An appeal for troop comments on Kerry’s slander
I was on Hugh Hewitt’s program last night and asked any Iraq and Afghan vets (or servicemen and women currently serving) to send their comments on John Kerry’s slander to pajamasmedia.com. I’m also soliciting them here on this site. No cursing, please. I’m particularly interested in any thoughts on (1) responsibility and (2) honor. But tell me what you think.
UPDATE: Thanks for the comments. Please keep them coming. If you wish to add your name and rank that’s fine, too. We have to respect our civilian leaders– even Kerry. He is an elected US Senator. The thing is, our service men and women deserve the respect of our leaders. I think Kerry’s “botched joke” slander is a window revealing his deep-seated antipathy to the military, just like Senator Trent Lott’s “botched compliment” of Strom Thurmond was an indication of Lott’s social roots and deeper inclinations. Lott had to resign a Senate leadership position. I think it perfectly appropriate to ask that John Kerry lose his seniority on every single Senate committee on which he now serves. He should never be allowed to serve on any committee related to defense.
I am not active military but a mother of a man currently deployed and also currently not able to directly comment. I can relay his remarks on service made to me just before he deployed. We were in DC—viewing the common tourist locations including the Capitol and White House. I motioned towards them and said “See, that is what you are defending.” He answered with a arm gesture that swept over the areas away from the government buildings, “No, mom, I am defending out there.” He then went on to say, “See that is how we are different—we are not an army of a monarchy or a totalitarian government that protects those who govern, we protect the Constitution–the ‘We the people…’ we protect the people!”
Comment by Kathryn Martin — 11/2/2006 @ 10:00 am
He may have botched a joke as written by his staff, but deep down, I have no doubt that Kerry holds most of the military in contempt. It appears that he used his own military career as little more than stepping stone for his true calling a political career. This wouldn’t be the first time he’s thrown the troops under the bus…his senate testimony back in 1971 makes me shake with rage, because he calls my father — and each soldier, sailor, airman, coastie or marine who fought there — a war criminal. Interesting that he could learn so much in four short months. I think he really does believe that it’s the poor and stupid who get suckered into the military. And yes some do. But it’s a great place for them to better themselves. And the majority are smart, capable and good people. Kerry is a blue falcon at best. I think he should resign from the Senate. He’s not fit to serve. SSG Paul Rankin
Comment by SSG Paul Rankin — 11/2/2006 @ 10:01 am
I realize that this blogger hasn’t been active duty for awhile, but he provides a historical context to Kerry’s remarks. http://www.oceanguy.us/archives/001733.php
Comment by David Gerstman — 11/2/2006 @ 10:20 am
John Forbes Kerry joined the military for one reason and one reason only: to pad his resumé. He was never accepted by his fellow officers because of his less than transparent ambition and gargantuan ego. To this day - particularly after those same men helped expose his true nature in 2004 - he despises the military and the individuals who choose to serve out of a sense of patriotism, when he chose to serve out of vanity and to enhance his political future. John Kerry has a superiority complex. He’s better than you and me and couldn’t be bothered to stoop to our level to tell us why. A sad and immature creature he is.
Comment by Carl Oesterle — 11/2/2006 @ 10:23 am
I am an OEF V vet - I am disappointed that the Senator tried to simply deny that he had said anything wrong and would never apologize, etc. Only to turn around later and give the standard “I am sorry if I offended by your misinterpretation of my words†type “apologyâ€. Almost more galling was his self proclaimed respect and love for the men and women in uniform. From 1971 and 1972, to 1985 to 2005 and today, his remarks and characterizations of the Armed Forces belies that claim. If he really respected us he would be silent. Instead he waves his prior service, shouts “chickenhawk†(how did that work with Senator McCain by the way?). .. Our reaction to his remarks should serve as a very obvious clue of what many of think of him. Trying to drag us into his spite for the man that defeated him in the 2004 election is not an honorable thing to do.
Comment by Major John — 11/2/2006 @ 10:23 am
Even if as he say’s it was a botched joke does that really make it OK? I think not, my father did two tours in Vietnam, when Kerry testified in 1971 it enraged him to be called a war criminal by that pompuos ass. I now know how he felt. The same asshat is now slandering a second generation of those who serve. The Staff Sargeant is spot on he shopuld resign and anyone who voted for him should be ashamed.
