SwiftVets.com

[Aristotle The Hun]

Installment # 1

Michael the democratic jar head: As a veteran I am much more offended by the Bush "rich boy draft dodge" than I am by any medal inflation that John Kerry might have promoted. I fail to see how any veteran can critisize someone who by any and all accounts has been "in country" , who's "boots" have been in the rice paddy. John Kerry clearly took the fight to the enemy on his own turf regardless of how many people he killed or what medals he got. George fought the war from the Ritz Carleton

My response: George Bush has said the same thing with less sputtering and fuming, “Kerry was there I wasn’t. I wasn’t in harm’s way Kerry was.”

Actually, factually, what George did was fly fighter jets. Unless you know of some private corporation (Halliburton perhaps?) who owns fighter jets I assume George was in our military. So quit with the “draft dodger” label. Accuracy usually works better than name calling and facts are more persuasive than rhetoric. (Can you believe I actually said that, wow politics is having a good effect on me because of my aversion to it.)

As to whether or not falsifying official government documents is serious when applied to combat service medals, consult John Kerry:

“Is it wrong? Yes, it is very wrong. Sufficient to question his leadership position? The answer is yes, which he clearly understood,”
Citing uncertainty of whether Boorda deliberately wore the pins improperly, Kerry added: “If he made a mistake, in my judgment it wasn’t worth his life, so I’m very sad about it.”
“The military is a rigorous culture that places a high premium on battlefield accomplishment,” said Kerry, who received numerous decorations, including a Silver Star with a “V” pin, as a Navy lieutenant in Vietnam.
“In a sense, there’s nothing that says more about your career than when you fought, where you fought and how you fought,” Kerry said.
“If you wind up being less than what you’re pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value and self-esteem and your sense of how others view you.”
Of Admiral Boorda and his apparent violation, Kerry said: “When you are the chief of them all, it has to weigh even more heavily.”

However, most of the vets I talk with are more concerned with what John Kerry did when he returned to the US.

I disagree. I belonged to VVAW. I was against the war. But I certainly wouldn’t have told lies about the men I served with to further my political career. The veterans will not, but the public might forgive John Kerry for his anti-war stance because “time heals all wounds”.

I am fully convinced that the medal issue is what will bring Kerry down. This issue is going on right now. Kerry attempted to stand on his hero status in a war he was ashamed of. And some folks think George is stupid! Geez, who is giving this guy advice? Oh my God! Do you suppose Teresa? Never mind.

The documents posted on Kerry’s own web site have been edited to enhance heroics. Do some research on your own. http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=14774 It isn’t just one medal that stinks. It started with the first Purple Heart. I guess you know that the Kerry campaign has conceded that Kerry didn’t deserve the first Purple Heart. Also, the documented evidence of “heroic” editing on the three Silver Star citations withstands skeptical examination. And there is more.

Evidently Kerry, or someone else, has caused Kerry to look like someone pretending to be an Alpha male rather than actually being one. One could claim that his enemies doctored his records to disgrace him, but the records have been doctored and they do make him look bad no matter who altered them. Of that I have no doubt.

I haven’t criticized Kerry for being in Viet Nam and doing his duty. I criticize him for embellishing a lack luster career for political gain. If I had known about the three Purple Heart rule, and if I had been on a Swift Boat in Viet Nam, I might have “padded the score card” to win my trip out of the war zone. It probably wasn’t that hard to do. But I wouldn’t have later tried to make myself out to be a super hero when there were men who served with me who knew better. Particularly, if I had already offended these guys by falsely accusing them of war crimes. It was bound to come out. And there is more to come. The Swifties keep talking about their “October Surprise”.

I would offer that an indictment is more appropriate for John Kerry than an inaugural. After all, he has altered official government documents, he has committed treason by giving aid and comfort to the enemy, and he is an admitted war criminal. The rest of the Swift Boat Vets have pleaded “not guilty”.

Not caring about the issue isn’t going to make it go away. The Swifties (and I) will make sure of that.

I usually count on you to do your own thinking. Why does your message sound like a Democratic Talking Points Bulletin? It sounds like an echo of the other emails and snail mails I am getting since my letter to the editor was published. Do you folks all take direction from some central Democratic Darth Vader?

More later.

Sam
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Deportè Monsieur Kerrè