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SwiftVets Ad #4: Kerry Trashes Medals -- An Insult to Vets, Say Shipmates
HumanEvents ^

Posted on 08/30/2004 11:52:42 PM PDT by FairOpinion

You can preview their 4th ad here.


TOPICS: Front Page News
KEYWORDS: ad; ads; kerry; sbv; sbvt; swiftboat
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I can't see the video, I must be having a problem with my plugins, but it's at the above link.
1 posted on 08/30/2004 11:52:42 PM PDT by FairOpinion
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To: FairOpinion
Once again, the Swifties' ad kicks ass.

And Bush/McCain want to outlaw them and their opinions.

Why support Big Government Politicians who think the First Amendment just gets in the way?

2 posted on 08/30/2004 11:56:36 PM PDT by Hank Rearden (Never allow anyone who could only get a government job attempt to tell you how to run your life.)
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To: Hank Rearden

Anyone got a transcript?


3 posted on 08/30/2004 11:57:11 PM PDT by GeronL ("This is going to be a recordbreaking year for election fraud by the Democrats.")
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To: FairOpinion

Got this tonight in my box from a good friend that is in the Pentagon.

It was written by a Congressional Medal of Honor winner:


AMERICAN NOBILITY






By Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, Retired

America has no kings or queens but we do have nobility . Our nobility
is called Veterans. That nobility is responsible for the bounty that is
America but tragically their influence has faded in recent years and the
values they died for are under attack. But this election year they are
back in demand and some have said the veteran vote could decide this
election. It may have put Bush in the White House. With this in mind,
John Kerry is seldom seen with out his band of brothers and constantly
plays the” hero” card as a cornerstone of his bid for president, indeed,
as the definition of who he is. Kerry defines patriotism as “keeping
faith with those who wear the uniform of this country. He also brags
that he “defended this country as a young man”. If Missouri is the show
me state, Veterans are the show me voters ? we are not much for words,
deeds are our stock in trade. Lets look at Kerry’s deeds.

Before Kerry played his “hero” card, he played the atrocity card. When
Kerry came back from Vietnam he joined with Jane Fonda and in 1971
denounced “those who wear the uniform” as terrorists-like rapists and
assassins who “cut off heads, taped wires to human genitals and turned
up the power, cut off limbs, shot at civilians, razed villages, shot
cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks” and said he “committed
the same kinds of atrocities as thousands of others”. He made these
charges under oath. Kerry says today that he would have framed some of
what he said in 1971 differently. But he does not say he lied, which he
did, nor does he apologize. How can one properly frame the denunciations
of ones comrades in arms as modern day Genghis Khans?

The very day that Kerry was calling Vietnam veterans’ war criminals the
family of one of those “war criminals”, Michael Blanchfield, was
posthumously receiving the Medal of Honor for Michael who had thrown
himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades. How different
from Kerry was the way this man kept faith with those who wore the
uniform with him. How different from Kerry was the manner Michael
defended his country.

He could have attacked the war without attacking the warrior. He could
have questioned policy without supporting the communists’ claim that our
soldiers were war criminals. He could have kept faith with those who
wore the uniform with him. But he did not and he should be held
accountable.

By every measure, the Vietnam veteran has been an exceptional citizen;
but there is one disturbing statistic -- their suicide rate. In the
first 5 years after discharge the rate was 1.7 times higher than
non-veterans. After 5 years it was less. This may have been due to the
treatment the Vietnam veteran received from the media and the anti war
movement led by Kerry -- in the early years after the war. Living with
the scars of war is difficult, for some unbearable, but all veterans
suffer. The Vietnam veteran suffered physically as much, perhaps more
than any veteran of the past century, but no veteran has suffered the
mental agony of that veteran.

What Kerry/Fonda and the media elite did to the Vietnam veteran and his
family is deplorable. They opened a gash in his psyche and then rubbed
salt in it. Not just the living but also those who died and their
families who questioned if a loved one is a war criminal. And the POWs
some who believed the Kerry/Fonda cartel extended the war, increased
their torture and filled more body bags. Whether Kerry and Fonda have
blood on their hands is debatable but there is no doubt they have salt
on them.

Kerry’s “hero” card is based on medals he received in Vietnam and is
much celebrated, and unchallenged, by the mainstream media. I know many
Medal of Honor recipients who have received less publicity for their
medal than Kerry has for his. But medals don’t make a hero. It is how
one uses medals that make a hero. Every honest soldier knows that medals
are a function of circumstance, even happenstance, but most of all the
support of ones fellow warriors.

I was awarded the Medal of Honor; but my fellow soldiers who supported
me in the actions and took the time to write it up earned it. I wear it
for them, they own my medals. And every Medal of Honor recipient and
hero I know believes as I do. Medals should be a sign of patriotism, a
symbol of sacrifice, support and defense of a great nation. The highest
form of patriotism is service to our youth; heroes also wear their medal
for them to signal the importance of courage. Heroes do not use their
medals for personal political gain. As I said they are not theirs to
use.

Senator Kerry threw his medals away (or ribbons, they are symbolically
the same), a political act very difficult for any veteran to understand.
He must have been proud of them for he wore them even on his fatigues,
in violation of all regulations. But they were not his. They belonged to
those who he served. By that act he symbolically denounced his fellow
veterans -- again. Does one keep faith with those who wear the uniform
by throwing away their medals?