Comment by CTTC Brasser — 11/2/2006 @ 10:28 am
Yes. Kerry despises the military. More so than Bill Clinton but less than the contempt that Hillary holds for the armed services. My service in Nam has me worried that the troops will be treated as we were. I did not know there was thta much spit in the world until I returned state side. At the time the media was able to convince the populace that there was no distinction between those who launch this country into the war and those who had to fight in it. Let’s hope this time the public can make the distinction.
Comment by Jerry johnson — 11/2/2006 @ 10:34 am
I’m an active duty officer (20 years). Far left politicians like Kerry hate the military. He can try to hide behind his service in his apology but anyone with a lick of sense knows he is a liar. Kerry’s entire life is a sham. He didn’t join the military for “duty, honor, country”. It was an means to an end, his political career. Four months in Vietnam, fake awards to get an early exit because of a Navy loophole, then returning and slandering your friends that are still fighting. He is truly one of the worst Americans I have had the displeasure to know.
Comment by Major Scarlet — 11/2/2006 @ 10:39 am
I’d be much more inclined to believe Kerry’s remarks actually were a botched joke about Bush, if not for the audience he was speaking to and his long, well documented history of denigrating US soldiers for advancing his own political agenda. As it is, his pathetic attempts at explaining it away are just that; I think he said precisely what he meant to say and has had to come up with a quick explanation for it when it blew up on him. By my count, he’s offered four different versions of “what he meant to say” in as many days. Kerry made a big point of contrasting his pedantic and precise style of public speaking against Bush’s tendency to say things he probably shouldn’t in the 2004 election. What I don’t get is why people have lost sight of that. It wasn’t a botched joke. Those were his planned remarks, and he was suprised when people were offended by it. I mean, hey, they bought the line of BS in the Winter Soldier hearings and about his magic hat, why not this?
Comment by wg — 11/2/2006 @ 11:17 am
Have you ever wondered what kind of idiots there must be in Massachusetts to have two Senators like “The Chappiquidick Kid” and “Where’s the Records” Kerry. Isn’t there one patriot at the Pentagon who could come up with those missing records of Kerry so that we could once and for all get rid of him. Everyone is 99% sure there is a Dishonorable Discharge in those hidden records and it would write finished to this man if they could surface. Enough of this phoney.
Comment by Pvt. Nord, class of "64" — 11/2/2006 @ 11:28 am
The real damage here lies in the advancement of the left-wing canard that says the US soldier is either an idiot, victim, or barbarian. Kerry’s audience laughed due in large part because they believe what he said. In their minds, him saying it validates what they hold to be true. It’s simply a myth that US soldiers enlist en masse because they have no other options in life. It’s a lie that’s been holding steady since Vietnam. The left wing mind cannot comprehend a desire to serve ones’ country, so comments like this make them feel better about not serving themselves.
Comment by Ivan — 11/2/2006 @ 11:38 am
I’d like to give those currently serving a bit of advice. Be careful what you say. There are rules about what servicemembers can say about government officials, not just the members of the chain-of-command. ED NOTE: Good point. See my update.
Comment by SFC B — 11/2/2006 @ 11:41 am
When I worked in Washington, DC I had a few opportunities to see Kerry and even talk to him. These settings were the ubicquous fund raising cocktail parties. He was always standoffish and looking beyond you as you talked. He was only there to satisfy a commitment to a fellow Senator or some group that had dropped a few grand in the kitty. He has no interpersonal skills whatsoever. He is arrogant, narcisstic and above anyone else in status. He is a legend in his own mind. How can such a person be supportive of a group of people who every day have to drop their individuality for the benefit of the team. Unit cohesion is not a merit of John Kerry.
