Lies, forgery, and the American way
Is anyone surprised that the Republican smear campaign denouncing Kerry for speaking at an anti-war rally with Jane Fonda turned out to be based on a doctored photo? I haven't decided who I am going to vote for, so you don't need to send any hate mail, thanks, but has everyone forgotten that the war in Vietnam was a fucking travesty that irreparably damaged this country and is nothing to be proud of? Being opposed to that war is a pretty clear indication of sanity and humanity, if you ask me.
I'd be much more willing to listen to the republicans get all upset over Vietnam if any of them had actually fought over there... as it is I think the way that they use the war as a platform issue (and continue to recklessly throw away lives fighting unnecessary dishonorable wars) is disrespectful to the veterans who actually fought the goddam war.
UPDATE: Adding irony to absurdity, Kerry fought in Vietnam (winning several decorations including three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, and a Bronze Star), yet supporters of Bush (who weaseled his way out of the war) tried to portray Kerry as some kind of pinko. After returning from Vietnam, Kerry, who you might argue has more of a right to comment on Vietnam than Bush has, worked with the organisation Vietnam Veterans Against the War. (If you want to know what *they* think about the current political scene, go here.) In a speech that should be required reading for every American schoolkid, Kerry once spoke to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations about the atrocities committed in Vietnam:
The idea that the Republicans would try to tackle Kerry on issues like patriotism is fucking absurd... which makes it fit in well with the rest of their platform. It's true that the Democrats also have absurdities in their platform, but in general their absurdities don't involve killing foreigners and letting Americans get killed needlessly.
I'd be much more willing to listen to the republicans get all upset over Vietnam if any of them had actually fought over there... as it is I think the way that they use the war as a platform issue (and continue to recklessly throw away lives fighting unnecessary dishonorable wars) is disrespectful to the veterans who actually fought the goddam war.
UPDATE: Adding irony to absurdity, Kerry fought in Vietnam (winning several decorations including three Purple Hearts, a Silver Star, and a Bronze Star), yet supporters of Bush (who weaseled his way out of the war) tried to portray Kerry as some kind of pinko. After returning from Vietnam, Kerry, who you might argue has more of a right to comment on Vietnam than Bush has, worked with the organisation Vietnam Veterans Against the War. (If you want to know what *they* think about the current political scene, go here.) In a speech that should be required reading for every American schoolkid, Kerry once spoke to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations about the atrocities committed in Vietnam:
In our opinion and from our experience, there is nothing in South Vietnam which could happen that realistically threatens the United States of America. And to attempt to justify the loss of one American life in Vietnam, Cambodia or Laos by linking such loss to the preservation of freedom, which those misfits supposedly abuse, is to us the height of criminal hypocrisy, and it is that kind of hypocrisy which we feel has torn this country apart.
The idea that the Republicans would try to tackle Kerry on issues like patriotism is fucking absurd... which makes it fit in well with the rest of their platform. It's true that the Democrats also have absurdities in their platform, but in general their absurdities don't involve killing foreigners and letting Americans get killed needlessly.
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