Dyre Straits

From The Atlanta Journal/Constitution, January 29, 2004
Link

Vietnam stance irks veterans

By TERRY GARLOCK

Terry L. Garlock of Peachtree City was a Cobra helicopter pilot in Vietnam.

File [Image]
John Kerry, who headed a veterans' group opposed to the Vietnam War, receives support from a gallery of peace demonstrators and tourists as he testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971.
Forum:
• Were John Kerry's protests against the Vietnam War inappropriate?


Now that U.S. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) is claiming the veteran vote based on his war record, both sides of that story should be told.

To appreciate the dark side of Kerry's war record, you should know a few things about Vietnam veterans.

The public and the press make a mistake when they divide us into decorated veterans like Kerry and then all the others.

We like to think of ourselves as brothers -- those who fought the enemy directly in combat and those who provided vital support in protected areas that were in many cases exposed to attack.

Even today, when two Vietnam veterans meet for the first time, they might say, "Welcome home, brother!" because many were never welcomed home. They met the cold shoulder of an ungrateful nation on their return.

Those of us whose job was combat feel an even deeper sense of brotherhood. We learned to trust our brothers on the ground, on the water and in the air to do the right things to protect one another, a bond that cannot be fully explained in words.

We quietly feared dying in battle, but there was something we feared even more. We knew if we should panic under fire and fail to do our job, we might lose our brothers' trust or we might lose their lives, and this we feared more than anything.

Like Kerry, I have a couple of medals, but who has what medal among combat veterans doesn't make a dime's worth of difference between us. What matters is that we are, for the rest of our life, brothers who kept faith with one another in a miserable war.

A young Kerry, however, broke faith with his brothers when he returned to the United States. With the financial aid of Jane Fonda, he led highly visible protests against the war. He wrote a book that many considered to be pro-Hanoi, titled "The New Soldier."

The cover photo of his book depicted veterans in a mismatch of military uniforms mocking the legendary image of Marines raising the American flag atop Mount Suribachi in the 1945 battle for Iwo Jima, holding the American flag upside down.

Kerry publicly supported Hanoi's position to use our POWs as a bargaining chip in negotiations for a peace agreement. Kerry threw what appeared to be his medals over a fence in front of the Capitol building in protest, on camera of course, but was caught in his lie years later when his medals turned up displayed on his office wall.

Many good and decent people opposed the Vietnam War. Many of us who fought it hated it, too. I know I did.

But like Fonda's infamous visit to Hanoi in 1972, Kerry's public actions encouraged our enemy at a time they were killing America's sons. Decades after the war was done, interviews with our former enemy's leaders confirmed that public protests in the United States, like Kerry's, played a significant role in their strategy.

Many of us wonder which of our brothers who died young would be alive today had people like Fonda and Kerry objected to the war in a more suitable way.

Now that it serves his ambition to be president, Kerry reminds the public of his war record daily. But the dark side of that record is not being told. Many Vietnam veterans have taken notice, and many of us will vigorously oppose Kerry's election to any office.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Terry L. Garlock of Peachtree City was a Cobra helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He received the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Distinguished Flying Cross.

__________________

Dyre Straits

Another similar and even more detailed link:

Includes Cover of 'The New Soldier' by John Kerry.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/arti...0/131219.shtml

__________________

bluelight

He was protesting against the Vietnam war?

Good.

Nice to hear that some peole with a backbone make it all the way up there.

Bluelight

Dyre Straits

That Kerry objected to the Vietnam War isn't the issue. Many people opposed that war.

It's HOW he went about doing it, and HOW he NOW wants to use his veteran's status to his advantage. He gave false impressions about throwing his medals away (he still has them and they're mounted on his office wall). There are a LOT of other issues that are pointed out in these and other articles that should give many people reason to think carefully about whether they want this kind of man as president.

__________________

bluelight

Are you telling me he doesnt know on which leg to stand?


Hmm...No wonder i thought he had a suspicious haircut....With a haircut like that there must be som ghosts in the cupboard...

Hmm NewYork times has an article today saying that the very same economic interests that are criticised by the democrats are actually financing their campaign....something that adds to my theory that there is no real difference between Democrats and Republicans.

The one difference is that one side use a "WE are meaner than anything else" and the other side is more "sheeplike" but the rest...is all the same essentially.

Why is this?

Well there is no such thing in Usa as leftwing politics.


Leftwing politics has in practice always been forbidden in Usa.


Bluelight

digerati

Well you can vote for Michael Moore for president. But if he wins I'll assasinate him myself. He is an evil, evil man.

zerodamage

. No leftwing politics in the U.S.

Dyre Straits

Haha! How do you explain Ted Kennedy and his ilk?

__________________

bluelight

As i said left wing politics does not exist in Usa.
left wing politics basically means socialism and socialism in any forms have never been accepted in Usa.

The reasons are probably several but one big reason is simply that "Those that own and control" have beaten down on it so hard that it has never been able to grow larger than to "union"level.



Ted Kennedy is no left wing politician.Ted Kennedy is by classic political terms a liberal at most.





Bluelight

Dyre Straits

And here, in the USA, "classic political liberal" = left wing. All you have to do is read the newspapers and listen to the media. The Far Right of the Conservatives would be what you would call, the 'far right wing'. Most any moderate, regardless of political party, considers Ted Kennedy too far left....therefore, 'left wing'.

__________________

bluelight

Yep that is also why some (Americans europeans) of us are so extremely incapable of understanding each other.We have measures that differs very much.

Funny thing is that in real life things aren´t....THAT...different :-)


Bluelight

zerodamage

You do not know much about American politics I assume. Socialism is being acccepted in America to the dismay of many. Do you not know what Welfare is? How about the push for universal health care. Socialism and liberalism have merged over the last 20 or so years. There is the Medicare system for another. What you do not see where you live is this socialist junk being pushed more and more every day.

