Scurrilous and Ludicrous. The Radical Right has rarely disgraced itself so flagrantly, in so hypocritical a fashion, as in the current ‘war’ against John Kerry’s service in Vietnam. Unable to content themselves with the fact that Kerry turned against the war after his service there — as, unfortunately, so did much of the Nation, under the impact of comsymps in media — they are now pretending that he never did the things for which THE MILITARY decorated him. Kerry didn’t bestow those medals on himself. The MILITARY GAVE THEM TO HIM. Don’t argue with Kerry. Argue with the MILITARY.
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And speaking of the military, what do the military’s own records show about our brave “war President”, George Bush? They show that he did NOT serve in Vietnam nor anywhere else dangerous, and didn’t even show up for alternative ‘service’ in Alabama! That should end this whole controversy. Kerry should simply say, “I didn’t decorate myself. The United States military decorated me, and that should be good enuf for anybody.” He should then move on to say, “The same military shows that George Bush EVADED service in Vietnam and didn’t even show up for National Guard service in safe, sweet Alabama.”
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And John Kerry didn’t withdraw from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Richard Nixon, a CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN, did that! John F. Kennedy and the Democratic Party put us into Vietnam to fight against Communist totalitarianism. Richard Nixon and the Republican Party pulled out, and cozied up to Communist China. George W. Bush presides over a trade relationship that is shipping $124 BILLION A YEAR to the Butchers of Beijing!
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(Sidebar: I had a pro-war letter published in the anti-war New York Times at the height of the Vietnam War that asked pointed questions such as “Which way do the refugees flee?” The answer, of course, is that the refugees always fled AWAY from Communist-controlled areas. But those pointed questions, all the answers to which confirmed the morality of defending the people of Southeast Asia from Communism, didn’t suffice to stop this Nation without honor from throwing them to the wolves, which cost some 5 million their lives. Using the same kinds of standards, I concluded, before the current war against Iraq began, that morality required us NOT to invade, but again, a dishonorable Nation did not heed. Now we are in a mess of Dubya’s creation, and Kerry doesn’t know how to get out of it any more than Dubya does. My own answer is there IS NO GETTING OUT. We’re in and must stay in. Annex Iraq. Make it a state. Reform the entire region for the benefit of the decent, moderate people of the Arab world. Bring millions of Arab votes into our domestic political process as will change our grossly unwise and unjust policy in the Middle East. Then we might just salvage something from this disaster.)
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Ralph Peters, a bloodthirsty, militarist psychopath who writes regularly for the New York Post, had the unbelievable gall to write today:

Real heroes (and I've been honored to know some) never portray their service in grandiose terms, telling TV cameras that they're reporting for duty. Real heroes may be proud of the sacrifices they offered, but they don't shout for attention.

May I remind Mr. Peters that George W. Bush, the guy who evaded service in Vietnam to fly planes at home (that is, when he chose to show up), dared to land a warplane on an aircraft carrier, as tho he were some kind of great war hero, and proclaim from that deck “Mission Accomplished” in Iraq! If that’s not “shout[ing] for attention” and bragging for the TV cameras, what the hell is? And, as Kerry needs pointedly to continue to ask, over and over and over till it sinks home, “What mission was accomplished? What mission?”
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Peters dares to go on to say:

I'm appalled by Bush's domestic policies. I believe that the Cheney-Halliburton connection stinks to high heaven. And I'm convinced that Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld & Co. have done colossal damage to our military and to our foreign policy.

But we're at war. And for all his faults, Bush has proven himself as a great wartime leader. Despite painful mistakes, he's served our security needs remarkably well. And security trumps all else in the age of terror.

Of what value is a war abroad — and by the way, it’s not a war without a declaration of war — if the Nation collapses at home? if we fight for “freedom” abroad — which, I say again, has NEVER been what this “war on terror” is about, but only about Zionism, the real reason we are under attack from mililtant Islam — but ravage the Constitution at home? How can you vote for a government that you yourself say has done “colossal damage to our military and to our foreign policy”?!? How much more damage can our military and foreign policy take?
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The “war for oil” that many people thought they saw, has resulted in the highest price for oil in 21 years! And what “security” do we have when even relatively small towns (I won’t say “backwaters”, of areas including my own city) like Newark, New Jersey are told they are targets for terror from thousands of miles away? How is that “serving our security needs well”?
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The attack on the World Trade Center, which I used to be able to see on my way to work but which ISN’T THERE ANYMORE, occurred ON GEORGE W. BUSH’S WATCH! Oh yeah, he’s doing a great job. Four more years of such great work and we won’t have a skyline left in this country.
- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 11:30 PM