SwiftVets.com

[integritycounts]

My Swift Vet Grumblings and Thoughts and Notions

At first there was a considerable amount of attention paid to the media, and rightfully so, because they were not reporting on the story. That has obviously changed…the media is reporting…there is of course a debate if Media bias is allowing fair reporting.

I see much discussion about the media’s new onslaught about Bush’s National Guard service. This has nothing to do with Swift Vets or its mission. It’s a distraction, its being used create a false argument by the media. Swift Vet engaging in it only gives in to the tactic which is meant to dilute and obscure what Swift Vets are saying. Kerry did things and said things which were despicable and insulting to Veterans….Bush’s actions in no way minimize or change the implications of what Kerry did.

If Swift Vets become commentators on Bush, it only hurts Swift Vets, and allows the media to win in shifting the argument. It’s clear that the response to the claims of “Unfit for Command” is to ignore the question and say “Well if you are going to ask that, we need to talk about what Bush was doing”. That response has ended discussion 100s of times on talk shows…you have seen it as clearly as me.

The media is now coming out with MORE BUSH RECORDS stories. I suggest to you the only comments from Swift Vets should be…. “It is time for Senator Kerry to grant the media the same access to his records, via form 180” If they ask another question on Bush, it needs to be the same answer back.

Next, I have to say the focus of Swift Vets as evidenced on this message board is dissolving. Granted this message board is not what O’Neill is doing and I don’t know all the behind scenes…so given that I will continue to grumble.

Swift Vets have all the information they need….there is little left to discover….Swift Vets have eye witnesses. As all these new tangents put out, it dilutes the message. Swift Vets need to have a list of 10 items that it wants Kerry to do. As of yet I have not seen that list from Swift Vets. I have seen the request for apology letter but that does not cut it. Kerry is not going to apologize. Swift Vets need to have a list of items that they are requesting Kerry to do. Stuff like:
1. Will you sign form 180, or will you restrict access to your Vietnam records?
2. Please explain why you lied on the Senate Floor, by misleading your fellow Senators and the People they represent by claiming false actions while you served in Vietnam?
3. etc etc.

The story of the Swift Vets is out…the Media analysts have done a great job getting Swift Vets to this point. But at this point there is an Elephant in the room that Swift Vets target audience is point to.

The question Swift Vets need to address is: “Okay we understand your story, we understand your claims, what do you want Kerry to do now?” That is the elephant…. “we understand…what do you want?” What do you want….is currently left open.

I suggest that what needs to be asked, is that Kerry respond to items 1 through X. Without this list coming from Swift Vets the problem is Swift Vets will become lost within the campaign. This is the last time, the very last time that the harms of misinformation by Kerry and others, that harmed so many, can be corrected. The lies that Kerry said..because of his agenda…that biased the way history remembers Vietnam, need to be corrected. Debating the questions like an election campaign does not serve the purpose of correcting the record. The conclusion with a fair record of the lies, will be that Kerry is Unfit to Command….but the goal is correcting the record…the Media assumes the goal is the election….that is the core misunderstanding between the Swift Vets mission and the medias coverage.

So I ask “What do Swift Vets want?” The answer is NOT that you don’t vote for Kerry. That is short sighted…Swift Vets need to fight for the record of history…while the Election gives that focus….the Election help bring the attention…its is not the singular goal.

Looking at this board now….I see more and more responses to Fogs of War. The media is creating the fog, that does not mean Swift-Vets should fight the Fog….. Swift Vets have a mission…and regardless of the internal focus of Swift-Vets…Swift-Vet owes a communication out to the Nation of what that mission is….its not clear right now. I suggest a list of things that Kerry should do….perhaps there is another angle to do it…but the problem remains…to the public…the Mission of Swift Vets is not clear.

It is important that Swift Vets focus on claims by Kerry, after the war. His lies in Vietnam are obvious…O’Reilly concluded the same tonight, yet take the message Swift Vets got from O’Reilly tonight. The is something called the “so what?” test… O’Reilly feedback to O’Neill tonight was Kerry’s action in Vietnam have now gone into the “so what?” level. This is not so say that their chronicling in Unfit for Command, and the past 2 months of communication have been for not. Clearly it has been important. But that tank is about out of gas…in terms of media attention. I do think O’Neill understands the public attention span factor…I definitely think he does.

At this point IMHO the focus needs to shift dominantly to what Kerry did when he got back. There is an entire history of that the Media has ignored. MSNBC did a 1 hour show on Kerry…and they had tons of films. The record is out there, and Swift Vet needs to put the focus on that.

I know that it clear that Kerry “gamed” the system in Vietnam, it’s very clear. Swift Vets need to focus on the lies that hurt Jon Ponder.

Summary:
A: We heard you, we understand….What do you want?....so we know how we can help you.
B: Swift Vets need to focus on the lies and actions by John Kerry that hurt Vets AND THEIR FAMILIES like said so well by Joe Ponder.
C: If you debate the media on THEIR agenda of reporting...you lose on YOUR agenda of communication to the public.


wolff

[ASPB]

I suggest you look at this

http://www2.swiftvets.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8107

It may give some comfort to know that Scott Swett works for us as well as for Wintersoldier.