Ted Kennedy is no left wing politician? Like I said above, you do not know a whole lot about American politics. He is one of the most left wing politicians in the U.S. Now your definition of Left Wing may be different where you live, but by all accounts, he is left wing. Liberalism and Socialism are becoming one in the same in this country.

Al_Vampyre

Zero...are you really trying to tell us that you consider health and welfare to be socialism??? Where I come from we call that humanitarianism!!

__________________
"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad" - Brian O'Driscoll - Ireland Rugby Team 2009 Grand Slam winning Captain.

zerodamage

I didn't say they were bad when used within limits. BUT universal healthcare is socialist. Welfare is a form of socialism. When you take from others and share it and spread it around with everyone, that is socialism. That is what universal healthcare and welfare is. Universal Healthcare is a proven failure of a system yet many in the U.S. want it. Why? They are left-wing liberal/socialists and that is what they want. Pandering to those who want everything given to them rather than earning it. That is how the leftists in this country stay in power.

UberLord

Although the NHS in the UK has it's faults, it works. And it works well.
Got proof that it's a failure?

__________________
Gentoo Linux - Developer (baselayout)
Read my blog

"I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours."
Stephen Roberts

Al_Vampyre

You ever been to Britain m8? We have one of the finest healthcare systems in the world and its free (mostly!) hardly 'a proven failure of a system'.

When you take it from others and share it and spread it around isn't socialism - its taxation, we all have a responsibility to take care of those within our society that for whatever reason cannot take care of themselves...that is called civilization. We do not however have a responsibility to take care of those that refuse to take care of themselves...

__________________
"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad" - Brian O'Driscoll - Ireland Rugby Team 2009 Grand Slam winning Captain.

zerodamage

No, the healthcare system in the UK is not free. You all pay taxes out the ass to pay for it.

That's exactly what socialism is. The taking from others and spreading around is socialism. When taxation is used in the manner you just explained, it is socialism.

That is exactly what socialism is though. Those that work pay to take care of those who refuse to take care of themselves. You may not know it but that is what is happening. That is what happens in the U.S. with Welfare. You in the U.K. do it without quite realizing it is happening. Different cultures of the world can get away with it, other's cant. The U.S. would fail miserably under such a system... proof of that is happening now.

Al_Vampyre

So what you're telling me is that as a country you are magnaminous enough to race half way round the worls and spend billions of dollars freeing Iraqis from oppression...but you don' want to do the same for the underprivileged in your own country?

__________________
"Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad" - Brian O'Driscoll - Ireland Rugby Team 2009 Grand Slam winning Captain.

zerodamage

Do not try to spin it with me. There is a difference between Oppressed and willingly lazy. No one in this country is being oppressed by their government. No one here is being tortured by the government. Government officials here are not pulling women off the street to torture and rape them. There are no mass graves here in the U.S. Do not try to justify your hatred for the war on such ridiculous comparisons.

zerodamage

Here are some definitions of Socialism. Can be found here at Google


Also do a google search for Marxism and Communism. They are related to Socialism.

Put this into the google search: define:Marxism
and define:Communism

bluelight

And you know nothing about what socialism is. That is plain obvious.

Nothing.

Ted Kennedy is by all standards a liberal.Nothing else.



Bluelight

zerodamage

I repeat for you.......


This is very important right here.
You can not dispute the facts. So lets go over this again. Socialism is achieved by many things, including State-sponsored social programs Who in the U.S. is for these programs more than anyone? The left, the liberals / socialists in the U.S. Ted Kennedy is a leftist and it is proven through his voting record on a consistent basis.

zerodamage

This is a very interesting piece on Kerry. http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2...2/124555.shtml

bluelight

A socialist is in favour of enterprises controlled and owned by the people.

Ted Kennedy is hardly interested in that no matter how much you hate him.

I am though.

Bluelight

Dyre Straits

If you think that socialism isn't 'acceptable' and working to further gain momentum in the USA, you only need to do a little more research to see your error.

Here's just one example:

http://www.sovereignty.net/center/socialists.htm

__________________

zerodamage

Let me repeat myself again.

Ted Kennedy fits that to a "T" as does many other democrats in the U.S. Just take a look at their voting records.

BluntmaN

Well I cant understand americans that use words like communism, socialism and liberal like swearwords. People are not labels ffs Kerry has a political standing and a political program as all other politicians do if he is a socialist or a liberal or an moore fan is irelevant. What is relevant is do you agree or dissagree with his statements and program, in which points, for what reason etc etc. There is no politician in todays world that honestly believes that a single one political-economic theory will be 100% correct come on; even Bush wants to pass the Medicare bill. And I do believe voters are catching on to this fact and will finaly stop voting the brand and use their brains for once.

__________________
'Reports that say that something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know.'
Donald Rumsfeld (And then they say that the White House knows what it's doing)

zerodamage

Oh, but it is VERY relevant. America was founded on the belief that Capitalism will bring out the best of Man and give everyone the chance to succeed. They were correct. America became the world superpower in a very short time compared to how long nations like France have been around. It is the greatest of importance to know what type of person we are voting into office. We do not want someone who is going help turn America into a socialist country with their policies.
We want someone in office who will defend what America is, not slowly turn us into a European nation.

Yes, Bush did sign those bills. Do you think everyone is happy about that? I'm not.

bird chest

You have not produced any new medicines in 20 YEARS!!! Your government is also running out of money to fund these programs. So basically all you guys are saying is that I wan't everything free for me now but screw my kids or maybe your kids kids.

bird chest

http://209.157.64.200/focus/f-news/1061268/posts