John Kerry the best candidate money can buy
- Thread starter Nitemare
- Start date
I couldn't agree more. He's more of the same, but somewhat better than Bush. He'd be my last choice. I'd rather have Kucinich than Kerry. Ditto for Sharpton.
-Robert
-Robert
shiner
Lifer
- Jul 18, 2000
- 17,112
- 1
- 0
Kerry needs to be more worried about this stuff...
CAMPAIGN 2004
Conduct Unbecoming
Kerry doesn't deserve Vietnam vets' support.
BY STEPHEN SHERMAN
Monday, January 26, 2004 12:01 a.m.
A turning point may have been reached in the Iowa caucuses when Special Forces Lt. James Rassmann came forward to thank John Kerry for saving his life in Vietnam. Although Mr. Rassmann, like most of my veteran friends, is a Republican, he said that he'd vote for Mr. Kerry. I don't know if the incident influenced the caucus results. But I took special interest in the story because Jim served in my unit.
Service in Vietnam is an important credential to me. Many felt that such service was beneath them, and removed themselves from the manpower pool. That Mr. Kerry served at all is a reason for a bond with fellow veterans; that his service earned him a Bronze Star for Valor ("for personal bravery") and a Silver Star ("for gallantry") is even more compelling. Unfortunately, Mr. Kerry came home to Massachusetts, the one state George McGovern carried in 1972. He joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and emceed the Winter Soldier Investigation (both financed by Jane Fonda). Many veterans believe these protests led to more American deaths, and to the enslavement of the people on whose behalf the protests were ostensibly being undertaken. But being a take-charge kind of guy, Mr. Kerry became a leader in the VVAW and even testified before Congress on the findings of the Investigation, which he accepted at face value.
In his book "Stolen Valor," B.G. Burkett points out that Mr. Kerry liberally used phony veterans to testify to atrocities they could not possibly have committed. Mr. Kerry later threw what he represented as his awards at the Capitol in protest. But as the war diminished as a political issue, he left the VVAW, which was a bit too radical for his political future, and was ultimately elected to the Senate. After his awards were seen framed on his office wall, he claimed to have thrown away someone else's medals--so now he can reclaim his gallantry in Vietnam.
Mr. Kerry hasn't given me any reason to trust his judgment. As co-chairman of the Senate investigating committee, he quashed a revealing inquiry into the POW/MIA issue, and he supports trade initiatives with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam while blocking any legislation requiring Hanoi to adhere to basic human rights. I'm not surprised that there are veterans who support a VVAW activist, if only because there are so few fellow veterans in politics. Ideally, there'd be many more. If you are going to vote on military appropriations, it would be nice if you didn't disrespect the soldiers. Congress hasn't had the courage to declare war in more than 60 years, despite numerous instances in which we have sent our military in harm's way. Of all the "lessons of Vietnam," surely one is that America needs a leader capable of demonstrating in himself, and encouraging in others, the resolve to finish what they have collectively started.
But the bond between veterans has to be tempered in light of the individual's record. Just as Mr. Kerry threw away medals only to claim them back again, Sen. Kerry voted to take action against Iraq, but claims to take that vote back by voting against funding the result. So I can understand my former comrade-in-arms hugging the man who saved his life, but not the act of choosing him for president out of gratitude. And I would hate to see anyone giving Mr. Kerry a sympathy vote for president just because being a Vietnam veteran is "back in style."
Mr. Sherman was a first lieutenant with the U.S. Army Fifth Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Vietnam, 1967-68.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
John Kerry's War Record...
As Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, considers a bid for the White
House, Americans should know a few things about him that he might prefer go
unmentioned -- and I don't mean his $75 haircuts.
When Mr. Kerry pontificated at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day, a group of veterans turned their backs on him and walked away. They remembered Mr. Kerry as the antiwar activist who testified before Congress during the war, accusing veterans of being war criminals.
The dust jacket of Mr. Kerry's pro-Hanoi book, "The New Soldier," features a photograph of his ragged band of radicals mocking the US Marine Corps Memorial, which depicts the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, with an upside-down American flag.
Retired Gen. George S. Patton III charged that Mr. Kerry's actions as an antiwar activist had "given aid and comfort to the enemy," as had the actions of Ramsey Clark and Jane Fonda. Also, Mr. Kerry lied when he threw what he claimed were his war medals over the White House fence; he later admitted they weren't his. Now they are displayed on his office wall.
Long after he changed sides in congressional hearings, Mr. Kerry lobbied for renewed trade relations with Hanoi. At the same time, his cousin C. Stewart Forbes, chief executive for Colliers International, assisted in brokering a $905 million deal to develop a deep-sea port at Vung Tau, Vietnam - an odd coincidence.
As noted in the Inside Politics column of Nov. 14 (Nation), historian Douglas Brinkley is writing Mr. Kerry's biography. Hopefully, he'll include the senator's latest ignominious feat: preventing the Vietnam Human Rights Act (HR2833) from coming to a vote in the Senate, claiming human rights would deteriorate as a result. His actions sent a clear signal to Hanoi that Congress cares little about the human rights for which so many Americans fought and died.
