John Kerry the war criminal: Unfit to command, part 2

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Ogie Oglethorpe
Thats kind of the point. There is a contingent that given 3 PH's and your out would want to do so. (Recognize this is not aimed at Kerry but morevoer a faction of folk that might do so.)

The flip side of that (other than the possible common sense of getting a million dollar wound in some useless ****hole war like Vietnam), is that in general, unless there's significant dereliction of duty in the immediate command, people don't get PH's because they ask nicely.

Nor do they get to write, endorse and approve their own recommendations to get one.

[chequita guevara]

MtG is spot on about the memory stuff.

[Pekka]

Well, quite off topic, but about the PH issue, like most know, I lost most of my little finger in the service and it got amputated because of a mistake of another person, who broke the rules, leading to my injury. It's no scracth in the butt, it's losing part of your body forever. Not a huge deal though, but I didn't even get a diploma for it. Not even a hand shake for it. I didnt' even get paid for it. I didn't even get covered for it 100%. I'm saying, I don't need a medal, but I would have liked a diploma. 'thank you for giving your finger to the country in free of salary service and disfiguring your dominant hand.'.. and if anyone says 'well it wasn't a combat situation', I take offense. I want a diploma for it. Now I got nothing to show for it.

So if Kerry got few stinky medals for something, I couldn't care less. Deserved it or not, what's the big deal, seriously. I'm sure a lot of people didn't get medals when they deserved it. I'm sure many people did get when they didn't deserve it. I'm sure some people threw the medals away. Hey, if I ever get that diploma, I'll wipe my ass with it. Is that disrespecting the army? So what, if someone says I'm not eligble for president because of THAT, I'd say someone has set their values pretty strongly on something. Maybe too heavily.

And the other point is, do you realize how embarrasing it made my salute look? And I had to salute a lot! In here, everyone who is of lesser rank salutes you, even though you're NCO. And then you salute back. And when you live in a place with 100 privates, and cross them all the time, you'll be saluting like a mofo. And then of course you salute the higher ones. Yes to the point. IF someone says, that me wiping my ass to official diploma, or throwing my sergeant buttons to the toilet after I served, hey, some people might take offense. But then again, if they never lost anything, they shouldn't be the ones with the problem.

PS. I never threw anything to the toilet.

[Ned]

The only way Kerry is going to get out of this is meet the charges head on. Simply saying this a smear orchestrated by Bush is not an answer that anyone but a Democrat will accept.

[Pekka]

So, we don't give out medals for getting injured out of combat zone either. Say if I got a medal for it, and kept it, would I be a person who disrespects every veteran?

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Are you bragging about it claiming yourself a war hero?

[Pekka]

Absolutely. But since one of the arguments was that he didn't deserve some of the PHs, and I didn't either, but if I got one, there would be only few people judging me for it. It's a case of rules. If we bring the bragging issue 'and that's the point damn it!', then let's not come back to the rule thing again.

Besides, he was in a war, and that makes him a hero by default. What makes him a real war hero is that he saved a life of his comrade. Do you say he is NOT a war hero? Because of few stinky medals?

In my eyes every man is a war hero goes to war, and saves a life of his friend. Republican or Democrat. Or even commie. That person is a war hero. I don't care about their political affiliation in that issue at all. To say he is not, well that I don't understand.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

I have claimed him a deceptive self agrandizing braggart in contrast to almost every other Vietnam vet I have had the pleasure of knowing.

His action valorous or not have little to do with his behavior after the fact.

[Ned]

Originally posted by Pekka


In my eyes every man is a war hero goes to war, and saves a life of his friend. Republican or Democrat. Or even commie. That person is a war hero. I don't care about their political affiliation in that issue at all. To say he is not, well that I don't understand.

Had Kerry not exaggerated or downright lied, he would have be considered to be a war hero for saving the life of Rassmann. But a man who distorts the record routinely is not to be trusted by anyone. The issue is not whether he was in combat. He was. The issue is his integrity.

[Pekka]

And that's exactly why I don't understand this debate. Because the fact reamins, he might be bragging, but he IS running for the president. And yet, he at least went to the country to fight. That's why I see republicans shouldn't try to attack Kerry's military record. They should find more lucrative targets, like attacking his economy plans.

[Pekka]

Ned, OK that much I can accept too. Issue about integrity. Well I think that's a legit debate, and I take no sides. By teh way, I'm conservative (I think).

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Ned
The issue is his integrity.

Why? You guys don't give a flying **** about Bush's total lack of integrety. It's total hypocricy.

[DanS]

IF someone says, that me wiping my ass to official diploma, or throwing my sergeant buttons to the toilet after I served, hey, some people might take offense. But then again, if they never lost anything, they shouldn't be the ones with the problem.

You can do what you wish. No skin off my back. Wipe your ass with it. Doesn't matter to me. But if you do it publicly, then you are encouraging people to judge you on the fact that you did it (otherwise, why would you have done it in the first place?).

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by Pekka
By teh way, I'm conservative (I think).

Pekka, you have to remember, a European conservative is the equivalent of an American communist.

[Pekka]

Why would I do it publicly though.. that would only encourage the hippies.

I guess my analogy failed then. But I almost turned a debate about Kerry about myself. I tihnk that would have been the greatest threadjack in the history of the internet.

The fault is really in the insurance companies anyway. But I want that diploma Biaaaatch!