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Is there any real evidence here?

 
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jefair
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Joined: 22 Aug 2004
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:21 am    Post subject: Is there any real evidence here? Reply with quote

As far as I can tell, after reading all the source information here, and then reading all the source information at Kerry's site, and at the VVAW site, basically these whole thing boils down to Kerry's anti-war testimony before congress, and specifically that he claimed that atrocities occured during Vietnam. So I look at the source information here that you guys have said discredited Kerry's claim, and I look at the VVAW info that says they have proof of his claims, and I can't tell which one of you actually has accurate research. I'm hearing directly conflicting first-hand accounts of Kerry's service. Each side backs up their argument by "sworn affadavits" which is just another way of saying first-hand testimony. And both sides tell me I should trust them because they said so.

As far as the claims made by Kerry in front of Congress, you guys say you checked it out and it was false, and the VVAW site says that Nixon's administration checked it out, and they couldn't discredit the testimony:

http://www.vvaw.org
Quote:
Have the testimonies of the VVAW members in the Winter Soldier Investigation been discredited?

Each veteran's authenticity and testimony were checked before the hearings by Investigation organizers. Who better to authenticate Vietnam service than other Vietnam vets (Brinkley, 349; Hunt, 66-68.). Each veteran's authenticity and testimony were checked after the hearings by Nixon's "plumbers". Charles Colson was assigned the task. In a CONFIDENTIAL "Plan to Counteract Viet Nam Veterans Against the War", Colson wrote, "The men that participated in the pseudo-atrocity hearings in Detroit will be checked to ascertain if they are genuine combat veterans." At one point, the Nixon team suggested in a memo about VVAW, "Several of their regional coordinators are former Kennedy supporters." With the exception of the attack on Al Hubbard, nothing worse was ever produced (Brinkley, 356-357;Hunt, 73-84; Wells, 489-490).

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Did one of VVAW's leaders lie about his military service in 1971?

Al Hubbard was an important leader in Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Hubbard had been an Air Force enlisted man who actually served. He felt that as a black man, with racism what it is in this country, he had to portray himself as an officer in order to get any respect (Overend, 589; Stacewicz, 293). This was wrong on his part, but he was a good man, and he worked hard for VVAW. VVAW forgave him for lying, but he shouldn't have done it. This one fact doesn't detract from the tens of thousands in VVAW who did not lie about their service and experiences. Hubbard's exposure (June 1971) came very shortly after Dewey Canyon III and shows how aggressively the Nixon administration scrutinized every member of VVAW. In the end, the Nixon's plumbers exposed only one guy whose records show that he actually served.


Neither of you show the source documentation you are basing your opinions on. You both appear to be sourcing books other people wrote, or investigations which I can't fact check.

At the end of the day the argument appears to boil down to something that on the surface appears to be easy to verify, were illegal war actions in Vietnam large scale, or small scale?

But well-researched books by admirable people appear to support both sides of this argument. one book proves they were large scale, the other proves that they were out of the norm.

So again, I don't know who to believe.

Julia
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carpro
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:31 am    Post subject: Re: Is there any real evidence here? Reply with quote

jefair wrote:

At the end of the day the argument appears to boil down to something that on the surface appears to be easy to verify, were illegal war actions in Vietnam large scale, or small scale?



This oversimplification proves that your research was only superficial.

You didn't mention it, but did you try www.wintersoldier.com?

You haven't touched the human aspect of the damage that the vvaw did and until you do you will never understand where we are coming from.
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Navy_Navy_Navy
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well citing the vvaw site isn't a very good start - that thing is so loaded with lies, I'm amazed it doesn't sink with its own weight.

These are a bunch of people trying to rationalize it away that what they actually helped do was to:

1) Demoralize the troops
2) Erode support for the war at home
3) Promote KGB-generated propaganda throughout our society
4) Gave aid and comfort to the enemy
5) Caused the deaths of millions who were slaughtered when the North Vietnamese overran South Vietnam and the genocides in Laos and Cambodia

How much more do you need to discredit them?
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Navy_Navy_Navy
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

And as to your question, "Is there any real evidence here?" -

There is so much information here that you couldn't begin to digest it in a week.

The number of bits of data and pieces of eye-witness accounts and how it all fits together is simply boggling.

I definitely recommend that you read the book - because it goes way beyond the medals and the actions that have thus far been the focus of most of the news stories.

Up next - VVAW, Winter Soldier, Consorting with the Enemy....

Stay tuned. Wink
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tvaughan
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:48 am    Post subject: Re: Is there any real evidence here? Reply with quote

jefair wrote:
As far as I can tell, after reading all the source information here, and then reading all the source information at Kerry's site, and at the VVAW site, basically these whole thing boils down to Kerry's anti-war testimony before congress,


If you did as much research as you say you did I find it difficult to believe you came to that conclusion.

Even the Washington Post sees more than that, and that was only because they finally DID do the research. Last weeks articles were dismissive to say the least.

Not any more.

You have to understand that you're talking to a group that knows this subject very well, and knows its validity. Silly Dem talking points like there's nothing to the story, "web of connections", "they weren't on the same boat" these things all ring ill-informed to us at best, and as just plain disinformation at worst.

If you have any serious, specific questions then by all means ask. As you can see, we love sharing this information with people.
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jefair
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Joined: 22 Aug 2004
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:20 am    Post subject: Re: Is there any real evidence here? Reply with quote

Admin Note: Quota for Pro-Kerry Talking Points Exceeded
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PierreLegrand
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Joined: 20 Aug 2004
Posts: 24
Location: Baton Rouge

PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:48 am    Post subject: The Treason of John Kerry Reply with quote

From WinterSoldier.com here is a quote from John Kerry. Here he is speaking about the men who are running this website, he is speaking about the men who never came back, he is speaking about people who covered his ass. He broke the trust. If he never did anything else that would be enough for Vets to despise him from what I gather about the Vets I am friends with. One does not spit on people you spill blood with especially when some of that blood was spilt covering your ass.



We established an American presence in most cases by showing the flag and firing at sampans and villages along the banks. Those were our instructions, but they seemed so out of line that we finally began to go ashore, against our orders, and investigate the villages that were supposed to be our targets. We discovered we were butchering a lot of innocent people, and morale became so low among the officers on those 'swift boats' that we were called back to Saigon for special instructions from Gen. Abrams. He told us we were doing the right thing. He said our efforts would help win the war in the long run. That's when I realized I could never remain silent about the realities of the war in Vietnam.
John Kerry in the Washington Star, June 6, 1971

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LewWaters
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Julia, instead of reading and studying all these conflicting accounts, which alone can confuse anyone, why not drop by your local VA hospital, VFW or American Legion, sit down and talk to the guys that were really there and see what they tell you about Kerry's claims. You might even be fortunate enough to run into some POWs that were held in North Vietnam and hear how they were forced to listen to the words of people like Kerry, Jane Fonda and her ilk, to force them to admit to war crimes.

Do some first hand research and then make up your mind.
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nakona
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Joined: 04 Jun 2004
Posts: 242

PostPosted: Tue Aug 24, 2004 12:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Navy_Navy_Navy wrote:
Well citing the vvaw site isn't a very good start...



Which reminds me...

How come nobody is talking about the fake veterans that VVAW put up to testify?
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