Posted on 09/05/2004 11:13:26 AM PDT by Tacis
In an earlier posting, I laid out my thesis that Kerry is hiding the fact that the USN court martialed him or took some action against him terminating his service under other than honorable conditions and that he was pardoned in 1977 by Jimmy Carter under Proclamation 4483.
The facts are that Kerry served with distinction in Viet Nam in 1968 and 1969. There may be some quibbling about his self-promotion and whether he truly deserved the awards he received, but there is no question that his record for those months is one that any naval officer would proud of. Kerry’s military documents are available, in general, only through the early 70s. In 1978, Kerry was discharged from the USNR.
Kerry is asking American voters to assess his fitness to serve as CinC based on his record in-country. But, he refuses to release (Standard Form 180) his total military record so that we can judge the totality for ourselves. It is not that he is asking us to weigh the pieces of his record differently, he is saying, “You can’t see it, you have no right to see, take my word!” Always remember that Benedict Arnold had a wonderful combat record and reputation as a patriot until he tried to betray the cause by turning over West Point to the British.
Kerry and, probably, McAuliffe and Kerry’s evil handlers at the DNC have made a conscious decision. They are saying that the secret(s) in Kerry’s military file is so terrible, so horrible, that the damage that can be done by revealing it is greater than the damage that is done by burying it. Such an analysis might be sound considering the compliant, lap dog, left wing media that licks the boots of the ultra-liberals. But, around here, that don’t feed the bulldog! The left wing media won’t even ask the questions, much less follow up with the hinkey answers they’d get.
Thus, Kerry’s mendacity leaves no choice but for us to guess at what’s in his background that would cause even more voters to believe that he is unfit to be President (and, Senator, for that matter). My guess was that he had a major and formal blemish in his naval record that was cleaned away by a pardon from Jimmy Cater under his Proclamation 4483 and, if not under those provisions, under Carter’s Constitutional authority, some time in 1977. One respondent mentioned the "bad paper" discharges that Carter upgraded.
A number of responses have taken exception to my thesis. Some have pointed out that Carter’s pardon dealt with “draft dodgers” who violated the Selective Service Act. Others suggested that the terrible secret in Kerry’s file is that he was a snitch for the FBI and reported back on the anti-American, pro-Viet Cong groups with which he was associated. We all know how the flaming liberals in Hollywood feel about such patriots.
The fact is, I don’t know, I have no idea what the facts are. While Carter’s pardon does seem to apply to draft dodgers, I don’t know what else is in the Selective Service Act. But, I have to believe there were a couple of “catch all” provisions. Nor, do I know what charges might have been brought against Kerry. Remember, Nixon was Navy and might not have wanted a decorated Viet Nam hero tried for treason in war time. Some lesser, administrative charges may have been substituted.
Kerry a snitch? Sure, it is possible. But, it is also possible that he became a snitch only after the Navy convinced him that, Nixon good will or no, unless he cooperated, he’d spend a long time in some hard labor brig. In return for reporting back on what the Viet Nam Veterans Against the War (VVAR) were plotting (remember, at one time, they discussed the assassination of 6 sitting Senators), who knows, Kerry might have just been kicked out of the Navy rather than do brig time.
The juxtaposition of Carter’s Proclamation, Kennedy’s clout in a democrat administration and the date of Kerry’s discharge, coupled with the lack of other records immediately before or after the discharge leaves too much to coincidence for me. Even if Kerry’s possible offense did not follow under the purview of Carter’s pardon, it could have been swept through a compliant Department of Justice in a stack of other documents. It is just a thesis!
Others might suggest that Kerry must have had a clean record in 1973 because he applied to and was admitted to law school. Maybe. In March, 1970, Kerry dropped out of the primary race to be the democrat candidate from the Third Congressional District in Massachusetts. The notorious Father Drinan, Dean of Boston College Law School, became the candidate and, I believe, won. Kerry went to this same law school. Could the admission procedures have been adjusted to allow Kerry in despite a negative Navy record? Who knows, Boston’s politics are reputed to be arcane.
Am I accusing Kerry of being dishonorably discharged? Absolutely not. I simply don’t know the truth. And, that’s my complaint. Kerry has the ability to reveal all details about his total military record and refuses to do so. This allows me, us, to make any guess we can about his motivation. It also allows all Americans to draw conclusions about his claims of openness, honesty, integrity and candor and the charges he makes about integrity of others.
