I know that every election year, the wackos on both sides of the fence come out in force. It's just part of the show; we all sort of expect it. Sitting here somewhere just right of center (close enough to hold hands with some of the people across the aisle) - I have a pretty good view of the stage.

Some acts, however, are getting harder and harder to swallow... and the people you once thought might be a little to close to the fringe-edge for comfort come out in such numbers that you just have to start paying attention to what they are saying...

I'll get to that in a moment. Let me back up a bit.

When I was in the U.S. Navy, I don't remember discussing politics much. It's not like the election comes up all that often unless you are a (lifer dog) career man (I had six years of duty, myself) and when I was active duty the choice didn't require much of a discussion.

We went to war under Bush 41, and he led us to victory in the first Persian Gulf War. 'Nuff said. 'Nuff for us back then, anyway.

Well, things are different now it seems. We no longer have a draft dodger for a president; we have a National Guardsman who served light escape duty. (Can't get away with THAT anymore, can you?) In contrast, Kerry portrays himself as a heroic Vietnam Vet and surrounds himself with members of the armed forces.

It looks like good pageantry, but if you even say the name "Kerry" in front of my dad, he'll probably spit on the ground and look pissed. You'll at least get an earful.

I helped my dad put together a website for his Vietnam buddies (a brief Semper Fi to the Devil Dogs of the 9th Engineers) and from what I understand, they all feel the same way.

Why would someone surrounded by all this military garb and pageantry inspire such hateful rhetoric from those who served? Seriously, I have yet to run into a single Vietnam Vet that doesn't have strong feelings against the man. Perhaps I swim in small circles, but I get the genuine impression that if some people had their druthers then Senator Kerry would be up for charges of treason.

Which brings me closer to the people I mentioned earlier, the angry ones that at first seem a little too close to the edge. Well, the more often I glance over my shoulder at them, the more of them there seems to be and the closer they seem to be getting.

Let's first take a look at a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth has been formed to counter the false "war crimes" charges John Kerry repeatedly made against Vietnam veterans who served in our units and elsewhere, and to accurately portray Kerry's brief tour in Vietnam as a junior grade Lieutenant. We speak from personal experience -- our group includes men who served beside Kerry in combat as well as his commanders. Though we come from different backgrounds and hold varying political opinions, we agree on one thing: John Kerry misrepresented his record and ours in Vietnam and therefore exhibits serious flaws in character and lacks the potential to lead.

We regret the need to do this. Most Swift boat veterans would like nothing better than to support one of our own for America's highest office, regardless of whether he was running as a Democrat or a Republican. However, Kerry's phony war crimes charges, his exaggerated claims about his own service in Vietnam, and his deliberate misrepresentation of the nature and effectiveness of Swift boat operations compels us to step forward.

For more than thirty years, most Vietnam veterans kept silent as we were maligned as misfits, addicts, and baby killers. Now that a key creator of that poisonous image is seeking the Presidency we have resolved to end our silence.

Their website has a great deal of information on the war crimes charges John Kerry presented to congress and information that disputes Senator Kerry's portrayal of his service. Indeed, the evaluations that he received which WERE released to the public are analyzed in great detail and explained to the uninitiated.

Here is just a sample:

In what would customarily be an opportunity for a glowing "swan song" FITREP, the Commanding Officer of USS Gridley (DLG-21) tacitly blasts Kerry on his departure for Swift Boat duty by ranking him significantly below the norm in desirability for virtually every Navy assignment possible -- command, staff, whatever. He is a ship handler who is dinged in ship handling. He is in line for command, but his CO doesn't want him near the bridge. He is slammed in all performance areas -- most notably and significantly in initiative and reliability. The "nice" narrative emphasizes performance in collateral duties, but in the grades and marks, the CO is telling the selection board and detailer loud and clear that this officer is lazy, unreliable and not suited for command. 3 SEP 68 (W.E. HARPER).

