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Swift Boat Swill (extra chunky barf)
village voice ^ | 9/21/04 | nicholas turse

Posted on 09/21/2004 2:26:29 PM PDT by pissant

John Kerry is being pilloried for his shocking Senate testimony 34 years ago that many U.S. soldiers—not just a few "rogues"—were committing atrocities against the Vietnamese. U.S. military records that were classified for decades but are now available in the National Archives back Kerry up and put the lie to his critics. Contrary to what those critics, including the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, have implied, Kerry was speaking on behalf of many soldiers when he testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 22, 1971, and said this:

They told stories that at times they had personally raped, cut off ears, cut off heads, taped wires from portable telephones to human genitals and turned up the power, cut off limbs, blown up bodies, randomly shot at civilians, razed villages in a fashion reminiscent of Genghis Khan, shot cattle and dogs for fun, poisoned food stocks, and generally ravaged the countryside of South Vietnam, in addition to the normal ravage of war and the normal and very particular ravaging which is done by the applied bombing power of this country.

The archives have hundreds of files of official U.S. military investigations of such atrocities committed by American soldiers. I've pored over those records—which were classified for decades—for my Columbia University dissertation and, now, this Voice article


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: kerry; kerryliedgoodmendied; kerrylies
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To: crazyhorse691

Good points. For this writer to come out swinging in Kerry's defense, I have to believe that even JFK is smart enough to run from supporters like this. Somehow, I doubt this will end up being posted on the campaign's website. Just shows you how demented the village (idiot) voice is.


21 posted on 09/21/2004 2:57:49 PM PDT by pissant
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To: pissant
Hundreds of investigations are to be expected in a war of 2 million soldiers. How many convictions and how many were witnessed by Yaaawn and his Band of Traitors??? Apples and Oranges argument as always! Now about that trip to Cambodia on Christmas, did you verify that???

Pray for W and Our Troops

22 posted on 09/21/2004 3:01:44 PM PDT by bray (Nam Vets Rock!!)
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To: snakeoil

Snakeoil,
perhaps you strayed when surfing the web. This is a conservative (usually) forum. Yes, we all hope veterans will get along. But veterans have politcal opinions just like everyone else, and are happy to state them, vociferously. After all, Washington, Jackson, Grant, T. Roosevelt and Eisenhower, and GWB are all fine examples of opinionated, political motivated veterans


23 posted on 09/21/2004 3:04:15 PM PDT by pissant
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To: snakeoil
Good to hear from you! I really don't think it's that. I think it's more the class warfare component. I think those who are in the Kerry camp as veterans are there for reasons which place the rest of Kerry supporters there. That being "What's this government going to do for me, pay me, care for me, hire me, and fix me." Or the crowd which is of a more conservative slant and would prefer to not usher us into a more socialistic state do for me culture at any cost.

I really don't think the ratio's are much different than the mainstream America. Same breakdown and the same overlords feeding off discontent which they carefully cultivate.

Being conservative is not easy and it's not really what makes you popular at school meetings or little league games.

24 posted on 09/21/2004 3:09:26 PM PDT by blackdog (Proudly wearing Free Republic pajamas, just to piss off Dan Rather.)
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To: pissant

I remember attacking Clinton he was a draft dodger and I supported Buchanan because I thought he was a better Conservative. I have always had opinions on politicians but never attacked and never will attack their service.
Who knows what any man does in the service, most guys are too busy protecting their own butts.
Since when did attacking veterans become a Conservative hobby.


25 posted on 09/21/2004 3:11:52 PM PDT by snakeoil (A+Bert)
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To: snakeoil

And might I add that the veterans who support Kerry earned the right to do so proudly.


26 posted on 09/21/2004 3:12:17 PM PDT by blackdog (Proudly wearing Free Republic pajamas, just to piss off Dan Rather.)
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To: pissant
Contrary to what those critics, including the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, have implied

Well, Mr. Turse, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth didn't "imply". They have flat out stated.

27 posted on 09/21/2004 3:17:07 PM PDT by cyncooper
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To: snakeoil
Is every election going to be turning one group against others in the group based on their party.
Sad day in America.

The sad day in America is that one of the parties nominated a traitor to be its candidate. Kerry isn't being attacked for his party; he's being attacked for his dishonorable service and his treason afterwards.

28 posted on 09/21/2004 3:23:21 PM PDT by Bob
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To: snakeoil

The only veteran I'm attacking is the one trying to unseat our current commander in chief. The bastard deserves all the condemnation flung his way. Not for his service, but for his duplicitous, traitorous actions after he returned. Benedict Arnold was a superb officer prior to being a turncoat.

