SwiftVets.com

[Me#1You#10]

Who IS this guy? A quid looking for a quo?

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

I see nobody warned him about the red KookAde.

Ah, well, another "journalist" displays his arrogance, ignorance and irrelevance.

I LOVE it!
_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[ord33]

Of all the negative articles about the SwiftVets, I must say this one could quite possibly the most pathetic. His reference to the Red Sox game and comparing it to the SwiftVets is just incredible. It makes me wonder if people like this do this intentionally and know the facts, listen to the democratic talking points and take them to heart failing to research the facts, or if they are just extremely ignorant.

[Wynne]

I just can't resist the urge, late at night, to write letters to these guys... it's become my new hobby -- Thanks for the link, Me#1You#10
****************

Dear Mr. Holmes,

I have read your column about the charges that Kerry has flip-flopped on the issues and I suggest that before you make excuses for him, you take a good look at his record which flips and flops all over the place. And before you accuse the Swift Boat Veterans of lying and of not serving in Vietnam with John Kerry in a capacity from which they can report the truth about his service there first-hand, I suggest you take a good look at the facts. Because when you do so, you will have the truth to back you up and you can, therefore, tell it, which you so far have not done. You, sir, have both flipped and flopped.

Yours for the Truth,
_________________
TRUTH IS ALWAYS THE VICTOR

[MSeeger]

Here is my letter for what it's worth:

Sir,

I read your article, and I have one problem with your position. If you can explain to me how Mr. Kerry can say that Iraq is "the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time"...and yet maintain that our soldiers are NOT dying for a mistake, then I'll believe that Mr. Kerry is not a flip-flopper.

You go to great lengths to make your case, but it doesn't wash. The truth is that Mr. Kerry has held various positions on this war in Iraq, as I myself heard during the debate. He claims he will lead the troops to victory, while at the same time telling us that he will do a better job of it than President Bush, while at the same time maintaining that it was a mistake. And there is no way to get around this: If it were up to John Kerry, Saddam Hussein would still be in power, because he would *not* have gone to Iraq in the first place. No matter HOW he tries to spin it, that's what it boils down to.

As for your claim that the swift boat veterans didn't serve on swift boats...why then do they call themselves swift boat veterans? Or are you trying to imply that Mr. Kerry is the *only* swift boat veteran who matters? Along with his little band of brothers, whom his campaign *pays* to speak for him in the form of covering their expenses? Heck, if Mr. Kerry were paying *my* expenses, sure I'd say nice things about him. After all, these men who were in the same boat as Mr. Kerry were all his subordinates, not his peers. Unlike the other swift boat veterans who not only *were* his peers but also traveled in the same pack he did, and conducted the same operations he did. Not to mention share quarters with him, since they, too were officers.

So, I'm sorry. As far as I'm concerned, your article flunked the common sense test. I guess the days of truly objective journalism really are dead.

Sincerely,


Well, it wasn't short and pithy, but it made *me* feel better.
_________________
Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Gal. 6:7

[Me#1You#10]

[Hammer2]

Here is my email to Rick:



October 4th 2004

Rick,

Kudos to you on your story “The Flip Flop Myth” published Sunday, Oct 3.
That is Kudos for regurgitating Kerry Campaign talking points.

If you had done even a cursory inspection of the facts you would have discovered that there were Swift Boat Veterans for Truth eyewitnesses at every disputed event. They were indeed in the dugout with Kerry since they operated together as a team, were never more than a short distance apart in combat, and lived together when not on patrol.

Kerry has only had two pillars of support in his claims. The first pillar, the testimony of those few crewmen on his boats who publicly support him contradicted by the 60+ others in the SBVT who served with him. Second, the “Official” Navy records, all of which rely on either reports of the action written by Kerry himself, or attested to by people who are active in his campaign for the presidency.

