Posted on 06/02/2004 1:52:23 PM PDT by areafiftyone
Former Green Beret Ted Sampley, who confronted Sen. John Kerry at Washington, D.C.'s Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall on Monday, said today that photographers were in the vicinity and may have captured Kerry "flipping the bird" to him.
"There were some cameras," Sampley told WTN-Nashville radio host Steve Gill. "A reporter came up to me and asked me my name."
"I assume it was a reporter. It may have been somebody from the Kerry campaign," added Sampley, who heads up the group Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry.
As reported Monday by NewsMax.com's John Leboutillier, the veterans advocate approached the top Democrat that morning and told him, "I am here to escort you away from the Wall because you do not belong here."
When Kerry turned away and began to talk to a group of schoolchildren, Sampley opened his jacket to uncover a T-shirt reading "Hanoi John."
"Kerry does not belong at the Wall because he betrayed the brave soldiers who fought in Vietnam," Sampley told the children.
At that point the presidential candidate allegedly flashed "the bird" at the ex-Green Beret.
Though Kerry's visit to the Wall was widely covered, Sampley said that he didn't think the insulting hand gesture was captured any of the TV new crews on hand. "I did not see any big television cameras," he told Gill.
NewsMax.com has been unable to determine whether the still photographers nearby were press, private citizens or were part of the top Democrat's publicity team. So far, no photograph of the incident has surfaced.
Sampley said the confrontation was inadvertent, explaining that he was there with the veterans motorcycle group "Rolling Thunder," when "someone called to me and told me, 'Kerry's over at the Wall.'"
"Our organization [VVAK], we're advocating that any veteran who encounters Kerry anywhere should challenge him," he told Gill. "Since I'm leading the organization, I had to lead by example."
Sampley said that Kerry initially managed to keep his cool during the confrontation, but blew a gasket after a crowd started to gather.
"He looked around and some more vets were starting to show up," Sampley told Gill. "They heard the commotion. A few more started to heckle him a bit."
As Kerry turned to leave, said Sampley, "he walked by me - he was about 40-50 feet from the kids and maybe 15-20 feet from me - he turned around and after all that coolness and calmness, I guess he just couldn't hold it in anymore."
After flipping the bird Kerry ended the confrontation with a terse, "See ya, Ted" - to which Sampley replied, "See ya, John."
Why do *you* think the press is hiding this story? LOL.
And they say there's no media bias...
Former Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau once flipped the bird from his railroad car to a group of demonstrators who had gathered alongside the railroad tracks in the small town of Salmon Arm, British Columbia to protest something or other as his train passed through. The incident became known as his famed "Salmon Arm Salute," and made him more popular than ever.
As far as I'm concerned he flipped the bird to every American with his testimony on Vietnam. The F'in hippy is a disgrace.
Ooops...greet=great!
It may be real after all...
If there is a picture it will not be shown or talked about on the News until December 2004
I don't know, but I bet the NY Slimes would pay at least a million bucks... (if you included the negative and all existing prints).
Sounds like some independent photographer got it and is going to sell it to the highest bidder. Hope Republicans get it, instead of the 'rats.
I've been duped yet again!
What's the story behind that photo?
2 points for the post for tractorman! He he he that was good!
Hmmmmm... Bill and Hill got a combined $18M for their book deals... they might like having this picture to go with the FBI files.
Reply # 10
Liberals are lying, characterless goons, more than willing to do or say anything to forward their leftist societal engineering agenda. Hannity had Ben Cohen (of Ben&Jerry's Ice Cream fame) on his prgram today. Cohen has written a book in which he encourages liberals to call talk shows and lie about what they are (call themselves conservatives in order to get on air), lie about what they believe (conservative 'but Bush's sell out will never again get their vote), lie about why they love Kerry (or whatever thing the dnc puts on the ticket), lie about supporting the troops (but cannot support the war they are fighting and thus the reason they are Soldiers), and play mind games (use humor to sidetrack the discussion to the liberal lie intended). Liberals (and that means the democrats in this country) are valueless, lying, blood-drenched ghouls. Kerry is a died-in-the-wool liberal.
Ping
Calling all teachers and chaperones with the group of kids at the Wall on Memorial Day.
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