Hugh Hewitt - Kerry's Betrayal of Vets -- and Vietnamese

Weekly Standard via FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | Hugh Hewitt

[kattracks]

IT TOOK A LOT OF DIGGING, but my producer Duane was able to find the audio from John Kerry's 1971 appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. I played the entire 19 minutes for my radio audience on February 17, and the reaction via the phones and email was uniform: Disliking John Kerry for his actions and words of 33 years ago is not a rare thing, especially among Vietnam veterans and active duty military.

Does this reaction matter? In the California primary it might. According to the 2000 Census, there are 1,122,528 Vietnamese Americans, 447,032 of whom live in California. (Texas is home to 12 percent of Vietnamese Americans--134,961, to be exact.) This subgroup of the California electorate might find very interesting John Kerry's answer to a 1971 question from Senator George Aiken on the effects of an immediate U.S. withdrawal from South Vietnam. Here's Kerry:

"But I think, having done what we have done to that country, we have an obligation to offer sanctuary to the perhaps 2,000, 3,000 people who might face, and obviously they would, we understand that, might face political assasination or something else."

John Kerry obviously did not understand the plans of the Communists, as the numbers of the North's victims ranged far above his estimate of "perhaps 2,000, 3000." In fact, more than 130,000 took to the boats, a million more fled overland, and more than 750,000 were forced into "re-education camps." Next door in Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror claimed 2,000,000 lives.

I wonder how John Kerry's antiwar record will play in Orange County, California's Little Saigon? Or to the state's approximately 70,000 Cambodian Americans? Kerry backers point to his youth when he made his statement to the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee. But the massacre at Hue, when the communists executed thousands as they lost control of the city they had initially overrun in the Tet offensive, was well known and ought to have been understood by Kerry when he tossed off his estimate of likely victims of political terror if the United States cut and run.

Among veterans and active duty military, the picture is more difficult to read, though Kerry's strength in this quarter has been overstated by a media all too ready to buy the "band of brothers" theatrics that Kerry has been staging at each campaign stop. Every time Kerry invokes his real heroism in Vietnam, a network announcer should intone the opinions of Paul Galanti, quoted in the February 17, 2004, Los Angeles Times:

"Paul Galanti learned of Kerry's [1971] speech while held captive inside North Vietnam's infamous 'Hanoi Hilton' prison. The Navy pilot had been shot down in 1966 and spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war."

"During torture sessions, he said, his captors cited the antiwar speeches as 'an example of why we should cross over to [their] side.'"

"'The Viet Cong didn't think they had to win the war on the battlefield,' Galanti said, 'because thanks to these protestors they were going to win it on the streets of San Francisco and Washington.'"

"He says Kerry broke a covenant among servicemen never to make public criticisms that might jeopardize those still in battle or in the hands of the enemy."

"Because he did, Galanti said, 'John Kerry was a traitor to the men he served with.'"

"Now retired and living in Richmond, Virgian, Galanti, 64, refuses to cool his ire toward Kerry."

"'I don't plan to set it aside. I don't know anyone who does,' he said. 'The Vietnam memorial has thousands of additional names due to John Kerry and others like him.'"

YES, GALANTI IS A REPUBLICAN (he chaired John McCain's campaign in Virginia in 2000). But he speaks for many veterans. Unfortunately, though, tough charges like Galanti's are not likely to get much attention from an elite media more comfortable with the substance of Kerry's 1971 testimony--which is received wisdom on the left-- than with the recriminations that flow from Kerry's antiwar activities. It is obvious that the media, for all their digging into President Bush's air national guard service, are not as interested in Kerry's activities from the same period. To my knowledge, for example, mine is the only show to have played the audio from the 1971 hearing.

Because today's editors and producers don't much care about Kerry's actions in 1971, they can't imagine there are people who do care--much less report on them. Having labeled Kerry's antiwar radicalism as irrelevant, media elites ignore the opinions of a large and passionate segment of the population for whom Kerry's past matters a great deal.

Is this fair to Paul Galanti and his fellow Vietnam veterans who disagree with Kerry's actions when he returned from Vietnam? No, it isn't. But, then again, why should the media embrace fairness to them now, after three decades of distortion?

---

Hugh Hewitt is the host of The Hugh Hewitt Show, a nationally syndicated radio talkshow, and a contributing writer for The Weekly Standard.

[DoughtyOne]

Fonda, Kerry and their ilk condemned the 'US Agressors' for their 'brutality' and 'abuses'. Of course they did this out of good concience. Fonda is on the record demonizing the United States, actually traveling to North Vietnam and make propaganda appearances for the north. Kerry lambasted the U.S., never a worry about our POWs from the lot of them. Bill Clinton took part in this. They're all on the record, and oh so proud of that record. The poor people of Asia had not advocates but them. And this was all about them. Right?

When two million people were slaughtered in Cambodia, not Jane, John Kerry, Bill Clinton or any of their fellow travelers uttered a peep. All of a sudden, the people of southeast Asia were on their own. So much for lofty ideals and characters of deep conviction.

These maggots were knowing pawns of our nations enemies. They still are.

[Blue_Ridge_Mtn_Geek]

The obvious solution to media studious inattention to this information is to replicate the audio copy of Kerry's testimony (perhaps with some introduction, and followup commentary by Gallanti),on the net and in tape "hard copies" by the million. It wouldn't take many branches of "chain tape copying" (get one, make and distribute 2 or 10 copies to friends) to get this out to the people who need to hear it. The big media "gate keepers" cannot keep this one quiet, if a few people who care will act on their concern.

