A letter to John Kerry from Vietnam Vet

[Guest $iLk]

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Dear Mr. Kerry;

After spending only

four months

in the country of Vietnam, you testified before Congress in 1971 with these exact words about incidents you say you witnessed: "They personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blew up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Viet Nam."

Spread that on a farmer's field where it will do some good. I spent a year there in 1968-69 in a combat arms unit. I was a Field Artillery Forward Observer in an Infantry company and I saw combat every day until I was wounded. When I returned from the hospital, I was assigned to an artillery battery.

I saw brave men fight and die; I saw brave, good men pass out all their rations to hungry kids, build churches and schools, donate to orphanages, cry silently at the sight of villagers slaughtered by North Vietnamese, but I never saw anything approaching the war crimes that you happened to witness as your boat sped by villages on the river bank. If you witnessed atrocities and did not report them, you are guilty of aiding and abetting. If you lied, you are simply unfit for leadership at any level. The most serious incident I witnessed was a young sergeant who grabbed the arm of a Vietnamese woman during a village search. An older, more experienced noncommissioned officer knocked the sergeant to the ground and told him, somewhat forcefully, that that woman was someone's mother and would be treated with respect. That's it, Kerry, that's my confession - I didn't report the incident.

I have children, and my children have children. They will, perhaps,

stumble upon your words, much as one might stumble upon a pile of dog droppings.

I do not relish the thought of having to explain that your "experiences" are either a bald-faced lie, or you belong to that less-than-1% of Viet Nam veterans who committed war crimes/atrocities. Either way, your words do great harm to the institution of the Senate, my home state of Massachusetts, the Armed Services in which I proudly served for 27 years, and the very country that you aspire to lead.

Is it true that you single-handedly prevented a vote on a Senate version of H.R. 2833, the Viet Nam Human Rights Act of 2001 - a bill that passed the House by a vote of 410-1? There are many who believe that our failure to speak decisively on that issue cost the lives of thousands of Montagnard tribesman in Viet Nam. Where do you stand on H.R. 1587, the Viet Nam Human Rights Act of 2003? Will you support a parallel bill in the Senate? Is it true that you served as Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on MIA/POW Affairs and in that role you fought hard to limit the expenditure of funds to investigate sightings or search for remains? You have, I believe, been a steadfast, staunch and vocal advocate for normalizing relations with Viet Nam. Could it be that your beloved first cousin, Mr. Forbes, CEO of Colliers International,

recently signed a contract with Hanoi worth billions of dollars?

Any truth to the rumor that you didn't really fling your "hard-earned" military medals over the White House fence in a juvenile fit of pique as you say you did, but rather, you threw your roommate's medals instead?

I know dozens of retired military professionals. None of them support you - there is a reason for that. They all served honorably and well, and they all believe that you did not. I know war heroes, and

you, sir, are no war hero.

-- Glenn Lackey

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[Supreme Cmdr]

Wow. Just wow!

ps: Rememember the rules about ganking stuff off the net and not referencing the source? When was the last time you saw the inside of an airlock? Would you like to take a peek?

[Guest $iLk]

Gah! Sorry S.C. I was just referencing the guy's name. But this letter has been around - but was emailed and I copied from http://www.boortz.com/

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When was the last time you saw the inside of an airlock? Would you like to take a peek?

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Amazingly enough after all my tenure here I have yet to find myself being told:

S.C.: "What's that over there?" *pointing and gasping*

Me: *Turns around* and says "huh?"

S.C.: "Ah HA!" *kicks me in the arse out the airlock and shuts the hatch*

[LostInSpace]

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Originally posted by $iLk:

S.C.: "What's that over there?" *pointing and gasping*

Me: *Turns around* and says "huh?"

S.C.: "Ah HA!" *kicks me in the arse out the airlock and shuts the hatch*

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Goes to show that none of us are perfect and that we all make mistakes.

You should have added more punch to your post with this John Kerry with Jane Fonda, September 1970. Why does John Kerry always look like he's smelling butt sauce?

[Grizzle]

I don't like Kerry much, but I find it apalling that anyone would question a veterans service (especially another veteran). Say what you will about John Kerry, but he fought in the war unlike 99.9% of the folks that are out there dismissing his service.

