Kerry Has A Hat

ha ha ha ha ha

What an idiot. Apparently Kerry is trying to take on the whole Swift Boat thing again and lying about his motivations.

"They gave me a hat," Mr. Kerry says. "I have the hat to this day," he declares, rising to pull it from his briefcase. "I have the hat."

ROFLMAO! The image at right is Kerry's proof that he was bleeding from his arm at one point. Not only does it look photoshopped when blown up, guys are holding him by that arm. So, just how serious was this war wound, if it existed at all? Kerry still doesn't have enough sense to know when to shut up.

While it would be easy to see this as part of Mr. Kerry's exploration of another presidential run, his friends say the Swift boat charges struck at an experience so central to his identity that he would want to correct the record even if he were retiring from public life.

Oh, puhlease! If you want people to believe you, don't base your entire rationale for bringing this up on BS.

Update: Contrast the above with with this fitting Memorial Day tribute.

Comments

[Rick]

I guess he was stymied. The answer to "What did LBJ do during WWII?" He was a fighter pilot.

[Rick]

George did do the national guard thing and may have ended up in a fight but his father did enough in WWII to pay the whole family's debt. So GW gets a pass. I agreee on the others. Yeah, Kerry "served willingly" at what he THOUGHT was going to be a cushy job. He thenn lied about other soldiers/sailors and now turns about to use his "seervice" for his own good.

But the question I have of you and those like you is why is it only republicans should have served? Shit, the dems have gotten us into most wars. What did LBJ do during WWII?

[jamie]

Rick, I frankly don't like Kerry. But that has NOTHING to do with the smear job done to him by Rove & Company. And I don't hold against him any actions he took in anger on his return from serving. MOST vets come back traumatized, so why would he be any different? And at least he served WILLINGLY. Cheney and Bush DODGED the draft and are chickenhawks of the highest order. Perfectly okay in their minds for those of lesser station in life to fight wars they support, but not for them or their families. I personally was sickened by the people who promoted that war, yet didn't feel their sons should stoop to the level of having to fight it.

[Stella]

Exactly, Rick! Vietnam tore a generation of young men to moral and emotional pieces because of the disconnect between their beliefs regarding the war and what they saw as their responsibilities as citizens; it's long past, but I'm sure many still live with the pain. As far as Kerry is concerned - look at the difference between the way he and McCain handle their service. McCain certainly speaks of his, but doesn't feel the need to shout from rooftops; Kerry is "ashamed" of his, yet wants to use it as a stepping stone to the White House? Now he's bringing it up again. At least Clinton had the good sense to just keep his mouth shut.

[Rick]

"while the draft dodgers Bush and Cheney get a free pass." Where's Clinton? Or doesn't he count? Republican my aunt Minny. Why is it you people always pick out some republicans to accuse of being rich boy draft dodgers? Never Dems? Don't bother to answer. The swift boaters weren't out to denegrate Kerry's service. It was his embellishment of it they have a problem with. Truth is; it's kind of like I think tk was saying. Lot's of guys avoided Vietnam in lots of ways and what is, is.....it no longer matters. What I personally have a huge problem with, is not the honest draft dodger like the president. I have a big ass problem with someone claiming to be so morally outraged by his service as to toss his medals away and to denegrate the service of others...THEN BY GOD TURN AROUND AND TRY TO USE THEIR SERVICE TO FURTHER THEIR OWN CAREER. It's dishonest and dishonorable. If the man was sincere, stood on his hind legs and said "I'm ashamed I served and I was then against that war and that is that" I would have had all respect for him.

[jamie]

As a Republican, I was totally appalled by the swift boaters and their attacks on a man who served honorably. Kerry could have easily taken the rich kid's way out, like Bush did. But he chose not to. And in return he gets smeared by these jerks, while the draft dodgers Bush and Cheney get a free pass. It's like Alice in Wonderland - everything that should be white is black and vice versa. We have sunk to a low, low level in politics.

[Phoenix]

Nicely said, Stella. You are right.

[Stella]

I'd like to mention 2 people who focused positive attention on the Vietnam era vets from a unique position - their TV characters. Carroll O'Connor was first, using his rotten, bigoted "Archie Bunker" to do battle with son-in-law Mike. If I'm not mistaken, O'Connor was a liberal who did not support the war; he did, however, support the troops. Later Tom Selleck's "Magnum PI" often looked at the first-hand experiences of a VN war vet and his friends; quite painful at times. Through these shows, and others that followed, some sense of what the people who fought the war experience was quietly slipped into the American conscience. As a person who feels blessed to live in a country with a day designated as "Memorial Day," I would ask that we all remember that it is the memory of people, not wars, that we are honoring.

[Stella]

... I wanted so mush to tell him stop. He didn't. About a month later I saw his girl friend and asked how he was doing. She said he was dead.

I hope when my generation is gone the rest of you can let this go.
Posted by: tk | Monday, May 29, 2006 at 12:27 PM

TK - when I hear a kid say s/he is enlisting, or a friend tells me his/her child is doing so, my stomach knots up and I just want to cry; but that does not mean that I don't support and respect that decision 100%. No one wants to see a kid go off to war - unfortunately, regardless of what some in our modern society would like to believe, war is part of human nature.

