Soldiers, Protestors, and Kerry

I was thinking about the vets from the swiftboat ads. Thinking about their anger at Kerry. Now that it has become apparent that they are not all Republicans or Bush supporters and that they have felt this way a long long time. It warms the heart that bloggers are mainly responsible for giving this story legs and not letting the media ignore it.

Kerry and the mainstream media would like this to be about campaign tactics and about smearing a candidate. But that is not what it is about at all. It is about the wounds of the soul of every American soldier that fought in Vietnam. I am too young to remember much about Vietnam, my brothers were too young to go. I have read history, seen movies, and seen documentaries on Vietnam. In my mind I chalked it up to a bad war controlled by men in Washington who didn't know how to win the war. But in the wonderful world of blogging I have been able to read about the stories of the men who went there and the men who didn't come back. One story I read was about a man who went there, came back, and then died saving people in the WTC on 9-11. His story is here www.mudvillegazette.com
look under "Best of Mudville" on the right side, and click "911 remembered: Rick Rescorla was a soldier." (Make sure you have tissues handy before reading)

If you want to understand the heart of a soldier read some of Greyhawks archives. Simply amazing. So after doing some of this reading I better understand the anger and resentment of the swiftboat vets. Kerry betrayed them, painted them out to be monsters. Is it no surprise that they don't wish to see him President?

One quote I found at the mudvillegazette stood out to me.
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept by the exertions of a better man than himself."- John Stuart Mill

The thing that bothers me the most about the protesters that are descending on the Republican Convention is that these people have never known what it is like to live under tyranny. They take for granted the right they have to protest. They don't see the irony that they protest the very people who make it possible TO protest. Lovers of freedom and democracy. People dedicated to the idea of liberty. These protestors have never had to wait in 2 hour lines for bread. They have never had to live with the fear of government pulling them out of bed in the middle of the night for the dissent they shout, and then being never heard from again. They have never been so desperate to get to freedom that they are willing to put themselves and those they love on tiny self made rafts to endure dehydration, sharks, and drowning. Freedom is taken for granted by them, never thought of, never appreciated.

Our soldiers today are fighting a fight never seen or imagined before. They are our protectors, the ones who let us sleep in peace at night. They are the ones who let us leave our kids at school without worry, let us get on buses without fear, let us dream, work, learn, and live. Everyday since 9-11 that we have not been attacked is a tribute to their work. Honor is too small a word for these patriots. They give us much and ask so little. But what they do ask is to at least not smear their good name, not paint them as demented. This is the heart of the anger at Kerry by these vets. They were strong and true when it wasn't easy to be so. They endured much. Kerry spit in their faces. He took his medals and purple hearts and denounced them then, and now proudly holds them up for honor now. A betrayal of the highest order.

Here we are facing the greatest threat to freedom ever. The men who seek to destroy us, want those that they don't murder, to live without even the taste of freedom, to never be able to decide who is our leader, to never be able to voice dessent or concern, to never be able to listen to music, or dance, or wear what we wish, or worship as we see fit. Do the protestors not see the danger we face? Do they not see all that could be lost?

Kerry and the protestors are 2 sides of the same coin. They both underestimate this enemy and they both refuse to see the damage they have done to the American soldier.

Kerry, perhaps the truth just hurts too much...

Now we discover that Kerry told a Virginia audience at a Martin Luther King Day celebration last year that he remembers hearing about King's death while in Vietnam. The only problem is that King was shot in April of 1968 and Kerry didn't make it to Vietnam until Nov. of 1968. Why does this matter? Obviously Kerry has chosen to romanticize his duty in Vietnam over the years and woven stories to fit the image he wants to project. Do any of us really care about Vietnam now? No, but Kerry is the one who made it the centerpiece of his campaign. We would much rather talk about his 20 yrs in Congress. But that is difficult to do since Kerry only spent a little over a minute on his congressional career at the Democratic National Convention. We do know that, for example, in 2003 Kerry's voting record shows that out of 119 votes recorded, he only showed up for 28% of them. But, come on, travel is difficult these days. Oh, wait...He has a private jet. Or perhaps its better not to be on record for votes that may come back to haunt you when running for President the next year? Just a thought.

In April Kerry referred to Bush as a president "who can't even answer whether he showed up for duty in the National Guard." and who "has yet to explain to America whether or not, and to tell the truth, about whether he showed up for duty." Kerry went on to say later, "Just because you get a honorable discharge doesn't in fact answer the question."

Perhaps Bush should ask, "Just because you received purple hearts doesn't in fact answer the questions." Kerry demands of Bush what he himself is not willing to give, the truth.

To set the record straight, Bush has answered the question fully. Kerry likes to demean National Guard Duty and dismiss Bush for not going to Vietnam. Kerry spent 4 months there and got out as soon as little purple hearts could get him home. Bush spent over 5 years in the National Guard, trained as a fighter pilot. The period Kerry is referring to was his 5th year of duty when he asked to be transferred ( a common practice ) to Alabama to work on Republican Winton Blount's campaign. He cut back his hours dramatically to do this, but more than fulfilled his requirements. The story hinged on several Guard members in Alabama who never remembered seeing him there. Considering Bush was not known then, just a regular guy, and a transfer with fewer hours, AND with 900 men at the base, this is no surprise. But not only did a now retired Lt. John Cahouhn say he remembers seeing Bush several times, but records show Bush was paid and given retirement credit days for service in Alabama.