Again, it is indeed unfortunate that a man who would be President, so distrusts the American public and his own background that he hides the material information in his military records in the hope of hornswoggling the electorate, of tricking us into believing he is one thing when, in fact, he may be another.
As troubling is the fact these are questions and issues so apparent that an objective, heck, a competent media should have explored them long ago. Kerry’s arrogance and his willingness to lie to America may, in fact, be supported by the fact that he has gotten away with this deception for more then 25 years. The Boston media, like the national media, appears to have no interest in looking behind the representations of liberal or democrat politicians.
It might also be helpful for loyal American Congressmen to question Attorney General Ashcroft about pardon/clemency records that many have been removed from public scrutiny and placed under seal because of the ruling by some Attorney General, past or present, that the release of such documents, despite the clear language, “constituted an unwarranted invasion of the petitioner’s personal privacy.”
of interest
Did Carter's pardon include reservists who "deserted" or didn't obey their summons? When did Kerry first become an office holder?
Nothing will come of this unless President Bush allows it. I bet he won't.
Might also help to get the actual amnesty wording and legal interpretation at the time. But arguments, overall, are generous and thought-provoking. But an FBI-plant--secret even from the FBI? Don't know. Somehow I think it's simpler: Navy Hero Condemns War. "Unfit" lays out the motive, the plan. A military nobody couldn't have condemned the war with impugnity; so Kerry became a somebody. Once a somebody, he could condemn the war. What's happened since 1971 right through to March (?) of this year is that opponents have gone after his POST-WAR record first (and often exclusively). What's happened since March is that the original, fail-safe condition of bemedaled war-hero has been questioned BEFORE attacking his post-war actions and comments. I've said it before, but it's worth repeating: the Swifts got it right.
How can he keep this secret, if true? The records are public. Just what is Kerry doing to feep them secret?
why?
January 20: Inauguration Day...
January 21: Carter issues a pardon to most of those who evaded the draft in order to avoid going to Vietnam.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/timeline/timeline2.html
More sKERRY thoughts
An extreme abundance of Carter links at this link. Might be a great tool for our little project. :-)
http://cstl-cla.semo.edu/renka/Modern_Presidents/carter.htm
Federal Register's page of links to Jimmy Carter's EOs 1977-1981
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/executive_orders/carter.html
I do not believe snitches would have anything in their *FBI file* about their activities. That would be like a police officer having something in his criminal file for undercover work done. There is at least one FBI file about Kerry's activites, his presence at the meeting about the "Phoenix Project".
Kerry had connections to big players in the Democrat party, the party running Congress until 1995. By that time he was well into his 2nd term as a US Senator.
Upon specific request, we advise anyone who asks whether a named person has been granted or denied clemency. In addition, the pendency of an application is confirmed to anyone who asks, unless extraordinary considerations of privacy are presented in a particular case that outweigh the public interest in having access to this information. If you believe such privacy considerations are present in your case, you should so inform us in writing when you submit the application.
Proclamation 4483--Granting pardon for violations of the Selective Service Act, August 4, 1964, to March 28, 1973
Source: The provisions of Proclamation 4483 of Jan. 21, 1977, appear at 42 FR 4391, 3 CFR, 1977 Comp., p. 4, unless otherwise noted.
Acting pursuant to the grant of authority in Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution of the United States, I, Jimmy Carter, President of the United States, do hereby grant a full, complete and unconditional pardon to: (1) all persons who may have committed any offense between August 4, 1964 and March 28, 1973 in violation of the Military Selective Service Act or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder; and (2) all persons heretofore convicted, irrespective of the date of conviction, of any offense committed between August 4, 1964 and March 28, 1973 in violation of the Military Selective Service Act, or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder, restoring to them full political, civil and other rights.
This pardon does not apply to the following who are specifically excluded therefrom:
(1) All persons convicted of or who may have committed any offense in violation of the Military Selective Service Act, or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder, involving force or violence; and
(2) All persons convicted of or who may have committed any offense in violation of the Military Selective Service Act, or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder, in connection with duties or responsibilities arising out of employment as agents, officers or employees of the Military Selective Service system.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of January, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy-seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and first.
http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/codification/proclamations/04483.html
I wonder how long a FOIA would take for a list of all people Carter pardoned. I did not see any listings on the DOJ site.
I think there were thousands & those who made a case for privacy would likely be excluded from the list. Still, wasn't his discharge signed by an Atty? What was that Atty's job at that time?
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