Comment by Jack Lillywhite, ex-USAF — 11/2/2006 @ 11:53 am
I posted the thoughts here on this matter from someone serving over there now. http://www.securitywatchtower.com/archives/004223dispatch_from_the_front.html
Comment by Jeff — 11/2/2006 @ 11:53 am
Don’t get mad, get even! Donate to Soldiers Angels Valour-IT. The milblogs currently have a drive on to raise $180,000 for voice activated laptops for our wounded. Go up to Soldiers Angels and make a donation to one of the military teams, so long as the team is NAVY! Or, make a donation to Operation Gratitude, opgratitude.com. Thier holiday drive is on and their goal is to send 50,000 packages to the “stuypid/lazy” people serving overseas. As athe military outreach director of opgrat I can tell you that we have had a spike in donations due to Mr. “Cary’s” remarks. Do something positive, you will feel better! Babs, A Proud Navy Mom GO NAVY!
Comment by Babs — 11/2/2006 @ 11:55 am
Even if you give him the benefit of the doubt (that he was bashing Bush), it’s an insult to all who re-upped during this war. Obviously (by his reckoning) they are as stupid to continue to participate in such a wrong effort.
Comment by Jon Davis — 11/2/2006 @ 11:58 am
Kerry a blue falcon? That does the falcon a dishonor; “jackdaw in peacock’s feathers” is more apt. Check Wikipedia trivia for the “jackdaw”; there really is a connection.
Comment by Frank — 11/2/2006 @ 12:02 pm
The Atlanta Journal Constitution sends a reporter down to Ft. Benning and can’t find a single soldier who is at all upset with Sen. Kerry’s remarks. How’s that fit with the experiences of current / former Benning troops reading this blog? http://www.ajc.com/search/content/natkerryside1102a.html
Comment by F451 — 11/2/2006 @ 12:38 pm
I’m an Army wife whose husband just *intentionally* traded duty stations with another soldier because he wants deploy again. He has a BS, is working on his MBA, and taught himself enough Arabic in the months before his first deployment that he was used as a stand-in translator whenever they needed him. He’s no dummy. My thoughts are that Kerry’s joke was offensive no matter how you slice it. Every other military wife in my circle thinks that Kerry was out of line, including my friend who lost her husband in Fallujah. It’s highly offensive if he meant it about the troops, AND, as someone who once aspired to be president, it’s offensive to the presidency if he meant it about Pres Bush. What kind of joke is that? Study hard, kids, so one day you will grow up to be…not as dumb as the President of the United States? Don’t parents usually urge kids to study so they don’t have to flip burgers, not so they won’t become President? I just don’t get it at all, but maybe I’m not in touch with my “liberal funny bone”.
Comment by Sarah — 11/2/2006 @ 12:50 pm
Nice comment Scott, I respectfully disagree. The Republicans aren’t perfect but they definately have not ‘destroyed’ the military. Austin Bay, I currently serve in the Army National Guard, since 2002, and am a student, taking classes at the University level. I graduate this next Spring, ‘07. I served in Louisiana in the Fall of 2005 but have not served in the Middle-East. My wife is currently serving as a U.S. Army Active Duty Soldier, in Iraq. Honor and Responsibility are words that I just wouldn’t use in relation to Kerry, at least not usually in a positive and constructive manner. I have had military acquaintances unfairly ‘get-out’ of the Army using the ‘Don’t Ask - Don’t Tell’ policy and have watched dozens of others flounder and fail as soldiers, not wanting, not able, to do their duty. By mentioning the ‘Don’t Ask - Don’t Tell’ policy, I am not talking about the Gay Rights, or lack of them, in the Army, I am talking about joining the U.S. Military and living up to the promises you have made. Honor, Duty and Responsibility are words most people do not even take seriously anymore, in or out of the Military. It reminds me of the traps of Secularism in general, the losing of your faith in something greater, something that is actually worth while, worth fighting for! Speaking of Honor, Duty and Responsibilty, can you image a soldier today, reluctantly taking a commission and mission in Iraq or Afghanistan, only to get out after a few months, under questionable cicumstances, using questionable means and then testifying before Congress about what he knows soldiers were illegally, viley, inhumanely doing? Stating, for the record, that soldiers and officers were performing and condoning these acts in Iraq or Afghanistan, at all levels. How could a soldier or officer even know these things absolutely? Then, to add insult to injury, going to Pakistan and talking with Osama bin Laden, or just to Al-Qaeda, to understand them, to negotiate and to try to settle our national, religious and philosophical differences? For a soldier or officer of the United States Military, actions like these are definately are not honorable or responsible, whether they are treasonous or not is another question. This is exactly what I see Kerry as having done. Kerry volunteered when pressured, he went to Vietnam but I have never been convinced of his sense of duty, honor or responsibility. I will not get into his purple hearts, exit from Vietnam and discharge from the Navy. You know this information already, I am sure. What I will get into is what I see as Kerry’s obvious lack of desire to understand why we fight and what we fight for, rather than how we fight and how we should not fight. I do not see Freedom as some people seem to view it, as being like American fast food or