Apply your own standards of journalism here. Would you unquestioningly believe a criminal suspect who had his friends testify to his innocence and who produced documents that relied on his own written accounts as proof? Or would you investigate to find evidence that stands up to scrutiny?

I would ask you to revisit the issue with a more critical thought process and not let your desire to see John Kerry elected to overcome your journalistic ethics.

Sincerely,

Timothy Price
Grand Prairie, Texas
_________________
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilence" - Thomas Jefferson
"An armed society is a polite society" - Thomas Jefferson
"The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it won't be needed until someone tries to take it away." -- Thomas Jefferson

[gerson]

I sent him a letter too:

Dear Mr Holmes,

As a reporter, you have a responsibility to the general public to do some serious research before making pronouncements such as you've made about the swiftboat veterans. Did you know that they include ALL of Kerry's superior officers in Vietnam and most of the fellow officers in his division (17 out of 21 still living?) These are people who slept in the same barracks with him, ate with him, went on patrols with him, etc. After spending several months looking into this matter, reading many things, I cannot tell you how pathetically ignorant you sound! It is "reporting" like yours that is killing the MSM. If people won't put up with this kind of thing from Dan Rather anymore, they will surely not stomach it from you. Wise up! If you really looked into the facts, you would be grateful to these brave men for attempting to alert us all to John Kerry's deficiencies of character.

[Trueamerican]

Great replies guys. I love it when a reporter gets hammered. This certain reporter should not even have the permission to write this kind of non-since. Just aggravating.


1 thing I do find hilarious is, no matter what kind of reporting. Negative or positive towards the swifties, Morons like these don't realize that the swifties are getting free publicity, which equals more donations..... Hahah Oh man I love it.



True

[Dimsdale]

As a former resident of Framingham, MA, I can tell you that the Metrowest Daily News is a trash newspaper, liberally oriented of course. I think it may even be free, but don't quote me on that.

Just so you know that not everyone in MA is a Kerry humping liberal, here is a letter to that paper from today:

[MAsterBroomer]

As a MA resident in the MetroWest Daily News coverage area, reading Rick Holmes in the Sunday "funny papers", er, editorial pages, is a weekly laugh riot.

He is nothing more than a Democrat, red-meat tosser to the Libs here in the Boston-Western suburbs.

Although I applaud the thoughfulness and sincerity of my fellow Swift Posters before me in their replies to Misster Holmes, I fear that your truthfullness is directed in a wasted effort.

Misster Holmes is not a reporter, nor is "he" interested in the truth.

I bet, though, that Rick does get "hahd" when he gets out-of-state responses from "his" columns. "He" probably fancies himself as a Michael Moore-lite type....tweaking the Conservatives.

As for me, I await "his" column to see what "he" has to say on the first Sunday after the election, after President Bush's re-election, when Rick's" in his own wittle boat, up-the-creek, without a paddle.... or a clue.

[Dimsdale]

UPDATE!!!!!

Rick Holmes has responded to me as follows (see original email above):

Holmes, Rick wrote:

[Me#1You#10]

Same old same old...they quote one another and the "Big Lie" continues in it's infinite, specious great circle...and we're supposed to be in awe of the NYT's Kristof's objectivity? What are they smokin' up there in Framingham, MA?

I'm surprised, however, that "Factcheck.org" wasn't quoted as the "ultimate source of metaphysical truth".

[1AD]

If you want to get Mr. Holmes' goat all you have to do is print about a thousand copies of his column, print the factual rebuttals, (his own diary says he had not yet been shot at, his boat was the only one that left contrary to what he said, 5,000 meters and being shot at but only bullet holes were from enemy fire either earlier that day or more likely from another crew taking out the boat the previous day, not in Camodia according to his own diary) and pass them out at a mall, farmers market, etc.

Title of the flier "RICK HOLMES LIES." If there is one thing no journalist wants it is to be called a liar.

Goat=Navy mascot.

[Me#1You#10]

Mr. Holmes travels to Wellesley....