Why Kerry's Belodeau Eulogy deserves more attention

BeldarBlog ^ | Aug. 26, 2004 | BeldarBlog

[KarlH]

John Kerry placed in the Congressional Record on January 28, 1998 the eulogy he gave (apparently) at the funeral of a former swiftboat companion. He describes what could be an entirely different version of the Rassman falling in the river/mine exploding story. Then again it could be a completely different incident or something he made up.

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the Congressional Record (.pdf files: first page, second page) —

Those with time and better research skills can check this out further.

[KarlH]

Delusional or BS artist? Who knows.

[Jaysun]

Delusional for sure. "BS artist" is a term that invokes a degree of respect that Kerry doesn't deserve. He's a dangerous maniac.

[Paleo Conservative]

Those with time and better research skills can check this out further.

That would not include the MSM.

[aposiopetic]

In this (isolated?) instance the eulogist acknowledged the virtue of turning to starboard.

[Robert357]

Delusional or BS artist? Who knows.

Personally, I think that there is a pattern and it is neither.

Let's look at Bill & Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Barney Frank, Chuck Schumer, Dianne Feinstein, etc. Leading names in the Democratic Party are not wedded to the idea of truth or honesty.

We can look at a number of issues from gun control, to impeachment of Bill Clinton, enviornmental impacts, tax cuts and the status of the economy, overseas deployment of troops, national energy policy, national health care, etc. The first and most important question a Democrat asks when an issue comes up is....."Can I turn this into a partisan issue with which I can beat up Republicans?" For the past several years, truth has not been a consideration if something might be spun into a "wedge" partisan issue.

Kerry has become the leader of his party and his party's leadership just cares about what people want to hear and what might damage Republicans. To Kerry and others the truth is "situational." If Bill Clinton can debate what "is" is and whether "oral sex" is sex, then surly John Kerry can waffle on whether the Iraqu war is just or bad, whether he is proud of or ashamed of his service in Vietnam, whether he was "wounded in combat" or just got a purple heart because he was an officer and asked for it, whether he spend Christmas in Cambodia under Nixon or Christmas in S. Vietnam under Carter, etc.

The problem for Democrats is that the majority of Americans have to discipline their children when their children lie to them and act that way. The majority of Americans want their co-workers who act that way fired. The majority of Americans have become frustrated at politicians who act that way.

That is why the Democratic Party no longer controls the Whitehouse, the US Senate, or the US House of Represenatatives. It is also why many states have Republican Governors. The Democrats has lost touch with the majority of the American people, they just don't yet fully understand what they need to do. Instead they keep trying what worked for them in the past. I fully expect the Democratic party to flame out into third party status, unless they change.

[malia]

bttt for later

[Jaysun]

Instead they keep trying what worked for them in the past. I fully expect the Democratic party to flame out into third party status, unless they change.

I agree. Unless they change, or they're successful in committing voter fraud.

[p. henry]

So Kerry admitteed on the floor of the Senate that Rassmann went into the river as a consequence of a high speed turn of Kerry's boat, not the explosion of the mine.

[narby]

There was an analysis here on FR last night that compiled the written accounts, verbal accounts, and boat maintenance records about this incident.

The conclusion of the anlyst was that Kerry took off running, while the other boats stayed with PCF-3, and he hit a sand bar (as evidenced by bent screws repared the next day) that dumped Rassman over and scraped Kerry's arm (he still carried considerable rice "shrapnel" from his self inflicted accident earlier in the day).

He then proceded over 2 miles up river, firing all the while, believing he was under fire that entire distance. Rassman stayed underwater for a time, to avoid Kerrys PCF screws. Rassman, hearing Kerrys fire, believed as Kerry did, that they were under fire themselves.

With the distance Kerry went before regaining composure and discovering they were not under fire, Rassman stayed in the water 10 minutes (he was aparently some distance away from PCF 3 and the rest of the boats.

Kerry returned and picked up Rassman, right before one of the other boats got to where he was to pick him up.

Don't have time to look up the analysis right now, but it was posted last night around 10pm PDT.

Kerry said that his first incident in the skimmer boat where they fired on VietCong on the beach was "the most frightening moment" of his entire tour.

Question: Was Kerry EVER under actual enemey fire (I suppose the one kid that fired an RPG at the boat and was then taken down by the 60 that Kerry finished off is one instance)? Was anyone killed around him? Were bullet holes ever patched in his boat?

[philman_36]

As he was doing so, the boat made a high speed turn to starboard and the Green Beret kept going-straight into the river.
Who was at the helm of the boat? sKerry!
Who gunned it and made that high speed turn fleeing the scene? sKerry!
Who should Rassmann blame for his being pitched into the drink? sKerry!
Who has their lips firmly planted on sKerry's posterior? Too many to list!