an exportable commodity. Freedom is simply something almost every war has been fought for, something we all rightly deserve! Lately, I have been listening to “The Looming Tower” by Lawrence Wright, on audiobook with my iPOD, while I work and I have been struck with the realization of the seriously deep rooted the fear of freedom is in the Islamic Fundementalists. It is not jealousy, it is fear! Freedom risks everything… and that is exactly the point. Islam, in its’ most Fundemental form, does not seem to be able to co-exist with the ideals of freedom and a secular society. Without a change, the current confrontation was inevitable, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, EUROPE, wherever. Say what you will about Osama bin Laden and his willingness to ‘live and let live’ if America will just get out of the Middle-East but this is more important than Oil and Bases in Saudi-Arabia. Say what you will about Islamic Fundementalists, I may not like a lot of what is happening in Iraq and question the long-range logic of it and how it is being conducted, if you will, but that does not stop me from asking more important questions. Can the Western, Secular or Christian, Civilization live side-by-side with Islamic Fundementalists? This question and part of its’ answer came rudely to America’s conscious attention in the form of the attack on 9/11. Knock Iraq, but don’t knock the important question. I have thought about this and will continue to think about this as I serve my country, my state, my unit and more importantly, myself ~ as a soldier, as a husband of a soldier, as a student and a citizen of this beautiful and free country, America. I am not trying to be cheesy, but you know what I mean, what I am getting at. Freedom requires a deeper sense of honor, of duty and responsibility; without these things, freedom is lost and becomes meaningless. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, Agnostic or a ‘Freethinker’, as some athiests call themselves, freedom is the only way to rightly pursue your life. Otherwise, without freedom, your religion is forced, unchallenged, inflexible and ultimately failed. Soldiers have seen the aftermath of Katrina and Rita first hand, we saw the local and federal responses, we were there. We have seen what Political Correctness and over reactions to Abu Ghraib, Gitmo and ‘torture’ have cost our human intelligence collectors, not to forget the grunts on the ground, the Infantry and other Combat Arms. We are students of this war, of these lands and these peoples. Whether we are ’smart’ or not does not change what we have experienced. I will add though, that what we have experienced, our commitment to staying alert, thinking critically, has made us ’smarter’. Back to Kerry ~ Like Murtha and several other outspoken critics of the war, to include the Iraq Vetrans Against the War (IVAW), Kerry has a knack for considering only the worst possible scenarios and remembering only the saddest, most disgraceful moments of our conduct and our war(s). These same critics have a nasty habit of considering the makings of each destructive story, as the makings of each and every story, and then ascribing it to the character and conduct of each and every soldier. We are better than that, Kerry and Murtha and the vets against the war are better than that. We are soldiers and we serve, as best we can, as rightly, honestly, diligently as we can. Doing that is honorable, it is the responsible thing to do. Kerry’s recent words caught me off guard because even though I am a soldier, I am also a student. I have struggled with finishing my degree, which happens to be a ‘liberal’ education, Fine Arts, drawing and painting. My focus is not beer guzzling and chasing skirts with fellow soldiers or fraternity brothers. Staying in school, working hard and keeping myself a critical, edgy thinker has been my aim. Staying ’smart’ and gaining an education has obviously been an important part of my life, or I wouldn’t even bother with the University. Joining the U.S. Military was actually a compliment to, rather than a distraction from, my efforts to become a better, smarter, more involved student. Whether Kerry meant to bash Bush or the soldiers, which I do not think he would consciously do knowing the probable outrage that would ensue, the insult is the same for me. Perhaps it was unconsciously, accidentally, habitually aimed at the soldiers but as a student, the distinction makes little difference. Many of my fellow Guardsmen are students as well as soldiers. My educated decisions have all led me to still serving as I do, as well as I can. My education has led to me living up to my promises and critically thinking about my own duty and responsibility to America, as well as to the Army. As a soldier, I would be doing myself, my fellow soldiers, my country, my President and my fellow soldiers a real diservice if I did not critically and ’smartly’ consider what I do with each moment of every day. I believe Kerry did not consider that a ’smart’ person could, or would, disagree with his position on the war, any war. To those who defend him, please do not continue to suggest that he has earned the right to be given such latitudes, the excuse to say such things, as a former serviceman. Kerry disgraced his fellow soldiers then as he does now, and his thoughtless words, on education, as education relates to being a smart soldier, or President, or policy maker, are irresponsible at their face value. Duty, Honor and Responsibility are principles Kerry never did seem to understand very well and continues to confuse.
