadijon. remember i'm not a career politician. >> even after the guy yells out the correct pronunciation, you keep up the act. keep it up. this is his act. this is an act. this is not just the ahmadinejad thing. he does it all the time. last month he was talking about the nation's first latino supreme court justice. he pretended not to be able to say not only the name soth mayor, say -- not only the names, sarah manor, sarah manorgan. and then at a september 9th appearance, he talked about him this way. >> j. rockefeller. and he just brought to

charleston yesterday dr. chu, or dr. chow, or dr. chow ming. i don't know what his name is. >> dr. chow mein he called him, because apparently john raesey is the hatable character from "office space" who looked like dick cheney. >> mr. samir, not gonna work here anymore, anyway. >> dr. chow mein. get it? why people can't say words like chu or sonia. get it? it does now seem conceivable that he is not only bogarding his comedy stylings from late '90s comedies, that's also where he's getting his policy ideas. >> we are sitting with the only technology that works. and it's laser technology. we need 1,000 laser systems put

in the sky. and we need it right now. that is paramount importance. >> submitted for your consideration -- >> you know, i have one simple request. and that is to have sharks with frickin laser beams attached to their heads. now, evidently my cyclopic colleague informs me that can't be done. >> as evidence mounts that his west virginia senate campaign may be a practical joke. at least an homage to late '90s comedy. there's one difference between john raese of west virginia and crazy carl of new york state. crazy carl paladino of new york his race in a million years. john raese, within shooting distance. laser beams and all. our staff office pools says it'll be some riff on "american pie." but this year, who knows.

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excellent booking night yet again on "the last word with lawrence o'donnell" he'll be talking with chris coons. coming up on this show. do you remember when newt gingrich accidentally gave an award to a dallas strip club, he took it back, and they got their feelings hurt? that story just got so much worse.

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like sarah palin, newt gingrich is one of those folks who is seen as vaguely in politics. he gets to go on tv and talk about politics a lot. even though he technically does not have a job in politics. he's been out of office for a very long time and is now sort of just famous for being famous. just because he doesn't have a real job, does not mean that newt gingrich isn't making a lot of money in politics. the closest thing he has to a job is heading up the organization, american solutions for winning the future. what is american solutions for winning the future? what does it do? it promotes newt gingrich. an ap analysis determined that american solutions suspended all of its money raised over the last two years on administrative expenses and personal expenses, including at least $2.2 million on private jets and executive

chauffeur services. newt's group raises money to spend money and it spends money on raising more money. it's a newt gingrich promotional vehicle. also, it's sort of a chain letter scam. you may remember we first got worried about newt's organization last fall, when they reportedly tried to give a fake scam business award to a strip club in texas. the owner of the strip club got a very nice letter from mr. gingrich, the letter said she had been selected to receive an entrepreneur of the year award at a special dinner with newt gingrich himself in washington. all she had to do was send a check immediately for $5,000. which she did immediately. then mr. gingrich's group rescinded the invitation and award saying they did not realize they sent it to a gentleman's club. the happy ending to that story was -- a, we got to create the

best graphic ever, live newt girls. b, the topless club owner so embarrassed, that she and her business got back the five grand they were conned out of. they used the five grand to open a rescue facility for abused pit bulls. which our own kent jones interviewed about last fall. they were also allowed to keep their commemorative award gavel fake signed by newt gingrich, which in appreciation for our coverage of their plight they sent to us and i keep it on my bookshelf in my office. i love it. we thought the whole fund-raising operation was a seed shady. turns out, really shady. they don't just seem shady, they are guaranteed now with 120% more shadiness free. sam stein, a reporter of "the huffington post" has unveiled the newest iteration of newt gingrich's moneymaking sham operation. now, newt gingrich has moved on

to trying to hustle doctors under the ruse of opposing obama care. it turns out that reporter sam stein's mom is a doctor. she's a doctor who was selected to receive a totally awesome super exclusive award from newt gingrich. mr. stein inquiring mind that he is, called up the number listed on the letter for more information, and wouldn't you know it, his mother's awesome doctor award was going to cost her $5,000. this fake $5,000 doctor award is being marketed in the same way as last year's fake business but not strip club award. that's the invite sent to the strip club owner on the left. on the right, the invite that went out to sam stein's doctor mom. you might notice when we zoom in they both appear to have handwritten notes to the award recipients in exactly the same

handwriting. exactly the same handwriting. it looks like handwriting, it's a font. it's a cheesy, made to look like handwriting font. and it's the same font from scam to scam from year to year. you have a picture of the plaque and commemorative gavel that newt gingrich couldn't wait to send to dawn riza nor $5,000. on the right, the plaque that's waiting to be claimed for the low, low price of $5,000 by sam stein's mom the doctor. this would look great in your office. the template has not changed not even a little bit. his moneymaking operation is using the exact same cheesy, this is a scam sales pitch on physicians this year as it was using on business owners last year. whatever newt gingrich actually believes about any given policy, on any given day, he's mastered the art of turning any given political issue into an opportunity to scam more americans out of $5,000 at a time with this fake handwriting font and phony awards extreme.

against cap and trade, good for you. here's a novelty gavel. don't like financial reform? neither do we. take this personalized plaque for the low, low price of $5,000. do you despise obama care? it just so happens we're having a despise obama care just for you, the cost, $5,000. american solutions sends out these thinly disguised sham awards sales pitches in order to raise money to fly newt gingrich around the country to raise his public image so they can get more people to pay $5,000 on a fake scam award when they see his name on a letter. here's the bottom line, no matter who you are, if you get something in the mail from newt gingrich, it's a scam. do not send him any money, do not call the toll-free number, do not believe that is actual handwriting, it's a scam. you will not get a set of knives, it will not slice, dice or julienne. newt gingrich is