The State Department ranked Vietnam among the 10 regimes worldwide least
tolerant of religious freedom. Recently, 354 churches of the Montagnards, a
Christian ethnic minority, were forcibly disbanded, and by mid-October, more than 50 Christian pastors and elders had been arrested in Dak Lak province alone.
On Oct. 29, the secret police executed three Montagnards by lethal injection simply for protesting religious repression. The communists are conducting a pogrom against the Montagnards, forcing Christians to drink a mixture of goat's blood and alcohol and renounce Christianity. Thousands have been killed or imprisoned or have just "disappeared." The Montagnards lost one-half of their adult male population fighting for the United States, and without them, there might be thousands more American names on that somber black granite wall at the Vietnam memorial.
As Mr. Kerry contemplates a run for the presidency, people must remember that he has fought harder for Hanoi as an antiwar activist and a senator than he did against the Vietnamese communists while serving in the Navy in Vietnam.
MICHAEL BENGE
Foreign Service officer and former Vietnam POW (1968 to 1973) Washington
CAMPAIGN 2004
Conduct Unbecoming
Kerry doesn't deserve Vietnam vets' support.
BY STEPHEN SHERMAN
Monday, January 26, 2004 12:01 a.m.
A turning point may have been reached in the Iowa caucuses when Special Forces Lt. James Rassmann came forward to thank John Kerry for saving his life in Vietnam. Although Mr. Rassmann, like most of my veteran friends, is a Republican, he said that he'd vote for Mr. Kerry. I don't know if the incident influenced the caucus results. But I took special interest in the story because Jim served in my unit.
Service in Vietnam is an important credential to me. Many felt that such service was beneath them, and removed themselves from the manpower pool. That Mr. Kerry served at all is a reason for a bond with fellow veterans; that his service earned him a Bronze Star for Valor ("for personal bravery") and a Silver Star ("for gallantry") is even more compelling. Unfortunately, Mr. Kerry came home to Massachusetts, the one state George McGovern carried in 1972. He joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and emceed the Winter Soldier Investigation (both financed by Jane Fonda). Many veterans believe these protests led to more American deaths, and to the enslavement of the people on whose behalf the protests were ostensibly being undertaken. But being a take-charge kind of guy, Mr. Kerry became a leader in the VVAW and even testified before Congress on the findings of the Investigation, which he accepted at face value.
In his book "Stolen Valor," B.G. Burkett points out that Mr. Kerry liberally used phony veterans to testify to atrocities they could not possibly have committed. Mr. Kerry later threw what he represented as his awards at the Capitol in protest. But as the war diminished as a political issue, he left the VVAW, which was a bit too radical for his political future, and was ultimately elected to the Senate. After his awards were seen framed on his office wall, he claimed to have thrown away someone else's medals--so now he can reclaim his gallantry in Vietnam.
Mr. Kerry hasn't given me any reason to trust his judgment. As co-chairman of the Senate investigating committee, he quashed a revealing inquiry into the POW/MIA issue, and he supports trade initiatives with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam while blocking any legislation requiring Hanoi to adhere to basic human rights. I'm not surprised that there are veterans who support a VVAW activist, if only because there are so few fellow veterans in politics. Ideally, there'd be many more. If you are going to vote on military appropriations, it would be nice if you didn't disrespect the soldiers. Congress hasn't had the courage to declare war in more than 60 years, despite numerous instances in which we have sent our military in harm's way. Of all the "lessons of Vietnam," surely one is that America needs a leader capable of demonstrating in himself, and encouraging in others, the resolve to finish what they have collectively started.
But the bond between veterans has to be tempered in light of the individual's record. Just as Mr. Kerry threw away medals only to claim them back again, Sen. Kerry voted to take action against Iraq, but claims to take that vote back by voting against funding the result. So I can understand my former comrade-in-arms hugging the man who saved his life, but not the act of choosing him for president out of gratitude. And I would hate to see anyone giving Mr. Kerry a sympathy vote for president just because being a Vietnam veteran is "back in style."
Mr. Sherman was a first lieutenant with the U.S. Army Fifth Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Vietnam, 1967-68.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
John Kerry's War Record...
As Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, considers a bid for the White
House, Americans should know a few things about him that he might prefer go
unmentioned -- and I don't mean his $75 haircuts.
When Mr. Kerry pontificated at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day, a group of veterans turned their backs on him and walked away. They remembered Mr. Kerry as the antiwar activist who testified before Congress during the war, accusing veterans of being war criminals.
The dust jacket of Mr. Kerry's pro-Hanoi book, "The New Soldier," features a photograph of his ragged band of radicals mocking the US Marine Corps Memorial, which depicts the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, with an upside-down American flag.
Retired Gen. George S. Patton III charged that Mr. Kerry's actions as an antiwar activist had "given aid and comfort to the enemy," as had the actions of Ramsey Clark and Jane Fonda. Also, Mr. Kerry lied when he threw what he claimed were his war medals over the White House fence; he later admitted they weren't his. Now they are displayed on his office wall.