Comment by REN — 11/2/2006 @ 1:46 pm
To paraphrase Epictetus, Kerry would not be discomfited by people assuming the worst of his remarks had he lived his life in such a way that people could only assume he meant the best. We assume the worst of Kerry because we know him.
Comment by Tantor — 11/2/2006 @ 2:05 pm
I used my real name once on a blog. I got slammed and learned my lesson. Scott, You might really be in the Army. I know some folks that actually voted for Kerry while serving. However, you discredit yourself by spewing Democratic Underground talking points here. I’m assuming that you don’t want to be taken seriously.
Comment by Major Scarlet — 11/2/2006 @ 2:07 pm
F451, “The Atlanta Journal Constitution sends a reporter down to Ft. Benning and can’t find a single soldier who is at all upset with Sen. Kerry’s remarks.” I read the short article and it said absolutely nothing about not being able to find a ’single soldier’ who is at all ‘upset’ about Kerry’s remarks. Is that your personal assessment? There were only FIVE soldiers even named in the article. How is that representative of Ft Benning soldiers?
Comment by REN — 11/2/2006 @ 2:17 pm
scott, Likewise, I don’t normally reply to other posts, however: I have never seen one shred of evidence that Bush’s dad pulled strings to get him into the TANG. Lots of conjecture, no proof. Also, know this: Bush could’ve been killed his first week of flight training. The F-102 was a notoriously difficult plane to fly. Here’s a website…maybe you could stand to do some reading: http://www.lincolnheritage.org/About_Us/Resources/Weekly_Magazine/New_Articles/F-102__Vietnam___George_W__Bus/f-102__vietnam___george_w__bus.html
Comment by Rankin — 11/2/2006 @ 2:52 pm
Scott, Thanks for the response. I like Zinni and have read his essays many times. He is right about how troop conduct, in theater, in Iraq, directly effects Insurgent support, there’s no doubting it. These are the things we see and learn, doing what we do. I’m not convinced the current Administration doesn’t see it though, I simply think they are caught between a rock and a hard place. On that point, I’m disappointed with what’s going on. A leader needs to do just that, LEAD. The democrats aren’t promising much better ‘leadership’ though and it worries me. Like you, I also voted 3rd party in the 90s; Perot, then Nader. I did it knowing that my State electoral votes would go still Republican, but that’s politics in a Democratic Republic. At least my votes could still count for encouraging 3rd party ideas and involvement, lol, for what good it did. Yeah, we will probably disagree on some political philosophy, but it wouldn’t change my support for you or wounded soldiers in beds stateside or keep me from calling foul on stupid and wasteful policy. If my wife was to get seriously hurt, and the VA funding seriously damaged her chances at a reasonable recovery, I’d be more than a little mad. As you noted though, it didn’t and doesn’t have to change my reasons for supporting some kind of military action in the Middle-East.
