Kerry Purple Heart Doc Speaks Out

[Western Deity]

I don't hate America, and I don't want to change America. I just think we should judge politicians by their politics, and not start random smear campaigns...

 

[jameseb]

I don't hate America, and I don't want to change America. I just think we should judge politicians by their politics, and not start random smear campaigns...

Well I suppose anyone who doesn't like Bush would call it a 'smear campaign,' but as far as I'm concerned a person's character is just as important as his politics. News like this is quite relevant to me and others.

 

[Western Deity]

Ok, fair enough. I don't hear much news about what's happening in American politics, so could you help me here, and tell me what this tells us about Kerry's character?

 

[jameseb]

Of course. It tells me he's a liar. He claims he came under enemy fire, yet the rest of his men denied this.

 

[Western Deity]

Where does he claim this?

 

[jameseb]

Where does he claim this?

Hint ~ read the OP

 

[Western Deity]

I don't see any direct quotes from Kerry in the OP, but I'll take your word for it for the moment...

Does this change the fact that he served in Vietnam?

Were purple hearts ever credible?

Kerry may have lied about his war heroics, Bush may have lied about WMD's. I'm not trying to smear Kerry or Bush, but point out that all politicians have their "faults". The only thing you can reliably judge them on are their politics, which are out in the open, and which you have an opportunity to hold them to.

But if you don't agree, that's fine . Maybe I'll think your way when I'm 33 .

 

[jameseb]

I don't see any direct quotes from Kerry in the OP, but I'll take your word for it for the moment...

"....The story he told was different from what his crewmen had to say about that night. According to Kerry, they had been engaged in a fire fight, receiving small arms fire from on shore. He said that his injury resulted from this enemy action.

Some of his crew confided that they did not receive any fire from shore, but that Kerry had fired a mortar round at close range to some rocks on shore. The crewman thought that the injury was caused by a fragment ricocheting from that mortar round when it struck the rocks...."

Does this change the fact that he served in Vietnam?

Who said it did? No, he served quite nicely for the three months he was in Vietnam.

Were purple hearts ever credible?

Um.... my father took an AA round that went right through his chopper and through his thigh before exiting the roof of the chopper. I'd say that was a well-deserved purple heart, but receiving one for a "scratch" that required a whole band-aid? That honestly doesn't warrant a medal, as many have attested to.... despite thousands being awarded. However, having a daddy in the Senate obviously helps.... not to mention that if he gets wounded three times, he's out of the war.

Kerry may have lied about his war heroics, Bush may have lied about WMD's. I'm not trying to smear Kerry or Bush, but point out that all politicians have their "faults". The only thing you can reliably judge them on are their politics, which are out in the open, and which you have an opportunity to hold them to.

Perhaps you should start your own thread on Bush then. This thread isn't about Bush, its about Kerry.

But if you don't agree, that's fine . Maybe I'll think your way when I'm 33 .

You know what they say.... "If you're not a liberal at age 20, you have no heart.... if you're not a conservative by age 30, you have no brain."

 

[Western Deity]

That's not a direct quote from Kerry. Fair enough with the second point, I don't know enough to comment. With the third point I was trying to establish the idea that purple hearts were always given out to people with meagre injuries, yet we are somehow expected to believe that Kerry is a disgrace because of the way he got his.

You obviously didn't read my fourth point...

"I'm not trying to smear Kerry or Bush..."

"Perhaps you should start your own thread on Bush then."

As for the interesting quote at the end, I don't care. Who is "they"? The advice of a random oddball is of zero value to me... it sounds like somebody who is not funny trying to make a joke...

 

[jameseb]

That's not a direct quote from Kerry.

Then don't put words in my mouth. I never said they were direct quotes, you said that.

Fair enough with the second point, I don't know enough to comment. With the third point I was trying to establish the idea that purple hearts were always given out to people with meagre injuries, yet we are somehow expected to believe that Kerry is a disgrace because of the way he got his.

You'll have to stop jumping to conclusions there, mate. No one said he was a disagrace, but I did call him a liar and I stand by that.

You obviously didn't read my fourth point...

Yes I did.

As for the interesting quote at the end, I don't care. Who is "they"? The advice of a random oddball is of zero value to me... it sounds like somebody who is not funny trying to make a joke...

Its a just a saying, a proverb. Don't get yourself all wrinkled about it.

 

[Western Deity]

"Then don't put words in my mouth. I never said they were direct quotes, you said that."

No I didn't.

I'm done with this thread, I feel like if I continue I'll say something that I'll end up regretting .

 

[jameseb]

"Then don't put words in my mouth. I never said they were direct quotes, you said that."

No I didn't.

Yes you did. Go back and read.... I said "he claims," but I never said they were direct quotes. You asked for those but I never made the claim they were exact quotes... and what difference does that honestly make anyway?

I'm done with this thread, I feel like if I continue I'll say something that I'll end up regretting .