Long after he changed sides in congressional hearings, Mr. Kerry lobbied for renewed trade relations with Hanoi. At the same time, his cousin C. Stewart Forbes, chief executive for Colliers International, assisted in brokering a $905 million deal to develop a deep-sea port at Vung Tau, Vietnam - an odd coincidence.
As noted in the Inside Politics column of Nov. 14 (Nation), historian Douglas Brinkley is writing Mr. Kerry's biography. Hopefully, he'll include the senator's latest ignominious feat: preventing the Vietnam Human Rights Act (HR2833) from coming to a vote in the Senate, claiming human rights would deteriorate as a result. His actions sent a clear signal to Hanoi that Congress cares little about the human rights for which so many Americans fought and died.
The State Department ranked Vietnam among the 10 regimes worldwide least
tolerant of religious freedom. Recently, 354 churches of the Montagnards, a
Christian ethnic minority, were forcibly disbanded, and by mid-October, more than 50 Christian pastors and elders had been arrested in Dak Lak province alone.
On Oct. 29, the secret police executed three Montagnards by lethal injection simply for protesting religious repression. The communists are conducting a pogrom against the Montagnards, forcing Christians to drink a mixture of goat's blood and alcohol and renounce Christianity. Thousands have been killed or imprisoned or have just "disappeared." The Montagnards lost one-half of their adult male population fighting for the United States, and without them, there might be thousands more American names on that somber black granite wall at the Vietnam memorial.
As Mr. Kerry contemplates a run for the presidency, people must remember that he has fought harder for Hanoi as an antiwar activist and a senator than he did against the Vietnamese communists while serving in the Navy in Vietnam.
MICHAEL BENGE
Foreign Service officer and former Vietnam POW (1968 to 1973) Washington
Where is Ike when we need him?
Reporter: "Sir, did you make any mistakes while in office?"
Eisenhower: "Only two, and they're both on the Supreme Court."
I'm not a Republican. I'd love to get Bush out of the White House, but Kerry isn't any better.
It is a matter of public record that Kerry took more special interest money than any other senator over the last 15 years.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64727-2004Jan30.html
Nitmare, you said, "Hell this whole bunch sucks. Wish we could have a do over in 2004 with a new batch."
Hey, why limit it to 2004. We did have some competent and interesting people running in 2000, e.g., McCain and Bradley. But, IMO, the system is broken and you get a candidate stuffed with money. Bush II is, however, a new low.
EDITED: BTW, I meant to say, Kerry is an empty suit. Where I live, the antiwar demonstrations started before the October vote by Congress to give the president power. It was obvious that there would be an attempt to have war. So, on one hand we have Clark saying, "Within 2 weeks after 9/11 everyone in Washington knew we were going to invade Iraq." And on the other, Kerry saying, "Gee, I didn't know the gun was loaded."
Hey, why limit it to 2004. We did have some competent and interesting people running in 2000, e.g., McCain and Bradley. But, IMO, the system is broken and you get a candidate stuffed with money. Bush II is, however, a new low.
EDITED: BTW, I meant to say, Kerry is an empty suit. Where I live, the antiwar demonstrations started before the October vote by Congress to give the president power. It was obvious that there would be an attempt to have war. So, on one hand we have Clark saying, "Within 2 weeks after 9/11 everyone in Washington knew we were going to invade Iraq." And on the other, Kerry saying, "Gee, I didn't know the gun was loaded."
Better get behind Kerry if you want a future.
Hes our man 7 out of 9 states says it all.
Mccain was so outraged by the deal why was he so easily persuaded to drop his bill?
All Kerry supposedly did wrong was say "hey wait let's hold an investigation first"
So that means he is crooked? Try again you failed to show anything.
Hes our man 7 out of 9 states says it all.
Mccain was so outraged by the deal why was he so easily persuaded to drop his bill?
All Kerry supposedly did wrong was say "hey wait let's hold an investigation first"
So that means he is crooked? Try again you failed to show anything.
Personally I hate workers comp and id like to see it ended. It is a scam.
In the past 15 years I have paid a full 2 years salary into workmans comp and the max I could ever collect if I was injured is 6 weeks pay.
Scam scam scam. Workers comp is a scam and it is time to end it.
In the past 15 years I have paid a full 2 years salary into workmans comp and the max I could ever collect if I was injured is 6 weeks pay.
Scam scam scam. Workers comp is a scam and it is time to end it.
CADsortaGUY
Lifer
- Feb 8, 2001
- 35,461
- 4
- 81
This is the direct result of having a 2 party state where each selected candidate is obligated by his party to make certain decisions. The only way around this is to do away with corporation and organization campaign contributions and do some serious investigation into the bookkeeping of both the current political parties as well. Personally, I would like to see alot more candidates, have a Green party, a Libertarian party, a Conservative party, a Liberal party, for starters each with a certain amount of federal funding. Personally, this 2 party system is not electing the best person for the job. It is instead electing the person that most exemplifies the parties beliefs.
Until the democrats wake up and smell the capuccino which is some people will hate us regardless just because of who we are, so we shouldn't try to bribe them like Saudi Arabia did, maybe they will get some consideration. This is why I would have given serious thought for voting for Lieberman even though I have never voted for a democratic president. Zell Miller gets my thumbs up as well.
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