Lets just be honest here, if Kerry was a republican he would be exalted for his service, so any slams against it are pure partisan politics.

As for that picture, at least it's not the "photoshop fake" that was floating around the net for a while, but honestly that doesn't even look like Kerry.

Personally, guilt by association doesn't carry any real significance for me and this whole Kerry/Fonda thing is just a red herring.

[Guest]

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Originally posted by Grizzle

I don't like Kerry much, but I find it apalling that anyone would question a veterans service (especially another veteran). Say what you will about John Kerry, but he fought in the war unlike 99.9% of the folks that are out there dismissing his service.

Lets just be honest here, if Kerry was a republican he would be exalted for his service, so any slams against it are pure partisan politics.

As for that picture, at least it's not the "photoshop fake" that was floating around the net for a while, but honestly that doesn't even look like Kerry.

Personally, guilt by association doesn't carry any real significance for me and this whole Kerry/Fonda thing is just a red herring.

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That is John Kerry, and that is Commie traitor Jane.

John Kerry tossed, or supposedly tossed his medals into the capital pool, the man disowned his own service in the military, and then had the gaul, once he had gained his seat in the senate to get new ones and put them up all over his office.

Any veteran that would have anything to do with Jane Fonda is under suspicion, Jane Fonda was a communist sympathizer and got many of our good men and women killed in Vietnam because of her traitorous actions.

John Kerry is a scumbag and a liar, and if he actually wins the Democrat nomination, it should, HOPEFULLY, finally destroy the Democratic party as a political force in this country.

If the Democrat party is destroyed, then all bets are off as far as my thinking the end of this country is at hand.

Once these traitorous, socialist goons are removed from office, we perhaps can work on getting our freedoms back and putting the constitution in it's proper place....

[Grizzle]

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Originally posted by Jaguar:

Any veteran that would have anything to do with Jane Fonda is under suspicion, Jane Fonda was a communist sympathizer and got many of our good men and women killed in Vietnam because of her traitorous actions.

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Is this fact or conjecture? Can you provide the statistics for how many men died as a direct result of Jane Fonda's admitted mistake?

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John Kerry is a scumbag and a liar, and if he actually wins the Democrat nomination, it should, HOPEFULLY, finally destroy the Democratic party as a political force in this country.

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And we'd be left with a one party system, yeah that's an improvement.

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Once these traitorous, socialist goons are removed from office, we perhaps can work on getting our freedoms back and putting the constitution in it's proper place....

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I'm surprised with all your knowledge of history that you aren't more independant. I assume from this statement that you consider Republicans infallible. Nixon/Reagan/Bush Sr. were all involved in scandals too right? Or is it just a matter of degrees as in the Democratic scandals were "worse" than the Republican ones?

Republican = Patriot

Democrat = Traitor

Is this how it breaks down in your belief system?

They're politicians Jag, beholden to themselves, their contributors and their party.

Let's just hope that the Democratic party survives because given the record of the last four years, I'm not so sure this country could survive four more years of wildly expanding government, record deficits and gradually eroded civil rights.

[Guest $iLk]

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I don't like Kerry much, but I find it apalling that anyone would question a veterans service (especially another veteran). Say what you will about John Kerry, but he fought in the war unlike 99.9% of the folks that are out there dismissing his service.

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John Kerry makes a special effort every speech to point out his service in Vietnam - thus it is fair game politically to point out exactly what that service was.

Why does he even need to point to Vietnam in every speech? He spent 4 months in Vietnam and 19 years in the Senate - yet the only thing good he can find in his career is his service in Vietnam.

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And we'd be left with a one party system, yeah that's an improvement.

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The Democratic party either needs to come up with a cohesive good platform or else open the way for a BETTER 2nd choice.

[Guest]

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Originally posted by Grizzle:

I'm surprised with all your knowledge of history that you aren't more independant. I assume from this statement that you consider Republicans infallible. Nixon/Reagan/Bush Sr. were all involved in scandals too right? Or is it just a matter of degrees as in the Democratic scandals were "worse" than the Republican ones?

Republican = Patriot

Democrat = Traitor

Is this how it breaks down in your belief system?