Comment by REN — 11/2/2006 @ 3:02 pm
I don’t know whether or not Senator Kerry feels, in his heart, contempt for the US Military. I don’t know if he really thinks we are less intelligent than the average American (I have my Ph.D., by the way). I don’t know if he intended to make a joke about Bush and in fact simply botched it (I tend to think he did). But I do know a couple things: I know that people judge us all by what we say and how we act… for no one knows what is in our hearts. If I said, for example, “I hate the Chinese…”, then had a coughing fit, and forgot to finish my intended sentence, “I hate the Chinese food I had for lunch today”, I would expect that Chinese people might be offended. I would respond by saying, “I am sorry for what I said. Not only was it rude, but it does not represent my feelings about the Chinese people.” I would explain what I meant to say, how it was a mistake, but that I am responsible for the words that came out of my mouth and I am sorry for the error. Then, perhaps, my friends who are Chinese and my Chinese girlfriend would, on their own, back me up. Perhaps my past behavior would make my apology seem sincere and give support to my “excuse”. Sen Kerry did not do this. He blamed others for his mistakes. He forgot that it is precisely his past behavior that takes away his benefit of the doubt. I also know this: I am sick of politicians and activists using the military in their jokes, campaigns, speeches, protests and tirades. And that is the real problem with men like Sen. Kerry. We in the military are not monolithic in political thought. We are not helpless children sent off to die. We fully understand that the military does not exist to simply sit in barracks and make sure bedsheets are folded correctly and shoes are shiny. By law, and correctly so, we are not allowed in an official capacity to either campaign for politicians or debate against them. If Senator Kerry wishes to criticize President Bush, he has every right to do so. But leave us out of it. Invoking the military does not absolve one of actually making a cogent arguement — whether one is Republican or Democrat. I know that most military members do not really care whether Sen. Kerry loves us or hates us. But he’s using us. That we don’t like. And, ok… I know one more thing. I’m more intelligent than Senator Kerry and more educated. I have the IQ scores and diplomas to back that up. But what makes me *smarter* than Sen. Kerry is my understanding that leadership ability, perseverence, determination, reliability, heart, patriotism, wisdom, horse-sense, altruism and judgement have little correlation to intelligence. Just because I’m more intelligent, doesn’t make me a better leader. I’ve served under superior officers, men and women, who were simply amazing in their leadership abilities. It was hard to put my finger on it, but they just… “had it” whatever “it” is. No one cared how intelligent they were because it didn’t matter. They were leaders with wisdom. They inspired. They knew their role, and they were good at it! Senator Kerry and the other politicians in Congress are supposed to be leaders and governors of our nation. That’s their role. And by his actions toward the members of the military over the years, Sen. Kerry has not demonstrated a lack of intelligence. He has demonstrated a lack of leadership ability and judgement. And since a Senator is not chosen on the basis of IQ scores, but on the ability to lead and govern, he has failed. He doesn’t have “it”. “Maj Thumper”
Comment by Maj Thumper — 11/2/2006 @ 3:38 pm
Scott, I’m also an OIF vet and have several folks I know still there. In fact, I’ll probably go back over there after I finish this current TRADOC assignment. I must say that I wholeheartedly disagree with your post. First, the same folks who were giving Bill Clinton a pass for his Vietnam-era behavior are now the first people who are giving the President grief. It is not, nor has it ever been, a requirement to serve in order to be elected. I am glad Kerry went to Vietnam, but that does not make his judgement infallible. Additionally, it is very dangerous in a republic to insist that all elected officials serve in the military. We are led by civilians, and that’s just the way it should be. I don’t like some of the stuff that the Republicans have done, but do you think it would be better under the democrats? VA might go up, but defense budgets would go down. I still remember some of the NCOs I knew when I first came in talking about the late 1970s(under a democrat congress and democrat president) when they couldn’t use live ammo at ranges b/c there was no money for it. Senator Kerry voted against every increase in defense spending in the 1980s, and a lot of that was necessary infrastructure like houses, schools, and health care. Why do most of us vote Republican? Because even though they might sometimes do things we don’t agree with, we know they mostly respect us. Senator Kerry’s “botched joke,” along with statements by people like Eason Jordan and Seymour Hersh, shows that they do indeed hold us in contempt, and it is very hard to vote for someone you know hates you.
Comment by Russ — 11/2/2006 @ 4:06 pm
Scott, I can’t find a reference to the VA Budget being cut by half. The biggest proposed cut I can find is $910 million, in a roughly $28 billion annual program. I don’t pretend to understand the reason for the proposed cut, but did the VA’s operating budget actually decrease? Thanks for your service.