But perhaps most telling of his leadership qualities is his use of his
Purple hearts to abandon his band of brothers, his command, on a
technicality. Kerry may be the only person in history who took advantage
of a Navy regulation that allowed him to leave his command after 4
months for 3 purple hearts none of which ever caused him to miss a day
of duty. In my experience men fought to stay with their band of
brothers, especially commanders. All the commanders I know would get out
of a hospital bed to be with their men. Some one had to take his place;
someone probably less experienced who would have to learn the ropes.
That put his command more at risk than if he stayed. It is not hard to
understand why those who stayed in combat for the full year are upset
with Kerry.

And veterans today would be upset with Kerry’s support of Flag Burning
his non-support of weapons systems and his 12 votes against military pay
raises. But his use of veterans and misuse of his medals should bring
into serious question his loyalty, integrity and character all of which
equal leadership. He is not fit for command.


4 posted on 08/30/2004 11:58:48 PM PDT by EternalVigilance (A REPUBLIC, IF YOU CAN KEEP IT...)
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To: Hank Rearden

We should let professional politicians decide which political speech we may hear before elections.

After all, they are experts. Who needs that pesky First Amendment?


5 posted on 08/31/2004 12:00:02 AM PDT by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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To: Hank Rearden

OK, I fixed my plug-in problem and watched it.

The Swifties are great.

Time for me to send them more money.


They will almost single handedly bring Kerry down.


6 posted on 08/31/2004 12:00:44 AM PDT by FairOpinion (FIGHT TERRORISM! VOTE BUSH/CHENEY 2004.)
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To: FairOpinion

It's great! Plus the bonus of seeing Kerry looking like a Beatle wannabee ...


7 posted on 08/31/2004 12:01:22 AM PDT by JennysCool (Funny how militant environmentalists always ruin the lawn)
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To: FairOpinion

I can't see the visual, so it's hard to judge the ad.


8 posted on 08/31/2004 12:02:05 AM PDT by tame (Are you willing to do for the truth what leftists are willing to do for a lie?)
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To: FairOpinion

How is this effective? The one with his testimony is VERY damaging. How does this hurt Kerry?


9 posted on 08/31/2004 12:03:51 AM PDT by BonnieJ
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To: GeronL

No transcript yet.

When it will also be posted on the SwiftVets page, there will also be a transcript.

But they show you the important symbols, like the US flag, military, then show the protesters throwing their medals away, interview w Kerry saying that he renounced the country's symbols, by throwing his medals away.

Then they say, how can you trust a man who didn't respect our symbols.

I didn't give a good summary -- it sounds very impressive, as all their ads.


10 posted on 08/31/2004 12:04:01 AM PDT by FairOpinion (FIGHT TERRORISM! VOTE BUSH/CHENEY 2004.)
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To: FairOpinion

Great ad! They need to run these EVERYWHERE, not just a few states.

I especially like the fact that there are NO SwiftVets in this ad- just Kerry himself.

Ooops! I hope that wasn't an "illegal co-ordination" with a "soft money group".


11 posted on 08/31/2004 12:04:10 AM PDT by VisualizeSmallerGovernment (Question Liberal Authority)
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To: FairOpinion

I wish I had given all my election year donations to the Swifties.

They are awesome and have earned the right to be heard.

God bless them.


12 posted on 08/31/2004 12:05:11 AM PDT by wardaddy
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To: FairOpinion

They should wait until next week to release more ads.


13 posted on 08/31/2004 12:05:29 AM PDT by RWR8189 (Its Morning in America Again!)
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To: VisualizeSmallerGovernment

Yup...He's talking for himself with a goofy haircut. It's magic time! :)


14 posted on 08/31/2004 12:06:32 AM PDT by JennysCool (Funny how militant environmentalists always ruin the lawn)
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The way the Swiftees are releasing these ads and what they are doing is being done with surgical precision. You have to really admire this campaign of theirs. They are kicking kerry's rice-embedded @ss.
15 posted on 08/31/2004 12:06:33 AM PDT by kingattax
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To: JennysCool

I love that people also get to hear his smarmy patrician accent that he conveniently dropped this year...

This ad is quite damaging. I'd say Kerry is Toast.


16 posted on 08/31/2004 12:06:38 AM PDT by rocky88 ("It's goin to be the summer of George! (W. Bush, that is!)")
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To: tame

I couldn't see it either, but then I downloaded the lastest Windows media player, then it played right on the webpage.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/technologies.aspx


17 posted on 08/31/2004 12:06:40 AM PDT by FairOpinion (FIGHT TERRORISM! VOTE BUSH/CHENEY 2004.)
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To: kingattax

"The way the Swiftees are releasing these ads and what they are doing is being done with surgical precision. You have to really admire this campaign of theirs. They are kicking kerry's rice-embedded @ss."

Yes, I was reading somewhere about John O'Neill today and how friends say he's an extremely precise attorney, just absolutely brilliant. Apparently the RATS and the MSM have misunderestimated Mr. O'Neill too.


18 posted on 08/31/2004 12:08:44 AM PDT by rocky88 ("It's goin to be the summer of George! (W. Bush, that is!)")
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To: FairOpinion

WOW!

They'll get another donation from me (husband).

19 posted on 08/31/2004 12:09:34 AM PDT by onyx (JohnKerry deserves to be the last casualty of the Vietnam War.)
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To: kingattax

Yes indeed, surgical precision. God Bless the Swift Vets!


20 posted on 08/31/2004 12:09:54 AM PDT by Travis McGee (----- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com -----)
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