[DoughtyOne]

If someone has the audio, I'll put it up on my site and people can link it whenever they like.

[jennyp]

Please ping me if you get it.

[autoresponder]

Normally VCR cassettes of network TV shows are available for purchase by the public for a reasonable price.

This 1971 MTP audiotape of John Kerry was replayed in part by Tim Russert on a recent Meet The Press TV show.

John Kerry was on that 1971 MTP show with a phony Vietnam vet Black Panther activist Al Hubbard.

NBC has decided that the 1971 John Kerry appearance should not be available to the American voters for partisan reasons.

Tim Russert is a former democrat White House staffer for one.

The Heinz-Kerry, Teddy Kennedy, George Soros, Clinton power and money is protecting the traitorous words and acts of John Forbes (Kohn) Kerry.

Luckily, Hugh Hewitt managed to get a copy of that 1971 audiotape of John Kerry.

Hopefully, copies have been made.



I assume NBC and John Kerry and the DNC have attempted to claim copyright protection to prevent Americans from hearing Kerry's own words.



Hugh Hewitt, are you listening?

[Stallone]

John Fonda Kerry is going down.

[hotpotato]

"'I don't plan to set it aside. I don't know anyone who does,' he said. 'The Vietnam memorial has thousands of additional names due to John Kerry and others like him.'"

I truly believe that is exactly what is happening today to our soldiers in Iraq who are trying to defeat a shadowy enemy that follows the US political rhetoric in order to design the destruction of our forces and Iraqi democracy.

[DoughtyOne]

Sounds about par for the course.

[MeekOneGOP]

bttt for later read. Thanks !

[GailA]

Only talk radio will give our Vietnam Vets the voice they need to decry hanoi john. You can bet few letters to the editor will make it to print.

Let the call in's begin, one right after another.

[Happy2BMe]

Fascinating - hope the tape floats to the surface sooner rather than later.

[MeekOneGOP]

We need to keep the 'RATS from blocking the military vote this November 2nd ...

Hugh Hewitt - Kerry's Betrayal of Vets -- and Vietnamese

Excerpt:

Among veterans and active duty military, the picture is more difficult to read, though Kerry's strength in this quarter has been overstated by a media all too ready to buy the "band of brothers" theatrics that Kerry has been staging at each campaign stop. Every time Kerry invokes his real heroism in Vietnam, a network announcer should intone the opinions of Paul Galanti, quoted in the February 17, 2004, Los Angeles Times:

"Paul Galanti learned of Kerry's [1971] speech while held captive inside North Vietnam's infamous 'Hanoi Hilton' prison. The Navy pilot had been shot down in 1966 and spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war."

"During torture sessions, he said, his captors cited the antiwar speeches as 'an example of why we should cross over to [their] side.'"

"'The Viet Cong didn't think they had to win the war on the battlefield,' Galanti said, 'because thanks to these protestors they were going to win it on the streets of San Francisco and Washington.'"

"He says Kerry broke a covenant among servicemen never to make public criticisms that might jeopardize those still in battle or in the hands of the enemy."

"Because he did, Galanti said, 'John Kerry was a traitor to the men he served with.'"

"Now retired and living in Richmond, Virgian, Galanti, 64, refuses to cool his ire toward Kerry."

"'I don't plan to set it aside. I don't know anyone who does,' he said. 'The Vietnam memorial has thousands of additional names due to John Kerry and others like him.'"

Please let me know if you want ON or OFF my General Interest ping list!. . .don't be shy.

[onyx]

BTTT

AGREE 100%.

[zip]

ping

[Nix 2]

One anti-Kerry group, Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry (VVAJK), recently formed a national coalition with two other groups: Vietnamese-Americans for Human Rights in Vietnam (VAHRV), and Vietnamese-Americans Against John Kerry (VAAJK). “We represent hundreds of thousand of American veterans,” says VVAJK founder said Ted Sampley, “who do not want to see John Kerry anywhere near the Oval Office.” A formal VVAJK statement reads, “As a national leader of VVAW, Kerry campaigned against the effort of the United States to contain the spread of Communism. He used the blood of servicemen still in the field for his own political advancement by claiming that their blood was being shed unnecessarily or in vain . . . Under Kerry’s leadership, VVAW members mocked the uniform of United States soldiers by wearing tattered fatigues marked with pro-communist graffiti. They dishonored America by marching in demonstrations under the flag of the Viet Cong enemy.” In a similar spirit, VAAJK member Dan Tran says, “On behalf of tens of thousands of Vietnamese-Americans, we are determined to demonstrate against Senator Kerry all across this nation . . . John Kerry aided and abetted the Communist government in Hanoi and has hindered any human rights progress in Vietnam.”

John Kerry: Further Left Than He Lets On

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[MeekOneGOP]

Kerry is no hero. And the only Vets that may support him will be the ones that took the anti-America path he took in the 70s during/after his service in Vietnam.

He is the one bringing up his 'War record' against Bush. If he wants to bring up OLD stuff like that in the campaign, he should buckle up and be ready for the ride of his life and face the heat on his anti-American activities with the VVAW. He shouldn't be able to use one, and NOT take heat from the other, imho ...

Kerry 02-03-2004:
"For the second time this week a New England Patriot Won!"

Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry
(Click here or on the pic)

John Kerry's History Page
(Click here)

And, regarding more recent stuff in his life, his hypocrisy is definitely game for debate !:

[FBD]

bump

[Rummyfan]

BTTT!