Comment by Darren — 11/2/2006 @ 5:17 pm
Too many people believe interest group propaganda that the Bush Administration is cutting veterans spending. In 2001, Clinton left a VA budget of just under $46 billion. For 2007, Congress is approving the Bush VA budget for $77.6 billion. That is an increase of about 64 percent in six years, in a period when inflation when running about 2.5 percent a year. The increase included a 69.1 percent boost in veterans health spending. In my mind, we can never do enough for our veterans. But to say the Republicans have “cut” is a big whopper. See http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/fy2007/veterans.html
Comment by Buck Smith — 11/2/2006 @ 9:11 pm
I picked up an ex-navy guy in my cab in Vancouver Canada one day and he said that joining the navy saved his life. He was from Cincinatti, he told me, and all his friends either ended up dead, on drugs or in jail. Perhaps Mr. Kerry should look at the death rates for black men under thirty in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and the inner cities of the USA: he who pretends to care for the downtrodden to fool their votes out of them. His contempt for the military is nothing compared to his contempt for the undereducated and undermarried: Sorry John, not everyone can marry two heiresses and look down his nose at every body beneath you whose souls rise on wings so high above you that they don’t even have time to think of doing to you from their heights what you do to them from yours.
Comment by Abu Nudnik — 11/2/2006 @ 10:01 pm
Hello, and thanks to all who have served or are serving. While I support the President I don’t agree with everything he or Congress does. If the VA budget was truly cut in half I would like to know as this voter would register his disapproval of it. But if not, I sure don’t want to be mouthing Democrat talking points without substance. But as one commenter has mentioned, Kerry has been on the side of cutting military funding all over the place so he still would not get a pass on it. I wonder if the funding was just not increased as much as proposed? Anyway, hats off to all service people!
Comment by Thom — 11/2/2006 @ 10:46 pm
Military blogger, “BLACKFIVE,” asked his readers if they accepted Kerry’s apology. Most of the answers came from military and their families. They did NOT accept the apology. Link:http://www.blackfive.net/main/2006/11/john_forbes_ker_3.html
Comment by Christine — 11/3/2006 @ 1:06 am
This is the type of thing that sounds terrible, but here goes: I scored 154 on the last I.Q. test I’ll ever take, have a degree in math and taught statistics at the graduate level. Senator Kerry, you are welcome to bring a deck of cards over and show me a card game you think you are good at. Bring your checkbook. In another life I was an Infantry Paratrooper.
Comment by Curt — 11/3/2006 @ 5:39 am
John Kerry has a lot of f***ing nerve to say f***ANYTHING after his daddy pulled the strings to get him into the ANG, keeping him out of ‘Nam, and then deserting anyway– Ohwaitiaminnit - that wasn’t Kerry. That was “President” Tipsy McStagger! Kerry served in ‘Nam and won several decorations for his actions. No wonder you ***ing traitors like sucking Bush ****… ED NOTE: Follow comment rules on thuis site. (Do a site search and find them.) There is a place for junior high school pottymouth on the web– go to the DailyKos. But not here. Disagree, disagree with vigor and passion, but keep it civil and f-bomb free. Next time I won’t edit your comment, I’ll just delete it.
Comment by dave — 11/5/2006 @ 2:00 am
In another life I was an Infantry Paratrooper. Dear Penthouse…
Comment by dave — 11/5/2006 @ 2:00 am
John Kerry’s comment he made last week about these soldiers was nothing but an ignorant satire agianst these soldiers that are fighting this war. You know, a lot of these soldiers fighting over there in Iraq are dying every day. Didn’t he listen to the news about the violence that took place in Iraq? It was the worst kind of violence in Iraq ever since we started fighting there. The death of U.S. soldiers reached past the 100 mark and for him to make that comment was totally deplorable and disgusting. I’m not in the military, but I’m saying that he’s wrong for making that comment and he should have apologized to the U.S. soldiers for making that comment that Monday morning at that college. In fact, instead of waiting until Wednesday to owe the soldiers and the families an apology and defending what he said, he should have given an apology to the soldiers on Tuesday for his outrageous behavior. Look, I’m also a democrat, but I don’t agree with everything a democrat does if I don’t have to.
Comment by James Daniel Reid — 11/7/2006 @ 2:05 pm