I did not WRITE the original article in this post that slams our military; the limp-wristed pantywaist at the Village Voice did. I posted it to show where the left continues to hang their hat.


29 posted on 09/21/2004 3:31:04 PM PDT by pissant
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To: pissant

All that education and he still can't write or spell. A real shame.


30 posted on 09/21/2004 3:39:43 PM PDT by Central_Floridian (Let's roll!)
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To: pissant

Remember the dissertation published as a book that supposedly proved that the colonists were anti-gun, and that few of them owned one? (They hunted with slingshots or something. ... Sorry, but I'm blocking on the author/title. I do recall the author claimed that his state-of-the-art notes he kept on 3x5 cards were destroyed by water damage.)

That was yet another "work" by the left that was discredited. There IS -- and HAS BEEN -- a pattern here!


31 posted on 09/21/2004 3:42:54 PM PDT by Fawnn (Canteen wOOhOO Consultant and CookingWithPam.com person - Faith makes things possible, not easy.)
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To: Fawnn

michael bellesiles' "Arming America". Typical liberal Emory University prof. Resigned in disgrace in OCt 2002.


32 posted on 09/21/2004 3:50:39 PM PDT by pissant
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To: pissant
The archives have hundreds of files of official U.S. military investigations of such atrocities committed by American soldiers

Hundreds????? While that is too many, it's all relative. How many troops were actually in Vietnam in it's duration? This hundreds number(notice how they never use an exact number. Why not say 134 or whatever it is?)

More honest would be a percentage, but this guy is so busy with his west village brownstone/Columbia U. lifestyle, I guess he doesn't have time to give us those facts.

Bye the way, did you know this guy went to Columbia and got his dissertation? pompous ass

33 posted on 09/21/2004 3:52:03 PM PDT by Wonderama
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To: pissant

Thank you!

Know if he's now working for the Kerry campaign? ;)


34 posted on 09/21/2004 3:52:23 PM PDT by Fawnn (Canteen wOOhOO Consultant and CookingWithPam.com person - Faith makes things possible, not easy.)
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To: pissant

The lie is that Kerry intimated atrocities were ROUTINE among American troops, not that they ever occurred, which is how the left tries to pose the issue. That scurrilous accusation has never been retracted by Kerry. It was a damned lie then and it is still a damned lie.


35 posted on 09/21/2004 4:34:52 PM PDT by ultima ratio
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To: pissant
If this be true, it would be an easy matter for Kerry to produce the records, refute the charges, and put and end to the matter.

He hasn't done that.

Instead he has villified the Veterans and attempted to silence them.

Interestingly, President Bush has made no attempt to silence Michael Moore, Howard Dean, Kerry, or any number of people who have made outrageous and preposterous accusations against him.

As President of the United States it is his responsibility to protect the rights of U.S. citizens, including the right to free speech. He obviously takes this responsibility very seriously.

What do Kerry's repeated attempts to silence his critics indicate about the kind of president he would make or how he might abuse enormous power if he should acquire it?

36 posted on 09/21/2004 4:57:46 PM PDT by Savage Beast (The internet is the newspaper of record.)
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To: Savage Beast

Kerry is a thin skinned pantywaist metrosexual. Americans want men in high office. We tried a wimp once (Carter) and it was a disaster.


37 posted on 09/21/2004 5:02:31 PM PDT by pissant
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To: snakeoil
"My only comment is that what has happened to American politics where we have veterans fighting each other. What's next cops fighting each other, etc etc
Damn politicians and Political parties."

You already have the firefighters fighting each other. Ever look at Firefighters for Bush? With the union president being the co-chairman of the Kerry campaign, there is a huge (that's hugh in Rio Linda) split in the firefighters union membership.

See:

www.firefightersforbush.com
38 posted on 09/21/2004 5:16:05 PM PDT by SERKIT (Proud member of the Pajama-hadeen!)
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To: ultima ratio

What of atroties committed ny North Vietnamese and Viet Cong.Not only to the people of So.Vietnam and to American soldiers.What the countless lives saved by G.I.'s and Marines.Alot of people like to sh*t about what happened there but never served in county.Many of us cared about the Vietnamese people and 59916 gave there lives to help them.Only to be betrayed by leftist in our government.


39 posted on 09/21/2004 6:04:24 PM PDT by redtarayogi (redtarayogi)
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To: pissant
Hundreds? We had over 500,000 in country at the peak of our involvement and we were there over ten years. The fact that these incidents are documented proves that it was not the policy of the USG to commit such crimes, contrary to what Kerry charges.
40 posted on 09/21/2004 6:08:38 PM PDT by kabar
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