Swift Boat Veterans Tell Kerry to 'Cease and Desist'

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 6/02/04 | Susan Jones

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com) - Stop using our faces in your campaign material, eleven Swift Boat veterans have told Sen. John F. Kerry. The veterans are all from the unit in which Sen. John Kerry served.

In their letter to the Kerry Campaign, the Swift Boat veterans warned of legal action, unless "the blatant abuse of their images by the Kerry Campaign cease immediately."

The photograph in question was taken in January 1969. It has appeared in the March 8 Newsweek issue and in a Kerry campaign ad.

The veterans said they have sent earlier letters to Kerry headquarters, alerting Kerry staffers about their concerns with his use of the photograph.

"The signers of today's letter object to the use of their photographs in conjunction with the Kerry campaign because they believe that not only is Kerry unfit to serve as the commander-in-chief of the United States, but by using their images, the campaign suggests that these men endorse the senator," said a press release issued by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

The group describes itself as a "tax-exempt, non-partisan public advocacy '527' organization consisting of, and limited to, former military officers and enlisted men who served in Vietnam on U.S. Navy "Swift Boats" or in affiliated commands."

Of the 20 officers shown in the photograph, only two openly support Senator Kerry, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth said. Eleven of the officers in the photo oppose Kerry's bid for the presidency, four wish to remain uninvolved and two are deceased, the press release added.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth says its primary purpose is to "shed light on John Kerry's service record."

The group says it includes more than 220 Swift Boat vets, "virtually the entire chain of command Kerry reported to and a large majority of peers who served with him during his short and controversial stay in Vietnam."

In an open letter on its website, the group tells Sen. Kerry, "It is our collective judgment that, upon your return from Vietnam, you grossly and knowingly distorted the conduct of the American soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen of that war (including a betrayal of many of us, without regard for the danger your actions caused us). Further, we believe that you have withheld and/or distorted material facts as to your own conduct in this war."

The letter also complains that Kerry now seeks to cover himself "in the very medals you disdainfully threw away in the early years of your political career."

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth also questions Kerry's honesty: "Both then and now, we have concluded that you have deceived the public, and in the process have betrayed honorable men, to further your personal political goals."

The letter promises "further appropriate action" if Kerry and his campaign fail to comply with the cease-and-desist demand.

See Earlier Story:
Kerry 'Unfit to be Commander-in-Chief,' Say Former Military Colleagues (3 May 2004)
Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.

 

[tioga]

Unfortunately this message is underground, so be it. The message will get out despite the mainstream media shutdown.

[Delta 21]

Friends all tried to warn me
But I held my head up high
All the time they warned me
But I only passed them by
They all tried to tell me
But I guess I didn't care
I turned my back and
Left them standing there

All the burning bridges that have fallen after me
All the lonely feelings and the burning memories
Everyone I left behind each time I closed the door
Burning bridges lost forevermore

Joey tried to help me find a job
A while ago
When I finally got it I didn't want to go
The party Mary gave for me
When I just walked away
Now there's nothing left to say

All the burning bridges that have fallen after me
All the lonely feelings and the burning memories
Everyone I left behind each time I closed the door
Burning bridges lost forevermore

Years have passed and I keep thinking
What a fool I've been
I look back into the past and
Think of way back then
I know that I lost everything I thought I that could win
I guess I should have listened to my friends

All the burning bridges that have fallen after me
All the lonely feelings and the burning memories
Everyone I left behind each time I closed the door
Burning bridges lost forevermore

[cwb]

Yeah...could you imagine were this story would be if it were, say, National Guardsmen asking Bush to cease and desist? There is a reason why stories like Abu Ghraib have been on the front pages of the newspapers for over 30 straight days, now. I notice the only time the media covers Kerry is when he attacks Bush or makes a speech...and even then, only if it's blunder-free.

[Wolverine]

"His use of a photograph with his 18 comrades with knowledge that 12 of them condemn him . . . is a complete misrepresentation to the public and a total fraud," Shumadine added. 