Compare this minor story to Paul Galanti, who spent 7 yrs as a POW in Vietnam, saying that "John Kerry gave the enemy for free what I and my comrades in the prison camps in N. Vietnam took torture to avoid saying."
Powerful stuff. This is not lies and distortions, this is not where Kerry was on Christmas eve, 1968, or how he got his medals, this is how this man feels and he has every right to say it.

You know we really haven't seen the actor who played Gomer Pyle since, well.... gee... since Kerry has been in Congress!! Hmmmm........ 

The media will be fair to Bush when this happens! 

Peterson, the Media, and Bush...

After watching a lot of court TV on Scott Peterson, I looked up a passage I remembered from a book I was reading. It says all we need to know about this guy.

"You can go for a walk with them, see a movie with them, go swimming, eat dinner, even ride in a car with them while they are driving; but the sociopathic among us are quite literally different in every respect. They merely look like us. It is the ultimate disguise, making them an alien race within our own, and they know how to play us all for fools."


Why is it that the democrats can spend $70 million, yes I said MILLION, on 527 ads and not a peep from the media, and the swiftboat guys spend $200,ooo and they go nuts? Oh yeah... I forgot.....THEY ARE BIASED!!!!!!!!


At least the ads are starting to have an effect. For the first time the LA times poll shows Bush ahead. But I am having a problem with Bush calling ALL 527 groups "shadowy." The swiftboat guys are hardly that. They are upfront and very open about what they believe and who finances them. The Faith Based Coalition has just recently formed. It is a group of conservative black preachers. I want to hear from these guys. This is called free speech. Perhaps there can be a way to make sure there are not untrue or slanderous things permitted, but people can put commercials out there if they wish.

Bush also needs to tell Kerry that the job of President isn't for wimps and whiners. If Kerry can't take some criticism from his former military unit, then he has no business being President. Its a job that comes with tough critics.

Bill Cosby Rocks!

I mean ROCKS!!! I finally got to see Bill Cosby speaking to the Rainbow/PUSH conference on C-span (July 1 ,04). This was after his "controversial remarks" before the NAACP. His speech was EXCELLENT. He didn't say anything conservatives haven't been saying for 25 yrs, but finally a respected black celebrity says it. And that is fine with me as long as everyone listens.

For you who missed it he basically condemned the state of the lower income black community. He spoke about the 50% high school dropout rate of African American males, how the young think it is hip to call each other "nigga," how the hip hop music is degrading to women, and how wrong it is for so many black teenage girls to have babies. He encouraged black parents to PARENT. He also asked them to demand excellence of their kids, in school and out.

The most powerful moment for me was when he said he had been at an event where many of the black leaders from the older generation were there. They were the ones who fought the odds, fought racism, fought to vote, and fought to be treated with equality and dignity. Cosby said he looked at them and thought, "Is this what they dreamed of?"

During this speech ( and there wasn't a THING he said I disagreed with ) the liberals just clapped and clapped. Which I found highly ironic. Because in my opinion liberal policies of the last 20 years caused a great many of the social problems of the black community. Breakdown of the black family? Look no further than the welfare policies of the democrats. High School dropout rates? Look no further than the dumbing down educational policies of the democrats. Black teenage pregnancies? Look no further than the liberal moral policies of the democrats where no sexual pleasure should be denied. If you get pregnant then we will provide monthly checks and housing. This policy has affected the white teenage population in the same way. The degrading lyrics of hip hop? Look no further than the free for all free speech policies of the democrats.

Why then do 90% of African Americans vote democrat? God, I wish I had the answer to that question. But part of the answer might be in the speech Jesse Jackson gave right after Cosby. As much as I was cheering Cosby, I was sickened by Jesse Jackson. His speech was all about lynching, about the racism of the 50's and 60's, about the victimization of black people, about the clashes of the civil rights movement. Not in a way for us to learn from it or admire those who participated, because God knows I do, but in a way to make the young black community angry at whites now. Jesse focuses on the past, Cosby focuses on the present.

Jesse made a negative remark about Bush's "no child left behind" program, yet it is Bush who surrounds himself with the brightest and the best who happen to be black, smart, and excellent.
Who is it that respects the black community? One who panders to the worst aspects of African American life or one who gives the most important jobs in the nation, National Security Advisor, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Education to African Americans?

Who respects the black community most? Those who say vote for me and promise handouts? Or those who say vote for me no matter what color your skin is and we will make opportunities for all of us to do things for ourselves? Who respects the black community more? Those who believe that blacks need extra points on college entrance exams or those who say we don't think you NEED extra points and we think you can do it fine on your own?

I am passionate about this because as I explained in my profile, I am a child of integration.
In 1971 my best friend was a black girl named Sondra. We talked on the phone every night for hours yet we never played at each other's house. We never got to play with dolls, or play dress up, or ride bikes together. We never even asked. It just wasn't done. 27 years later my 10 yr old daughter never thought twice about having a friend over that was of color. THAT is something to be celebrated. At the time it warmed my heart of how much things had changed, but I also knew that some of those changes broke my heart as well.

Cosby, keep talking.....may we listen and change.