They're politicians Jag, beholden to themselves, their contributors and their party.

Let's just hope that the Democratic party survives because given the record of the last four years, I'm not so sure this country could survive four more years of wildly expanding government, record deficits and gradually eroded civil rights.

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You don't read a lot of my posts do you?

[Darkling]

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Originally posted by Grizzle:

I don't like Kerry much, but I find it apalling that anyone would question a veterans service (especially another veteran). ... if Kerry was a republican he would be exalted for his service, so any slams against it are pure partisan politics.

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All of his political life, Kerry has made his Vietnam service a political issue. First by disavowing his service, as a young polotician, then later by trumping up his service when it served him politically. Why do you think he constantly, ad nausium, brings up his "Vietnam Vet" status? Because he feels that it will earn him political brownie points. If any Republican were to disavow his service, then later incessantly mention it, he would be treated the same way.

[LostInSpace]

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Originally posted by Grizzle:

Personally, guilt by association doesn't carry any real significance for me and this whole Kerry/Fonda thing is just a red herring.

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Guilt? What guilt? It's is every americans right to protest and voice opposition. Nothing wrong with that. In fact he should be proud of his post Vietnam actions and use them in his campaign with statements like "I saved many American lives by participating in the anti-war movement" etc... Be proud! Be proud of that book that he wrote! A book you say? Yes indeed a book! On the cover of this book is a "parody of the Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima. The flag is upside down". Vietnam Veterans Against Kerry.

Which, if you do a search has people questioning why this book has dissapeared from circulation when Kerry went to congress. You may also find this an interesting read Is John Kerry the New Democrat Golden Boy?. Pay special attentio to "Is Senator Kerry in full support of our intelligence gathering capabilities? His voting record indicates he is not.

In 1994/95, Kerry proposed a bill to gut $1.5 billion from intelligence and freeze spending for two major intelligence programs--the National Foreign Intelligence Program and Tactical Intelligence Program. (S. 1826) That bill did not make it to a vote, but the language was retooled, the amount dropped to $1 billion, and it was finally defeated as S. Amendment 1452 to H.R. 3759. (S. 1826, Introduced 2/3/94)

He voted to cut 80 million from the FBI budget. (HR-2076)

In 1997, Kerry felt there that were no threats to the United States. This prompted him to place this statement in the Congressional Record: ''Now that the [Cold War] struggle is over, why is it that our vast intelligence apparatus continues to grow even as Government resources for new and essential priorities fall far short of what is necessary?'' (Congressional Record, 5/1/97, p. S3891)

Twelve days after 9/11, Senator Kerry had the nerve to make this statement: ''And the tragedy is, at the moment, that the single most important weapon for the United States of America is intelligence. ...we are weakest, frankly, in that particular area. So it's going to take us time to be able to build up here to do this properly.'' (CBS's ''Face the Nation,'' 9/23/01)

After spending years trying to lay waste to our intelligence capabilities, succeeding at times, and failing at times, he now preaches about how our intelligence community was negligent." From Clinton to Kerry we were doomed from the start of a terrorist attack!

[ 03-04-2004, 01:59 PM: Message edited by: LostInSpace ]

[Grizzle]

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Originally posted by Jaguar:

You don't read a lot of my posts do you?

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Was the fish slap necessary?

I've read a few, quite the dichotomous personality you have there. But I generally find you well reasoned if a bit tragic.

[Supreme Cmdr]

Oh no, another bloodbath. Man, you guys need to go out in the sunshine

[Guest]

Keryy for president, I want to see him run against Bush.

I want to see his congressional voting record splashed about all over the net and news, I want to see his Vietnam record splashed all over as well.

I want to see his lies, and treasonous behavior shown EVERYWHERE.

I want the Democratic party shown for what it is, A special interest, socialist, criminal organization, where anything goes, if you commit treason, hey, you can be our candidate, you lie under oath, hey, come be our candidate, you soil the oval office, hey, come be our candidate.

The level just keeps lowering, pretty soon the Democrat party will implode and disapear, and then we can have a real party come in and replace it.

The Democratic party is the Robin Hood party, except they steal from everyone and give the money back to their special interests and "poor" people.