I was young and naive, but understood enough to know that I was very much against the Vietnam war - and that I absolutely supported our troops. I, too, hope that Vietnam will cease to be a symbol of what is wrong and immoral about war. I have met many VN vets - few supported it, but they did what they felt was what they had to. It is long past time to let the hatred associated with Vietnam go and to give the Vietnam vets the honor and respect that they truly deserve.

[tk]

It is amazing how the Vietman war is still tearing us apart. As a Veteran who went to university after my discharge and someone who was against the war, two things stood out among all others.

First, other students who had deferments always wanted to pretend their oposition against the war was a moral issue and and they were not using their deferments to avoid Vietnam. Of course they were and I don't blame them. I think this is still what drives them. In the end they took the easy way out. And they don't want to acknowledge that fact.

Second,I was at a small party one night when one guy told us he was leaving in the morning to go into the military. I asked him why and he said we were at war and wanted to do his part. He was leaving school to serve. I sat there that night thinking he has no idea what he was in for. I wanted so mush to tell him stop. He didn't. About a month later I saw his girl friend and asked how he was doing. She said he was dead.

I hope when my generation is gone the rest of you can let this go.

[Stella]

...still find it fascinating that Republican Veterans backed a draft dodger ....to avoid combat in Vietnam, while stabbing a real combat Veteran in the back.
It just goes to show how corrosive modern Republicanism has become…there really are no values for this crowd; no honor.
Posted by: Ghost Dansing | Monday, May 29, 2006 at 08:17 AM

Ghost - if I may be so bold, I'd like to flip your comment (I've actually never seen this brought up!! I'm feeling patriotic today and looked it up - oh yeah!!)
...........
"I still find it fascinating that in (Democratic) Veterans backed a draft dodger (Clinton) who used his (education deferment) to avoid combat in Vietnam, while stabbing a real combat (Thomas Harkin - he served in the United States Navy) Veteran in the back.

It just goes to show how corrosive modern (Democrat)ism has become…there really are no values for this crowd; no honor."

[Rick]

By the way ghost. Where did you serve?

[Rick]

Absolutely right ghost, I guess it was 8 years of the draft dodger/war protestor before the draft dodger who at least joined the air guard and pretended to serve. When we could've had a real hero, who used his influence to get what he believed to be a cushy river patrol job and scrathed his arm during one of the two minor fire fights he got into. Of course his own service meant so little to him that he threw away his "hard earned" medals and spit in the faces of REAL men.

[Ghost Dansing]

I still find it fascinating that Republican Veterans backed a draft dodger who used his name and family influence to avoid combat in Vietnam, while stabbing a real combat Veteran in the back.

It just goes to show how corrosive modern Republicanism has become…there really are no values for this crowd; no honor.

[Rick]

"Just think, she could have been running the country had he won the election."

And if you think the illegals are having a "field day" now! Takes al ot of migrants to pick catsup tomatoes

[lookin4info]

I just can't stand Kerry, never could. He seems like a whimp and his wife wears the pants in the family! Just think, she could have been running the country had he won the election.

[Truzenzuzex]

roch_rogue: "According to his ANG22 (The Air National Guard discharge papers), [Bush] received NO Texas National Guard Medals. This means he did not faithfully execute his duty for five years in the TANG"

Remind me again what this (even supposing your conclusion is accurate) has to do with Kerry's apparent lie before Congress?

Maybe we should be debating amnesty for Kerry's medals instead of for illegal immigrants. Oh, that's right - he threw them away (sort of)!

I think the SBVFT should come out with another book: John Kerry or: How I Learned to Stop Shaking and Love the Hat.

[Phoenix]

Hey, Stella,.... I saw that and yelled 'hoo-yah' myself. Just do it!

Yeah... so Kerry was also protesting the war in someone else's country, too..... only he wasn't yelling 'hoo-hah'. He was, don't you know, sniff, do tell, indeed, sniff, oh my. It was such a central part of his life, he had to re-enact it on film. sheeesh...

[Stella]

I don't know where else to put this, so I'll just kind of park it here. Reuter's report -
NEW YORK - Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI director Robert S. Mueller III said this week that they were prepared to quit if the White House directed them to relinquish evidence seized in a disputed search of a House member’s office, The New York Times reported Saturday

Anyone know how to spell "hoo-yah!!"?? Good to hear someone's got some balls.

[Rick]

Wow, what a scandal! A couple rich boys avoided "real" service in Vietnam while the last president was protesting the whole thing in someone elses country. BFD!!

[roch_rogue]

So, I bet Bush has a TANG hat too, not that he was around enough to earn one. Why didn't he ever receive a simple TANG service ribbon?, supposedly one the easliest ones to earn.

Bush may not have gotten medals given to Texas Air National Guard members for essentially just showing up -- the Texas Faithful Service Medal, awarded for completing "five years of honorable service during which the person has shown fidelity to duty, efficient service, and great loyalty to the state."

According to his ANG22 (The Air National Guard discharge papers), [Bush] received NO Texas National Guard Medals. This means he did not faithfully execute his duty for five years in the TANG.
Furthermore, in the a photograph at his discharge he only wears two Air Force ribbons, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, and the Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon.
No other awards show up on his ANG22 discharge papers.

Getting the Texas Faithful Service Medal is just like getting 5 points on a test just for spelling your name right - any idiot can earn it.