Have Fun!
_________________
On Sale! Order in lots of 100 now at velero@rcn.com Free for the cost of shipping All profits (if any, especially now) go to Swiftvets. The author of "Sink Kerry Swiftly" ---ASPB

[Hammer2]

IC,
Understand your concerns bro. I think you place too much importance on the Media. The media are like politicians, they do not lead, they respond. The people are always the initiators. The story is being told one person to another. It is the credibility of the friend, relative, or co-worker that causes someone to look at the story.
Our own revolution was created by printing leaflets and discussing politics in the coffeehouses of colonial America. The internet is the new printing press, our revolution is spreading at the speed of light around the world. The old media are a dinosaur, headed for extinction. We drive them now, look at how much they hate to even be talking about Kerry's past.
He's toast, don't worry yourself too much.
_________________
"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

[integritycounts]

Hammer2, I watched a story put out about a drunk driving arrest from 20 years prior be put out the weekend before the 2000 Presidential election by the Media.

That weekend the Media focused on nothing but.
"Is it true"
"Should we care"
"What are the effects"
and the classic " Should we the media report on this story?...here is the story".

That organized media attack on the weekend before the election was not even an October surprise, it was in November. It cost Bush 3% points in the daily tracking polls. And resulted in the closest election.

The media and its lawyers then attempted to exclude Military Voters in Florida, and selectively recount certain votes while letting others stand.

There is a long way to go....and the good names of millions of Vietnam Veterans has not been cleared.

Sad thing...the very sad thing....is I thought after Desert Storm in 1992 the nation had healed....its is a real shame that Kerry who caused the harm in the 1960-70s has done it again. It his new reality of the moment...he is the hero, and all the rest of the Veterans are not. If he had integrity he would at least have flip flopped on Vietnam, but he has not....he still supports his false claims.

[Jette]

Suddenly Komrade Kerry is the one who doesn't want to talk about Vietnam. Oh really!?!?!!?

HE is the one who injected it into the daily conversation of the Primary and General elections. HE is the one who made "Three Purple Hearts" the extra appendages of his name, HE is the one who displayed men like cattle to prop up his biography, and HE is the one who attempted to qualify himself to be President by serving three months on a boat 35 years ago.

Now that some scrutiny has been placed on the Massachusetts Migraine, he wants to change the subject. Listen to his former opponent from Massachusetts, Bill Weld, who says Kerry is a MASTER at it.

Nope, Kerry set up the scaffolding and put the spotlights on his "tour of duty," but conveniently forgetting the rest of his antics when he returned home. Now that all the lights have been turned on and things aren't going his way, he wants to close up shop and talk about something else. It's up to the Swiftees and everyone here to keep the bright lights of truth on Kerry. He said "Bring it On!" Now that we have, he's whimpering "Make it Stop!"

Can this country endure four years of a man who whines, cowers and complains when the going gets tough? I think not.

[lrb111]

[jack white]

IC:

Your points about the need to remain focused and not go off on unrelated tangents are on the mark.

However, I think there is a small time frame left in which this particular effort can help finish off Kerry. He will have his first debate in late September. Before then, he will sit down, probably with a media sycophant from MSNBC/CNBC/NBC and answer softball questions. Then, at the debate, he will brush off SBVT-related questions as "asked and answered."

Therefore, even if a small expenditure, the information about Kerry's meetings with the enemy while he was still in the Naval reserves need to get into the national bloodstream in the next few days.

John O'Neil is smart and patient, but I hope he does start to get this information out. He sort of did last night on O'Reilly, who brushed it aside quickly--because the MSM knows this is where Kerry will be sunk.

Yes, save the October surprise material for, well, October, but remember the next few weeks are criticial.

[Hammer2]

IC, you made my point for me. The only way now for the media to have any impact is to launch a last minute surprise attack. Anything else is dissected and analyzed by all and the truth quickly emerges.

This is a new era of free speech.
One telling sign of this is the drastic decline in viewership for all the major networks and cable networks except Fox.
The subscriber base of all major newspapers is a fraction of what they once were.
Where are the people? I submit they are in front of their computers.
_________________
"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

[integritycounts]

[BrianC]

Consider this, too - another item completely ignored by the media:

John Kerry's foreign policy experience amounts to several meetings with Communist Viet Cong party members in France.

[ASPB]

[Me#1You#10]

[integritycounts]

Not refuting myself, I was trying to talk about the message board as being independent, If I would have removed the word Swift Vets from the sentence you quoted it would have been more clear.

Most of the original sentence is an attempt to avoid confusion...but I guess that attempt failed.

My rewrite "Next, I have to say the focus of this message board is starting to dissolve a bit. Granted this message board is not what O’Neill is doing and I don’t know any of the behind scenes…so given that I will continue to grumble. And yes, these grays are from worrying"