[Robert357]

....or they're successful in committing voter fraud.

I fully expect the Democratic Party to attempt multi-state voter fraud.

I have heard that they are drafting lawsuits as we speak. One the the possible approaches I have heard is to try to identify key state's where Bush will win and then challenge only those states and demand a pro-rating of that state's electorial votes rather than an all or nothing. This kind of cherry picking their lawsuits to try to maximize electorial college votes, just strikes me as very very wrong.

I also anticipate Florida-like mischief, such as challenging say overseas military absentee ballots, etc. I further expect attempts will be made to round up illegal aliens, felons and others who are not suppose to vote and try to get them to vote and vote for Democrats in an organized way.

If the Dem's do that and it becomes publisized, I think that they will have destroyed their own party, but that is the path they are headed down.

The last thing you want to do in a fight is be blinded by rage and just go in slugging. I watched a major labor party convension on state sponsored TV (Channel W) last night and they had a film clip about the theft of the 2000 Presidential election and how the Florida Secretary of State made the rules and pulled off the election theft (along with the President's brother) and then was rewarded by a seat in Congress. The video ended with a "God Bless Bush's American" and a clear message that everyone else in the Country who wasn't part of the "Bush-machine" was going to suffer.

The Dem's have lost it. Now when they tell people what they want to hear, a fairly large percentage question the motives of the Democratic party speaker and whether they will deliver on what they say. Character is beginning to count once more.

[rolling_stone]

http://66.77.82.170/zheka/

Rassman awarded purple heart for wounds on 3/13/69 did he get shot in the butt with rice too? Inquiring minds want to know...

[Jim_Curtis]

The "Russell Letter" mentions that John Kerry witnessed the PCF-3 being hit by a mine and that Kerry claimed it went two feet out of the water.

In the eulogy, Kerry claims that his PCF 94 was blown two feet out of the water.

The two boats came out of their two-foot high vertical lifts in quite different conditions.

During how many Kerry medal stories are "jammed guns" in the story.

[bandleader]

I guess he felt"Safe"inasmuch as Mr. Belodeau wasn't in any position to contradict him!

[bandleader]

Yeah,because Kaptain Kerry was engaged in a high speed RETREAT!!!!!

[IncPen]

ping

[reformedliberal]

I am a civilian, but I am also a scuba diver. I am very familiar w/the sound of rifles and hand guns and shotguns in open air from hunting and target shooting. I can hear my neighbor's carbine from 1/2 mile away.

Underwater, the sound of boat props (recreational) are like a swarm of bees. It is difficult to tell direction; they seem to be everywhere. It is instinct to get down and stay there. I suspect the Swift Boats are even louder.10 minutes underwater w/o scuba gear sounds really difficult. Did he pop up for air? How deep was this river? Did he get to the shallows so he could surface to breathe?

Other sounds really carry in water. Banging on a ladder sounds like a booming noise and is used to get people back to the boat in some place. Some divers will bang on their air tank to get attention. These sounds do get people's attention.

So, my question is: what does gunfire sound like underwater? What does an explosion in the water sound like to someone in the water? And were these the .50 cal machine guns or small arms fire in this incident? How much could Rasmann discern under water while the noise from the boats themselves was most likely obscuring other noises? Today on Hedgecock, Gardner said that at least in the 2 1/2 months he was Kerry's gunner, Kerry never fired the .50 cals. So, who was firing what while Kerry was driving a large boat fast?

[narby]

So, my question is: what does gunfire sound like underwater?

At some time, Rassman apparently said that he "stayed down as long as he could, because he knew the boats were bearing down on him". Undoubtedly, he also heard the sound of bullets on the water.

I've no doubt that Rassman could tell the difference in sound of a .50 or M-16 or AK, if he was ABOVE THE WATER. But I seriously doubt he would be able to tell what kind of gun fired a bullet hitting the water at some distance away.

I don't doubt that Rassman thought he was under fire. But obviously, with the entire swiftboat team, except for Kerrys boys, saying otherwise. I think I believe them.

[Hatteras]

Dang! The "Boat" made that hard turn to starboard?! Sounds like an SUV story...

[Jaysun]

I also anticipate Florida-like mischief, such as challenging say overseas military absentee ballots, etc. I further expect attempts will be made to round up illegal aliens, felons and others who are not suppose to vote and try to get them to vote and vote for Democrats in an organized way.

I saw a post here on FR that linked to multiple stories about voter fraud in multiple states. The fraud currently involves registering nonexistent or unqualified voters (multiple names at one address, children being registered, etc.)

As I recall the post linked to several independent stories in several states including Ohio, Tennessee, Florida, and others.