This is the photo Kerry is using....implies these people support him http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/graphics/20_Vets.jpg

This is the real truth about the Kerry photo: ...only two of the 19 are believed to support Kerry http://ice.he.net/~freepnet/kerry/graphics/20_Vets_after2.jpg

[KellyAdmirer]

"Kelly's Heroes" was awesome, I love to hear that theme song....

[randog]

Unfortunately this message is underground, so be it. The message will get out despite the mainstream media shutdown.

And if anyone doesn't believe that, think of the media orgasm if the tables were turned and it was Bush's ANG buddies saying the same thing. It would be the front page/editorial/opinion column/fashion section/real estate/lifestyle/comics story for weeks.

[Happy2BMe]

 

VOTE JOHN KERRY!  THE ONLY CANDIDATE PREFERRED BY THE TWO REMAINING MEMBERS OF THE “AXIS OF EVIL”

 

JOHN KERRY – “Like Ted Kennedy, only Thinner!”

 

“It is surprising to many of us that Kerry seeks to re-open the wounds of thirty five years ago by playing up a three month period in his life as his primary qualification for running for president.  That seems ridiculous to most of us because we’ve gone on with our lives but if, in fact, that is the centerpiece of his campaign, we feel it’s very, very important that the American people get the actual truth about that three or four months”

 - John O Neill, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, 5/4/04

 

DID YOU KNOW HE SERVED IN VIETNAM?

 

Of course you did.  Everyone does, because his four months in Vietnam is the only basis for his campaign for the presidency.  Kerry never talks about his accomplishments as Lt. Governor to Michael Dukakis, or his twenty year career in the Senate, for which he has nothing to show. 

The purpose of this web page is to demonstrate how the French-looking Monsieur Kerry is trying to re-invent himself into something other than an ultra-elite ultra-liberal Washington insider.   He has tried to straddle both sides of every issue for political gain throughout his unprincipled, equivocating, waffling, and less-than-inspirational career as a Washington politician.  This site dispels commonly held myths about John Forbes Kerry and exposes his innumerable flip-flops. 

Useful Kerry Sites

• Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry
• Sportsmen for Kerry
• Veterans Against Kerry
• The Truth about John Kerry
• Kerry Core
• The Chameleon Senator
• Swift Boat Veterans for Truth

[carl in alaska]

Bump for Swift Boat vets (Kerry is a disgraceful liar).

[dirtbiker]

I LOVE THAT MOVIE! I have it on DVD, and AMC ran it on TV just this past week.....Love that Oddball!

[Starve The Beast]

Hey, this is great! Such an important statement can't possibly escape the attention of the mainstream press. By Friday, Brokaw, Jennings and Rather will lead with this scoop!

CNN will undoubtedly cover this story in-depth, and newspapers across the land will certainly give these brave Americans as much coverage as they did to, say, the Abu Guarib crisis. I smell movie deal!

Yeah. I can't wait. It'll be any day now... yeah... any day now...

[kayak]

ROFL! especially at the last line!

[Delta 21]

To a New Yorker like you, a Hero is some kind of wierd sandwitch!

[dirtbiker]

"The only way I have to keep them Tigers busy, is to let them shoot holes in me."

[DManA]

CNSNews. Not CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, NYT..... Sigh.

[Snake65]

"Look! We're not worried about the German army, we've got troubles of our own. To the right General Patton, to the left the British army. To the rear our own god-damned artillery. And besides all that its raining, and the only good thing to say about the weather is it keeps our air corps from blowing us all to hell, 'cause it's too wet to fly. Vershte?"

[Blood of Tyrants]

How quiet can they keep it if the Swift Boat Vets slap a big ol' lawsuit on his butt?

[Mustangcountry]

Kelly's Heroes.

Donald Sutherland was the anti-American hippie dumbass in real life.

[chiller]

When this message appears on C B S, rather than C N S, it may have an impact.