That wouldn't be good.

 

[Western Deity]

I said "I don't see any direct quotes from Kerry in the OP..."

In response to that, you quoted the OP, which didn't contain a direct quote from Kerry himself.

In response to that, I said "That's not a direct quote from Kerry"

To which you replied "But I didn't say it was a direct quote from Kerry, you did"

What do I have wrong here?

 

[jameseb]

I said "I don't see any direct quotes from Kerry in the OP..."

In response to that, you quoted the OP, which didn't contain a direct quote from Kerry himself.

In response to that, I said "That's not a direct quote from Kerry"

To which you replied "But I didn't say it was a direct quote from Kerry, you did"

What do I have wrong here?

You missed the very first part..... I said Kerry claimed he came under enemy fire. Again, it is irrelevant if it is called a 'claim' or a 'quote' as the source of this information is from his attending physician. Why the discussion on semantics here?

 

[Western Deity]

*Sigh*

I MUST have missed something.

I asked for a direct quote from Kerry; ATM what this physician says is irrelevant to me, because I haven't established all these basic things that you would get from watching American news...

Anyway, I'm done in this thread now .

 

[Borealis]

Does it seem to anyone like in America they vote in a person, rather than a government? There's tremendous focus on the candidates themselves, how they stand up to intense scrutiny - Bush going awol, Kerry getting a medal for scratching himself - and far less focus on the the policies of the government they'll be the face of. Is that accurate? Or is it just that people on the Internet focus more on the people.

Politics is perception. And character is a vital component of a potential commander-in-chief, particularly the one in charge of the most powerful military arsenal in the world. John Kerry has demonstrated repeatedly that his only goal is to be President. He hasn't actually said anything about what he'll do when he gets to the White House; he just wants to get there.

As to who brought up Vietnam first...John Kerry started mentioning Vietnam back in late 2002. He started working it into his speeches (the first one was about capital punishment) on a regular basis, until it became the entire focus of his campaign. Where does he stand on important issues? His only response to any question about what he's actually going to do is, "I'll do it better than George Bush." Well, that's just peachy, but what exactly is he going to DO?

Would you vote for someone without any knowledge of what they actually stand for? Kerry talks about bringing the UN into Iraq. They don't WANT to be there; they cut and ran at the first bomb. He talks about reinstating the Bush tax cuts. How, exactly, will that help the economy? And he talks incessantly about his service in Vietnam and how Bush didn't serve. That was, for those paying attention, well over 30 years ago now. Many of the people posting here weren't even alive at the time. Vietnam is the past; the only people trying to fight that war again are liberals. Considering it was America's only military defeat, I wonder why they keep bringing it up.

John Kerry has no stance except 'beat Bush.' That's not going to be enough. It never works. It can't, because enough people are going to want to know, 'Where do you stand?' And Kerry doesn't stand anywhere. He takes every position on an issue, backtracking, clarifying, obfuscating, and just plain speaking incoherently. He's got no substance, and thanks to Botox, no style, either.

 

[MediocrityInAction]

Is it suprising that soldiers come up with conflicting accounts of warfare? After all, if combat was simple and easy to accurately judge, then there would never be such things as friendly-fire. That possibly some members of the boat crew got confused and reported conflicting accounts would not suprise me.

 

[alaurie]

I saw a commercial today saying he had gotten something like 3 purple hearts, and my first thought was, "did he shoot himself in the foot?" I didn't realize I was so close!

LOL, E-beth!

I could never run for President. All I ever do is embarrassing screw-up kinda stuff.

me too


..."proud wife and mama" title - you should be! Way cool husband and beautiful little Matt

Allye

 

[DaveSZ]

[
http://www.nationalreview.com/york/york200405041626.asp[/url]


Somehow, this doesn't surprise me.....

This is the same neocon magazine (along with the Weekly Standard) that brought us the occupation of Iraq.

Somehow it doesn't surprise me that they'd print something like this.

 

[DaveSZ]

94SupraTT,

Would you find it sad if other veterans were awarded purple hearts for similar wounds? Would you call into question their service because of it?

Are you aware of why Kerry was awarded his Silver Star?

I agree with you that all of this should be a non-issue. Kerry served in Vietnam. By the reaction of the right, I expect any day that somebody will call this fact into question as well.

Kerry's service was neither spectacular or disappointing. It seems it was average and similar to thousands of other veterans who served. He did his duty, he was awarded many medals of valor.

I think it is also apparent that if Bush had a military record like Kerrys and serviced in Vietnam, that he would certainly use his military record in his campaigning, and that any attack of it such as those being leveraged against Kerry would be seen as attacking veterans in general. It seems to be a double standard and a shame that the right wing media (not directly the Bush administration) is cheapening his military record and by doing so, cheapens all of the similar military records of others who received purple hearts for similar actions.

They did the same to McCain, and he is an honerable man who would have probably made a great president.