It makes you wonder about the numerous evaluations they DIDN'T release.

Also on the website is an open letter signed by 250 Swift Boat Veterans as well as another page that offers some persuasive quotes, all signed of course and most with pictures. One striking photo was used by Kerry in his campaign, without permission. The Swift Boat Vets annotated the photo so you could see the opinions of the people in the photo. It is then that you discover that only one of the people in the photo (other than Kerry) actually support him for president.

It makes one wonder, certainly. Can so many people citing so many specific sources be so far off the mark?

There are more websites than just this, of course.

WinterSoldier.Com documents sources, provides timelines, compiles news articles and even offers declassified FBI documents. You could spend days just getting a summary of the material.

Why don't we read about this in the mainstream media?

Others I have found include Vietnam Special Forces Against Kerry, Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry and a website called Kerry Lied. I am sure that there are dozens more.

Links to several books are scattered across the various websites, including the 1998 "Stolen Valor" which has a section on John Kerry, long before he ever decided to run for president. The Swift Boat Veterans are publishing a book which will be released on August 15th called "Unfit for Command". The former chief congressional investigator has even written a book called "The Many Faces of John Kerry" which doesn’t exactly portray the Senator in a good light.

Just when you think that veterans disliking him for his service and his contributions to the anti-war protest were enough, another group called "POW/MIA Family Members Against John Kerry" brings more accusations to the table.

John Kerry, as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, ordered the destruction of committee documents, blocked avenues of investigation, and misrepresented progress on the POW/MIA issue to justify lifting of the trade embargo against Vietnam.

The group accuses John Kerry of clearing the way for President Clinton to lift the embargo against North Vietnam so his cousin could win a lucrative $905 million dollar contract.

In retrospect, it is clear that John Kerry had but one goal as Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs. His goal was to remove the issue of Prisoners of War and Missing in Action, as a roadblock to trade and normalization of relations with Vietnam. The question is.... why?
All we need to do is look at two events which occurred shortly after the committee presented its finding, in January 1993.

Francis Zwenig, staff director for the Committee, who was often seen during hearings whispering in Kerry's ear, became Vice President of the U.S. - Vietnam Trade Council. Ms Zwenig, who helped shaped the conclusion of the committee and its final report was now benefitting financially from the committee's efforts to close the POW/MIA issue.

In June of 1993, as reported in a Boston Herald article by Michael E. Knell, "Colliers International brokered a $905 million dollar deal to develop a deep sea port in Vietnam.." To skirt the trade embargo still in effect against Vietnam, Colliers International acted through its partner firm Colliers Jardine based in Singapore. At the time the deal was brokered, C. Stewart Forbes was the Chief Executive Officer of Colliers International.

All through 1993 and into early 1994, John Kerry pushed for the lifting of the trade embargo against Vietnam, citing of Vietnamese cooperation on the POW/MIA issue. As evidenced in the articles of Sydney Schanberg and scripted event involving Senator Kerry and Col. Pham Duc Dia, Vietnamese cooperation was clearly a myth.

Yet, Kerry persisted in his campaign to lift the trade embargo. Finally, his efforts were rewarded in February 1994, when President Clinton lifted the embargo.

Did Kerry have another agenda, beyond the stated goals of the committee? Before you answer that question, there is one other piece of information you need to know. C. Stewart Forbes CEO of Colliers International and John Forbes Kerry are cousins.

The website also details quite a number of specific instances where Senator Kerry obfuscated POW issues. They don't really pull any punches and they aren't vague about the whens and wheres.

I suppose that I could Google this topic endlessly, but the point has already been made, I think. Senator Kerry seems to have opened a closet with more than just a few skeletons in it when he chose to make his experience in Vietnam as a key pillar of his bid for President.

Perhaps he should have taken a note from President Bush's handbook and just kept quiet about his service to our country, and focused on more important issues.

Posted by Michael at August 3, 2004 09:37 AM