See the difference between democrats and republicans, it's funny, but the problem is that it's true.

John Kerry will be the death knell of the Democratic party, and I am so looking forward to it. The more I think about it, the more positive I feel.

[Grizzle]

Space,

I'm not defending John Kerry, I don't trust the man either, but I'm not willing to fall for the "Kerry was seen with Jane Fonda therefore he's a traitor" schpeel. If he's a traitor then let it be so of his own actions (which there seems to be plenty of evidence for, depending on your political affiliation.)

I do agree that if he insists on bringing it up then it's fair game, but it's totally irrelevant as to whether he'd be a good president or not, just as Bush's service in the ANG is irrelevant to the Presidency.

[Guest $iLk]

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I do agree that if he insists on bringing it up then it's fair game, but it's totally irrelevant as to whether he'd be a good president or not, just as Bush's service in the ANG is irrelevant to the Presidency.

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Correct - it's only relevance is the fact that everytime a Republican points out his voting record he begins screaming about his patriotism being questioned and points his finger at his 4 months of Vietnam service as opposed to his 19 years of voting record in the Senate.

[LostInSpace]

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Originally posted by Supreme Cmdr:

Oh no, another bloodbath. Man, you guys need to go out in the sunshine

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Hey, that's no way to talk to us troglodytes! If we did that, we'd explode from the sudden energy burst on our body from the sun.

[Darkling]

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Originally posted by Jaguar:

I want to see his congressional voting record splashed about all over the net and news,

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This will be hilarious, once everyone sees how he voted for NAFTA, then slammed it, voted for the War, then Slammed it ... I could go on and on with older issues where he's done the same thing. This guy doesn't care about anything or anyone but himself, he votes for something if he feels that it will give him political "Brownie Points" and then goes the other way if he feels it will help him, or if he feels it's what the constituents like to hear.

People may not like some of what Bush has to say, especially when it comes to the Homosexual Marriage issue, but at least you know that he's talking from the heart, and not the latest "Focus Group Numbers".

[Guest $iLk]

If we had a president who allowed himself to be influenced by popular opinion we would be paralyzed. Agree or disagree with Bush - he has a vision and he's carrying it through regardless of the polls.

You have to respect that - and even though I don't always agree with him, I have a huge amount of respect for him as long as he doesn't go too overboard.

[Guest $iLk]

Thought this was interesting:

Setting Kerry's War Record Straight. (Murdered civilians?)

The question isn't what John Kerry stands for. The question is "What doesn't John Kerry stand for?"

[LostInSpace]

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Originally posted by $iLk:

Thought this was interesting:

Setting Kerry's War Record Straight. (Murdered civilians?)

The question isn't what John Kerry stands for. The question is

"What doesn't John Kerry stand for?"

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You should check out my topic "Skull and Bones" if you want to learn a little more about the two candidates. And before you say it, this not the ramblings of a conspiracy fringe group. CNN: George W. Bush: 'My heritage is part of who I am'

"TIME: But you sure shared a lot of the same upbringing: Andover, Yale, even Skull and Bones. Did you have any qualms, say, about joining an elite secret club like Bones?

Bush: No qualms at all. I was honored. I was fairly nonchalant. I didn't view it as a great heritage thing. I didn't take it all that seriously.

TIME: Demystify it a bit for those who might think it's a cross between a Masonic Lodge and the Trilateral Commission. Did your father show up for your initiation, like your grandfather showed up for his?

Bush: Without revealing all the great secrets? I got a few of my old club mates who could demystify it right off the bat. My dad didn't tap me. Someone a year ahead of me tapped me. There was an entry celebration. I can't remember whether my dad showed up or not. I don't think so."

[Cruis.In]

I don't get it, the letter is saying that vietcong (north vietnamese) committed those crimes isn't it? and if so who was a young soldier to report that too? Go in protest to the capital of vietnam?

it almost sounded like he was saying american troops did that because he says the only attrocities he saw was an american soldier grab a village woman by her arm.

didn't seem as if they were speaking of the same thing.

[Guest $iLk]

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I don't get it, the letter is saying that vietcong (north vietnamese) committed those crimes isn't it?

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Nope - that's what Kerry purports that U.S. troops were doing.